Taipei, Taiwan ~ Power Quotient International Co., Ltd. (PQI) officially announced high speed 226X Industrial CF Turbo+ card, 256GB SSD Turbo+, 32GB PCI-E SSD and 1.8" 32GB ZIF - SSD storage mediums. The high speed 226X Industrial CF card Turbo+ is available with a maximum capacity of 16GB and a transfer rate of 38MB/sec.

PQI's 256GB SSD Turbo+ features transfer rates of up to 60MB/sec, PCI-E SSD is dedicated to notebooks in the form of a removable storage medium and 1.8" 32GB ZIF interface SSD is a rare but effective industrial storage option. As the forefather and a leader in industrial storage solutions, PQI continues to provide technology breakthrough SSDs and a completion industrial storage solution.

Lexar Media, Inc., world wide known for digital media technologies recently announced it's high-capacity, removable solid state drive (SSD) series. It's currently shipping in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacities for the ExpressCard, the successor of the CardBus PC card slot. While the CardBus is widely spread it's drawback is it's connection to the rest of the system using a PCI-bound interface controller. The ExpressCard slots nowadays built into modern notebooks because it is connected utilizing a PCIe x1 or USB 2.0 connection and thus makes it far superior in terms of bandwidth, it's roughly 2.5 times faster. Devices like this SSD card then won't get limited by insufficient bandwidth, Lexar say the maximum speed is around 250MB/s. A disadvantage which I don't want to keep quiet about is the incompatibility of ExpressCard to the CardBus standard.

Samsung has launched the latest addition to its wide range of hard drives with the new SpinPoint N2 Series of 1.8" drives, ranging from 30GB to 120GB. Spinning at a rate of 4,200 RPM with 2-8MB caches, these drives are aimed mostly at ultra-portable laptops, ultra-mobile PCs and portable media players where a compact size is more important than overall performance. This means they could soon be finding their way into 120GB iPods and Zunes, a nice boost for hardcore music fans with enormous collections of songs. Samsung also commented on the pricing of Solid State Drives (SSDs) which are being viewed as the replacement for spinning hard drives within the next few years, particularly portable computers. Samsung's market research has suggested that by 2010 1.8" SSD drives could have come down in price to costing just 3x more per gigabyte than their spinning equivalents - still quite a considerable gap, but an improvement nonetheless.

Dell is the next big manufacturer to enter the solid-state disk arena today by offering 1.8" SanDisk UATA 5000 drives on its Latitude D420 ultra-mobile and Latitude D620 ATG semi-rugged notebooks. SanDisk's 1.8" SSD drive was first announced in early January and features patented TrueFFS flash management technology. Also of importance is the drive's MTBF of 2 million hours. The drive offers sustained read speeds of 62MB/sec and had an average access speed of 0.12 milliseconds. The drive also boosts overall system performance by 23 percent and reduced boot times by 34 percent on the D420 and D620. The SanDisk UATA 5000 is currently available as a $450 option on the D420 and a $300 option on the D620 ATG. The drive is also available direct from Dell at a price of $549.

Hybrid HDDs are increasingly starting to take place as a primary hard drives in the latest notebooks. Samsung has now announced its Q30 15.4" wide notebook that will feature the MH80 hybrid hard drive (256MB flash). Samsung announced back in early March that it had begun shipping its new MH80 Series hybrid HDDs which are available in capacities of 80GB, 120GB and 160GB. These drives also come equipped with either 128MB or 256MB of onboard flash memory. Internal testing has shown that when compared to a traditional HDD, the hybrid-equipped Q30 has 26% faster writes, 71% faster reads, 30% lower boot times and a 10% increase in battery life. Besides the 80GB MH80 hybrid HDD, the Q30 also packs a 1.83GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5600 processor, 15.4" WXGA screen, NVIDIA GeForce 7400 mobile GPU with 256MB of RAM and a Super-multi dual-layer DVD writer.

Transcend is very pleased to announce its 32GB 2.5-inch IDE Solid State Drive (SSD), which is compatible with most mainstream PC and notebook computers. The 2.5-inch IDE 44-Pin interface SSD has a tough outer metal case, enormous capacities, high reliability, low power consumption and anti-shock features that make it ideal to replace Hard Disk Drives. Transcend's 2.5-inch IDE SSD series has a distinct advantage over standard 2.5" HDDs in that it is a solid-state memory with no moving parts, and therefore not susceptible to mechanical failure as a result of vibrations. It is now available in 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB memory capacities with support for Ultra DMA Mode 4.

Some of you may know that Fujitsu wants in on the small-form-factor market. Fujitsu makes 3.5" hard disks for desktops, 2.5" hard disks for laptops, and is planning on making 1.8" hard drives for ultra-portable computers and music players. Fujitsu has decided to put those plans on hold. Instead, Fujitsu will be focusing on making an entry into the SSD (Solid State Disk) market. We'll have more details as Fujitsu makes them.

