Initially showcased at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics show in January of this year, the new GoFlex Slim performance drive is now available on http://www.seagate.com, in-store and at select online retailers.

At an ultra-sleek 9mm—38 percent leaner than the current GoFlex ultra-portable drives—the new GoFlex Slim drive is roughly the width of a pencil. Sliding effortlessly into a pocket, purse or messenger bag, the GoFlex Slim portable drive enables transport, access and enjoyment of personal digital content from anywhere, making it the perfect complement to today’s mobile lifestyle.

Equipped with a 7200RPM drive and a USB3.0 interface to accelerate transfer speeds up to 10x faster than USB2.0, this attractive super-slim drive delivers quick access to large, multi-media files such as HD movies and video games.

The faster drive speed takes full advantage of the included plug-and-play USB 3.0 interface, while still maintaining compatibility with USB 2.0 ports. The GoFlex Slim portable drive also allows for use between Windows and Mac® computers, interchangeably, without formatting or performance loss.

Additionally, the drive’s included premium backup software provides automatic and continuous backups and encrypts files and folders.

“The continued growth of personal digital media stores, our increasingly mobile lifestyles and the continued proliferation of mobile devices are driving the demand for slimmer, more portable storage solutions,” said Patrick Connolly, vice president and general manager of Retail at Seagate. “Netbooks and slim laptops are great for consuming media, but are limited when it comes to creating and storing high-definition films and photos. With the benefit of using Seagate’s Momentus® Thin drive, the 9mm GoFlex® Slim ultra-portable hard drive breaks through these boundaries—delivering a beautiful, ultra-slim, lightweight storage solution to complement existing mobile computing devices so they can enjoy even more of the content they love, anywhere they want.”

The GoFlex Slim portable drive will also be available in a version for use specifically with Mac OS X computers. The GoFlex Slim for Mac portable drive will be HFS+ formatted out-of-the-box, making it fully compatible with Apple Time Machine® backup software, while maintaining the ability to work across both Microsoft® Windows® and Mac OS X computers.

To deliver a fresh look that fits seamlessly with today’s Apple product line, the GoFlex Slim for Mac drive will feature a durable, soft-touch, metallic finish, which is also designed to withstand scratches, fingerprints or other marks incurred from travel.

A 320GB version of the GoFlex Slim for Mac drive will be made available in May at Apple retail outlets nationwide for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $99.00 USD.

“Consumers have a desire to have digital content available at their fingertips. However, in some cases, personal libraries of digital content are exceeding the storage capacity available in notebook PCs,” said John Rydning, IDC’s research director for hard disk drives. “USB attached HDD storage that is capacious, affordable, lightweight, and in a slim form factor will be appealing to many of these consumers.”

According to IDC, tablets, mini-laptops and netbooks are largely seen as secondary PC devices and are primarily used for information “grazing,” or as vehicles of content consumption. Additionally, tablets, mini-notebooks and netbooks have very limited on-board storage requiring them to have access to additional storage, whether it is local attached, networked or from the cloud.

The GoFlex Slim and GoFlex Slim for Mac drives enable people to easily sync files between their computer and the drive, so that they can easily store, transport and enjoy hundreds of DVD-quality movies, hours of digital video, and multiple-thousands of photos or digital music while on-the-go.

A 320GB version of the GoFlex Slim drive can be purchased for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $99.99 USD.

About Seagate

Seagate is the worldwide leader in hard disk drives and storage solutions. Learn more at http://www.seagate.com.

For users of digital devices who are constantly on the go, moving and sharing personal files from memory-enabled phones to other devices can be a hassle when there is no USB cable on hand.

Weighing just 3 grams, and the size of a small coin, the new ADATA microReader is one of the smallest card readers available on the market, with incredible portability that provides the freedom of data transfers any time, any place.

Due to its ultra-compact size, the microReader can be plugged into the USB slot of a notebook PC at all times, without blocking the neighboring slots or getting in the way when the computer is stowed in a bag.

