Here we have a new line of USB flash drives from Team Group, the C117. Available in four different storage capacities: 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 32GB, these plug and play flash drives feature a solid aluminum extrusion body, a USB 2.0 connection interface and are backed by a lifetime warranty. Prices unannounced yet. [Team]
Crucial hits back with a new line of SSDs, the v4. Coming in 32GB, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB sizes, these 2.5-inch SSDs are packed with MLC NAND Flash memory chips, a SATA 3.0 Gbps interface, a MTBF of 1 million hours and capable of delivering read and write speeds of up to 230MB/s and 190MB/s, respectively. The 32GB, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB models are available now for $49.99, $69.99, $99.99 and $189.99, respectively. [Crucial]
Traditionally, the SSD is much more expensive than a comparably sized hard drive. The benefits of an SSD are clear with faster booting and quicker application loading among other things with the big downside being that the SSD typically costs much more per gigabyte than other storage options. Crucial has unveiled a new line of SSDs called the Crucial v4 SSD that is available in multiple storage capacities at surprisingly affordable prices.
The Crucial SSDs are available in 32 GB, 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB capacities. Pricing on the new line of SSDs is $49.99, $69.99, $99.99, and $189.99 respectively. Under $190 is a nice price for a 256 GB SSD and will certainly lure gamers and computer enthusiasts on a budget away from hard drives. It’s interesting that the flooding that affected so many hard drive manufacturers has driven the price of your typical HDD up while the price of SSDs continues to fall bringing the SSD and HDD much closer in price.
The Crucial v4 SSD promises write speeds of up to 190 MB/s read speeds of up to 230 MB/s. The speeds are the fastest you’ll find SSD industry, but should offer significantly more performance of the typical hard drive. The new SSD line is designed to work with SATA 2 3Gb/s equipped computers representing most mainstream devices.
“The Crucial v4 SSD boils down to two things: performance and value,” said Robert Wheadon, senior worldwide product manager, Crucial. “Most consumers realize that SSDs help their computers start quicker and run faster, and are a more durable alternative to hard drives, but many don’t realize that most SSDs outperform the data transfer capabilities of their SATA 2 machines. With the Crucial v4 SSD, we’ve come up with a product that’s designed to bring the most value out of a SATA 2 system without paying for extra performance that can’t be used.”
These SSDs will work with Mac and PC computers and are perfect for machines that lack speedier 6Gb/s SATA ports. The SSDs have a three-year limited warranty. This is the perfect storage option for computers built before 2011 when the faster SATA port became common.
Crucial unveils cheap v4 SSDs for mainstream computing is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
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If you feel like your computer needs a boost but are struggling for cash, here’s something that might help: Crucial has just launched a range of value SSDs, and you can snag the cheapest one for just $50. More »
Solid-state drives cost just a fraction of what they did a few years ago, but with prices that can still exceed $1,000, you could hardly label them as cheap. Crucial still aims to put solid-state storage within reach of those on a budget, however, releasing its 2.5-inch v4 drive with pricing that starts at $50. That entry-level model will net you just 32 gigs of storage — hardly a lust-worthy sum — but the series is also available in configurations of 64GB ($70), 128GB ($100) and 256GB ($190), offering read speeds of up to 230 MB/s and write speeds of up to 190 MB/s with SATA 2-capable desktops and laptops. The v4 joins Crucial’s higher-end m4, which offers much speedier performance and Ultrabook-friendly configurations to boot. You’ll find full details in the PR after the break.
Continue reading Crucial outs v4 SSD for solid-state storage on a budget
Filed under: Storage
Crucial outs v4 SSD for solid-state storage on a budget originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Aug 2012 01:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Amazon’s Cloud Player service just scored some major upgrades, including quality and import enhancements. Perhaps most notable is a new 256 Kbps option for matched files, including songs you imported before today. That bitrate, in MP3 format, is available for new tracks and albums added to the cloud — a process that’s been streamlined as well, with Cloud Player scanning your library and automatically offering up matched tracks, rather than requiring manual imports. In addition, music you buy in the Amazon MP3 Store will show up in your Player automatically, including past purchases (in cases where the site has the necessary rights). There’s also an option to edit metadata directly, such as artist and album info, along with album art, or you can use the label information already in Amazon’s catalog. Cloud Drive will also be less integrated with Player — previous uploads will be moved to an “Archived Music” folder and won’t count against storage caps, but will still be accessible and downloadable, while new imports will be stored in Player directly. You can upload up to 250 songs to Cloud Player for free, or pay a $25 annual fee to bump that cap to 250,000. Full details are at the source link below.