Sony is now adding an SSD option to its featherweight VAIO G ultra-portable notebook. The latest Sony VAIO G uses a 32GB SSD drive instead of the traditional 40GB hard disk. The weight of the notebook drops from 1.97 pounds to 1.89 pounds. Battery life is also extended 30 minutes bringing average run time to 6.5 hours with the standard battery and 13 hours with the extended battery. The Sony VAIO G features a carbon fiber shell, 12.1" XGA screen an Intel 945GMS Express chipset and is available with Celeron M, and ULV Core Solo processors. Other features include 802.11a/b/g wireless, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, PCMCIA slot, multi-card media reader and a fingerprint reader. When the Sony VAIO G was first announced in November for the Japanese market, prices ranged $1,800 USD to $2,100 USD. The SSD option will cost an additional $545 USD.

Transcend announced today its brand-new ExpressCard/34 SSD series. The ExpressCard/34 SSD (Solid State Disk) has a capacity of up to 16GB and low power consumption, which makes it perfect for use as a mobile storage solution in notebook computers with ExpressCard slot. This type of slot is a new standard developed by PCMCIA to carry forward the benefits of "plug-in" I/O cards to the next generation of personal computing devices. Transcend's ExpressCard/34 SSD is a smaller and faster plug-in module solution that supports USB 2.0 and PCI Express Applications, and perfectly matches mobile and desktop systems. The ExpressCard/34 SSD is compatible with Windows Vista and supports ReadyBoost function. Moreover, Transcend's ExpressCard/34 SSD comes bundled with a portable USB adapter, which makes it work as a regular USB flash drive.

Asus uses the Lamborghini brand, while Acer snapped up Ferrari. Now HP has teamed up with Maybach to offer their own brand such notebooks. Configuration is not certain but the new model is supplied with Intel Core 2 Duo processor, built in SSD-store 64Gb and video adapter (presumably GeForce Go 7ххх or 8ххх), Bluetooth mouse as well as some form of exclusive carrying bag and an additional battery. Prices should be around $4000 USD.

Some people are worried that the superior technology in flash-based solid-state-drives (SSD's) might make a serious dent in the hard disk drive (HDD) market. However, according to market analysis firm TrendFocus, the hard drive industry is actually looking at a projected growth. Thanks to perpendicular recording technology, which reduces the cost to shove more data on a disk, the hard drive market is expected to grow an impressive $33 billion USD. The enormous growth projection is also due to the growing IT markets in India and China.

Seagate held a special meeting yesterday where they presented at least two different soon to be introduced products. First there was a notebook hybrid hard drive that employs a 256MB flash memory buffer to cache data during normal use. The data come from a conventional 160GB 2.5 inch platter setup spinning at 5400rpm. Seagate officials said it won't digg into SSD (Solid State Disk) technology because the drives would be too expensive compared to present technology. When the buffer stored all the data the whole system needs in order to run the platters will come to rest and will spin up only when additional data is needed. The use of hybrid drives obviously offers great benefits, among them low access times, decreased power consumption and improved reliability.
The chaps from Chilehardware who attended the show also got more information regarding Seagate's 1TB (1 terabyte equals 1000GB) hard disk solution. By the end of April the 7200.11 Series will be in stores. All models out of this series feature a speed of 7200rpm, SATA II with NCQ (Native Command Qeueing) and 16MB cache. Thanks to the use of Seagate's advanced perpendicular recording efforts the aforementioned 1TB top model only needs 4 platters to store that amount of data. Hitachi's Deskstar 7K1000 1000GB however needs 5 platters which in general needs a stronger motor and bearings which is in turn more expensive to produce.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., announced at its annual Mobile Solution Forum in Taipei that it has developed a 1.8"-type 64 Gigabyte (GB) flash-solid state drive (SSD). The new flash-SSD is based on an eight gigabit (Gb) single-level-cell (SLC) NAND, which provides significantly higher performance over conventional SSDs. The read and write performance of the new SLC flash-SSD have been increased by 20 percent and 60 percent respectively over the 32GB flash-SSD Samsung introduced last year, meaning that the new SSD's ability to outperform conventional rotating-media hard drives is even greater than had been anticipated.

Solid State Drives and Rugged Cases Create More Durable Mobile Solution

SUNNYVALE, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 03/19/07 -- Fujitsu Computer Systems Corporation today introduced the first pen-enabled notebooks with solid state drives (SSDs). The LifeBook P1610 and LifeBook B6210 ultra-portables will offer an option for an SSD, an advanced NAND flash-based replacement for traditional hard disk drives. Fujitsu also introduced a rugged case for added durability and reliability. The rugged-enhanced notebooks, designed for optimal portability and data protection, are ideal for medium-sized and large organizations within vertical markets, including healthcare, aviation, and field service, which require a light and compact, but highly durable mobile computer.

The 2.2-pound LifeBook P1610 convertible touch screen notebook and 3.2-pound LifeBook B6210 touch screen notebook are now offered with two flash-based SSD configurations, 16 GB or 32 GB. SSDs offer lower power consumption, added ruggedness, high reliability, and improved performance.

