Keeping itself busy until the Toshiba deal is finalized, OCZ Technology has actually unveiled a new product at CES 2014, the Vertex 460 solid state drive. This updated storage solution comes in a 2.5-inch form factor and features a SATA 6.0 Gbps interface, a Barefoot 3 M10 controller, and Toshiba-made 19 nm MLC NAND Flash memory chips.

The Vertex 460 is capable of transfer speeds of up to 550 MB/s and is set to ship later this month in 120 GB, 240 GB and 480 GB capacities.

Plextor, a leading developer of high-performance digital storage technology, announces the launch of the M6e, the first SSD specifically designed to meet the demanding requirements of the gaming community. The M6e PCIe SSD uses a new generation of high-bandwidth components to deliver smooth, uninterrupted gameplay and excels the player to get to the next level. It combines the convenience of driver-free ACHI support with the compatibility of selectable legacy BIOS or fast UEFI boot.

The Plextor M6e delivers maximum sequential read/write speeds of 770/625 MB/s and random read/write speeds of 105K/100K IOPS. The PCIe Gen2 x2 interface bypasses the SATAIII bottleneck, includes the latest server-grade multicore Marvell 88SS9183 controller with native PCI 2.0 support, and a pre-graded high performance Toshiba Toggle NAND flash.

Mushkin, Inc., an industry-leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance and mission-critical computer products, today officially announced the worldwide launch of its new highly-anticipated enterprise-class ProSpec series solid-state drives.

"We have time after time demonstrated to PC enthusiasts how Mushkin's solid-state drive solutions can dramatically improve performance and reduce data transfer times, delivering levels of performance that have earned Mushkin its place as one of the top SSD manufacturers," said Brian Flood, Director, Product Management at Mushkin, Inc." With the ProSpec line of enterprise-class SSDs, we deliver a no compromise drive that provides high performance while enabling customers to reach new levels of data security and reliability. The result, a combination of performance and capacity that we believe represents a new paradigm shift for mission critical, enterprise storage."

Samsung Electronics America, Inc. today announced a new advanced security solution for the 840 EVO SSD, Samsung's SSD Self-Encrypting Drive (SED), compatible with professional security software.

The new data security enhancements are now shipping on the recently announced Samsung 840 EVO mSATA drive and can be enabled through a firmware update for the 840 EVO SSD SATA drive, launched last August. The new features are designed to meet security requirements for enterprise applications and are compliant with TCG Opal and IEEE 1667 standards.

OCZ Technology Group, Inc. a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, will showcase its leading portfolio of consumer and enterprise SSDs at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2014, located in Suite 31-235, Venetian Hotel, Las Vegas, from January 7th through 10th. As part of its presentation at CES, OCZ will unveil the next generation of SATA-based SSDs that utilize the Company's in-house controller and firmware technology.

For the enterprise, OCZ will present comprehensive SATA and PCIe based SSDs that feature virtualization and caching software to accelerate business applications and I/O access. In addition, OCZ will display the recently released Intrepid 3000 Series which delivers the Company's fastest and largest capacity SATA III SSDs to date and features advanced flash management and endurance capabilities that extend NAND flash life and enhance drive reliability while delivering up to five times faster sustained performance than OCZ's previous generation.

Today, LaCie announced the Little Big Disk Thunderbolt 2 at the 2014 International CES Show. The new LaCie Little Big Disk, one of the first storage solutions enabled by Thunderbolt 2, is the fastest portable storage solution on the market. It delivers speeds up to 1375Mb/s, which is several times faster than any mobile USB 3.0 hard drive. In addition to its industry-leading performance, LaCie worked with designer Neil Poulton to bring a cutting-edge look to the product. For the first time, the Little Big Disk features a sleek, black finish to its fully aluminium enclosure.

Perfect for no-compromise video professionals, the new LaCie Little Big Disk permits streaming and editing of 4K or 3D video while in the field - a giant leap forward for mobile post-production workflows. The LaCie Little Big Disk is powered by a set of 500GB PCIe Gen 2 SSDs in RAID 0 to create a perfect blend of performance and capacity even in the most demanding workflow.

Mushkin Enhanced MFG, an industry-leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance and mission-critical computer products, has announced that the company will unveil and demonstrate several new product models at CES 2014 at their 1,800 square foot suite, where they will showcase their entire lineup of next generation products.

On-site presentations will be held to introduce the new and coming product lines. Mushkin representatives from the product, sales, and global teams will be on hand to answer any questions regarding these new and upcoming products for the digital home, office, and beyond.

