Transcend Information, Inc, a global leader in storage and multimedia products, today announced a radical upgrade of its 2.5" solid state drives (SSD). The new SSDs boast transfer speeds reaching 260 MB/s and storage capacities up to 512 GB, offering performance-minded enthusiasts a perfect combination of speed, high-capacity storage and long-term reliability.

To boost overall performance, Transcend's new 2.5-inch SATA SSDs feature an upgraded controller chip that supports a maximum sequential transfer speed of 260 MB/s read and 200 MB/s write. This dramatically improved performance translates into significantly faster system boot up and application launch speed, while offering the lag-free responsiveness and stability necessary for storage-intensive computing and high-end gaming systems.

Icy Dock released a handy enclosure that makes room for four 2.5" SATA or SAS HDDs/SSDs inside a 5.25" drive bay. The Icy Dock MB994SP-4S enclosure provides the four 2.5" bays with doors and trays that make loading and unloading the drives inside easy. Internally, the enclosure relays four SATA or SAS connections to the ports at the back (from which they can be individually connected to the system's storage controller, while power is drawn in from two Molex connectors. Each tray has its own drive activity indicator. Cooling is care of two 40 mm fans on its rear side. Measuring 6.7" x 5.75 x 1.63", the enclosure is the size of most 5.25" optical drives, and is designed to fit in almost every case with a 5.25" bay. Icy Dock did not give out pricing or availability details yet.

ADATA Technology, the world leader in DRAM modules and flash memory products, proudly launched the N004 2.5-inch flash drive, equipped with both USB 3.0 and SATA II interfaces. The N004 is truly an outstanding work of art that differs from conventional portable storage devices.

Re-defining the perception of advanced portable drives, the N004 adopts a 2.5-inch plush aluminum case, and the super-size storage capacity runs to 256GB. Moreover, the USB 3.0 and SATA II dual interface supports both SuperSpeed USB 3.0 and SATA standards. Adoption of 8-channel technology allows the N004 to outperform normal flash drives in delivering blazing transfer rates, up to 200 MB/s and 170 MB/s in sequential read/write performance respectively.

Buffalo Technology, a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of wired and wireless networking and network and direct attached storage solutions, today announced a refresh of the highly popular DriveStation Duo and DriveStation Quad, formerly DriveStation Quattro, representing the latest generation of high-performance direct attached storage solutions. Combining performance and reliability, these new multi-drive external hard drives, equipped with NovaBACKUP Business Essentials, are ideal for small servers, creative professionals, offices and consumers requiring redundant and high performance external storage. Also announced today is the new DriveStation Axis, a single drive storage solution combining unique features and simplicity with Buffalo's distinguished reliability for an exceptional value.

"Consumers and businesses alike have become quite savvy when it comes to protecting mission-critical or personal data such as file backups, work documents, music, photos and videos," said Ralph Spagnola, vice president of sales at Buffalo Technology. "Buffalo has always recognized this need and has once again put forth best-in-class storage solutions providing a perfect blend of reliability, performance and flexible features at affordable prices."

Samsung's newest line of consumer solid state drives (SSDs) in the 2.5" SATA form-factor have made a quiet entry into European markets. Samsung, which is known more in the SSD industry for its NAND flash chips than an SSD line under its own banner, designed the new Samsung 470 series SSDs to pack the latest technologies, offer high IOPS and throughput for PCs and notebooks. In these, Samsung is using its a homegrown "multi-core" SSD controller that works to give high data rates without provisioning a portion of the NAND flash memory for controller operations. The drives use Samsung's 30 nanometer-class MLC NAND flash memory chips.

The Samsung 470 series SSDs come in capacities of 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB; offering data rates of 250 MB/s (read) and 220 MB/s (write), with up to 31,000 IOPS for reads, 21,000 IOPS for random writes. The 64 GB variant, however, writes at up to 170 MB/s. The drives use the newer SATA 6 Gb/s interface, though are backwards compatible with older versions of SATA. The TRIM feature is also present, it keeps the drives' write performance from deteriorating over time. Samsung advertises a mean time before failure (MTBF) or 1.5 million hours, and backs these drives with a three-year warranty. The drives are designed to withstand mechanical shocks of up to 1,500 G. The 64, 128 and 256 GB variants are each priced at €152.39, €294.46 and €558.57, respectively.

SanDisk Corporation, the global leader in flash memory cards, today announced the first product in a new category of embedded solid state drives (SSD) that are smaller than a postage stamp and offer higher capacities and performance than existing storage solutions. The SanDisk integrated SSD (iSSD), the first high-capacity product within this new category, is designed for use in fast-growing mobile computing platforms such as tablet PCs and ultra-thin notebooks.

