LaCie is excited to announce availability of the 2big Thunderbolt Series. With speeds up to 327MB/s, the Thunderbolt interface delivers speeds three times faster than FireWire 800. For data transfer gurus, that means 1TB of data - that's nearly 235,000 MP3's, 750 iTunes movies, or more than 450,000 photos* - can be transferred in less than an hour! Furthermore, you can daisy chain multiple 2big Thunderbolt devices to increase overall performance.

Apple today announced that John Browett will join the company as senior vice president of Retail, reporting to Apple CEO Tim Cook. Browett comes to Apple from European technology retailer Dixons Retail, where he has been CEO since 2007. Beginning in April, he will be responsible for Apple's retail strategy and the continued expansion of Apple retail stores around the world.

"Our retail stores are all about customer service, and John shares that commitment like no one else we've met," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "We are thrilled to have him join our team and bring his incredible retail experience to Apple."

Buffalo announced the LinkStation WSX2.0TL/R1, a compact NAS server that makes use of two 1 TB 2.5-inch SATA hard drives in RAID 0 to offer 2 TB of storage space in a fast volume. You can reconfigure the drives to different RAID modes, or make them work as standalone volumes, as well. Measuring 40 x 82 x 135 mm, the LinkStation WSX2.0TL/R1 uses common 1 Gb/s Ethernet to connect to the network, and USB 2.0 to take in additional storage devices that follow the USB Mass Storage code. It is fully DLNA compliant, making it compatible with a variety of networked devices apart from computers. It can act as an iTunes server, as well as a Bittorrent download box. Data backup software is included. It is available in piano black and pearl white options. Slated for a mid-August launch in Japan, it is priced at US $450.

Apple today announced that Mac OS X Lion, the eighth major release of the world's most advanced operating system with more than 250 new features, is available today as a download from the Mac App Store for $29.99. Some of the amazing features in Lion include: new Multi-Touch gestures; system-wide support for full screen apps; Mission Control, an innovative view of everything running on your Mac; the Mac App Store, the best place to find and explore great software, built right into the OS; Launchpad, a new home for all your apps; and a completely redesigned Mail app.

"Lion is the best version of OS X yet, and we're thrilled that users around the world can download it starting today," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "Lion makes upgrading a Mac easier than ever before; just launch the Mac App Store, buy Lion with your iTunes account, and the download and install process will begin automatically."

Apple announced that Mac OS X Lion, the eighth major release of the world's most advanced operating system with more than 250 new features and 3,000 new developer APIs, will be available to customers in July as a download from the Mac App Store for $29.99. Some of the amazing features in Lion include: new Multi-Touch gestures; system-wide support for full screen apps; Mission Control, an innovative view of everything running on your Mac; the Mac App Store, the best place to find and explore great software, built right into the OS; Launchpad, a new home for all your apps; and a completely redesigned Mail app.

"The Mac has outpaced the PC industry every quarter for five years running and with OS X Lion we plan to keep extending our lead," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "The best version of OS X yet, Lion is packed with innovative features such as new Multi-Touch gestures, system-wide support for full screen apps, and Mission Control for instantly accessing everything running on your Mac."

Apple introduced iCloud, a breakthrough set of free new cloud services that work seamlessly with applications on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC to automatically and wirelessly store your content in iCloud and automatically and wirelessly push it to all your devices. When anything changes on one of your devices, all of your devices are wirelessly updated almost instantly.

"Today it is a real hassle and very frustrating to keep all your information and content up-to-date across all your devices," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "iCloud keeps your important information and content up to date across all your devices. All of this happens automatically and wirelessly, and because it's integrated into our apps you don't even need to think about it-it all just works."

Seagate, today announced GoFlex Satellite mobile wireless storage, the first battery-powered external hard drive to wirelessly extend the storage capacity of any Wi-Fi enabled mobile device. With 500GB and Wi-Fi access over 802.11 b/g/n and a rechargeable battery, this latest member of the GoFlex family provides the ability to carry an entire library of video, music, pictures and documents with you. Devices are wirelessly connected directly to the GoFlex Satellite drive by use of the free GoFlex Media app-available now on iTunes and the Apple App Store-or a web browser. GoFlex Satellite is available immediately for preorder from Seagate.com, Amazon and BestBuy.com for a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $199.99, and is scheduled to arrive in Best Buy stores in July 2011. Global availability is planned for later this summer.

