Getac has today announced the expansion of its flagship X600 rugged mobile workstation range with the launch of the X600 Server and X600 Pro-PCI. The new models will sit alongside the recently launched X600 and X600 Pro, creating a comprehensive lineup of rugged mobile workstations that are purpose-built to meet the demands of professionals working in challenging industries, such as defence, manufacturing and oil & gas.

X600 Server: The fully rugged mobile server
The all-new Getac X600 Server delivers a powerful commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) rugged mobile server that can be folded to a slim profile for easy transportation.

CyberLink Corp., announced today the release of PowerDVD 22, the latest version of its award-winning movie and media playback software which lets users enjoy an immersive experience for movies, music, and YouTube. The software plays movies in 8K, 4K HDR Blu-ray, and a wide range of media formats across any PC, laptop, TV, tablet or phone. PowerDVD 22 builds on CyberLink's pioneering media technology by offering exciting new features that offer users more control and customization options. Users can tailor their experience to match their preferences, for example, deeper colors, better lighting, and enhanced audio, such as high-fidelity 7.1 surround sound.

PowerDVD 22 includes a new keep pitch algorithm that maintains audio quality at the highest level during slow-speed playback, ideal for honing in on a video's most intricate details without a distorted soundtrack. PowerDVD 22 optimizes playback between devices. New tools allow users to trim and extract any section of their media's video or audio and convert them into smartphone-friendly formats. This includes MP4 for video and AAC or MP3 for audio. PowerDVD 22 also boasts faster transcode and uploading times, faster playback, and thumbnail generation on any part of the play bar for easy media skimming.

Jacob Freeman, Global Product Management Director at EVGA, has confirmed via a Tweet that future EVGA motherboards (H370 Stinger included) will no longer come with a driver DVD. Instead, the consumer will receive a sleek 8 GB USB 2.0 flash drive with all the necessary drivers and software. While some users might argue that it's good practice to get the latest drivers from the motherboard support page, you still need to install the network driver to access the internet after a fresh Windows installation. EVGA's decision is a well thought-out one as not all system builders include an optical drive in their builds or want to spend $15 on one just to install a driver. The included flash drive is re-writeable, so users can store other things on it if desired. Jacob commented that the cost of including a standard 8 GB USB 2.0 flash drive is about twenty times that of an old-school DVD. Nevertheless, EVGA motherboard prices will not increase to cover the cost.

The Toshiba-Samsung consortium TSST (Toshiba-Samsung Storage Technology) has reportedly stopped production of optical drives. TSST manufactured CDRW+DVDR, DVDRW+BDR, and BDRW drives under the Samsung brand. Samsung and Toshiba co-founded TSST in 2004 to manufacture optical drives under the Samsung brand name, and to make unbranded OEM optical drives for use in Toshiba and Samsung branded notebooks.

Samsung had to partner with Toshiba as it held the requisite optical disc technology licenses and patents. LG Electronics similarly partnered with Hitachi, another founding-member of several optical disc standard SIGs, to make up HL-DT (Hitachi-LG Data-Storage Technology), and sell drives under the LG brand. Speaking to KitGuru, a TSST sales manager stated "it's true that TSST(Samsung ODD) stopped production from Mid-April." All is not over for TSST, though. "We will continue the ODD business aggressively to obtain about 50% of market share," and will "release a new ODD to the market," he added.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a global leader in digital media and convergence technologies, announced today its newest ultra-slim portable DVD writers, the SE-218GN and SE-208GB optical disc drives (ODDs) with a sleeker design and mobile size for Ultrabook users on-the-go.

Measuring 148.6 x 14 x 146mm (SE-208GB) and 148 x 14.4 x 143(SE-218GN), the drives are ideal for Ultrabook users that need optical media for easy access to stored documents, photos and multimedia content. These new drives feature a new external ODD design by placing the eject button on top of the case to maximize the ease of pressing the eject button instead of on the front bezel.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a global leader in digital media and its convergence technologies, announced today a new slot-in, slim portable DVD writer, the SE-B18AB optical disc drive (ODD), that adds to its former version's sleek design and convenient functions.

The new SE-B18AB provides a metallic-finished surface which nicely matches today's slim laptop designs. With its stylish footprint and smart features, consumers will appreciate the SE-B18AB as an excellent laptop companion.

Early next month Buffalo is planning to release a new external optical drive, a DVD writer called DVSM-PTS58U3. Coming in three color versions - black, silver and white, the drive measures 138 x 152 x 14.44 mm, it weighs 220 grams, and is capable of burn speeds of 8x for DVD-R/+R/+RW, 6x for DVD-R(DL)/+R(DL)/-RW, 5x for DVD-RAM, and 24x for CD-R/-RW.

