Jun 30

Micron’s smaller NAND chips mean more, faster flash memory in the same old enclosures

Posted in: flash, intel, SSD, Today's Chili

Micron's smaller NAND chips mean more, faster flash memory in the same old enclosuresNeed a little more proof that Intel’s got some fly SSDs about ready to roll? We have confirmation from Micron that it’s working on new and improved 34nm chips in capacities of 8, 16, and 32Gb. These lovelies are 17 percent smaller than the previous rainbow colored flash delights, and are faster too, offering 200Mb/s transfer speeds and when combined into an SSD, able to keep up with SATA 6Gb/s transfers. This press release confirms the chips will show up in flash memory from Lexar, but we’re guessing that official Intel announcement can’t be far off now.

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Micron’s smaller NAND chips mean more, faster flash memory in the same old enclosures originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 29

Intel launching cheaper SSDs with up to 320GB capacity in two weeks?

Posted in: flash, intel, rumor, SSD, Today's Chili

Rumor has it that Intel is prepped to launch its new SSDs in the next two weeks. According to sources speaking to the The Inquirer, the new solid state disks will feature that smaller 34nm NAND Flash developed by Intel and Micron. As usual, the smaller manufacturing processes should allow for higher density SSDs (as high as 320GB) at a reduced cost to manufacture. In fact, INQ says, “there will be drives big enough to replace the HDDs in most, if not all laptops.” With Intel already cutting SSD prices we remain optimistic that this rumor is true.

[Via TrustedReviews]

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Intel launching cheaper SSDs with up to 320GB capacity in two weeks? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Jun 2009 05:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 24

Samsung goes miniscule with netbook-bound mini-card SSD

Posted in: samsung, solid state drive, SolidStateDrive, SSD, storage, Today's Chili

With the likes of SanDisk, OCZ Technology and RunCore (just to name a few) already grabbing a foothold in the mini SSD market, you just knew that Samsung couldn’t sit around and watch an opportunity pass it by. Now, the company’s is branching out from its vivaciously colored Mini S2 HDDs to introduce a new SATA-interface mini-card solid state drive. The diminutive drive is aimed squarely at the netbook crowd, but its size makes it a beautiful candidate for a UMPC, MID or smartbook upgrade. In fact, the drive checks in at some 80 percent smaller than the average 2.5-inch HDD, and it’ll be made available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB densities. We’re told to expect respectable transfer rates of 200MBps (down) and 100MBps (up), while power consumption sits at just 0.3 watts. Look for these to pop up in your next favorite mobile device late this year or in early 2010.

[Via HotHardware]

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Samsung goes miniscule with netbook-bound mini-card SSD originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 22

Vaio P with updated 1.6GHz Atom and 128GB SSD is still weak-sauce

Posted in: SSD, Today's Chili, vaio

Sony’s finally throwing US consumers a bone by offering its VAIO P with a faster “1.6GHz Atom” processor we presume to be the Z530. Model VGN-P698E also adds a 128GB SSD to the mix along with a Verizon WWAN module and GPS radio. Problem is, the US Version doesn’t have an XP option like the VAIO P in Japan let alone the 1.86GHz Atom Z540 option. That means you’ll be stuck watching Vista Home Premium overwhelm that Atom processor and integrated GMA500 graphics when Windows 7 and those new Tegra-based smartbooks (running CE or Android) arrive in October. Come on, don’t you want a glorified $1,500 netbook?

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Vaio P with updated 1.6GHz Atom and 128GB SSD is still weak-sauce originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 16

Western Digital recants, announces its SiliconDrive III range of SSDs

Posted in: SSD, storage, Today's Chili

What a difference six months makes. Back before Christmas, one of the VPs at Western Digital was saying that the company only “enters markets that exist,” meaning, of course, that we had to take all the tales of SSDs that we heard (in product spec sheets and reviews) on faith alone. Since then the company’s acquired SiliconSystems and — a short trip down the road to Damascus later — it’s announcing the SiliconDrive III product range. SiliconSystems’ meat and potatoes were heavy hitters in such industries as communications, aerospace, and military, and it seems that WD’s new range will continue to target these markets. According to The Register, the range sports SiSMART (which keeps tabs on the drive’s status in real-time, notifying the user when it needs to be replaced) and includes 2.5-inch (SATA and PATA) and 1.8-inch Micro SATA devices, featuring native SATA 3Gb/s or ATA-7 interfaces with up to 100MB/s read speeds write speeds up to 80MB/s. Max available capacity is 120GB. No word yet on specific products or prices, but you’ll know as soon as we do.

