Storage - Page 112

It's been a busy week for Samsung with several announcements coming out, and in closing they have introduced quite an interesting device like no other.

While at first it looks to be your run of the mill slim, external optical drive, the SE-208BW has some other features lurking that you'd never normally associate with such a device. It doubles up as a wireless access point or repeater.

In efforts to highlight these exclusive features, Samsung actually refers to this device as a "Smart Media Hub" as opposed to an optical drive. As well as being able to connec to a PC via WiFi, it also has the ability to work with tablets and smartphones. It has DLNA compatibility allowing for easy streaming to other electronic devices (phones, TVs, tablets etc.) and gives support for Dynamic DNS which helps turn it into a private server. The residing USB port can be used to plug a flash drive in which can then have its contents shared across the network.

Think you'll be able to make good use of a neat, compact portable Blu-ray writer? Samsung has just launched one dubbed the SE-506AB. It features a sleek, slim design using a hi-gloss anti-scratch coating.

While Samsung's announcement does not mention exact dimensions, they say it's a good 12% smaller than their conventional Blu-ray drive, making it a much more friendly Blu-ray partner on the go. Conveniently, the drive only needs USB connectivity, also sourcing its power from the same cable.

Samsung has implemented error-safe features such as Buffer UnderRun technology to prevent errors regardless of any possible heavy multi-tasking going on during the burning phase that may otherwise result in a coaster. Samsung ODD's exclusive AV connectivity tech is also featured on the SE-506AB that gives users the ability to plug it directly into a multimedia TV's USB port for direct playback of content.

Corsair have announced the worldwide retail availability of 90GB variants of their Force Series 3 and Force Series GT lines today. Both SSDs sport SATA 6Gbps, with a maximum sequential read speed of 550MB/sec and a maximum sequential write speed of 500MB/sec. The Force Series 3 uses asynchronous flash memory to provide the industry's best 90GB SSD performance value, while the Force Series GT is designed for enthusiasts who demand the fastest performance available, sports ONFI synchronous flash memory and boasts read speeds of up to 555MB/sec and write speeds of up to 505MB/sec.

All Force Series 3 and Force Series GT SSDs are backward compatible, so that users with previous SATA revisions can enjoy high performance. Vice President of Memory Products at Corsair, Thi La, says:

We're happy to add the world's first 90GB SSD to our product lineup. With 50% more storage capacity than our 60GB models and at pricing significantly lower than our 120GB models, they help make the Force Series 3 and Force Series GT among the most robust and flexible SSD lines on the market.

So, I just got off the phone with the folks at Kingston who had some very interesting news to share about their first HyperX SSD.

They recently took delivery of the latest SandForce firmware and after some tinkering around on their drive they managed to boost performance even further over the originally claimed numbers. The drives are already packed up and ready to ship this week and they will come with the old firmware that provides the SSD with a 525MB/s read and 480MB/s write.

The new firmware which will be on the Kingston website soon for download improves things even more and gives the HyperX SSD a read speed of 555MB/s and a write speed of 510MB/s. This makes it a smidgen faster than the best 2.5-inch SATA III drive from OCZ and others who have drives that operate at 550MB/s.

Patriot has today announced the Supersonic Xpress USB 3.0 flash drive that is meant to combine portability and a SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface for maximum performance at an affordable price. The Patriot Supersonic Xpress USB 3.0 flash drive sports a stylish cap-less design that hides the USB 3.0 connector when it's not in use, all that is required is to push the drive like a pen which then reveals the connector.

Patriot Memory's Flash Product Manager, William Lai talks about the Supersonic Xpress USB 3.0 flash drive:

We reached the perfect balance of performance and portability with the Patriot Supersonic Xpress USB 3.0 flash drive. The cap-less design lets users carry the drive with them while never having to worry about losing the cap. The USB 3.0 interface enables maximum performance when connected via USB 3.0 as well as backwards compatibility via USB 2.0.

Utilizing the super snappy 6Gbps SandForce 2281 controller, Corsair has just officially launched a new family of high performance SSDs under their Force arsenal in the form of the Force GT.

Thanks to the use of a proven controller capable of incredible performance, This fast, flaming red beast is capable of read and write speeds of up to 555MB/sec and 525MB/sec respectively, along with up to 85K Random Write IOPS.

The series comes in capacities of 60, 120 and 240GB, with an RRP mentioned in the official PR on the first two at $149 USD and $279 USD respectively.