Mach Xtreme Technology Inc., a worldwide leader in top performance, high reliability and user-friendly designed PC components, today unveiled DIY Series SATA2 SSD. This tiny MX-DIY disk-on-module is implementing advanced design with robust performance and energy efficiency.

The new DIY Series SSD is the latest addition to the MX Technology lineup of innovative solid state drives. This disk puts the very latest storage technology in users' hands and sets a new benchmark for compact sized boot drives. This series is offering hardware-modding enthusiast a flexible storage solution in a form factor that is 10 times smaller than a standard 2.5" SSD, and weights over 10 times less. The postage stamp sized SSDs are available in two design versions: vertical and horizontal. The disk-on-modules are designed to tackle a range of storage applications, including operating-system booting, data logging, application hosting, caching, and fast data backup. It is fully compliant with AHCI standard and thus is truly plug and play solution where no drivers. In addition, this series requires no SATA signal cable, reducing latency times and improving data signal stability - it is a must have item for any serious hardware-modding enthusiast.

ASUS released a prototype of the first desktop PC motherboard with SATA-Express support, the Z87-Deluxe/SATA-Express. A variant of ASUS' flagship socket LGA1150 motherboard from its mainline Z87 series, the Z87-Deluxe, the board features two SATA-Express ports. SATA-Express sees a fusion between two of the most successful serial I/O interfaces, SATA and PCI-Express. It's essentially ATA over PCI-Express 2.0 x2, which offers a raw bandwidth of 8 Gbps per direction, 16 Gbps total. The SATA-Express port is structured similar to the classic SATA port, with PCI-Express lanes running over two 7-pin SATA connectors, and an additional block of 4 pins that make up the 18 pins required by 2-lane PCI-Express. A SATA-Express connector is thus unified, and legacy SATA devices should still be able to run off one of the two 7-in SATA connectors in a SATA-Express block.

Since there are no SATA-Express drives in the market, ASUS gave TweakTown a MacGyver contraption that adapts SATA-Express to a physical PCI-Express 2.0 x4 slot (electrical x2). An ASUS RAIDR Express PCI-Express SSD was found to offer sequential transfer rates of around 750 MB/s on ATTO. The rest of the board is practically identical to the Z87-Deluxe. The board uses a 16-phase VRM to condition power for the LGA1150 CPU. It draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors. Expansion slots include three PCI-Express 3.0 x16 (x16/NC/NC or x8/x8/NC or x8/x4/x4, depending on how they're populated); and four PCI-Express 2.0 x1 slots.

Other World Computing (OWC), the world's leading destination for cutting-edge Mac and PC upgrades and accessories, today announced lower pricing for the OWC Mercury Accelsior_E2, a Mac and PC-bootable, high-performance PCIe SSD card that features up to 960GB of SSD capacity, up to 820MB/s of sustained data performance and external storage expansion with two 6Gb/s eSATA interface ports. Built to exceed the demanding needs of video editing and creative professionals, the Mercury Accelsior_E2 offers the best combination of speed, capacity, connectivity for simultaneous internal and external storage performance and value. OWC will be showcasing the Accelsior at CES 2014, Booth #30472, in Las Vegas January 7-10, 2014.

Another product set to be released by I-O Data next month is a storage solution known as the HDUS-TBSSS Series which brings together a portable solid state drive with an USM (Universal Storage Module) interface and an USM to Thunderbolt adapter. This two-component offering makes use of either a 500 GB or 1 TB Samsung 840 EVO SSD and is capable of sequential read/write speeds of 264/240 MB/s.

The USM drive can be used without the Thunderbolt adapter (you'll need to connect it to a device that has USM support) or can be hooked up to an USB 3.0 adapter which, of course, is sold separately. The 500 GB and 1 TB HDUS-TBSSS Series drives come bundled with a 50 cm Thunderbolt cable and cost 72,800 yen (~ 706 USD) and 119,800 (~ 1,163 USD) yen, respectively. In addition to these models I-O Data will also introduce the HDUS-SS Series SSDs which come in 120 GB and 240 GB capacities and only feature the USM interface.

PCI-SIG, the organization responsible for the widely adopted PCI Express (PCIe) industry-standard input/output (I/O) technology, today announced the release of the PCIe M.2 Specification Revision 1.0 to its members. A next-generation form factor for ultra-light and thin platforms, the latest M.2 architecture increases design flexibility to support high-end performance and enhanced data rates for power-constrained platforms. In addition, it enables the higher integration of functions onto a single form factor module solution.

As a natural progression from PCIe Mini Card and PCIe Half Mini Card, the smaller M.2 form factor is designed to meet future market requirements for applications in thin mobile platforms, such as tablets, portable gaming devices, smartphones and devices requiring SSDs. Its extensible design provides scalability for multiple technologies and host interfaces, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, SSD and WWAN.

OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today introduced its next-generation Intrepid 3000 Series of enterprise-class SATA III-based SSDs delivering the industry's best sustained performance and consistent I/O responses. As the series supports storage capacities up to 800 GB, Intrepid 3 represents OCZ's highest performing and largest capacity enterprise SATA SSDs to date. Leveraging the Everest 2 Platform, a combination of the Marvell 88SS9187 controller with OCZ's proprietary firmware, the new series features advanced flash management and endurance capabilities that extend NAND flash life and enhance drive reliability, all supported by a 5-year warranty.

'Incredibly fast' best describes the new Intrepid 3000 Series. In a steady state condition by which the drive is writing, erasing and re-writing data repeatedly over the full capacity of the drive, the performance for both large block sequential operations, as well as small block random operations, is unrivaled. This includes 520 MB/s for sequential reads (128K blocks), 470 MB/s for sequential writes (128K blocks), 91,000 input/output operations per second (IOPS) for random reads (4K blocks) and 40,000 IOPS for random writes (4K blocks). In comparison to OCZ's previous SATA III enterprise drives, the Intrepid 3000 Series delivers five times faster sustained performance for 4K write operations and two times faster sustained performance for 4K read operations.

Plextor, a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media and storage devices, will introduce its new portfolio of consumer, enterprise and industrial storage solutions at a press conference in Las Vegas during the International Consumer Electronics Show.

Plextor will formally unveil its sixth generation M6 series consumer solid-state drive lineup. The new M6 series features next-generation firmware with 2.5-inch and mSATA solutions, as well as the addition of an ultra-fast M.2 PCI express SSD. Plextor will also introduce its new portfolio of enterprise storage products. Designed specifically for the cloud-computing environment, Plextor will present storage solutions for both read-intensive and mixed-usage server application that focus on reduced total cost of ownership and enhanced user experience.

Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced a version of its SSDNow KC300 that allows corporations and organizations the ability to manage the drive. The custom Kingston KC300 SSD is fully compliant with the Opal specification of the Trusted Computing Group (TCG).

The TCG Opal 1.0 compliant KC300 is ideal for companies implementing centralized management software to manage security policies, password recovery, compliance logging, automatic updates and user creation/deletion. The self-encrypting drive provides organizations with strong, easy-to-use and high performance built-in security. The custom KC300 SSD is designed to work with popular enterprise management applications including WinMagic SecureDoc, Wave Embassy and McAfee Endpoint Encryption for PC (EEPC).

The S20 Slider 2, the ideal mobile work station and leisure companion, just hit the market. Its elegant streamlined exterior, all-in-one design, Intel's 4th generation Haswell Core i5 processor, and all-weather, long-life battery meet are designed to meet your work and leisure needs and make the S20 Slider 2 stand out from the crowd of other ultrabooks.

Another MSI ingenious design, the S20 Slider 2 not only offers all the audio, visual, multimedia, reading, and gaming enjoyment of a tablet, it also sports a keyboard, USB, and HDMI capabilities of a mobile office notebook. This chicly mobile machine satisfies the needs of both on-the-go business people and students and the extended battery power ensures that you have plenty of time to do what you're doing. Ideal for Internet browsing, social networking, and word processing, the S20 Slider 2 is the perfect choice for anybody on the go. The S20's design with keyboard and sliding cover eliminates the limitations most people feel when they use tablets. MSI's innovative, user-friendly design have you the user in mind.

Buffalo Technology, the global manufacturer of innovative storage, networking and wireless solutions, today launches one of the world's fastest portable storage devices, the DriveStation Mini Thunderbolt SSD edition (SSD-WAT).

Featuring two SSD drives as well as two Thunderbolt ports; the device offers unparalleled interface transfer speeds, more than double those of regular Thunderbolt SSD drives and at least four times faster than USB 3.0. Its read speed exceeds 760 MB/s and write speeds are more than 615 MB/s, enabling users to transfer up to 800 MB of data (or 1,000 photos) in just 1.3 seconds.

Samsung extended RAPID mode, a burst performance enhancing feature enabled through its Magician software, to its 840 Pro series SSD. The mode was exclusive to its recently launched 840 EVO series. RAPID mode is known to exploit various sub-systems of the machine and time transfers through SATA 6 Gb/s in a way that produces throughputs as high as 1.1 GB/s on the 840 EVO. TheSSDReview put the mode to test on the 840 Pro, and found it to offer throughputs nearing 1 GB/s, again, in short bursts. To get RAPID mode, simply update your Samsung Magician software to the latest version available, and the mode should show up on the side-pane.