Computing platforms are responding to consumer demand for highly portable, ultra-thin, anywhere-anytime access to the Internet and their favorite content. The SanDisk iSSD drive is the first flash SSD device to support the industry standard SATA interface in a small BGA (Ball Grid Array) package that can be soldered onto any motherboard, and that is fast enough for use with advanced operating systems in next-generation mobile computing platforms.

ioSafe today announced the availability of the SoloPRO. The SoloPRO is the business-class edition of the award-winning Solo external hard drive and is available in USB 3.0 and eSATA/USB 2.0 formats, providing full support for Windows, Linux servers, and desktop operating systems.

"Both homes and businesses need to store ever-increasing volumes of data quickly without worrying about data loss. ioSafe has always been about safely and securely storing data locally and now with its introduction of USB 3.0 and eSATA, homes and businesses can accomplish that more quickly than ever before ," said Jerome Wendt, an expert in data storage who serves as the Principal and Lead Analyst at DCIG.

Viking Modular Solutions, a division of Sanmina-SCI Corporation, and leading manufacturer of innovative memory and flash solutions, today announced its Slim SATA SSD, a case-less, small form-factor and rugged SATA SSD, is available for immediate customer qualification.

Viking Modular Solutions' Slim SATA SSD is an embedded solid state drive solution that delivers outstanding performance in a standard form factor - and is less than half the size of a 2.5" SSD. With its 3Gb SATA II interface and sustained performance of up to 260 MB/s (megabytes per second), the Viking Modular Slim SATA SSD is ideal for telecommunications, gaming, embedded server & storage systems, field computing and defense & aerospace applications.

Icy Dock's MB668U3-1SB drive enclosure has been released to the North American and European markets. The enclosure takes in 2.5" (9.5 mm thick) SATA hard drives or solid state drives, and makes for external hard drives with USB 3.0 connectivity for transfer rates nearly on par with internal storage controllers. The enclosure takes all its power from the USB port, while also optionally featuring a 5V DC input, just in case. The aluminum+plastic based enclosure is available in carbon black and silver variants, and measures 76.3 x 13 x 150 mm, weighing a little over 80 g (empty). It is priced at 41 EUR.

A-Data is readying a new solid state drive (SSD) which can be used both internally, and externally as a portable drive, with the same transfer speeds in both cases. The N004 from A-Data uses SATA 3 Gb/s and USB 3.0, hence no performance is lost when using it as a portable drive. Available in capacities of 64, 128 and 256 GB, the SSD offers transfer speeds of 200 MB/s read, and 170 MB/s write. It weighs 87 g, and sports a brushed-metal shell. There is no word on the pricing or availability as of now.

OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) and memory modules for computing devices and systems, will showcase the Company's leading-edge SSD solutions at the 2010 Flash Memory Summit in booth #415 at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA August 17-19. OCZ's commitment to advancing flash technology for enterprise and commercial applications makes the Flash Summit is the ideal space to demonstrate cutting edge technology and solutions.

OCZ will demonstrate the breakthrough HSDL (High Speed Data Link) interface and accompanying IBIS 3.5" HSDL SSD, which was developed to revolutionize data transfer rates and bandwidth and take SSD storage technology to the next level. HSDL eliminates the SATA bottleneck and is ideal for a wide range of enterprise applications including high performance computing, servers and cloud computing solutions. Likewise, the RevoDrive PCI-Express SSD will be entered in the "Best of Show" awards as the highest performing bootable PCI-E drive at its price point on the market.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in digital consumer electronics and information technology, today announced the F4EG, the world's highest-density, environmentally friendly hard disk drive (HDD) for the desktop market. The EcoGreen F4 features a 2-terabyte (TB) capacity - 667 GB for each of its three disks - and is capable of storing up to 880 hours of DVD video or 500,000 songs in MP3 format. The internal F4EG utilizes Samsung's high-density design technology to provide better performance, low power and improved reliability to its 'EcoGreen' hard drives.

"Storage-hungry multimedia professionals, gamers and home PC users continue to increase the amount of video, music, photo and other personal data they store and back-up," said I.C. Park, vice president, Storage Sales, Semiconductor Business, Samsung Electronics. "The F4EG delivers all the benefits of a low-power drive yet features top performance quality and is environmentally friendly."

