At CES 2012, Sony announced it is expanding its line of SD cards with a new flagship series designed for ultra-high speed interface (UHS-I) compatibility, giving DSLR users superb speed and high performance. The new cards are available in capacities of 32 GB (SF-32UX), 16 GB (SF-16UX) and 8 GB (SF-8UX).

The new cards offer significantly higher transfer speeds up to 94 MB/s (read) and 45 MB/s (write, for SF-8UX, write speed is 22 MB/s), ideal for the burst shooting and HD video modes of today's DSLR cameras and HD camcorders (based on Sony tests and dependent on host hardware). They can also realize rapid data rates when transferring content - even large, high-resolution HD files - back to their PCs. And when used with non-UHS-I supported hardware, the new Sony cards will still maintain Class 10 speed.

A new SD memory card standard can transform millions of everyday consumer electronics into wireless LAN devices with portable storage and communications. The Wireless LAN SD standard announced today is the SD Association's first wireless SD memory card standard combining storage and wireless capabilities. Consumers will be able to transfer pictures, videos and other content wirelessly from most existing digital cameras and digital video cameras to web-based cloud services and between SD devices over home networks.

The Wireless LAN SD standard combines the world-leading memory card storage standard with the ubiquitous wireless standard IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n, part of the Association's strategy to expand SD services and features by incorporating other global standards. This standard is applicable to full size SD/SDHC/SDXC and microSD/SDHC/SDXC memory cards. It taps into a billions-strong SD standards market for which manufacturers can develop products and consumers can reliably use Wireless LAN applications.

Cavium, Inc. (NASDAQ: CAVM), a leading provider of semiconductor products that enable intelligent processing for networking, communications, and digital home applications, today announced a technology and marketing collaboration with Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) to offer Intel(R) WiDi-based products designed to enable superior wireless display consumer experience. The resulting end-to-end solution will combine Intel(R) WiDi's ease-of-use and innovation with Cavium's super low latency technology and advanced video processing techniques to further enhance Intel(R) WiDi's interactivity and broaden its target applications. As a part of the marketing collaboration, Intel and Cavium will work together to expand and grow the market for wireless display products. A range of OEMs will soon be offering Intel(R) WiDi compatible receivers with Cavium's PureVu(TM) media SoC. Live demonstrations of Cavium's new Intel(R) WiDi receivers are available at Cavium's suite at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, between Jan 10th and 13th.

Transcend Information, Inc. (Transcend), a worldwide leader in storage and multimedia products, today announced the launch of its new Copy Protection SD/microSD Memory Cards. By recording data in a CDROM style partition, Copy Protection SD/microSD cards ensure the safety of valuable intellectual property against unauthorized copy, modification, and deletion.

VR-Zone have been having a little chat with Intel 'sources', who have leaked some juicy tidbits for us to enjoy in the form performance and power news. The upcoming next generation Medfield platform is Intel's first true System on a Chip (SoC) and is designed to compete with various low power ARM offerings in the tablet space. To help achieve this, they've gone through an internal restructure, merging four business units into just one: Ultra-Mobility, Mobile Wireless, Mobile Communications and Netbook & Tablet PC. The business unit is now simply known as Mobile and Communications. It's being run by Mike Bell and Hermann Eul and the first product to emerge from it will be is the 32 nm Medfield SoC solution.

VR-Zone explained that the competition will be "Apple's A-Series, NVIDIA Tegra, Qualcomm Snapdragon, Samsung Exynos, Texas Instruments OMAP and the likes. Out of all the chips mentioned above, only Samsung's Exynos is currently manufactured in 32nm process, just like Medfield."

Way back in 2008, we reported that Seagate was lowering warranties of its hard disk drives from 5 years to 3. This trend quickly spread throughout the HDD industry and unsurprisingly, wasn't something that customers were too happy about. Now, Western Digital is lowering the warranty on some of its HDD lines from 3 years to a mere 2, with the affected lines being the Caviar Blue, Caviar Green and Scorpio Blue. Lines not affected are the Caviar Black, Scorpio Black, A/V drives and externals. Also, as the stock feeds through the channel, there will be a transition period where the same model in a store will have either a 2 or 3 year warranty, depending on its serial number, which can be checked on WD's support site. It will be interesting to see if retailers will clearly differentiate to customers which drives have which warranty, as it might be rather convenient for them not to.

Channel partners have received a letter from SelectWD about this:

Racetrack memory, is a new type of magnetic memory that has magnetic domains "racing" along tiny nanometer sized wires, giving performance similar to conventional DRAM. Invented by IBM Fellow, Stuart Parkin, it has been in development since about 2004, with a working prototype having now been unveiled containing 256 "racetrack" cells, each containing a single wire. The technology works by sending very fast electric pulses down these wires, measured in nanoseconds, which transmit very fast moving magnetic domains which are then read by a magnetic head either as a one or a zero, depending on their direction. IBM said in a statement: "This breakthrough could lead to a new type of data-centric computing that allows massive amounts of stored information to be accessed in less than a billionth of a second."

