A FAST '16 paper titled "Flash Reliability in Production: The Expected and the Unexpected," by Professor Bianca Schroeder of the University of Toronto, and Raghav Lagisetty and Arif Merchant of Google, studied the reliability data from millions of SSD drive-days over a period of 6 years, to come up with some very interesting conclusions on SSD reliability. One of the study's biggest findings is that high-end (read: enterprise) SSDs with single-level cell (SLC) NAND flash memory are no more reliable than cheaper multi-level cell (MLC) drives. Besides millions of drive-hours, the group also studied 10 different models of enterprise and consumer SSDs, from three different memory types - MLC NAND, SLC NAND, and eMLC NAND.

The study also shows that RBER (raw bit error rate) is a more dependable measure of reliability than UBER (uncorrectable bit error rate) mentioned in drive specs or datasheets. RBER increases slower than expected from wearout, and isn't correlated with UBER. However, the measured/real-world UBER is higher for SSDs than HDDs. This means that while SSDs are less likely to "fail" than HDDs, they're more likely to lose portions of their data. Keep your SSDs regularly imaged. Age, rather than usage, affects reliability of SSDs. A disturbing 30-80% of SSDs in the study developed at least one bad-block, and 2-7% of the SSDs developed at least one bad chip, within the first 4 years of deployment.

Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, announced that it is now mass producing the industry's first 256-gigabyte (GB) embedded memory based on the Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 2.0 standard, for next-generation high-end mobile devices. The newly introduced embedded memory features outstanding performance for mobile devices that exceeds that of a typical SATA-based SSD for PCs.

"By providing high-density UFS memory that is nearly twice as fast as a SATA SSD for PCs, we will contribute to a paradigm shift within the mobile data storage market," said Joo Sun Choi, Executive Vice President, Memory Sales and Marketing, Samsung Electronics. "We are determined to push the competitive edge in premium storage line-ups - OEM NVMe SSDs, external SSDs, and UFS - by moving aggressively to enhance performance and capacity in all three markets."

Transcend Information, Inc., a leading manufacturer of storage and multimedia products, is proud to announce the availability of 1 Terabyte M.2 Solid State Drive coming with 2280 form factor for ultra-thin computing devices, such as Ultrabook, tablet computers and laptops. Transcend's MTS800 M.2 SSD is equipped with high-quality MLC NAND flash to remain its excellent stability, and is exclusively built in protective technologies, such as Global Wear-leveling, Advanced Garbage Collection, and Device Sleep mode.

By utilizing the next-generation SATA III 6Gb/s interface, Transcend's MTS800 is capable of delivering sequential read/write performance of up to 560MB/s and 460MB/s respectively. The newly released spacious 1TB supplies the MTS800's capacity to its full scale ranging from 32GB to 1TB, which is determined to satisfy the needs of various market fields and individual consumer with personal budget plans.

Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc., a committed technology leader, announces the HK4 Series, a new enterprise 6Gbit/s SATA solid state drive (SSD) series, designed for read-intensive and value-endurance workloads. The HK4 Series is Toshiba's first enterprise SSD to embed 15 nm MLC NAND flash memory for enterprise and data center applications, including low latency tuned for high quality of service (QoS).

The read-intensive HK4R Series is available in capacities up to 1.92 TB with low operating power and is suitable for enterprise applications such as web servers, files servers, media streaming, video-on-demand, search engines and warm data storage. The HK4E value-endurance drive offers an endurance level of three DWPD3 and a capacity up to 1.6 TB. It is well suited for data centers and mixed workload applications.

Samsung announced the SSD T3 line of portable solid state drives. Measuring 74 mm x 58 mm x 10.5 mm (LxWxH), and weighing in at 51 g, the drives are more compact than the T1 line of portable SSDs by the company. Available in capacities of 250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB, the drives take advantage of USB 3.0 interface, with a single cable handling both power and host connectivity, and serving up sequential transfer-rates of up to 450 MB/s. The drives feature 256-bit AES native encryption, and a password authentication that works on Windows (Windows 7 and above), OS X (OS X 10.7 and above), and Android (4.4 "KitKat" and above). Backed by 3-year warranties, the 250 GB variant is priced at US $130, the 500 GB variant $220, 1 TB variant $430, and 2 TB variant $850.