Toshiba Storage Device Division (SDD), the pioneer in small form factor hard disk drives (HDDs), today announced a new family of 7,200 RPM 2.5-inch SATA drives. This represents the industry's first broad line of 7,200 RPM 2.5-inch models optimized for demanding performance, power consumption, and durability requirements across a wide range of high-performance and business-critical applications.

Continuing the Toshiba tradition of leadership and innovation in small form factor storage, this product family offers systems designers a choice of capacities across standard, high-durability, and self-encrypting models. This new HDD family provides extremely quiet operation-the seek acoustics are the same as idle mode. Halogen-free2 and power-efficient, the new models also deliver lowered heat generation and power consumption during operation.

ADATA Technology Co., Ltd., the worldwide leader in DRAM memory and Flash application products, today introduced S596 Turbo, the first Solid State Drive (SSD) using JMicron JMF616 controller. Not only has the speed of S596 promoted, the stability has also strengthened. The ADATA S596 Turbo leads the SSD industry into a whole new era.

In terms of the interface, the ADATA S596 Turbo equips SATA II and mini-USB dual interface, providing greater convenience and flexibility. The SSD can be used either as an external portable storage, or as an installed disk in laptop. Furthermore, with a 3.5" converter, the S596 Turbo can be installed in desktop PC. The brushed aluminum chassis of the S596 Turbo is designed for fast heat dissipation, while bringing impressive elegant demeanor.

Lian Li Industrial Co. Ltd. today launches a USB 3.0 2.5" External Hard Disk Drive (HDD) Enclosure. The conveniently thin, all-aluminum EX-10Q connects its users' external HDD to computers with a super-fast USB 3.0 cable that reaches speeds up to 5GMbps. For computers without USB 3.0 compatibility, the operating speed is 480Mbps.

The bridge chip used in the EX-10Q is a VL700. No AC adapter is needed and the EX-10Q's flexible design makes it compatible with SATA 1.5 Gb/s & 3 Gb/s HDDs and SSDs. Coming in blue, red, silver, and black, the EX-10Q's dimensions stand at 75x12x130 millimeters (W.H.D). Lian Li once again proves its time-to-market ability in more than just computer cases but complete PC-related products. The MSRP for the Lian Li EX-10Q 2.5" External HDD Enclosure is US$30 for all colors.

Lexar Media, a leading global provider of memory products for digital media, today announced the Crucial RealSSD C300 with Data Transfer Kit available with the 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB C300 drives. This convenient product bundle includes a Crucial RealSSD C300 solid-state drive, a SATA-to-USB data cable, and cloning software.

Migrating from a traditional hard drive to a solid-state drive offers improved boot up and application load times. In addition, SSDs run cooler, quieter, and with more durability when compared to a traditional hard drive. However, transferring data from an existing hard drive to a new SSD can prove a daunting task to many notebook or desktop computer users.

Mach Xtreme Technology Inc., a worldwide leader in top performance, high reliability and user-friendly designed PC components, today unveiled MX JET PRO Series 2.5" SSD which makes MLC (multi-level cell) NAND-based storage an affordable offering for mainstream users demanding the latest technology and top performance. Based on JMicron JMF616 controller, MX JET PRO Series delivers blazing fast, smooth and stutter free performance.

The new MX JET PRO Series of SSDs is the latest addition to the Mach Xtreme lineup of solid state drives. MX Technology has worked very closely with JMicron on this series to get most out of this new sophisticated controller. As a result, MX Technology releases the best-in-class drive. MX JET PRO is based on the advanced JMF616 controller coupled with 128MB onboard cache and the latest firmware to ensure top performance while maintaining an attractive price point that is truly within the reach of a wide range of DIY users.

Spire announced today that its HandyBook SSD/HDD Drive Enclosures are now available with USB3.0 compatibility. Keep your data safe and cool in the Spire all new HandyBook 2.5-inch SATA to USB3.0 Hard Drive enclosure. The HandyBook is a nifty little enclosure, great design in both appearance and functionality. Keep your data potable and stored safely inside the Spire HandyBook, allowing you to operate the hard drive plug and play at any time.

The HandyBook can be opened at the touch of one button. Simply place your drive into the enclosure, connect it to your computer and start transferring your data at blazing speeds. The HandyBook is made with a special dual-layer design that reduces noise and is lightweight for maximum portability.

LSI Corporation and Seagate announced the delivery of a complex integrated read channel technology for Seagate's latest hard disk drive (HDD) products. Together, the companies have enabled the industry's first hard disk drives with low-density parity check (LDPC) read channel in 65nm process system-on-chip (SoC) technology.