"With the growth of the tablet and iPad markets and the larger volumes of high-quality media now being consumed, there is a clear need for access to content that is not plagued with the challenges of streamed video over the Internet," said Patrick Connolly, vice president and general manager of Seagate's retail group. "The unfortunate fact is that these popular new mobile devices are hampered by their limited storage capacity while one of their primary functions is that of media consumption.

Patriot Memory, a global pioneer in high-performance memory, NAND flash, storage and enthusiast computer products, today debuts the Javelin Media Server - the perfect central hub for all your digital media storage needs. The Patriot Memory Javelin delivers form and function with stylish aesthetics and world-class network connectivity.

Equipped with four drive bays that support standard 3.5-inch drives, the Patriot Memory Javelin is a media server that is customizable to your storage requirements -- up to 12TB of storage capacity is achievable when equipped with four 3TB SATA or SAS drives. The Patriot Javelin supports RAID levels 0, 1, 5, 10 and a hot-spare drive for enhanced storage efficiency whether performance or redundancy is needed.

The original N4200 made huge waves in the hardware community with its innovative features and functionality. Today, Thecus Technology, the Creator in Storage, is proud to announce its successor: the N4200PRO. Packing an all-new Intel Atom processor and DDR3 memory, the N4200PRO takes the original Zero-Crash NAS and puts performance into overdrive.

Performance freaks are going to love the new N4200PRO. Plentiful storage management options including RAID 0, 1, 5, 6,10, JBOD are present, as are convenient features such as hot-swap, hot-spare, online RAID migration and expansion, as well as auto-rebuild.

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 on the highly popular LinkStation network storage family, representing the highest performing generation of Buffalo's consumer orientated NAS solutions. The new high performance V-Series line consisting of LinkStation Pro, LinkStation Pro Duo and LinkStation Pro Quad, is based on industry-leading storage technologies, containing data management, remote access and content sharing features that make it the ideal NAS solution for the home or small business user.

"Protecting and managing digital content has always been a time consuming task for home and small business users," said Ralph Spagnola, vice president of sales at Buffalo Technology. "With the new LinkStation V-Series family, users access and share their data twice as fast that they would with a standard NAS device."

WD, the world's leader in external storage solutions, today introduced its new one terabyte (TB) and 750 gigabyte (GB) capacity My Passport SE for Mac portable USB drives. Available at WD's online store, the new My Passport SE for Mac portable drives are formatted for Mac and compatible with Apple Time Machine software.

Perfect for saving, storing and backing up Mac computers, these ultra-portable 1 TB and 750 GB My Passport SE drives are easy to carry because they are USB-powered and do not need an external power adapter1. Equipped with 256-bit hardware encryption with password protection for an extra level of security, this small drive with mega-capacity give users peace-of-mind knowing that their data is protected from unauthorized access or theft.

Verbatim Americas LLC, the information storage pioneer and computer peripherals leader, introduces MyMedia Server, a home network storage solution designed to efficiently help consumers consolidate, preserve and share all their content on one dependable, high-performance device. Whether seamlessly transferring documents directly onto the server or uploading vacation photos from a remote location, Verbatim's MyMedia Server brings file storage and media sharing to the next level. MyMedia Server will be on display during CES at Booth #36523 in South Hall 4 of the Las Vegas Convention Center, January 7-10, 2010.

"Many homes today have more than one computer, creating the need for consumers to share or access their digital content from either the comfort of a living room or sitting in café or classroom." said Ron Hanafin, Verbatim Product Manager. "With a user interface and design that creates a more enjoyable experience, MyMedia Server is straightforward for anyone to set up and start saving their important data quickly and easily. From here it only takes a couple of clicks to easily access files, listen to music, or share photos with friends and family."

Patriot Memory, a global pioneer in high-performance memory, NAND flash and computer technology, today announced the release of their new Valkyrie two-bay network attached storage device targeted for SOHO and 'prosumer' users.

