DisplayLink, the leading provider of technology for virtual and USB-connected computing, and I-O DATA DEVICE (www.iodata.com) today announced the availability of the I-O DATA USB-RGB3/D USB 3.0 to DVI display adapter. Incorporating the DisplayLink DL-3100 chip for connectivity and virtual graphics, it is the first USB 3.0 enabled display adapter to ship in Japan.

"And this is as true in Japan as any other technology-embracing market."

Featuring the robust DisplayLink 3.0 video compression and support for resolutions up to 2048 x 1152, including 1080p, even the newest notebooks, netbooks and PCs can enjoy the benefits of multi-screen computing. And with the throughput of SuperSpeed USB 3.0, those monitors will display high-performance, full-screen HD video, 3D games, rich 2D graphics and multi-channel audio.

Norwegian company FXI aims to grab some attention with its latest creation, the Cotton Candy. Simply put, this is a thumb drive-sized device that either plugs into a PC/notebook using USB, or a TV/display using HDMI, and works as a cloud-client computer. In its tiny form of 8 x 2.5 cm (L x W), this cloud-client packs an ARM Cortex-A9 1.20 GHz dual-core processor, 1 GB of RAM, ARM Mali-400MP quad-core GPU, a micro-SDHC card reader, and connectivity that includes Bluetooth 2.1 EDR, WiFi b/g/n, and USB; stuff high-end smartphones are made of.

You can simply plug this to your HDTV, connect wireless keyboard and mouse that support Bluetooth or WiFi, and end up with a cloud-ready desktop powered by either Android or Ubuntu. You can even connect your Android smartphone to it and use its touchscreen as an input device. With your more powerful desktop or notebook, you can simply plug Cotton Candy to a USB port and boot from it (like you'd boot from a flash drive). The OS loads up, and you have your cloud desktop ready to go. Besides its compact form, Cotton Candy weighs as little as 21 grams. It is expected to be priced under US $200.

We have brought you the potential perils of the upcoming UEFI Forum-implemented - www.uefi.org - Windows 8 secure boot feature here, here and here. However, it appears that it may not be so 'secure' after all, since there appears to be a surefire way to circumvent it, at least for the moment, while it's in development.

Softpedia has scored an exclusive interview with security researcher Peter Kleissner, who has created various Windows (XP, Server 2003 etc) "bootkits", which allow OS infection at the highest privilege level, giving unrestricted access to the whole of the PC. His latest one, called Stoned Lite, shows how the Windows 8 secure boot process, still in development, can be subverted, as it stands. He is planning to release details of how the code works at the upcoming International Malware Conference (MalCon) - malcon.org - that will take place in India on November 25th. It appears that the real vulnerability exists in the legacy BIOS boot procedure, not in Microsoft's implementation of secure boot, as Kleissner said:

The problem with the legacy startup is that no one verifies the MBR, which makes it the vulnerable point. With UEFI and secure boot, all the boot applications and drivers have to be signed (otherwise they won't be loaded). You can compare it to TPM, although Arie van der Hoeven from Microsoft announced that the secure boot feature is mandatory for OEMs who want to be UEFI certified. It is a good message that security is not an option.

Iomega, an EMC company and a global leader in data protection, today announced the completion of its new Mac-oriented hard drive line with the launch of the new Iomega eGo Mac Edition Portable Hard Drive, an on-the-go stylish drive with plenty of storage that can withstand drops and still travel easily in a pocketbook or briefcase.

Combined with the recent launches of the Iomega Helium Portable Hard Drive and the Iomega Mac Companion Hard Drive, Iomega now has a complete new line of portable and desktop hard drives for Mac users. All three new drives are formatted HFS+ for compatibility with Mac computers right out of the box, making them perfect complements to today's Apple notebooks and desktops.

Republic of Gamers and Sabertooth aren't the only special client motherboard product lines of ASUS apart from its mainline, there's also the WS (workstation) series, that consists of motherboards fit for mission-critical environments, and which are filled to the brim with features. These motherboards are often based on chipset from Intel's client product lines, rather than enterprise ones. Intel's Sandy Bridge-E 1P platform will get a similar treatment with the P9X79WS.

Based on the ATX form-factor, the P9X79WS uses a typical X79 motherboard layout. The socket LGA2011 is powered by a 10-phase Digi+ VRM, which is cooled by a heatsink that shares its heat with a VRM heatsink cluster over the memory VRM, and the one over the X79 PCH. There are eight DDR3 DIMM slots, supporting quad-channel DDR3 memory. All expansion slots are PCI-Express long-type, though the exact lane configuration is not known. The board is advertised with 4-way NVIDIA SLI and CrossFireX support, so at least four of those slots could be wired to the CPU.