Unlike most conventional memory card readers, which have unfriendly card retrieval designs, the microReader features a patented one-push card-ejector that makes any data transfer a fast and pleasant experience. Available in elegant black and passionate red colors, the microReader features a stylish LED indicator that shines brightly when the device is in use.

To further facilitate a better user experience, the microReader is also available in a kit bundling with corresponding ADATA microSD/microSDHC memory cards. By combining the two together, the versatile microReader instantly converts itself into an ultra-compact USB drive that allows users to share their music, video, photos and more with great ease.

Users can also take full advantage of ADATA’s free-download value-added software, including UFDtoGO, OStoGO and the latest Norton Internet Security 2011 (60-day trial) to enhance both mobility and security of their ADATA products with just few easy mouse clicks.

These latest additions to the Corsair Force Series are built using the Sandforce SF-1200 SSD Processor, which provides exceptional performance, including read speeds of up to 285MB/sec and write speeds of up to 275MB/sec, with a 4K random write throughput of up to 50,000 IOPs.

This is the same level of performance as that of enterprise-level SSDs, and results in unmatched system responsiveness.

“Corsair’s Force Series of SSDs have become extremely popular with enthusiasts and gamers, and with these two new capacities we can offer our customers greater flexibility to choose the capacity that best suits their budget,” stated Thi La, VP of Memory Products at Corsair. “The 90GB and 180GB capacities neatly fill the gaps in the current family, which now ranges from 40GB all the way to 240GB.”

The F90 and F180 Force Series SSDs all implement the ATA TRIM command, supported by Windows 7, which helps to maintain optimal performance over the drive’s lifetime.

Price and Availability

The F90 and F160 Force Series SSDs are available immediately from Corsair’s worldwide network of authorized distributors and resellers. The MSRP of the F90 and F180 is $189.99 and $399.99, respectively. For more information on Corsair Force Series SSDs, please visit www.corsair.com.

Active Media Products VP of Sales, Jerry Thomson commented, “so do we call it a soda can, a cola can or a pop can? Whatever you call it, this is one cool USB drive that will make an excellent Christmas gift.”

It measures merely 1.7 inches tall and 0.8 inches in diameter. The volume of the Pop Can drive is less than half an ounce, or about 96% smaller than a real 12-ounce pop can. The Pop Can USB Drive’s very small form factor means it won’t add bulk to a keychain, and it will easily slide into a pocket. The red finish recalls vintage cola colors.

The Pop Can Drive includes a strong steel keychain and clip for attaching the drive to a backpack or keyring. This new Pop Can Drive is available now through Amazon, at approximately $11 for the 4GB model and $20 for the 8GB drive.

Specifications

- Casing Material Polymer
- Interface USB 2.0
- Colors Cola Red
- Dimensions 1.7 x 0.8 inches (42 x 21 mm)
- Capacities 4GB, 8GB
- Part Numbers R4G-COLA, R8G-COLA

The Avtive Media Mini Red Pop Can style USB flash drive retail for approx. $11 for a 4GB storage capacity and $20 for 8GB.

About Active Media Products

Based in the heart of Silicon Valley, Active Media Products LLC is dedicated to developing creative new media products that improve performance and enhance the user’s experience. Our focus on innovative product development enables us to bring new technology to market a step ahead of the competition. AMP is a leader in small form factor SSDs and manufactures the Wink and the endangered species line of USB drives.

In addition, E20 also supports TRIM Command. It is specifically for Windows 7 users, allowing for swift tens of seconds OS startup time and instant application and software use. For users using other OS, E20 provides Garbage Collection Technology.

It enhances SSD’s already strong performances and prevents poor computer responses from long hours of continuous use. It is the ingredient to achieving twice the result with half the effort!

Silicon Power’s brand new SSD E20 proposes effective and practical solutions for most common problems faced by users today:

DDR2 DRAM Cache Memory Implementation

Users are most concerned with lag when using computers as it affects workflow and efficiency. With E20’s built-in DDR2 DRAM Cache Memory, even during continuous intensive-write situations, computers shall lag no more! This feature not only enhances SSD’s read and write performances, it also extends SSD’s lifespan.