The DVSM-PTS58U3 also features two attached USB cables, a USB 3.0-supporting cable for data transfer and power, and a USB 2.0 'Boost' cable to provide extra power when needed (there's a notification light that will turn red, signaling the user to plug in the Boost cable). Buffalo's writer is set to cost 7,245 yen (~ 73 USD).

Verbatim, the global leader in data storage technology including portable hard drives, USB flash drives, CDs, Blu-ray discs and memory cards, is now offering Duplicator Plus DVDs. With this new offering of Duplicator Plus DVDs, Verbatim continues to set the standard for high-speed duplication disc performance, reliability and compatibility. Verbatim's Duplicator Plus DVD-R was developed to ensure optimal compatibility with many duplication machines by utilizing the "MCC ID" as media manufacturing ID, resulting in a minimal rate of write errors. The recording layer is tuned to attain a wider power margin, offering better compatibility with older model and low laser power drives. Available in both branded and non branded white inkjet hub printable surfaces, these discs are designed to be recorded at higher speed and save time for operation.

"Unlike the counterfeit MCC ID product prevalent in today's marketplace the Duplicator Plus product incorporates a dye - disk structure that is optimized for the Guaranteed MCC ID stamper and substrate," said Bob Burkhardt, Vice President, Business Development of Storage & Accessories for Verbatim. "This optimized structure offers the broadest range of laser power sensitivity for flawless performance in production duplication environments. Due to this broad range of laser power sensitivity, customers can experience an extremely low fall out rate over a wider spectrum of equipment."

Newer Technology, Inc. (NewerTech), developer of PC, Macintosh, iPod, iPhone, and iPad performance upgrades and accessories, today announced the miniStack MAX, is now available in DVD/CD only read/write optical drive models for those computer users that don't require the Blu-ray functionality other miniStack MAX models provide. As the only four-in-one external drive, optical drive, SD card reader and USB powered hub solution on the market, the miniStack MAX supports multiple interfaces for Plug and Play storage of entire music, photo and video libraries, as well as burning backups via the internal optical drive, with new and legacy Macs or PCs.

ASUS today announced the SDRW-08U5S-U external DVD writer, a highly portable optical drive with the thinnest form factor in its class at just 13mm. Its design includes a built-in hidden stand that saves space and reduces clutter while enabling dual-stance horizontal and vertical placement. For data protection, ASUS integrates multiple security measures, with password controls and encryption alongside encoded file name functionality. The SDRW-08U5S-U ships in Mellow Metallic, Dusty Rose, and Bright Berry color options.

The SDRW-08U5S-U employs intricate engineering to achieve a very slender 13mm side profile. In addition to making it highly attractive, the form factor contributes to easy mobility and greater usability as the SDRW-08U5S-U can be effortlessly transported and placed, making it a perfect companion for Ultrabooks and other mobile devices.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a global leader in digital media and convergence technologies, announced today its newest ultra-slim portable DVD writer, the SE-218CB optical disc drive (ODD) with a sleeker design and mobile size for Ultrabook users on-the-go.

Featuring a compact size that is approximately 18 percent thinner, and 8 percent lighter than Samsung's entry level DVD writer line-up, the SE-218CB is built to accommodate the growing need for external ODDs that can be easily transported for today's mobile lifestyle. Measuring 148 x 14 x 143 mm, the SE-218CB is an ideal companion for Ultrabooks users that need to access optical media.

Samsung has today introduces its newest optical drive, a slim external DVD writer called SE-208DB. This burner weights 300 grams, it features USB 3.0 connectivity and 1 MB of buffer memory, and is capable of writing speeds of up to 8x for DVD-R/+R/+RW, 6x for DVD-RW/-R DL/+R DL, 5x for DVD-RAM and 24x for CD-R/-RW.

The SE-208DB comes in four color versions (white, black, red and blue) and it can be found priced at AU$49.50 (~ US$51).

Logitec introduced a NAS device of a different kind: an optical drive that acts as a WLAN hotspot, letting a wide range of devices such as smartphones, tablets, and notebooks access contents of DVDs, or write onto them. The drive works as a standard external DVD writer over USB 2.0 interface, using a single cable for both host connectivity and power. USB is the drive's only power source, so you'll need AC adapters or vehicle cigarette lighter adapter to use it without a host PC.

Its optical drive component is originally made by TSST (Toshiba-Samsung). It can write DVD ± R/+RW at 8X, DVD±R DL /-RW at 6X, DVD-RAM at 5X, and CDs at 24X. DVDs are read at speeds of up to 8X, and CDs at 24X. The drive ships with store links to apps on Apple App Store and Google Play, which let you download file-manager, and disc burning software for smartphones and tablets; as well as Nero Kwik Burn for PCs. Measuring 150 x 198 x 25 mm, the drives weigh about 430 g. The base model, which includes just a USB cable and AC adapter is priced at 6,980 JPY (US $88.2), and a variant that includes a vehicle power adapter for 8,980 JPY (US $113.4).