Today at Mobile World Congress, Lenovo introduced two new consumer Windows 10 PCs: YOGA 710 and 5101 convertible laptops and the ideapad MIIX 310 2-in-1 detachable tablet. We recognize consumers' need to work on multiple devices for different tasks. For example, they may text on a smartphone, work on a laptop, and read on a tablet. That's why we designed each of our new devices to either convert or detach into tablet mode, so users can do more with the comfort of typing on a keyboard and the power of the latest generation of Intel processors, while giving them long battery life2 to leave the power cord at home.

We created the new 11-inch YOGA 710 for travelers and mobile workers who are productive on the road. Powered by a 6th Gen Intel Core i7 processor on the 14-inch model and up to Core m5 processor on the smaller 11-inch model, the YOGA 710 comes with Windows 10 and is one of the most powerful and portable convertible laptops available. Users can multitask seamlessly between videoconferencing, emailing and editing photos on the go. Weighing only 1.04kg, its compact size and ability to convert into a tablet make it ideal for people looking to save space in their bags.

Toshiba Corporation's Semiconductor & Storage Products Company today announced the launch of the "SG5 series" of client SSDs integrating NAND chips fabricated with 15nm TLC process technology. The new products, which include high capacity 1024GB models, will be available in 2.5-type and M.2 2280 (single- and double-sided) form factors, to meet various mounting requirements from the expansion of SSD application fields. Sample shipments start from today.

The SG5 series is equipped with Toshiba's proprietary QSBC (Quadruple Swing-By Code) error correction technology, a highly efficient error correction code (ECC) which helps protect customer data from corruption and improves reliability. Toshiba will continue strengthening its SSD lineup, meeting the various needs of users and leading the continuously expanding SSD market.

Plextor announced the M6S Plus line of performance consumer SSDs, succeeding the company's current M6S lineup. The drives implement Toshiba A19 toggle NAND flash memory built on the 15 nm process, and are driven by Marvell 88SS9188 controllers. Available in 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB variants, the drives serve up sequential transfer rates of up to 520 MB/s reads on all three variants, and up to 300 MB/s, 420 MB/s, and 440 MB/s writes, respectively. Random access speeds range up to 90,000 IOPS reads, with up to 80,000 IOPS writes. Plextor's proprietary PlexTurbo data-caching and PlexCompressor data-compression tech carries over from the M6S. Built in the 7 mm thick, 2.5-inch form-factor, the drives feature SATA 6 Gb/s interface.

Patriot, a leading manufacturer of computer memory, SSDs, flash storage solutions, mobile accessories and gaming peripherals has released a new version of its V560 gaming mouse software.

The V560, Patriot's first offering in the gaming mouse market and part of the company's Viper line, made its debut to the public in early November. Initially featuring 8200DPI, five customizable profiles with color indicator, nine programmable buttons, up to 29.4g of adjustable weights and two interchangeable grips for even more customization, the V560 was set at a starting MSRP of $49.99.

Sony is making its international debut in consumer SSDs, with the SLW-M series. The company was selling some of its first SSDs locally in Japan. Built in the 7 mm thick 2.5-inch form-factor, the drives feature SATA 6 Gb/s interface, and come in capacities of 240 GB (SLW-MG2) and 480 GB (SLW-MG4). There's no word on the controller or NAND flash make, but the company is advertising performance figures of up to 560 MB/s reads, with up to 530 MB/s writes. A 9.5 mm spacer, and a license to Acronis True image 2015 HD come included. Sony is also including its very own drive management software, the Sony SSD Toolbox.Update: DIYPC HK posted a picture of the drive's PCB. It reveals a rebranded Phison S10 series controller, and Toshiba A19 TLC NAND flash.

Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc., a committed technology leader, announces the availability of the new Trion 150 SSD series, an affordable performance upgrade for mainstream notebooks and desktops. Built with the Toshiba's 15 nm Triple-Level Cell (TLC) NAND flash technology from Toshiba, the Trion 150 series continues to deliver the superior balance of reliability, endurance and value of its predecessor, Trion 100, with increased real world performance.

Offering an easy and affordable way for entry-level users to enhance their mobile or desktop systems, Trion 150 SSDs provide a superior computing experience, enabling increased multitasking and productivity over traditional hard drives. Rated for sequential read speeds up to 550 MB/s, sequential write speeds up to 530 MB/s and random write I/O performance up to 91,000 IOPS, the Trion 150 series help improve boot time, system responsiveness and optimize storage operations.

Foremay, Inc., a leader of technology innovation in rugged solid state drives and one of the world's Top SSD companies, today released its Self Encrypting Drive (SED) enabled SSD. It uses hardware encryption technologies to encrypt and decrypt every single bit of data during the write and read process so that data on it is secured. In addition, the Foremay SED SSD offers a crypto erase feature that can instantaneously render all data scrambled, scattered and useless.

"Information security on SSD drives has become increasingly important to all users, particularly in government, defense, financial and medical industries," said Jack Winters, Foremay's CTO and co-founder. "Foremay's SED SSD protects the drives and the data from unauthorized access by means of 256-bit AES hardware encryption that complies with TCG OPAL 2.0. Users can also preset a maximum number of failed access attempts that will automatically trigger crypto erase."

OWC today announced the all-new Mercury Electra MAX 6G 2.0TB SSD, the highest capacity 2.5" solid state drive ever offered by OWC. Shipping this January, the Electra MAX 6G is a high-performance 6.0Gb/s solid-state drive that combines extraordinary capacity with the award-winning performance and reliability of the OWC Mercury SSD lineup.

OWC SSDs and more than 20 other products will be on display at OWC's booth at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Show, in Anaheim, California, January 21-24, 2016. OWC will exhibit an impressive catalog of award-winning storage solutions, SSDs, and memory upgrades for music production professionals.

PNY Technologies, Inc. ("PNY") today announced its next generation of high-performance consumer solid-state drives (SSDs) designed to optimize the performance of both laptops and desktop systems -- the PNY CS1311 and PNY CS2211 SSD lineup. Geared towards consumers -- the PNY CS2211 SSD is engineered for the gamer/enthusiast and the CS1311 for the entry-level value segments. These mid and entry-level solid-state drives offer the best cost to performance ratio to consumers and include the Acronis True Image data migration software, which allows for a seamless experience when transferring data from an existing drive to a new PNY solid-state drive.

"Whether you're editing videos with 4K content or looking to step up your game in the high performance gaming segment, the new CS2211 SSDs -- offering blazing fast speeds, enhanced reliability and durability -- are the perfect solution," said Thomas Climer, Senior Director of Product Marketing. "Everybody wants the fastest PC or laptop they can afford, by replacing a slow HDD with a much faster PNY CS1311 SSD the increase in boot up speed and responsiveness of the system will be instantly noticeable. Backing up your HDD and installing your new PNY SSD is made much easier now with the inclusion of the Acronis software."

Toshiba Corporation's Semiconductor & Storage Products Company today announced the availability of a new very read-intensive, enterprise SAS solid state drive (SSD) - the PX04SL series. The PX04SL series is optimized for read-intensive application workloads such as data warehousing, web servers, media streaming and video on demand (VOD). Sample shipments start today.

The PX04SL can offer the most cost-effective solutions in Toshiba's PX04S generation of SAS interface enterprise SSDs. Available in 2TB[1] and 4TB capacities, the PX04SL enables organizations to minimize total cost of ownership (TCO) without sacrificing performance. With sustained random read performance of 270K IOPS[2], the PX04SL helps read-intensive application workloads achieve superior results. To combat bottlenecks, this SAS SSD provides high-density storage for efficient data throughput to deliver high performance, reliability and endurance for maximum application scalability.