In today's multi-media world, the need to have large storage capacity has quickly changed from being a luxury to being a necessity. Network Attached Storage (NAS) is designed to meet this need, and has become the local storage solution for home networks and small businesses. NAS has become the central digital media and file 'hub' for your entire network. Rather than supporting just one computer, now you can support multiple digital devices within the home as well as share files across the internet.

Iomega, an EMC company and a global leader in data protection, today announced the next generation of its popular double-drive desktop NAS appliance with the worldwide launch of the new Iomega StorCenter ix2-200. Based on industry-leading enterprise-class EMC storage technologies, the versatile yet affordable StorCenter ix2-200 wraps ease-of-use around big business data management functionality and advanced media serving and other consumer features that make it the ideal NAS appliance for small business users and home users.

Available in 1 TB, 2 TB and 4 TB capacities, the new ix2-200 utilizes a very simple four-step setup to be operational in a matter of minutes - be it in a business setting or in the digital home.

Creative Technology Ltd. today announced the Creative Sound Blaster Wireless for iTunes, a breakthrough for more than 100 million people who listen to iTunes music and Internet radio on their PC or Mac. The Creative Sound Blaster Wireless for iTunes upgrades the PC or Mac to a premium wireless sound system that enables users to use the iTunes interface. It is about the size of a thumb drive, and it just plugs into the USB connection on the PC - it is as easy to use as iTunes itself. The Creative Sound Blaster Wireless for iTunes is the perfect solution for everyone who has iTunes on their PC or Mac, allowing them to listen to their music wirelessly and enhancing the quality of the playback.

Coupled with a Creative Wireless Receiver, the Creative Sound Blaster Wireless for iTunes allows users to wirelessly connect the PC or Mac to speakers or headphones when they listen to their iTunes or MP3 music. Users no longer have to connect speakers or headphones directly to their PC or Mac, because it plays back music wirelessly throughout the home. Now users can take their notebook PC or Mac from one room to another while they listen to iTunes music without skipping a beat. The Creative Sound Blaster Wireless for iTunes enables users to select up to four specific rooms where they want to wirelessly play back their music or they can broadcast to unlimited systems throughout the home.

Apple today announced that iTunes customers can purchase and rent box office favorites including "Quantum of Solace" and "Twilight" in stunning HD on the iTunes Store. Starting today, movie fans can purchase box office blockbusters for download in HD for $19.99 from iTunes, and films will be available as iTunes Movie Rentals in HD for $4.99 within 30 days after release. Customers can enjoy these films in HD on their Mac or PC and on their widescreen TV with Apple TV, as well as in standard definition on their iPhone or iPod with video. The iTunes Store is the world's most popular online TV and movie store, with over 250 million TV episodes purchased and over 33 million movies purchased and rented.

The 'newly-wed' Activision-Blizzard is reportedly planning a music store and content delivery service to directly compete with Apple's iTunes service. For now nothing is even close to concrete, Activision-Blizzard is considering launching its own download store on its Guitar Hero game platform for now. Says CEO Robert Kotick: "When you think about the potential for what we will be able to do together, there have not been many viable alternatives to iTunes." in an interview to Reuters. He adds: "If you're downloading a song to play on your 'Guitar Hero,' there's no reason why you can't download the performance also. So there's all kinds of things you can think about."

Vivindi currently owns the World's largest music publication company, Universal Music. This could serve as a content source for this delivery platform.

Apple today announced that new movie releases from major film studios and premier independent studios are available for purchase on the iTunes Store on the same day as their DVD release. New releases and catalog titles will be available from 20th Century Fox, The Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Lionsgate, Image Entertainment and First Look Studios. Movies purchased from iTunes can be viewed on an iPod with video, iPhone, Mac or PC or on a widescreen TV with Apple TV, with new releases priced at $14.99 and most catalog titles at $9.99.