The original 8-bit Commodore 64 computer was very popular in the early 1980s, but the original company eventually closed down in the 1990s, having launched their 16-bit Amiga range in the meantime as the C64s successor. For a while now, replica C64 models, packed with the latest PC technology, have been made by Commodore USA, a different company that has purchased the original Commodore brand.

Since last summer, they have been selling a replica for $999 powered by an Intel CPU. This PC, called the C64x Ultimate (model number: C64x-UL) included a dual core Atom D525, NVIDIA Ion 2 graphics, 4 GB RAM and a 1 TB hard drive. A barebones version is available for $349 without a motherboard, just the keyboard and case, allowing the customer to add their own hardware into the retro box. However, Commodore USA has now upgraded their offering with a considerably more powerful CPU. This version is the C64x Extreme (model number: C64x-EX) which includes a 2.2 GHz Intel Core i7-2720QM CPU, mini-ITX motherboard and PSU, 8 GB DDR3 RAM, DVD writer (slot loading) 2 TB 7200 RPM HDD, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The back panel has the following ports: legacy PS/2, USB 2.0 x5 (one eSATA combo) USB 3.0 x2, Ethernet and three audio jacks. Video connectivity is looked after by HDMI, DVI-D and VGA outputs.

Leading memory storage brand, SP/Silicon Power announces super mini-size Touch T01 flash drive today in response to the market trend of mobile devices. The overall dimension is minimized by 30% and there is only 10 mm of length is in sight when it connects to the USB port. Therefore you are able put your laptop or tablet personal computer into the handbag without having to retract the USB flash drive which upgrades your storage data mobility!

In addition to portable device, Touch T01 is even suitable for the consumers using flash drives daily. Those include usages of connecting to car stereos, mp3 players or digital photo frames. It is not only more convenient but also expands the storage space for music, photos and other multimedia files. Touch T01 provides an array of choices in capacities from 4 GB to 16 GB to satisfy customer's various requirements.

Today Logitech introduced the Logitech Wireless Mouse M525, the ideal solution for anyone who wants to scroll quickly and easily through the Web.

The Logitech Wireless Mouse M525 features an innovative micro-precise wheel that packs more grooves per millimetre, giving you a smoother navigation experience. It makes scrolling through long Web pages faster and easier. Plus on most computer systems, the built-in tilt wheel lets you move backward and forward on the Web just like with a swipe.

CM Storm introduces the latest addition to its line of gaming mice, the CM Storm Xornet. Gamers focused on minimalistic designs are the inspiration behind the Xornet. It's an ultra lightweight, claw-grip design with anti-slip rubber side grips that make it well suited for the intensity of extended gaming sessions. The textured stealth black finish allows the Xornet to fly under the radar as a secret weapon at LANs.

Sony is making data storage and backup easier, safer and more enjoyable with its latest range of external hard drives. The new HD-EG5 and HD-EG5U offer advanced features in a slim, stylish package that enable users to save and access their data quickly and conveniently, wherever they go.

The new drives with 500GB capacity provide USB3.0 compatibility and use pre-loaded Data Transfer Accelerator software to increase transfer speeds up to three times as compared to data transmission without the software. When connected to a USB2.0 port, the software boosts transfer speeds up to two times. These features make them one of the quickest 2.5-inch hard drives in the market.

Team Group Inc. announced that they are going to display the all new C117 delicate flash drive at the Middle-East's largest consumer exhibition - GITEX. C117 is created targeted at the stylish men, made with one-piece stainless steel materials; in order to stress the unique metropolitan style, its surface is specially processed with high-tech 3D titanium coating, allowing it to have features such as wear-resistance, scratch-resistance and anti-fingerprint etc., and uses a restrained and calm black color appearance to display attractive personal style.

As 3C products gradually made into boutiques, in addition to being committed to the development of high performance products, Team Group's R&D team also pondered more diverse surface processing and material applications for different regions. The all new C117 is a portable storage product that is created for metrosexual men; it uses a USB2.0 interface with storage capacity selections ranging from 2~16 GB. The only 6 gram lightweight feature makes it extremely to carry with; the excellent black titanium color shows the unique confidence and outstanding style of modern metropolitans.

