Hasta La Gadget!

Has the lack of NAND flash storage-optimized file systems been bugging you? Then you’ve got something in common with Samsung, which has developed F2FS (or “Flash-Friendly File-System”) for the memory of choice for mobile devices and its specific “internal geometry.” It’s based on a log-structured method, but tackles problems associated with older file systems intended mainly for retro, spinning-disk storage. The company isn’t keeping its hard work behind lock-and-patent either — it’s gone open-source and submitted the file system to the Linux kernel, meaning you could see it implemented in Android hardware of the future. It’s nice to see Sammy contributing code for the greater good, and if you’ve got the skills to understand it, a low-down of F2FS is available at the source below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Samsung

Samsung creates F2FS file system for NAND flash storage, submits it to the Linux kernel originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Oct 2012 11:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Nintendo Wii U may only have 8 to 32GB of internal memory, but the company’s taking a decidedly open approach to expanding that memory: add your own. “You can plug in a full-on three terabyte hard drive if you want. I’ll love you as a digital consumer,” Nintendo America CEO and president Reggie Fils-Aime told us during a post-press conference investor Q&A. Much like Sony’s PlayStation 3, the Wii U allows for expansion of memory via USB, whether that memory be Flash or otherwise. Fils-Aime explained that, with the continuously dropping price of memory, there was little reason to offer pricing for the Wii U — available in $300 and $350 — tied to an evolving hardware model.

“The reason we did it that way is that the cost of that type of storage memory is plummeting. What we didn’t want to do is tie a profit model to something that’s gonna rapidly decline over time. We’ll let the consumer buy as much as they want, as cheaply as they want,” Fils-Aime said.

Fils-Aime also confirmed that the Wii U doesn’t have TiVO hardware built into it — functionality will require an existing TiVO box. The same goes for DVR functionality, which Fils-Aime said Nintendo doesn’t want consumers to bear the expense of.

Filed under: Gaming

Nintendo Wii U expandable memory explained, TiVO hardware not built in originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 12:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung has just announced some superfast new chips and they might one day power an iPhone. More »

Nikon’s D4 is currently the only belle at the XQD ball, and until now, Sony was its only memory suitor. However, Lexar’s just arrived with a new line of cards to compete for the D4’s affections. The Fremont-based company says it collaborated with Nikon to build the PCI Express-based memory, and that they’ll hit the market sometime in the third quarter of 2012 — with no mention of specs or prices so far. Unfortunately, that means we don’t know how Lexar’s offerings will stack up against Sony’s H-series or S-series cards already on the market. That said, while you wait for more details about Lexar’s new cards, feel free to check out the lovely data the D4 will be putting on ’em when they arrive.

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Storage

Lexar XQD memory cards announced, will duel with Sony for Nikon D4’s attention originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Jul 2012 02:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s an understatement to say that Seagate started off on the wrong foot in its attitude towards solid-state drives: the company only slowly came around to embracing flash memory, and then mostly for the enterprise crowd and hybrid drive lovers. A newly-struck partnership between Seagate and controller maker DensBits is signalling a more serious attempt to offer SSDs to everyday users. Along with catering to the business folk, Seagate wants its new teammate’s help on building “low-cost, high-performance” consumer SSDs. Most of the drives for the plebeians will use slower but denser 3-bits-per-cell memory made on a process under 20 nanometers, while the suits will get faster 2-bits-per-cell flash for their servers. The deal doesn’t have any timetable attached, although Seagate’s decision to pour equity cash into DensBits suggests it’s not just a one-time fling.

Continue reading Seagate and DensBits team up on solid-state drives for the home, call truce in the HDD versus SSD war

Seagate and DensBits team up on solid-state drives for the home, call truce in the HDD versus SSD war originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jun 2012 23:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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