After Intel, Samsung, Seagate and Sandisk there is a new competitor in the Solid State Disk Business: Super Talent. In April they will start selling 1.8" (up to 32GB), 2.5" (up to 64GB) and even 3.5" models (max. 128GB). The prices are still not known but all versions will have a SATA interface.

Yes, this is just a rumor, but it comes from the same analyst group that guessed that Apple was making a cell phone. According to the analyst Shaw Wu, Apple is definitely interested in putting flash-based hard drives in their notebooks. This would save power, increase speed, and be much quieter. If Apple really is making these flash-based notebooks, we will start hearing about them/seeing them in Q2 2007.

MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA, MARCH 13, 2007 - SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) today broadened its solid state drive (SSD) product line for the portable computer market with the introduction of a 32-gigabyte (GB)1, 2.5-inch Serial ATA (SATA) interface model, compatible with most mainstream notebook designs. Coming just two months after SanDisk introduced a 1.8-inch SSD for ultraportable notebooks, the 2.5-inch SSD is now available to PC manufacturers as a drop-in replacement for hard disk drives.

Intel has added to the competition among solid state hard drive manufacturers with its new Z-U130 range. Based on NAND flash memory and using the USB 2.0/1.1 interface, the drive is claimed to be superior to standard flash drives because it offers faster boot times, embedded code storage, rapid data access and low-power storage alternatives. Compared to standard hard drives, solid state drives have lower seek times, faster start up times, improved read times, lower power consumption, silent operation and they normally weigh less, not to mention no moving parts which allows for improved reliability. Intel will be starting out with 1GB, 2GB, 4GB and 8GB versions, however the larger densities won't be available until later in the year. Although these drives aren't yet able to compete on price or capacity, as the technology develops and more efficient production techniques are found they are likely to become the replacements for current-day spinning drives.Update: this information is now available in an Intel Press Release

Solid state flash disk manufacturer Adtron Corporation, announces today the immediate availability of its most advanced generation of the Adtron Flashpak Family of products including the IDE and Serial ATA (SATA) flash disk models, the I25FB and A25FB, respectively. The products in this announcement include the industry's highest capacity 2.5" SLC NAND flash disk drives at 160 GBytes, only available from Adtron.(Editors note: Picture shows the 96GB model, but the 160GB should look the same)

Taipei, Taiwan ~ PQI, the leader in industrial storage solutions has just released two new products to start the new year. PQI's Turbo SATA DOM and Turbo SATA Solid State Disk (SSD) 2.5" 64GB both are PQI patented. The application of SATA technology and specially designed clip-on connector on SATA DOMs provide stability and prevent connectors detaching unexpectedly. The implementation of SATA interface on industrial storage is a world's first. Another breakthrough is the maximum capacity of 64GB on Turbo SATA SSD 2.5" drives. If you are looking for fast and large capacity industrial solutions, PQI's got them!

SanDisk Corporation today introduced a 32-gigabyte (GB), 1.8-inch solid state drive (SSD) as a drop-in replacement for the standard mechanical hard disk drive. Initially aimed at enterprise users as the first step toward mass consumer adoption, SanDisk SSD offers field-proven durability to keep mobile PCs working in the toughest of conditions and improves the overall user experience.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced semiconductor technology solutions, announced that it is now sampling its 16-gigabit(Gb) NAND flash memory with customers - the first NAND flash using 50 nanometer(nm) process technology. The first samples of this high density NAND flash memory have a multi-level cell(MLC) design with a 4Kbyte(KB) page size to enhance both its read and write features. The new 4KB page function improves the conventional 2KB paging system for MLC NAND flash to double the read speed, while increasing write performance 150%.

Scientists at IBM, Macronix and Qimonda have been working together researching a possible replacement for flash memory, which is currently used in the majority of solid state media players and portable drives. Their work has lead to "phase-change" memory, a non-volatile storage method (meaning it does not require power to retain data) which benefits from faster transfer rates than standard flash memory whilst requiring smaller dimensions. Some of the technical details of how this phase-change storage works can be read at DailyTech.

Super Talent Technology, today announced a 16GB solid state disk (SSD) that is fully compatible with industry standard 1.8" notebook IDE drives. Super Talent SSD's employ an industry standard 44-pin IDE connector that is pin compatible with laptop IDE drives. Moreover, they have the same physical dimensions as standard 1.8" IDE laptop drives, making them an easy drop-in replacement for a conventional hard drive. Super Talent offers these flash drives in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacities with typical 17MB/sec data transfer speeds. These products are available in industrial temperature range and with aluminum casing for greatest durability; or commercial temperature range and plastic casing for lowest cost and lightest weight. All six products have already been validated in leading laptop computers, and will be available this month from Super Talent.

Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of memory modules and flash products, today announced a 16GB solid state disk (SSD) that is fully compatible with industry standard 1.8" notebook IDE drives.