Circuit Current Sensor

During read and write, users most dread irregular current supply resulting in data lost or corruption. Silicon Power’s E20 has specially added circuit current sensors to detect fluctuating or abnormal current to effectively protect your personal data!

S.M.A.R.T Support

Through Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T.), user can monitor the health of E20.

Meeting various user needs, Silicon Power’s 2.5” SATA SSD conforms in standard dimensions, it is easy to install into desktops, laptops or other 2.5 inch hard disk drive compatible devices. Silicon Power insists on producing consistent high quality products.

The E20 uses high grade controllers and high quality flash memory modules. Users of E20 will find themselves immersed in the perfection of noiseless operation and ultra high performances of Silicon Power’s E20!

Breaking through traditional SSD dull looks, the E20 is coated in gold and bluish-green color coordination resembling the passionate flame and lightening speed! It has a maximum capacity of 256GB which is the perfect choice for people wanting SSD performance and large storage capacity. Silicon Power’s E20 SSD is the number one choice when it comes to replacing your traditional hard disk drive!

Features:-

• DDR2 DRAM Cache memory implementation to enhance E20’s read / write performances and lifespan
• Support TRIM Command to further boost write performance
• Support S.M.A.R.T. to constantly monitor E20’s health status
• Conforms to 2.5” SATA interface and hard drive dimensions (SATA SSD)
• Ultra fast transfer rates
• Built-in ECC to guarantee data reliability
• Has “Wear-Leveling” technology to extend its lifespan
• In compliance with strict European RoHS directives, meeting the green environment trend
• Has excellent performance and stability
• Low power consumption
• Noiseless operation, no latency delay and no seek error
• Available capacities: 32GB/64GB/128GB/256GB
• 2-year warranty

Specifications

• Dimension: 100mm X69.85mm X9.5mm
• Weight: 70g
• Durability: pull/ plug test ~ at least 10,000 times
• Operating voltage: 4.5V~5.5V
• Vibration resistance test: 15G peak-to-peak max
• Shock resistance test: 1500G Max
• Transfer rate: maximum read ~ 250MB/s; maximum write ~ 230MB/s*

Furthermore, through Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T.), user can monitor the health of E20.

About Silicon Power Silicon Power Computer & Communications Inc., founded in 2003 by a group of enthusiastic specialists of flash data storage industry. Well dedicated in brand image and product quality, Silicon Power has been recognized and well accepted by millions of end-users in more than 100 countries, becomes the world’s leading manufacturer of flash memory cards, USB flash drives, card readers, DRAM modules, solid state disks, and portable hard drives in less than a decade. Headquartered in Taipei, we continuously established various branches throughout the world including Netherlands, Japan, Russia, Mainland China and other emerging market.

When Super Talent introduced the USB 3.0 RAIDDrive, they knew that they had reached the limit of the USB 3.0 host controllers currently available. Now that 2nd generation USB 3.0 host controllers are beginning to emerge, this drive is able to show its true performance.

Completely unchanged since its debut in January 2010, this drive now posts scores over 370MB/s; a full 55MB/s faster.

“This product yet again underscores Super Talent’s continued leadership in the USB 3.0 storage market. We now have five USB 3.0 flash drives: from the very fastest, RAIDDriveTM, to the ultra-affordable, Express DUOTM”, said Super Talent COO, C.H. Lee.

YouTubeTM Video-Benchmark: http://www.youtube.com/gosupertalent#p/u/12/ik5fFEsvTQg

This drive was benchmarked using the new Fresco Logic FL-1009B, the fastest USB 3.0 solution we have tested to date.

All Super Talent USB 3.0 drives are fully backward compatible with USB 2.0 ports, at USB 2.0 speeds. Both USB 3.0 RAIDDrive and USB 3.0 Express DUO drive use SuperTalent patented technology and are protected under US Patent # 7457897.