Team Group's TL01 leather drive is a stylish, high-speed and for a new generation flash drive, which made its debut at the GITEX exhibition; it imitated the Arabian Gulf design, and used the newest double-stitched leather construction method, along with delicately made white steel side decorations and rings, cleverly combined metropolitan fashion and whimsy style.

Team Group's TL01 leather drive uses a rotational storage design, eliminating the risk of damage from connector collision, in addition to having a delicate and exquisite style, it also combined features such as yuppie aesthetic and leather's wear-resistance and durability; by using the standard USB 2.0 interface, it can be widely applied to personal computers and peripheral devices. The TL01 leather drive also comes in several storage capacities ranging from 2~32GB available for consumers to purchase in order to satisfy the application needs of different users.

Western Digital, the world's leader in external storage solutions and maker of the popular WD TV media player family, today introduced the next generation of its WD TV Live streaming media player, an easy to use Wi-Fi enabled media player that is the first in its category to deliver the Spotify music service.

WD TV Live features WD's newest intuitive user interface that delivers the latest hit movies, TV shows, music and online services from companies like Netflix, Hulu Plus and Blockbuster directly to your TV. The new streaming media player connects to the Internet wirelessly or through an Ethernet connection, with the high performance 802.11n wireless connectivity supporting Full-HD 1080p video resolution.

Earth will soon shroud in the dark of the moon as the great war between the AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS explodes, threatening to tear our planet apart. Razer, the world leader in high performance gaming hardware, under license from Hasbro, Inc., will unleash a unique Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon Collector's Edition product line to prepare you for the metal on metal battle of epic proportions now available on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Megatron, and Shockwave: four legends crafted and transmuted into four uniquely designed Razer DeathAdder mice to give you unparalleled gaming performance while evoking the heart-pumping excitement and robot wonder of the Transformers universe.

Sonnet Technologies, a leader in providing storage systems for professional users of Macintosh, Windows, and UNIX systems in the film, video, and broadcast industries, today announced the Fusion F2QR portable two-drive hardware RAID storage system. Mounted side by side in a tough aluminum enclosure about the size of two stacked CD cases, the diminutive system contains two, 2.5-inch, 1TB hard drives.

Based on the multiple-award-winning Fusion F2, a portable two-drive RAID SATA storage system recognized for its performance, reliability, whisper-quiet operation, and shock-resistant characteristics, this compact device adds a built-in hardware RAID controller for configuring the drives; a quad interface with eSATA, FireWire(R) 800, and USB 2.0 ports for flexible compatibility; and a greater storage capacity. The Fusion F2QR delivers great performance with up to 160 MB/sec read and 100 MB/sec write data transfer rates, and is bus-powered by a FireWire port on the computer regardless the interface used.

LaCie announced the LaPlug, a simple solution to share any USB hard drive or key over a local network. The LaPlug also offers a convenient way to access data at home or on the go, as well as share personal files such as vacation or birthday photos with family and friends. Additionally, the LaPlug can stream multimedia content and back up multiple computers to one central location. Even better, all this functionality can be achieved with USB hard drives a user already owns.

Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the DataTraveler 6000 (DT6000) USB Flash drive, which protects sensitive data with Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2 Level 3 Validation and 100-percent encryption. For financial service organizations and government agencies that need the strongest data protection in mobile storage devices, the DT6000 meets data-at-rest regulations and is the most secure USB Flash drive available on the market.

The Kingston DT6000 utilizes patented Secured by Spyrus technology which supports 256-bit AES hardware-based encryption using XTS block cipher mode. XTS is current generation technology that provides much stronger protection than other block cipher modes such as CBC and ECB. The DT6000 uses 'military-grade' elliptic curve cryptography (ECC), which is recommended by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) as part of its Suite B set of cryptographic algorithms.

QNAP Systems, Inc. today announced three new Turbo NAS models: the TS-419P II (4-drive), TS-219P II (2-drive), and TS-119P II (single-drive), positioned to provide corporate workgroups, SOHO, and home users with budget-friendly network attached storage (NAS) solutions for efficient data backup and convenient file sharing. The new models can be upgraded to the latest, free to download QNAP NAS firmware (version 3.5), with many new features and enhancements, and are backed by a two-year warranty.

The new models of the TS-x19P II series are equipped with a 2.0GHz Marvell processor, 512 MB DDR3 memory and one or two Gigabit LAN ports. The products can be easily integrated into an existing network of workgroups, provide centralized storage with antivirus protection, cross-platform data sharing for Windows, Mac, Linux, and UNIX users, as well as secure connections for users to access data on the server via FTP, a web-based file manager, or WebDAV. With the MyCloudNAS service, the new models can also be converted into private cloud storage systems for remote access from the Internet.