Update: Amazon also mentioned that it has secured new licensing agreements with Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, adding that Cloud Player will be available on Roku and Sonos devices soon as well.
Filed under: Storage, Internet
Amazon updates Cloud Player with 256 Kbps matched files, faster import, direct delivery (update: Roku, Sonos coming soon) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 13:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Mach Xtreme has announced a new line of mSATA mini-SSDs, the MXSSD2MMSK-M. Available in both 32GB and 64GB sizes, these ultra-compact SSDs are compliant with JEDEC MO-300B standard, feature MLC NAND Flash memory chips and capable of delivering read and write speeds of up to 210MB/s and 100MB/s, respectively. Pricing and release date are still unknown at the moment. [Mach Xtreme]
The Windows Phone 8 SDK has escaped to the wild, and some sifting through the device emulator has dug up elements that Microsoft either skipped or only touched on lightly during the big unveiling in June. The most important addition may be the one customers see the least: backup. A WP7.hu search has the new OS replicating apps, settings and SMS messages in the cloud to prevent disaster, and that new SD card support will let WP8 owners shuffle photos from internal storage to the removable kind for safekeeping. There’s also more work on Internet Explorer than we saw before, with MobileTechWorld noticing that DataSense provides an option for Opera-like remote compression to save that precious cellular bandwidth.
Media fans might have the most to gain. If we go by The Verge, both the Music/Video and Xbox hubs are getting fresh coats of paint — both to integrate new ventures like Xbox Music as well as to jive more closely with the SmartGlass visual theme. Shutterbugs will like the long-awaited options to crop and rotate their work, pick multiple photos, and unify third-party camera apps under a Lenses concept. There’s even more clever features in store, such as a Maps update that finds nearby WiFi hotspots, so head on over to the sources to get a full sense of where Microsoft will be going.
Filed under: Cellphones
Windows Phone 8 SDK leaks show quiet upgrades to backup, media and the kitchen sink originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 11:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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WMPowerUser (1), (2) | MobileTechWorld, WP7.hu (translated), The Verge | Email this | Comments
The latest development in our neverending saga of worldwide patent warfare is a decision by a Mannheim judge banning Motorola’s Android devices on the basis that they violate a FAT storage patent owned by Microsoft. FOSSPatents’ Florian Mueller tweets that it is the third victory by Microsoft over Motorola, and Microsoft has already issued a triumphant statement of victory which you can read after the break. There’s more details about patent EP0618540 on the site — it deals with common name space for long and short file names — including a note about an email from Linux creator Linus Torvalds being cited as prior art. Motorola has been swinging its own patents around as well, but most recently a case to ban the Xbox 360 was delayed. We haven’t heard from Motorola or Google on this ruling yet or what their response will be — entering into a licensing agreement or changing the storage system used on their phones are possible options. Microsoft will have to put up a 10 million euro bond to enforce an injunction if it chooses, we’ll check back once the other shoe drops.
Update: We’ve just received Motorola’s response — brief but to the point:“We are in process of reviewing the ruling, and will explore our options including appeal. We don’t anticipate an impact on our operations at this time.”
Filed under: Cellphones
Microsoft vs. Motorola decision sees Droids banned in Germany over FAT patent (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 04:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Micron Japan will release a new line of mSATA SSDs, the Crucial m4. Coming in four different capacities: 32GB, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB, these SSDs are equipped with a SATA 6.0 Gbps interface and promise to deliver read/write speeds of up to 440/50 MB/s (32GB Model), 500/95 MB/s (64GB Model), 500/260 MB/s (128GB & 256GB Models), respectively. The Crucial m4 mSATA SSDs will start shipping from late July for 5,100 Yen (about $65), 7,200 Yen (about $92), 11,800 Yen (about $151) and 23,800 Yen (about $305), respectively. [Micron Japan]
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