Addonics Technologies today announced the Addonics 2.5 inch Disk Array, a high density removable hard drive system that allows you to install up to six 2.5 inch SATA/ hard drives or SSD's into one standard 5.25 inch drive bay. Its compact form factor makes the Addonics Disk Array an ideal solution for mounting large numbers of 2.5" HDD or SSD into small computers, mini ATX systems or for applications that require a lot of storage in a very small footprint.

By using Addonics' family of 2.5 inch flash drive kits, various form factor SSDs such as CFast, mSATA, M2 or CF can be easily loaded into this Disk Array, creating a large capacity, low power and shock resistant solid state storage system. The removable drive tray is designed to allow users to conveniently load drives into the Disk Array without any mounting screws. For mobile applications or installation in environments with frequent shock and vibration, the drive can be secured to each drive tray with mounting screws to prevent drive movement. Each drive slot is equipped with its own power and drive access LEDs as well as a latch on the drive tray to secure each hard drive in the Disk Array unit.

OWC, a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company, announced today an all-new 480GB capacity of the Envoy Pro mini, the stylish, aluminum, pocket-sized thumb drive with the amazing capability of a full-sized desktop-class SSD. The new model effectively doubles the previous maximum available capacity of 240GB.

Winner of the 2015 Storage Visions Visionary Product Award and 2015 Best in Biz Award, the OWC Envoy Pro mini achieves incredible speeds up to 427MB/s, offering true desktop-class SSD performance in the footprint of a thumb drive. The Envoy Pro mini features a USB 3.0 / USB 3.1 Gen 1 interface, and is an indispensable workhorse that brings professional performance, high-capacity storage to life on the move.

How to make headlines with a rather mainstream SSD controller like the Silicon Motion SM2246EN? Ask Mushkin - after unveiling a 2 TB variant of the Reactor SSD, which maxes out the NAND flash capacity limit for the SM2246EN controller, the company also showed off a prototype of its 4 TB variant, which overcomes the capacity limitation by doing a good old-fashioned multi-controller SSD subunit RAID, which is host-transparent. Your machine reads the drive as 4 TB, while internally, it's a JBOD of two 2 TB Reactor subunits.

The drive uses 3D MLC NAND flash to keep densities high. It features a standard SATA 6 Gb/s interface, and ships in a standard 7 mm-thick, 2.5-inch form-factor. The best part? Mushkin plans to sell the drive at $500, or $0.125/GB, making it an exciting game folder drive option. In addition to the Reactor duo, Mushkin unveiled a 1920 GB variant of the Striker, a performance-oriented drive based on the Phison PS3110-S10 controller, with faster MLC NAND flash chips. This drive could be pricier.

Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced KC400 solid-state drive, the newest addition to its SSDNow family. Designed for enterprise client workloads, KC400 SSD is 15-times faster* than a hard-disk drive delivering consistent performance for both compressible and incompressible data, and improved responsiveness in performance-hungry applications.

KC400 SSD provides end-to-end data path protection and SmartECC to guard data plus SmartRefresh to protect against read errors. Data is rebuilt if there's an error, and the drive is able to recover from an unexpected power shutdown, via firmware-controlled power loss management. The drive provides excellent data reliability due to the highly advanced Phison PS3110-S10 eight-channel controller and quad-core processor. KC400 is available in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB capacities.

OWC, a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company, announced today the immediate availability of the OWC 4.0TB Aura SSD Upgrade for the 2013-current Apple Mac Pro. The Aura SSD for Mac Pro is the first internal SSD upgrade for the 2013-current Mac Pro and debuted at CES 2015 offering up to 2.0TB of capacity. The all-new 4.0TB model shipping just in time for CES 2016 doubles the capacity available offering up to 16x the capacity of the standard factory drive and 4X the capacity of the maximum factory SSD/flash option.

The 4.0TB OWC Aura SSD for 2013-current Mac Pro (black cylinder models) includes the award-winning OWC Envoy Pro SSD enclosure, making it easy to repurpose the original factory-installed Mac Pro SSD as an elegant aluminum-body external drive for incredible portable performance. OWC also provides free how-to installation videos and a special tool needed for straightforward end user/do-it-yourself installation.