About Super Talent Technology

Super Talent Technology Corporation based in San Jose, California, designs and manufactures a full range of DDR, DDR2, and DDR3 memory modules and Flash based storage devices for computers and consumer electronics. An ISO 9001 certified company, Super Talent utilizes its state-of-the-art factories and leading-edge components to produce award winning products with outstanding reliability. Super Talent is an active member of the JEDEC and ONFI standards bodies. With over 250 patents, the company was ranked 38th in the 2009 Wall Street Journal’s Patent ScorecardTM for the IT industry.

Maintaining the form factor and affordability of previous DDS media, Maxell’s new DAT 320 expands the popular and cost-effective tape format. In addition to the larger storage capacity, the DAT 320 has a transfer rate of up to 24MB/sec.

It also utilizes a high-performance metal evaporated tape with superior recording characteristics, such as high output and low error rate. Simultaneously, the DAT 320 format features encryption capabilities currently employed by the LTO Ultrium format, helping protect the storage and transport of sensitive information.

A diamond-like protective layer, along with a strong, wear-resistant and high-performance lubricant coating, ensure superior tape durability and excellent reliability.

An effective tool for disaster control, this removable tape media is available for data backup and exchange. Because it is compact in size, the DAT 320 can be easily stored locally or offsite as a disaster countermeasure. It provides lower costs per GB as compared with other storage media, and is very cost effective in backup operations and maintenance.

The DAT 320 drive is backwards compatible with DAT 160, allowing small- and medium-size businesses to upgrade and take advantage of the increased storage capacity, while maintaining access to previously recorded data. The backwards compatibility also allows for previous investments in DDS media to be extended into the future by utilizing the same form factor.

Maxell is widely recognized as a major supplier in the data storage media industry and has remained at the forefront of the data recording business, with an emphasis on quality, reliability and innovation. In addition, Maxell is in the process of developing higher capacity tape products utilizing its cutting edge technologies.

Maxell DAT 320 data cartridge Specifications

• Item – DAT320 XJ B
• Cartridge color – Black
• Storage capacity  (2:1compressed) – 160 (320) GB
• Maximum transfer rate (2:1 compressed) – 12 (24) MB/sec
• Tape length – 153M
• Tape thickness – 5.9 μm
• Tape width – 8.0 mm
• Cartridge dimensions (W x H x L) -  73.0 x 54.0 x 14.7 mm

The unique approach using configurable components is designed to provide channel partners with the flexibility to assemble complete systems to their customers’ specifications without the need for costly stocking of pre-configured systems.

It is a set of configurable storage components. The components allow you to build the storage system you need with ease. Select from two chassis models and three controllers, an expansion chassis, enterprise disk drives and a range of accessories and premium software options.

“The introduction of the CTS2600 family is a significant milestone on our mission to be the most trusted and comprehensive storage building block supplier to the channel,” said Brent Blanchard, director of worldwide channel sales and marketing, LSI.

According to company, the CTS2600 family complements its existing channel portfolio and provides partners with one-stop shopping for delivering both direct-attached and external storage solutions to vertical market segments such as managed hosting, cloud, medical applications and digital content.

The LSI CTS2600 family is designed for small to midsize enterprises in direct-attached and storage area network (SAN) environments and includes affordable, high-quality external storage components such as controllers, storage enclosures and disk drives.

The CTS2600 family is built upon the robustness of more than 20 years of LSI system design and development expertise and over 400,000 storage systems shipped across a wide range of workloads and market segments.

The CTS2600 family allows channel partners to deliver systems with 6Gb/s SAS back-end drive connects and offers multi-protocol host connectivity, mixed drive support, simplified management and low power consumption. Multi-protocol host connectivity includes 6Gb/s SAS and 1Gb/s iSCSI or 6Gb/s SAS and 8Gb/s Fibre Channel (FC) interface options.

The multi-protocol host connectivity delivers support for a wide variety of implementations, from low-cost rack-integrated solutions and single-room data centers using SAS, to SAN environments utilizing iSCSI or FC for larger consolidation and virtualization projects.