Western Digital today introduced its newest generation of My Passport portable hard drives specifically designed for use with Mac computers and Apple Time Machine, featuring compact, elegant Mac-inspired designs with high capacity storage options and exceptional security for today's active lifestyles.

My Passport Studio boasts the all-metal design and performance needed for today's discerning Mac user, serving as an ideal companion for the on-the-go photographer, videographer, graphic artist, or creative professional that produces, shares and consumes massive amounts of digital content daily. Offering up to 1 TB capacity, the My Passport Studio also provides multiple connectivity options with two FireWire 800 ports and a USB 2.0 interface.

Japanese company I-O Data unveiled its latest portable Blu-ray drive, the BRP-U6XE, which is capable of writing the new BDXL format, with disc capacities of up to 100 GB. Measuring 137 x 154 x 20 mm, the drive relies entirely on USB 2.0 for its connectivity. Its USB cable is built into it, and is retractable. Corel WinDVD BD3D and Nero Express Essentials come bundled.

The drive is capable of burning single and double layer BD-R discs at 6X, triple and quadruple layer (BDXL) BD-R discs at 4X, BD-RE at 2X, DVD-R/+R and DVD+RW at 8X, DVD-R/+R double-layer and DVD-RW at 6X, DVD-RAM at 5X, CD-R at 24X, and CD-RW at 16X. Backed by a one-year warranty, the I-O Data BRP-U6XE is priced at about $233.

First spotted at this year's CEA LineShow event in New York, this June, AOC's E1649FWU portable, USB-powered 16-inch monitor is heading towards an October launch. It is set to cost US $139. Roughly the size of a 15.6" laptop screen, E1649FWU is extremely portable. It comes with its own retractable stand that can let you place it in both portrait and landscape modes.

The E1649FWU takes one USB 2.0 input, through which it draws both its power, and signal. The monitor has its own USB display adapter built-in, to handle that. Illumination is care of an LED array. Vital stats include 1366 x 768 pixels native resolution, 5 ms response time, 50,000,000:1 DCR, and up to 250 cd/m² brightness. It is not HDCP-compliant.

Imation Corp., a leading global technology company dedicated to helping people and organizations store, protect and connect their digital world, and IronKey, a global leader in securing data and online access, today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Imation will acquire the assets of IronKey's secure data storage hardware business.

The two companies also announced a strategic partnership whereby Imation will receive an exclusive license from IronKey for its secure storage management software and service, and a license to use the IronKey brand for secure storage products. IronKey will partner with Imation to provide its online cloud-based security services.

Shogun Bros released a new version of its Chameleon wireless gaming peripheral, a fusion between a gaming mouse and a gamepad. The new Chameleon X-1 has a completely rubberised body that improves grip, its internals are modified to make more power-efficient (to make its battery last longer). The new version is said to have even better tactile feedback on its buttons, and a more ergonomic button layout.

As a mouse, the Chameleon X-1 has a 1600 dpi optical sensor, which makes it qualifies it as a gaming mouse, has a right-handed orientation, and about 5 mouse buttons. A sliding switch on the side switches between its mouse and gamepad modes. In the gamepad mode, the optical sensor and mouse buttons are deactivated, except that some side buttons remain active and double up as triggers and bumpers. It has a typical gamepad layout with a D-pad, four face buttons, and two sticks. The mouse connects to the PC wirelessly, using a USB nano-receiver. The new Chameleon X-1 is priced at US $59.99, and is available from October 1.

SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash memory storage solutions, today introduced the SanDisk Memory Vault, the first product in a new category of devices that are designed for long-term data preservation. SanDisk announced the device today as part of a comprehensive new suite of retail products.

The SanDisk Memory Vault is a photo album for the digital age that allows consumers to preserve images in one reliable location. The device connects to a computer's USB port for easy drag-and-drop functionality and features a sleek, ruggedized, metallic design that looks great on any desktop and fits into any drawer.

Leading memory storage brand, SP/Silicon Power announces a limited edition of Touch 850 flash drive, Luxmini 322 flash drive and Diamond D05 external portable hard drive today. With the fashionable design theme and exquisite product look, SP truly personalizes memory products for customers and again delivers its brand promise of "Memory is Personal".

The limited products are designed with a lightweight, small casing, and a quality coating that turns them into charming and easy-to-carry accessories. Touch 850 and Luxmini 322 come in capacities of 8GB and 16GB. Diamond D05 comes in choices of 500GB and 750GB.