OWC, a leading zero emissions Mac and PC technology company, today announced the addition of a 1.0TB model to the Mercury Extreme Pro 6G SSD lineup, with immediate availability. The 1.0TB drive is now the highest capacity model in the Mercury Extreme Pro lineup, which also includes 120GB, 240GB, and 480GB options. Built to meet the needs of professional audio, video, and photography users, the Mercury Extreme Pro provides the critical performance that professionals and power users require for today's demanding applications, especially when working with incompressible data.

Designed for speed, durability, and reliability, all Mercury Extreme Pro 6G models are also fully certified by Blackmagic Design, one of the world's leading innovators of creative video capture and post production editing products, powering direct capture and creativity in the field. Where every frame matters, the Mercury Extreme Pro 6G SSD provides reliable, flawless capture performance that every videographer depends on.

SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash storage solutions, today announced availability of the new SanDisk X400 SSD, the world's thinnest one terabyte (1TB) M.2 solid state drive (SSD). It is the first single-sided 1TB SATA M.2 form factor with a mere 1.5mm height. The X400 SSD is designed for fast start-up and application launch, as well as for extended battery life. Consumer research conducted by SanDisk in late 2015 indicates that these benefits are important for more than 70% of consumers when using PCs.

"Consumers have spoken. They want to work faster, with fewer interruptions. Our ultra-slim 1TB M.2 X400 SSD enables our OEM customers to build completely new form factors with outstanding reliability and the near-instant boot-up and application loading that consumers expect," said Tarun Loomba, Vice President and General Manager of Client Storage Solutions at SanDisk. "The X400 SSD is the flexible, highly reliable platform that our customers need to ensure an exceptional user experience for consumers."

SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash storage solutions, today expanded its SSD product line with a new high-performance, durable, water-resistant portable SSD1. Designed for photographers and videographers who need a reliable and superfast storage solution, the SanDisk Extreme 510 Portable SSD delivers whether on location or in the studio.

"We are constantly amazed by the stories we hear from our customers about the incredible places they take our products. Their insight inspires us to create durable, innovative products that can improve their experience no matter where the job takes them," said Philippe Willams, director retail product marketing, SanDisk. "For many years SanDisk has been trusted by the pros to deliver reliable, innovative storage solutions, and the SanDisk Extreme 510 portable SSD raises the bar even further."

Lite-On Storage Group, a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of solid-state drives (SSDs) will be showcasing their latest enterprise and client storage solutions at its Aria suite this year for CES 2016. Lite-On announced its EP2 NVMe M.2 PCIe SSD at the Flash Memory Summit (FMS) 2015. At CES 2016, they are releasing the new addition EP2 PCIe Gen 3 x 4, NVMe 2.5" SSD with U.2 form factor.

The EP2 with the U.2 connector is hot swappable, providing great flexibility to IT Managers to easily change drives without shutting down the server. By combining the PCIe form factor with NVMe protocol, the EP2 U.2 series increase server application performance, lowers latency and delivers fast and predictable data access in a datacenter environment. It delivers superior speed with 4KB random read performance of up to 290,000 IOPS, and 4KB write performance of up to 26,000 IOPS. The EP2 U.2 also features end-to-end data protection, guarding against corruption and errors, and Power Loss Protection, against sudden power loss. The EP2 U.2 is available up to 2TB capacity.

Lite-On Storage Group, a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of solid-state drives (SSDs) will be showcasing the latest SSD solutions for internet of things (IoT) products in the expansive array of automotive storage at its Aria suite this year for CES 2016. Designed to solve today's storage challenges and complexity of limitations of hard disk drives Lite-On's latest J8 solution is ideal for the IoT products in which smart homes, cars, and equipment are interconnected with the cloud.

"As technology advances into every aspect of our lives, from smart thermostats to lighting solutions for gigantic corporate structures, it's becoming incredibly important to have a gateway to connect various devices and components across different industries," said Rakesh Sinha, Senior Director of Lite-On Automotive Business Unit. "For certain IoT products, our J8 model is already deployed in the IoT ecosystems. We have the IoT ready storage solutions for the infinite changes of IoTs affecting our daily lives."