According to company, the “Colfax International offers a broad spectrum of high-performance computing solutions, all of them completely customizable to meet our customers’ unique requirements,” said Gautam Shah, CEO, Colfax International. “The addition of configurable external storage building blocks to the LSI channel portfolio is well aligned with our business model and will enable us to deliver low-cost, high-performance storage solutions that can quickly and efficiently meet customers’ changing mission-critical demands.”

Applications benefits from LSI CTS2600

• Storage applications requiring connectivity and information sharing for multiple servers and/or performance workstation.
• Block-access applications – databases, email, content management such as SharePoint or Alfresco.
• Consolidated storage for multiple servers, including virtual servers.
• Applications requiring RAID processing in the array, not the server.
• Environments requiring an easy-to-manage consolidated backup, where the backup doesn’t tax servers and provides less waste and over-provisioning, where it is easy to expand on demand

Midrange performance, functionality with entry-level affordability

LSI CTS2600 controller technology combined with leading host interface connectivity can deliver bandwidth up to 4,000 MB/s on sustained reads from disk and over 40,000 input/output operations per second (IOPS) random disk reads. By offering both balanced and sustainable performance, partner-configured systems can reliably support both random and sequential access-intensive application workloads.

The CTS2600 family offers additional flexibility with drive enclosures supporting performance-optimized SAS drives, capacity-optimized SAS drives and solid-state drives (SSDs). Customers can intermix up to 96 drives in either 2.5-inch form factors using the new 2U, 24-drive CTS2600-24 enclosure or 3.5-inch form factors using the 2U, 12-drive CTS2600-12 enclosure.

By offering the ability to intermix drive types within a single system, customers can more easily address a wide range of capacity and performance requirements while optimizing rack space and power and cooling costs.

The CTS2600 family’s support for 2.5-inch drives and SSDs, which deliver higher IOPS per watt and produce much less heat than mechanical 3.5-inch drives, also promotes lower overall annual energy expenditures.

In addition, the CTS2600 power supplies comply with Energy Star, 80 PLUS energy efficiency and Climate Savers Computing specifications for even greater energy efficiency.

The CTS2600 family helps to ensure high reliability and availability with fully redundant hot-swappable components, automated path failover and extensive online dynamic RAID administration capabilities. Partner-configured systems also provide simplified storage management using LSI SANtricity ES management software.

The SANtricity ES graphical user interface is designed to meet the needs of both full-time storage administrators who want complete control over their storage configuration as well as part-time system administrators who need an intuitive and easy-to-use interface that helps them ensure optimal storage utilization.

SANtricity ES software also offers optional, fully integrated replication features including volume snapshot, volume copy and remote volume mirror across Fibre Channel host ports, helping customers in managed hosting, cloud, medical applications, digital content and other vertical markets to meet high data availability and protection requirements.

Branding guide and training

LSI offers a branding guide to authorized system builders with information about the process of branding systems built from CTS2600 components. In addition, LSI provides comprehensive product training and support tailored to the needs of system builders as part of the LSI Authorized Systems Builder Program.

The initial online training includes hardware and software configuration, maintenance and troubleshooting designed to ensure high-quality installations and a positive end-customer experience.

The CTS2600 family of configurable storage components will be available from select LSI distributors, system builders and system integrators on July 7, 2010. Visit www.lsi.com for more details.

Solid State Drives (SSDs) can replace or complement a traditional hard drive in a notebook or desktop PC and deliver noticeably faster computer performance when booting up, opening files and running software applications.

With no moving parts, these SSDs deliver greater reliability and consume less power than conventional hard disk drives (HDDs). During the past decade, HDD speed has only improved 1.3 times, while Intel’s processor speeds have improved more than 200 times.

This has caused a system bottleneck that SSDs can help solve. HDDs use a mechanical arm and spinning platter, which can sometimes result in a hard disk crash. An SSD uses flash memory chips and is 100 percent solid state with no moving parts. This makes an SSD extremely rugged, reliable and energy efficient.

The biggest benefit is in performance, where an Intel SSD delivers up to 56 percent improvement in system responsiveness for gamers, multimedia enthusiasts or anyone desiring to get more performance out of their new or existing notebook or desktop computer.