Toshiba's Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced that its consumer line-up of Satellite laptops and Ultrabooks, Qosmio laptops as well as its All-in-One desktops featuring Windows 8 are available for pre-order starting today and will be widely available for purchase from select U.S. retailers and ToshibaDirect.com on October 26.

Toshiba's new laptops feature spacious touchpads with Windows 8 gesture support to allow users to perform gestures on the touchpad as they would on a touchscreen device. In addition, to help transition consumers to the innovative interface in Windows 8, Toshiba's new PCs come pre-installed with Toshiba Desktop Assist, a utility designed to give users easy access to their programs, control panel, as well as files and folders, similar to the Start Menu in previous versions of Windows.

ranscend Information, Inc., a worldwide leader in storage and multimedia products, today introduced its 8X slim portable CD/DVD writer, which at just 13.9 mm high, is currently the thinnest external CD/DVD writer on the market. Whether playing movies, installing software, or backing up files on the go, Transcend's new ultra-slim portable CD/DVD writer is the perfect companion for today's thin-and-light laptops and Ultrabooks.

To complement the new breed of cutting-edge notebooks that do not feature a built-in disc drive, Transcend's portable CD/DVD writer provides a slim and stylish solution designed to enhance the Ultrabook user experience. Its ultra-thin (13.9 mm) and sleek design fits comfortably into the sleeve of any laptop bag or backpack and offers around 44% weight savings over standard external optical drives. Moreover, because the CD/DVD writer draws its electric power directly from the computer's USB ports, users can enjoy more diverse entertainment and enhanced productivity wherever they are.

Pioneer introduced the new BDR-S08J line of internal SATA Blu-ray writer drives in the standard 5.25-inch form-factor. The series includes three variants based on the bezel color, BDR-S08J-W (matte white), BDR-S08J-BK (piano black), and BDR-S08J-KR (rubberized black), pictured in that order below. The drives feature SATA 3 Gb/s interface with 4 MB cache, and are capable of writing Blu-ray disc (BD) -R at 15X, BD-R double-layer at 14X, BR-R triple-layer at 8X, BD-R quadruple-layer at 6X, single-, dual- and triple-layer BD-RE at 6X; DVDs at 16X, and CDs at 40X. The three will include Windows 8-compatible drivers and versions of PowerDVD 10 and PowerDirector 9 software from Cyberlink. The three will reach stores (beginning with Japanese), in mid-November.

Case Western Reserve University researchers have developed technology aimed at making an optical disc that holds 1 to 2 terabytes of data -- the equivalent of 1,000 to 2,000 copies of Encyclopedia Britannica. The entire print collection of the Library of Congress could fit on five to 10 discs. The discs would provide small- and medium-sized businesses an alternative to storing data on energy-wasting magnetic disks or cumbersome magnetic tapes, the researchers say. To push technology to market, the leaders of the effort have launched a company.

"A disc will be on the capacity scale of magnetic tapes used for archival data storage," said Kenneth Singer, the Ambrose Swasey professor of physics, and co-founder of Folio Photonics. "But, they'll be substantially cheaper and have one advantage: you can access data faster. You just pop the disc in your computer and you can find the data in seconds. Tapes can take minutes to wind through to locate particular data."

Sony today introduced its first mobile Tabletop PC for the U.S. market, the VAIO Tap 20 PC, and its slider hybrid, the VAIO Duo 11 Ultrabook, combining innovative hardware designs with rich touch experiences powered by Windows 8. Alongside the new state-of-the-art PCs, there's an elegant T Series Ultrabook and portfolio of VAIO PCs that put touch right at the heart of the personal computing experience.

Built with Sony's innovative digital imaging, sound and TV technology, the latest VAIO Touchworld collection features bright, responsive 10-point multi-touch screens with engaging interactive applications, family computing options and new experiences in mobile productivity.

Logitec also introduced a trio of portable DVD drives that are Windows 8-certified, and should work smoothly with Windows 8 installations on notebooks lacking internal optical drives. The three are bus-powered, with a single cable handling power and host-connectivity. The three include the LDR-PMF8U3L, a DVD±RW/DVD-RAM drive which features USB 3.0 interface; the LDR-PMF8U2V, which has the same feature-set as the LDR-PMF8U3L, but with USB 2.0 interface; and LDV-PA8U2VBK, a DVD-ROM drive.