The co-development effort combines Seagate LDPC digital back-end read channel and hard drive controller IP with LSITM analog front-end read channel (RC) and physical layer (PHY) technology. The combined LDPC read channel has been incorporated into high-capacity SoC solutions that enable new levels of performance and storage capacity for leading-edge Seagate HDDs.

The age of USB 3.0 is almost here. Today, storage leader Thecus Technology is proud to announce its first portable storage device featuring the new USB 3.0 standard - the D0204. With massive storage capacity in a tiny package no larger than a paperback book, the D0204 delivers impressive data security and performance with an integrated USB 3.0 port, making it the most powerful and versatile portable DAS on the market.

The D0204 is a small and compact direct attached storage (DAS) device. Wrapped in a housing measuring a mere 86mm x 55.3mm x 132mm, the D0204 may appear to be a mere portable hard disk at first glance, but peering inside this tiny form factor reveals a powerful storage unit.

SSD and flash memory specialists PhotoFast developed what they call the GBox mini, an adapter that converts USB 3.0 to SATA. The adapter connects to the host with a USB 3.0 connector (for data and power), and an additional USB 2.0 (purely for power). The two connectors share the same cable so clutter is minimized. On its other end, the adapter has a SATA connector with both data and power ports. It can connect to any SATA HDD, SSD, or optical drive. Although the USB 3.0 interface has a generous maximum bandwidth of 4.8 Gb/s, the device has transfer speeds of up to 128 MB/s (SATA device to system) and 96 MB/s (system to SATA device). The GBox mini comes with a copy of DriveClone 7 Pro software bundled, necessary cable, and is expected to be priced at US $22, when it hits the Japanese markets next month.

OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) and memory modules for computing devices and systems, releases the RevoDrive PCI-Express SSD, an innovative storage solution that focuses on both performance and affordability for consumers. The new RevoDrive was developed to push the limits of economical SSD technology to deliver a revolutionary product with a remarkable price point.

Moving beyond the bottleneck of SATA 3 Gb/s, the OCZ RevoDrive features a PCIe interface to deliver superior speeds over 500 MB/s reads and random small file writes up to 80,000 IOPS, nearly twice the speed of other consumer SSDs. Thanks to a proprietary RAID 0 design, the RevoDrive maximizes data access and bandwidth to promote a faster, more responsive PC experience compared to not only hard drives, but other SSDs on the market.

NZXT expanded its lineup of Premium Cables with a few additions. These cables are meant to expand or replace a variety of power and data cables in the PC primarily for aesthetics, and with cable-management in mind. Till now the company has been selling 24-pin ATX cables with customizable sleeving, the new additions include a 450 mm 8-Pin PCI-E power extension, 300 mm SATA (data) cables, SATA (power) to Molex, 600 mm 3-pin fan power, 600~750 mm long 4-port SATA (data) cable-cluster, front-panel control cluster, Molex extension, 6-pin and 8-pin PCI-E power, and Y-cables for power distribution. The cables come sleeved, with a variety of sleeve color options. Prices start at US $2.99, and go up to $14.99.

Sharkoon presents another external housing with a faster USB3.0 port: After the accessory specialist had introduced their QuickStore Portable USB3.0 for 2.5-inch SATA hard drives in May, Sharkoon has now expanded their "Rapid Case" series with a SuperSpeed model for SATA hard drives with a 3.5-inch form factor.

The "Rapid Case" series offers solid Aluminum for users who are searching for an inexpensive yet quality made external hard drive case for an enclosure. Current models will be available with external USB2.0 ports for 2.5 and 3.5-inch IDE hard drives as well as either with USB2.0 or USB2.0 plus eSATA hard drives in both sizes.

HighPoint Technologies, announces shipment of the RocketRAID 2722. The RocketRAID 2722 delivers the next generation of SAS 6Gb/s performance with 8 channels of external point-to-point direct connectivity. The newest member broadens the HighPoint SAS 6Gb/s RAID product portfolio which now includes all generations of SATA (6Gb/s, 3Gb/s & 1.5Gb/s) and SAS 6Gb/s storage interface.

HighPoint RocketRAID 2722 is first 8 channel external member of the SAS/SATA 6Gb/s RAID host adapter family series. There two SFF-8088 connectors to support up to 8 external SAS/SATA devices. A PCI-Express 2.0 x8 bus interface is backward compatible to PCI-Express 1.0. HighPoint hardware assisted RAID 0, 1, 5, 10, 50 and JBOD offers a balance of storage performance with protection.