“We think solid-state drives will become increasingly popular as people realize how much faster they can boot up and run their favorite software or work-intensive applications,” said Jason Bonfig, vice president of Computing at Best Buy. “Our customers are looking for the latest and greatest in technology and entertainment experiences. Now they can purchase an Intel SSD and add it to a new or existing computer for a makeover that will improve their computing or gaming experience.”

The Intel X25-M Mainstream SSD has 80 gigabytes (GB) of storage space, which can store applications and data or hold approximately 20,000 songs or 70,000 photos. The Intel X25-M can serve as a replacement for a hard drive in a notebook or desktop and has a Best Buy price of $229.99.

The 40GB Intel X25-V Value SSD is priced at $129.99. It is most effectively used as a “boot drive” in a desktop PC where the current hard disk drive is used for storing data, while the value SSD gives a boost to system performance by storing the operating system and gaming, or other important applications, for much faster access and boot up.

According to Intel, it has already shipped more than a million SSDs and consumers are realizing that SSDs aren’t just an alternate means of storage, but a performance enhancement that brings a new level of responsiveness to their computer. With Best Buy selling Intel SSDs, we hope more people will begin to experience the dramatic effect of solid-state drive computing.

Both Toshiba BDX2500 and BDX2700 blu-ray players include Wi-Fi capabilities, allowing consumers to connect to a wide range of streaming content. With BLOCKBUSTER On Demand, consumers can watch the latest movies the same day they are released on DVD/Blu-ray with no monthly fee.

Instant streaming from Netflix allows Netflix members to instantly watch tens of thousands of TV episodes and movies, many in high definition, directly on their HDTV. VUDU Movies offers true 1080p HD and gives viewers access to over 3,000 HD movies on demand.

The BDX2500 and BDX2700 also stream a wide array of music from Pandora internet radio. A standard Ethernet connection is also included with both models.

With their ability to play Blu-ray Discs in Full HD 1080p at a smooth, theater-like 24fps, and upconvert standard DVDs to near HD quality, the players are capable of showing movies, concerts, and more with richness and detail. The BDX2500 and BDX2700 can also play home videos, photos, and music on the HDTV from a USB or SD/SDHC card.

With the players connected to the internet, and a touch of the remote, consumers can easily access bonus features on select Blu-ray Discs (BD-Live and Bonus View), from interactive games and sites to unique trailers and commentary.

To match the exceptional visual quality, the Toshiba BDX2500 and BDX2700 provide built-in decoding of the latest HD audio formats, including Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio / Essential via analog 7.1 Channel audio outputs or pass through via HDMI digital out interface for outboard decoding.

For greater convenience and usability, the players’ HDMI connection is HDMI-CEC compatible, which lets users control both the Blu-ray player and most connected HDTVs with just one remote.

High quality meets high design in Toshiba’s new players. Both the Toshiba BDX2500 and BDX2700 are designed with subtle sophistication, courtesy of a deep, gloss black finish with brushed metallic trim, and a blue LCD display next to the primary function buttons. The BDX2700 includes metallic-trimmed foot pedestals, and a light-up Blu-ray logo for added distinction.

Toshiba BDX2500 and BDX2700 blu-ray Feature Highlights:

• Full HD 1080p / 24fps Blu-ray Disc playback, with standard DVD upconversion
• Access to online content from Netflix, BLOCKBUSTER On Demand, VUDU, and Pandora internet Radio, using either wired Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection BDX2500 requires optional wireless adapter — sold separately; BDX2700 includes built-in Wi-Fi capability
• HD audio support, including Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio | Essential™
• BD-Live (BD Profile 2.0) and Bonus View compatible
• AVCHD video, HD JPEG/JPEG photo, and MP3/WMA audio file playback
• HDMI connection with HDMI-CEC control
• 7.1-Channel analog audio outputs
• USB port and SD/SDHC card slot

Pricing and Availability:

• Toshiba BDX2500 Blu-ray disk system is available now for MSRP $179.99
• Toshiba BDX2700 Blue-ray disk system is available now for MSRP 249.99