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Western Digital recants, announces its SiliconDrive III range of SSDs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 09:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 15

Video: ASUS Eee Keyboard running Moblin

Posted in: ASUS, keyboard, SSD, Today's Chili

Among the approximately two gazillion other things we saw at Computex this year, ASUS has demoed one of its Eee Keyboard PCs running Moblin. Currently just a prototype, it’s unclear whether or not this guy sports different hardware than the device we’ve been seeing (we’re guessing not), or whether this will become available when the XP version does sometime this month. That said, we’re hoping that you can sleep better at night knowing that such a beast exists. We sure can. Video after the break.

[Via SlashGear]

Continue reading Video: ASUS Eee Keyboard running Moblin

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Video: ASUS Eee Keyboard running Moblin originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 13

VAIO P gets whole new lease on life with Atom Z550 processor, SSD and WiMAX

Posted in: benchmark, Japan, netbook, sony, SSD, Today's Chili, vaio, WiMAX

A whole new day is dawning for the never-ever-a-netbook Sony VAIO P — those new processor and drive upgrades apparently have the little PC churning through benchmarks at twice the pace of the original. Most of the benchmark help comes from the SSD drive, but the Atom Z550 doesn’t hurt. Meanwhile, Japan is getting a WiMAX version to churn through stereotypically Japanese websites in record time. We’d be jealous if only we lived under 1,000 miles from the nearest WiMAX signal.

Read – VAIO P gets WiMAX
Read – VAIO P benchmarks

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VAIO P gets whole new lease on life with Atom Z550 processor, SSD and WiMAX originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Jun 2009 22:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 11

2TB SSD Runs Crazy Fast, Burns Desks

Posted in: SSD, storage, Today's Chili

You want fast? We got fast. In fact, we can do better than that. We got faster. Super Talent, makers of SSD drivers and other delectable storage items, has shown off a 2TB SSD drive at Computex in Taipei. That’s a pretty big (and expensive) solid state drive right there, but there’s an extra surprise inside. The drive is a RAID, meaning that it can transfer data at a desk-burning 1.5 GB per second. You could copy two ripped movies from one drive to another in the blink of an eye.

The drive won’t fit in a netbook, as you can see in the video shot by our friend Sascha from Netbook news, but it probably doesn’t need to. These drives are likely to end up in movie production houses where a drive’s read/write times are critical, and sometimes even more important than the speed of the computer it’s connected to. Plus the FX houses are the people with the kind of money to pay for this — Sascha expects a retail price of around $6000.

SuperTalent 2TB PCI Express SSD [Netbook News]


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Jun 10

OCZ intros 2.5-inch Agility SSD line: 120GB for $349.99

Posted in: solid state drive, SolidStateDrive, SSD, storage, Today's Chili

OCZ Technology seems to always be toiling away on new solid state drives, but it’s rare to find any from the company that are priced for the average Joe / Jane. Rather than aiming specifically for the fat-walleted enthusiast crowd, the Agility series is hoping to make a decent sized splash in the mainstream market. These 2.5-inch SATA II SSDs promise 230MB/sec read and 135MB/sec write speeds, along with 64MB of cache and a two-year warranty. We pinged OCZ for details surrounding pricing and availability, so here’s the dirt: the trio of models will be available in a fortnight or so for $129.99 (30GB), $219.99 (60GB) and $349.99 (120GB).

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OCZ intros 2.5-inch Agility SSD line: 120GB for $349.99 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jun 06

Microsoft reportedly bans netbooks with hybrid storage systems, MSI’s Wind U115 caught in the middle

Posted in: hybrid, Microsoft, msi, netbook, SSD, storage, Today's Chili, Windows XP

We’ve never been fans of Microsoft’s ability to put hard limits on netbooks with Windows XP; it’s this fact alone that has kept the entire sector from moving forward in terms of specification advancement. Though, we’d probably wager that MSI is even more livid, as bit-tech has reportedly learned that the company’s Wind U115 will soon be yanked from store shelves. The reason? The machine’s hybrid storage system, which puts Windows XP on an SSD and allows other applications and media to be loaded on the HDD. Oddly, the netbook is still for sale on MSI’s webstore, and just a few days ago we saw NEC unveil a hybrid netbook over in Japan. Please Microsoft, reconsider — do it for love, do it for justice.

Read – MSI Wind U115 on sale
Read – bit-tech report

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Microsoft reportedly bans netbooks with hybrid storage systems, MSI’s Wind U115 caught in the middle originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Jun 2009 17:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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