Apple Inc. was sued Wednesday over allegations its iTunes online music store and iPod music players are illegally using a patented method for distributing digital media over the Internet. Atlanta-based ZapMedia Services Inc. sued Apple in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, accusing the Cupertino-based company of violating two ZapMedia patents. ZapMedia wants royalties on Apple's sales of iPods and iTunes music, which reached nearly $11 billion last year. The success of iTunes has helped make Apple the No. 2 music retailer in the U.S. behind Wal-Mart Stores Inc., according to market researcher NPD Group. The patents in question cover a way of sending music and other digital content from servers to multiple media players, a broad description that could also apply to a wide swath of other companies selling digital media and the devices to play it. ZapMedia applied for the patents in 1999. One was granted in March 2006, the other on Tuesday. ZapMedia said it met with Apple to discuss licensing, but Apple rebuffed the offer. "When someone takes our vision and our intellectual property without a license after several attempts, we have no option but to protect it through every means available to us," Robert Frohwein, ZapMedia's general counsel, said in a statement.

Apple today announced that within six months it will lower the prices it charges for music on its UK iTunes Store to match the already standardized pricing on iTunes across Europe in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and Spain. Apple currently must pay some record labels more to distribute their music in the UK than it pays them to distribute the same music elsewhere in Europe. Apple will reconsider its continuing relationship in the UK with any record label that does not lower its wholesale prices in the UK to the pan-European level within six months.

"This is an important step towards a pan-European marketplace for music," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We hope every major record label will take a pan-European view of pricing."

Apple has dropped the price of its iTunes Plus songs that have no digital rights management (DRM) software protection and allow owners to move song files freely from one device to another. The 256kbps DRM-free song files were originally priced at $1.29 per song with a lower per-song average price for buying an entire album. iTunes now seems to be offering the same files for 99 cents per song, the same price it charges for its usual 128kbps DRM versions.

iTunes Plus has been incredibly popular with our customers, and now we're making it available at an even more affordable price,

Tom Neumayr, senior manager for iPods, Apple TV and iTunes, said in a statement. The change closely follows Amazon.com's launch of its own digital-music store.

After releasing an entirely new lineup of iPods, Apple has also launched an iTunes Wi-Fi music store for the new iPod touch along with a new version of iTunes for customers to purchase ringtones for their iPhone. Customers must first pay $0.99 for a song from iTunes, then another $0.99 for the privilege of using that song as a ringtone. The new version of iTunes will include a utility to create ringtones based on any 30-second segment from a song complete with fade-in and fade-out. iPod touch owners will be able to use their Wi-Fi connection to logon to iTunes from any wireless hotspot to download individual songs or complete albums.

For more information, please visit Apple's Wi-Fi Music Store page.

Last night Apple released iPhone firmware version 1.0.2 on iTunes. It is a 3.7MB update that includes some bug fixes.

Now that Apple has finally led the way and launched its DRM-free downloads for EMI music, you could be forgiven for thinking music fans should be happy. Unfortunately, Apple has removed the protection only to give downloaders another surprise: the tracks still contain data about who bought them. Apple launched the DRM-free service two days ago, which allows iTunes users to download higher quality music without DRM-protection (the technology that prevents music from being played on certain devices in an attempt to combat file sharing) for a higher price of $1.29. However, even tracks without any DRM have the user's account information, including the buyer's email address, embedded into them. Apple hasn't given any comment yet, but music fans fear that Apple is not respecting their privacy and are worried it could be used to identify them if the songs end up on file sharing sites. Obviously this would be useful to prevent illegal sharing, but if the data could be easily spoofed then it may lead to people being wrongly accused of sharing music.

Apple today launched iTunes Plus - DRM free music tracks featuring high quality 256kbps AAC encoding for just $1.29 per song. Apple said that it will continue to offer its entire catalog, in the same versions as today - 128kbps AAC encoding with DRM - at the same price of 99 cents per song, alongside the higher quality iTunes Plus versions when available. In addition, iTunes customers can now easily upgrade their library of previously purchased EMI content to iTunes Plus tracks for just 30 cents a song and $3.00 for most albums. The iTunes Store features the world's largest catalog with over five million songs, 350 television shows and over 500 movies. The iTunes Store has sold over 2.5 billion songs, 50 million TV shows and over two million movies, making it the world's most popular online music, TV and movie store.