The LDR-PMF8U3L includes a license to Nero Kwik Burn Express Essentials, while the LDR-PMF8U2V includes one to Nero 12 Essentials. The two measure 136 x 142 x 19 mm, weighing about 300 g. The LDV-PA8U2VBK includes a license to Nero Kwik Media + Kiwi DVD, and measures 132.8 x 146 x 15 mm, weighing 250 g. The three will be available from mid-October. The LDR-PMF8U3L is priced at 5,250 JPY (US $66.8), the LDV-PA8U2VBK at 4,935 JPY ($62.7), and the LDV-PA8U2VBK at 4,725 JPY ($60).

In addition to the upgraded GE60 and GE70, MSI also announced the CR61 series multimedia notebooks. Built in the same 15.6-inch chassis as the CX61, the CR61 is a tad lighter on the specifications. It does away with discrete graphics, for starters. Driven by 3rd Generation Intel Core processors and Intel HM76 Express chipset, the CR61 supports up to 32 GB of dual-channel DDR3-1600 MHz memory, up 250/640/720 GB HDD storage options, and DVD SuperMulti drive.

The 15.6-inch glossy LED-backlit LCD display packs 1366 x 768 pixels resolution, and is driven by integrated Intel HD graphics. Connectivity options include 802.11 b/g/n WLAN, gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 4.0 with 100 meters range, 5-in-1 memory card reader, HDMI, D-Sub, USB 3.0, and stereo HD audio. The body embeds a 1.3 megapixels web-cam, and 4W stereo speakers. A 6-cell battery powers the CR61 on the move. Measuring 383 x 249.5 x 37.6 mm (WxHxD), the CR61 weighs about 2.4 kg. It comes in all-black and red+black color options. Windows 7 Home Premium comes pre-installed. Pricing differs with market.

Building a hi-fi device that sounds so brilliant, so crystal clear and so free of distortion as if one were sitting right in front of the audio source. Creating a level of acoustics that surpasses everything that has gone before. These are the visions that drive Sennheiser in the development of its high-end products.

After recently having presented its first digital headphone amplifier, the audio specialist Sennheiser announces at IFA 2012 that it will also launch an analogue version of the device, available in the U.S. later this fall. Both the digital HDVD 800 ($1,999.95) and the analogue HDVA 600 ($1,599.95) have a fully symmetrical layout and promise a unique listening experience. They harmonize perfectly with the High-End headphone line HD 800, HD 700, HD 650 and HD 600.

Today CM Storm, Cooler Master's gaming brand, releases a new full tower case which is based on the highly popular CM Strom Trooper: The Stryker. Built to be amongst the most agile full-towers, Stryker becomes the second in its class to include an ultra-strong carrying handle; allowing a gamer to travel with the finest system configurations available with relative ease. CM Storm Stryker includes the features that are most desired by gamers like a windowed side panel, full dust filter coverage, a fan controller, an external SSD drive hot-swap dock and two uniquely designed modular hard drive cages and this in a full, stylish white color.

ASUS announced a new retail and OEM channel DVD writer drive, the DRW-24B5ST. Built in the conventional 5.25-inch SATA form-factor, the drive is said to pack energy-efficient components that reduce idle power draw (mounted disc idling, and no disc idling), by 50%. ASUS branded this feature as E-Green. Armed with 1536 KB of cache, the drive offers DVD access times as low as 160 ms, and CD access times as low as 140 ms. It writes DVDs at speeds as high as 24X depending on the media type, and CDs at speeds as high as 48X. It is priced at 2,500 JPY (US $31).

Keeping your data safe is important. That's why Thecus is manufacturing state-of-the-art devices that make managing your data storage look like a piece of cake! But what do you do when you reach the limit of storage of your hard drives? You could of course by bigger disks, a NAS with more bays or add some external hard drives connected through USB 3.0 or eSATA ports. The cost can add up pretty quick and not everyone can afford all this material.

A more economical and simpler approach to free up some space on your NAS is to transfer your data onto something permanent that can be stored away. Those photos and videos that you haven't watched in years, those projects in 2002 that are no more needed for reference, things you don't want to get rid of because you know the minute you do, Murphy's Law will kick in and you'll need them again.

Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. today unveiled the BDR-2207, Pioneer's most powerful and full-featured drive. The internal SATA drive can read and write to all BDXL disc formats, including BD-R and BD-RE triple-layer 100 GB media, BD-R quad-layer 128 GB media, as well as conventional recordable Blu-ray Disc (single-layer 25 GB media and dual-layer 50 GB media). In addition, the drive features PowerRead and Pioneer's PureRead2, Auto Quiet mode, QuickStart, and Peak Power Reducer technologies.

The BDR-2207 is packaged with CyberLink software that gives users the ability to play standard Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D titles on correctly configured computers, as well as author and record high-definition Blu-ray Disc content and standard-definition DVD content.