Thermal Solutions specialist GELID Solutions reveals the GX-7 CPU cooler of its GAMER product line. Engineers at GELID Solutions have created an outstanding new CPU cooler with 7 power heat pipes. Contrary to traditional heat pipe arrangement for this GAMER CPU cooler "GX-7", a special array of heat pipes was used to take full advantage of all 7 heat pipes heat transfer capacity. Further V-shaped aluminum fins were used in the center of the heat sink to allow airflow to reach the heat sink more evenly. Openings inside of the heat sink and near the heat pipes let fresh-air flows in from the top and the bottom to zones normally poorly ventilated, and eliminate the creation of hotspots. The unique heat sink shape supports dual fans.

Included in the GX-7 is the multi-award winning Wing 12 PL fan, allowing the cooler to reach remarkable temperature. The Wing 12 PL Blue features blue LEDs and unique Nanoflux bearing which ensures a friction-free and silent operation. Thanks to the clever design and magnetic bearing, the impeller can be detached for easy cleaning. Additionally, fan blade winglets were designed to achieve larger airflow and greater static pressure. The fan also includes a premium PWM control, so the temperature can be controlled precisely by the BIOS.

Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the launch of the Kingston USB 3.0 Media Reader. The reader takes advantage of performance benefits offered by USB 3.0 technology, allowing for faster data download times.

The Kingston USB 3.0 Media Reader supports multiple card formats including the newer high-capacity SDXC. With its quick and easy plug-and-play design, it delivers up to 5.0Gb/s data transfer speed for high-resolution images, large data files and more making it ideal for serious enthusiasts who need a fast and reliable data transfer device. It is also backwards compatible with USB 2.0.

ASUS today launched the ASUS Eee Pad Slider, a tablet that builds on the great success of the Eee Pad Transformer. Prior to its launch, the Eee Pad Slider has already made its mark with its winning design at the International Design Excellence Awards 2011. The Eee Pad Slider, which comes in either pearl white or metallic brown, features a slide-out keyboard, the new Google Android 3.1 operating system (Android 3.2 upgradable), as well as a plethora of powerful multimedia features. In pad mode, users can experience rich visuals on the 178° wide viewing angle IPS display. Connectivity is a breeze too, with the built-in USB port, Micro SD card reader, and mini-HDMI port. In slide-out mode, users can take advantage of the keyboard to compose emails and blog posts faster than ever.

Apacer, the global leader in memory module, is making aggressive moves into the sector of value-added products by debuting today a new industrial SD card designed for embedded systems in harsh storage environments. Features include high reliability, high storage and resistance to extended temperatures. These advantages enable the new card to be widely applied to industrial, military, communication, surveillance, medical devices and car navigation, thereby satisfying the storage need of demanding industrial enterprises.

Compliant with Ver. 2.0 standard and SDHC Class 10 high-speed transmission standard as defined by the SD Association, the new SD card from Apacer also supports SD and SPI modes. By using the superbly reliable SLC chip, it not only delivers the features of anti-shock, anti-vibration and low power consumption, but also boasts resistance to extended temperatures (-40ºC to 85ºC). Available in capacities from 256 MB to 8 GB, the new SD card can substantially accelerate data transfer, due to its sequential read/write speed reaching up to 20/13 MB per second. It is also worth noting that the card's automatic standby and sleep modes help save power more effectively.

In this age of high-definition camcorders, do you find yourself with a high speed memory card to go with your professional standard camera, but lacking an ultra-high speed card reader to complete the package? SP (Silicon Power), leading manufacturer of flash memory, today announces the launch of the all-new USB 3.0 ALL IN ONE card reader. With its universal compatibility and high speed 5 Gb/sec data transmission rate, it is the ultimate link between high-performance memory cards and storage devices for professional-level photographers.

Designed to accommodate all mainstream memory cards, the ALL IN ONE card reader is highly compatible and reliable. Containing five card slots for simultaneous read and write, it is equipped to deal with even the latest high speed SDXC UHS-1 memory card. Whether you are looking to upload every second of a high definition video or a series of high resolution action shots, the ALL IN ONE card reader will have the job done in a matter of seconds. Supporting Ultra DMA mode 7, the ALL IN ONE card reader runs on CF600X high-speed memory cards at their fastest capacity. Using the latest high speed USB 3.0 interface, it takes the stress out of transferring high definition photographs, making file saving faster and easier.

Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced it is shipping a 32GB Class 10 microSDHC card, adding to its family of 4GB, 8GB and 16GB Class 10 cards. The Kingston 32GB Class 10 microSDHC card is perfect for users with substantial memory and performance needs.

Kingston's Class 10 microSDHC cards are compatible with many of the latest smartphones, hi-def cameras and popular tablet PCs. The Class 10 cards have a fast minimum data transfer rate of 10MB/s and when combined with an optional adapter, can be used as a full-size SDHC card. The cards come as a standalone, with an SD adapter or as a Mobility Kit which includes the card, SD adapter and USB card reader.

Lexar Media, a leading global provider of memory products for digital media, today announced the new Lexar Professional USB 3.0 Dual-Slot Reader, a high-performance card reader that enables professional and advanced amateur photographers and videographers to maximize their workflow with blazing-fast transfer speeds. The reader leverages SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) technology to deliver high-speed performance that supports the latest CompactFlash (CF) UDMA, Secure Digital Extended Capacity (SDXC), and SD Ultra High Speed-I (UHS-I) memory cards. The versatile reader is also backwards compatible with standard CF, SD, and Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) memory cards and USB 2.0 host devices.

"USB is the most popular connectivity option for PCs, and it's critical that professional photographers and videographers have convenient and versatile tools to maximize their workflow and fully leverage the performance of their high-speed memory cards," said Manisha Sharma, director of product marketing for cards, Lexar Media. "The Lexar Professional USB 3.0 Dual-Slot Reader combines extremely fast performance with a versatile, innovative design to provide pro and hobbyist shooters with a reader that dramatically reduces image transfer time. The speed offered by the reader enables users to move large volumes of high-resolution images and HD video faster than ever, allowing them to spend less time at the PC and more time on other activities."

Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced it is shipping a 4GB and 8GB Class 10 microSDHC card, joining the previously released 16GB Class 10 card. Kingston will add a 32GB capacity to the family in Q2. The Class 10 cards have a fast minimum data transfer rate of 10MB/s.

"Kingston's Class 10 microSDHC cards are compatible with many of the latest mobile phones including Android smartphones and BlackBerry devices, hi-def cameras and the increasingly popular tablet PCs," said Mike Kuppinger, Flash card business manager, Kingston. "The Class 10 speed provides faster data transfer rates and the various capacities help satisfy storage needs for users with both light and heavy memory needs."

PQI is aimed for those who care about operating simplicity and can't stand inconvenience by creating a tailor-made design for consumers on a budget by announcing the arrival of the S725 Ninja Flash Card Reader. This model features a slim, flowing exterior shape accompanied by a unique structural design. The front-end serves as the USB transfer interface, and when the micro SDHC/SD memory card is inserted in the back-end slot, it can provide a normal card reader data transmission functional. Also, its unique back-end secure-cap design completely protects the memory card and its great looking exterior while simultaneously resolving the problem of easily misplacing your memory card.

What's more, the S725 can also be used as a travel disk for storing data. With its agile 360° swiveling action, it offers a secure-cap design alongside dual functionality. With a built-in strap, it can also be used as a mobile phone ornament or hung from a bag as an accessory. Light and portable, it offers exactly what is needed- simplicity and convenience. The S725 and micro SDHC/SD card are sold as a package, so the price and user-friendly perks can be enjoyed in just a single purchase. This new product comes cloaked in a staid, understated black and a shape giving off an air of lightness and mobility. This little Ninja has the features and neat form to differentiate it from the competition both in functionality and user friendliness.

ADATA Technology, the worldwide leader in DRAM modules and flash memory products, today released its latest Micro Memory Card Reader, the microReader version III, an ultra-compact and stylish solution for easy and convenient data transfers between mobile phones and PCs via High-Speed USB 2.0 interface.

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.

Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. and its parent company Toshiba Corporation, a leading innovator in NAND flash memory technologies and solutions, today announced the launch of 8GB (gigabyte) 16GB and 32GB SDHC UHS-I cards compliant with the SD Memory Card Standard Ver. 3.0 (SD 3.0), UHS104. These new SD cards offer the world's fastest SDHC data read and write speeds.

Toshiba also extended its industry leadership in memory card solutions by unveiling the world's first 4GB, 8GB and 16GB microSDHC UHS-I cards compliant with (SD 3.0), UHS50. Mass production of the new SDHC UHS-I cards and sample shipments of the new microSDHC UHS-I cards will start this November.

Sharkoon expands on their PC-housings portfolio: The ATX Case Sharkoon Bandit brings together comfortable installation options, an elaborate airflow concept, integrated card reader and as a special feature, a practical docking station for 2.5 and 3.5 inch SATA hard drives.