Toshiba Corporation today announced that it will expand its family of enterprise SSD with new models designed to support read intensive applications with SATA interface. The new "HK3R series" will start shipping from the end of this month.

"HK3R series" SSD have a 2.5-inch form factor, implement a 6 Gb/s SATA interface, and will be available in capacities up to 480 GB. The drives support one full DWPD and are suited for server and storage systems for online transactions, cloud computing, online gaming and big data analytics, especially where customers are looking for a balance between cost, endurance and performance.

Samsung Electronics today unveiled a new, compact storage solution, the 840 EVO mSATA solid state drive. Pictured below, this SSD makes use of 128 gigabit (Gb) 1x-nm NAND flash memory, it has a Samsung controller with TurboWrite technology, and is capable of 98,000 random read and 90,000 random write IOPS, as well as sequential read/write speeds of up to 540/520 MB/s.

The 840 EVO mSATA will be available this month globally in 120 GB, 250 GB, 500 GB and 1 TB capacities.

According to some newly-leaked slides, Intel is planning quite a solid state drive release spree for the second quarter of 2014, one that will see the introduction of three storage solutions - the SSD Pro 2500 Series (codename Temple Star), SSD DC P3500 Series (Pleasantdale) and SSD DC P3700 Series (Fultondale). All three SSD families are going to utilize 20 nm MLC NAND Flash memory, will be available in two form factors and will be backed by a five-year warranty.

Plextor, a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media and storage equipment, and NCIX, Canada's biggest technology e-retailer, have built a strategic partnership in which Plextor will supply solid-state drives for NCIX custom PC division, NCIXPC. Known previously for the stellar quality of its optical-disk drives, Plextor has emerged as a top player in solid-state storage, making Plextor SSDs a top choice for gamers looking for speed, consistent performance, durability, and reliability. Consequently, Plextor is now a go-to resource for NCIX, which builds customized, high-performance gaming systems.

Plextor and NCIX co-featured an exhibit at the E3 Expo video-game industry conference earlier this year. That collaboration was so successful that NCIX has decided to use Plextor SSDs in two of its gaming systems, the 901-M and IR-57M models, respectively. NCIX's 901-M "MilSpec 3.0" includes Plextor's M5Pro 256GB SSD, while Plextor's M5S 128GB solid-state drive is a key component of NCIX's IR-57M, a MinMax build that emphasizes graphics performance and scores high on longevity, quality and power.

Toshiba Corporation today announced that it will expand its family of enterprise SSD with new models designed to support read intensive applications. The new "PX03SN series" will start shipping from the end of this month. "PX03SN series" SSD have a 2.5-inch form factor, implement an SAS interface, and will be available in capacities up to 1.6 TB. The drives support one full DWPD and are suited for server and storage systems for online transactions, cloud computing, online gaming and big data analytics, especially where customers are looking especially for a balance between cost, endurance and performance.

As SSDs play catch-up with HDDs on the capacity front, the focus will shift to NAND flash memory designers increasing transistor densities using newer silicon fabrication technologies. In the absence of that, SSD designers will have to cram more number of NAND flash chips to achieve desired high capacities. That throws up two key issues with having too many chips in one place - heat and power. Intel is gearing up to deal with heat on its upcoming "Fultondale" and "Pleasantdale" SSDs for data-centers. Leaked company documents seen by VR-Zone reveal renders of what Intel expects the drives to look like.

Built in the 3.5-inch form-factor the drives are built almost entirely of chunky metal, with a retractable top lid, and its body. The body doubles up as heatsink, it features metal ridges which dissipate heat drawn from the NAND flash chips of the SSD to the air. Internally, the drive will feature at least two PCBs, one which holds the controller, cache RAM (if any), and some NAND flash chips; while the other holds NAND flash chips entirely. How hot can things get? According to the source, the drive could draw as much as 25W of power. That could amount to enough heat to warrant a passive heatsink. Intel is expected to unveil the two drives at IDF Beijing, slated for Q4-2014.

OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance solid state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today announced that the Company has signed an asset purchase agreement with Toshiba Corporation, a global technology leader and manufacturer of NAND flash memory, to acquire substantially all of OCZ's assets in a chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding for $35M.

Under this agreement Toshiba will acquire OCZ's client and enterprise solid state drive business. OCZ will continue to operate and serve existing and future customers during this process. Toshiba has agreed to provide the Company with DIP (Debtor-in-Possession) financing to ensure that there is adequate capital and flash supply to support the business during the contemplated sale period. The consummation of the asset purchase agreement is subject to an auction and approval by the bankruptcy court in the Company's bankruptcy case.