Thus, Sharkoon has integrated for the first time their highly-demanded external QuickPort docking station into a housing. SATA hard drives of both sizes can be easily plugged into the PC without any complicated assembly. Another distinctive feature on the top of the housing is the blue illuminating 180mm LED fan, which blows warm air out of the housing. Also, easily accessible on the housing surface are Power and Reset switches, audio connections, a power and hard drive LED, an eSATA and two USB ports. A card reader is installed in the highest front panel which supports SD, SDHC, MS, as well as CF I formats and contains an additional USB port.

The unlimited games and applications for Smartphone mobiles and Tablet PC have escalated the demand for high-capacity memory cards. To meet the market demand, Team officially launches the ultrahigh capacity 32GB Class2 microSDHC memory cards for consumers to have more fun with their Smartphone and ease all worries about storage for photography and filming.

In addition to ultrahigh capacity, the Team 32GB Class2 microSDHC integrates the latest and the most reliable technologies. Apart from the standard hardware write protection switch, it is equipped with the error checking and correcting (ECC) function to ensure data storage without error. The extra life of the genuine chips supports the frequent storage of a large amount of data.

Leading flash memory manufacturer Silicon Power today announce their 32GB Class10 SDHC card. It is the largest capacity according to SD3.0 specifications set by the SD Association. The card is rated Class10 featuring minimum read / write speeds of 10MB/sec which brings absolutely the best out of your digital handheld devices. Whether you are a photography enthusiast using a HD camcorder to capture your everyday amazing life or a professional photographer constantly shooting with continuous burst mode, Silicon Power's 32GB Class10 SDHC card ensures you a smooth recording experience.

With the prevalence of high definition DV and camera, high speed / capacity flash memory cards are no longer the sole domain of professionals. The miniaturization of digital devices implies that CF cards must give way to smaller storage options. Silicon Power's 32GB Class10 SDHC card features 10MB/sec transfer speed (1.6x the speed of Class6 SDHC cards) with the size of a post stamp. The 32GB capacity can store more than 10 thousands photos and records over 12hrs of video with 6 Mbps (1440x1080) resolution. Users need not to worry about insufficient storage space or slow transfer speed. Silicon Power 32GB Class10 SDHC card can let you get the most out of your HD cameras and camcorders and fully enjoy your photography or video recording experiences.

When ultrahigh resolution digital cameras and FullHD camcorders have gradually become the market mainstream, high-speed SDHC memory cards can no longer catch up with them in data transfer speed or capacity term. In order to meet the consumer's strong demand for ultrahigh speed memory cards, Team Group Inc launches the new-generation SDXC memory card at Computex 2010.

Apart from the advantages of the SDHC, the new-generation SDXC memory card that was launched by Team has made significant progress in capacity terms. For example, its capacity at 64GB has doubled the largest capacity of any SDHC to meet the demands of the ultrahigh resolution image storage of high-level SLR digital cameras and digital camcorders.

A-DATA Technology Co., Ltd., the worldwide leader in DRAM memory and Flash application products, today announced the addition of microSDHC Class 10 memory cards to its product lineup. Besides high capacity, this new Class 10 card further brings users with unrivaled data transfer performance, providing a total upgrade solution ideal for the latest generation of mobile phones that come with a card slot.

Compliant with the SD Association Specification v3.00 to meet Class 10 requirements, A-DATA microSDHC Class 10 memory cards outperform others by delivering up to 16 MB/s in read and 10 MB/s in write, which is 1.6 times faster than the preceding Class 6 cards. Such impressive performance allows users to be able to enjoy the versatility and advanced multimedia features of the prevailing smartphones; recording continuous high-definition videos, transferring music files or running multiple applications on mobile devices cannot get any easier with the new speed class offered by A-DATA.

Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the release of a 16GB microSDHC Class 10 card. The high-capacity card complies with the SD Association Specification 3.00 to meet Class 10 requirements. The 16GB microSDHC card has a minimum data transfer rate of 10MB/sec. and ships either as a stand-alone microSDHC card or with adapters.

"With the new speed class, host devices such as high-definition cameras or the latest smartphones are being designed to optimize their write performance to take advantage of the more responsive memory card speeds," said Wendy Lecot, Flash card business manager, Kingston. "Now that the Class 10 card specification is five times faster than a Class 2 card, users will see swifter copying and transferring of photos, music, videos and e-books when using a multi-format card reader such as the Kingston Media Reader or MobileLiteG2 with a PC.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced semiconductor technology solutions, today announced two high-density memory solutions for mobile devices. The new storage solutions - a 64-gigabyte (GB) moviNAND memory device and a 32GB micro secure digital (microSD) memory card - satisfy mobile handset designers' requirements for advanced compact high-density memory.

"Samsung's high-density memory solutions bring the storage capacity levels of computing systems to small, mobile devices," said Dong-Soo Jun, executive vice president, memory marketing, Samsung Electronics.