LaCie, in collaboration with world-famous designer Philippe Starck, announced the LaCie Starck Desktop Hard Drive and the LaCie Starck Mobile Hard Drive. The new products showcase more than just Starck's iconic signature; there is an intellect revealed throughout each component of the design.

From Philippe Starck: "Technological genius explodes exponentially, each time with incredible power whose limits are yet to be known. The power remains, never abating, symbolically characterized by the sculptural magma that one attempts to cleave, to master within this geometrically perfect strongbox. A symbol of strength mastered, of freedom guided, of incandescent magma heeding to the form of its cast. The interpretation is free. But the mystery remains."

WD, the world's leader in external storage solutions, today introduced its new ultra-portable My Passport Elite external hard drives featuring an illuminated capacity gauge and drive lock indicator so users can see at-a glance how much space is left on their drive and whether their data is secure. The convenient grab-and-go USB dock frees up valuable desk space and eliminates the search for USB ports, making it ideal for professionals who take their data back and forth to the office.

Like the previously announced My Passport Essential drives, the My Passport Elite portable drives feature automatic and continuous backup with WD SmartWare software and 256-bit hardware-based encryption. My Passport Elite drives are available now in 3 appealing metallic colors - Metallic Red, Metallic Blue and Charcoal Metallic - and are offered in capacities of 320 GB, 500 GB and 640 GB.

Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced it has partnered with SPYRUS, Inc., the leader in the development and manufacturing of advanced hardware-based encryption, authentication, and digital content security products. Under the partnership, Kingston Digital will incorporate patented Secured by SPYRUSâ"¢ technology into its Kingston DataTraveler USB Flash drives to deliver unsurpassed levels of security and encryption to government bodies and enterprises worldwide.

"SPYRUS hardware-based security was specifically designed to protect sensitive Department of Defense data, and we are proud to join with Kingston to introduce the strongest security protection available for government and enterprise markets in over 100 countries," said, Burt Tregub, Vice-President of Corporate Development for SPYRUS. "Our proven technologies surpass all others to protect customer data against the proliferation of cyber crime, cyber attacks and data loss."

A-DATA Technology Co., Ltd., the worldwide leader in DRAM memory and Flash application products, unveiled today the industry's first ever waterproof and shock resistant portable HDD SH93, a super strong hard disk drive designed specifically for students, road warriors, and sports enthusiasts.

Incorporating rubber-plastic mix and special cushion materials, the SH93 sustains 1M waterproof test for 30 minutes and military standard MIL-STD-810F drop test. The MIL-STD-810 test addresses a broad range of environmental conditions to generate confidence in the overall durability of a system design. With the USB cable cord tucking into the slit that goes around the side of the HDD, the SH93 is beautifully designed with finish paint in racing car yellow. It is easy for users to conveniently carry around massive documents without the fear of damaging files stored in the HDD in the incident of accidental drop or water spills.

Today LaCie announced high-end speakers, modeled after Cabasse's renowned loudspeaker technology - the LaCie Sound2 Speakers, design by Neil Poulton. LaCie has partnered with famous acoustic engineering company Cabasse to bring high-quality sound to any computer system or A/V device.

Coupled with Cabasse's loudspeaker driver support, the LaCie Sound2 Speakers provide premium sound quality to computers. Additionally, users can use the line-in connection to experience the same high-quality sound from audio/video devices like iPods and portable multimedia players.

Team Group launched the whole new C092 pen drive, targeting sporty and young consumers. It is the first thumb drive featuring a sports theme, boasting shock and dust proof functions. And the sliding design shows the careful consideration for the needs of the consumers.

C092 is a perfect integration of steel and rubber. The steel casing houses the COB to secure the USB interface and the anti-retraction design makes C092 even tougher and more endurable. C092 weights only 8.8g with large capacities from 2GB to 16GB, multiple color choices in red, green, blue, and grey, and with a sleek design.

Buffalo Japan unveiled two new USB drives, the RUF2-KxxGE-WH and RUF2-LVxxGS-BK (where 'xx' is the capacity in GB, pictured in the same order below). The former comes in capacities of 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 GB, while the latter in 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 GB. Both stick to the standard capped design. The RUF2-KxxGE-WH measures W 20× H 9× D 62 mm, weighing 10 g, with a pearl white finish, while the RUF2-LVxxGS-BK sports a slighly longer, curvy design measuring W 23× H 10× D 98 mm, weighing 15 g. This one features a hardware write-protect lock to prevent malware from say public machines from copying onto the USB drive the moment it's plugged in. Both maintain compatibility with all common operating systems, and support Windows ReadyBoost. They will be available in mid-October.

"Slim and lightweight" has become a fashion for USB disks! Continuing the success of the Diamond, Team Group Inc. launches the brand new slim and lightweight USB disk SC901 to capture young consumers and students with its mini and exquisite appearance and candy-like cute pastel colors. With SC901, users can freely express themselves. Together with the thoughtful and smart swivel cap design to prevent losing the cap, SC901 just makes people feel sweet from its appearance and features.

Equipped with the stepwise swivel cap design, with a simple push, you can insert this PnP USB disk in your computer at any angle that pleased you. More importantly, you will never need to worry about losing the cap! Mini in size, the SC901 comes in 3 models by capacity: 2GB, 4GB and 8GB; and 3 colors: blueberry blue, mint green, and pudding yellow to meet the multiple needs of users. With the USB2.0 interface, SC901 allows users to store a large amount of photos, media files and any electronic files. Desktops, laptops or car audios, as far as there is a USB port, you can enjoy fun with SC901. With different colors, users can well-organize files by type or choose any one that suits their moods.

Team Group Inc. launched C091. It is a new designer item boasting high quality in both internal capacity and external design. The large 32GB capacity hides inside of a light and beautifully designed body, and the sleek gliding mechanism fully manifested the innovative abilities of Team Group. The easy-to-use gliding design makes C091 popular item, which takes only a slight squeeze on the USB interface to slide open the user-friendly pen drive.

C091 comes in sapphire blue, amber brown and crystal gray. The user-friendly slide design ingeniously hides the USB interface under the body to eliminate the trouble of storing the cap and adds to the sleekness of the overall design. C091 is light weight (only 16g) but comes in big capacities in three choices- 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB, as well as excellent performance in high-speed transmission (20-25MB/Sec reading speed and 5-10 MB/s writing speed). The thoughtful design make C091 versatile enough to satisfy the needs of all users.

Kingston Technology Europe Ltd, a subsidiary of Kingston Technology Corporation, today announced it is increasing read and write speeds on its Kingston DataTraveler 410 USB Flash drive to 20 MB/sec. read and write. Shipping in capacities up to 32GB, the speedy DataTraveler 410 allows for faster file transfers and is password protected to help keep data secure.

The faster read and write speeds make the DataTraveler 410 the ideal drive for high-definition photos, large documents, presentations, music, videos and other data. It includes SecureTraveler software, which allows users to create and access a password-protected area of the drive called the "Privacy Zone."

The Swiss low noise cooling solution provider ARCTIC COOLING today announced the launch of their first notebook cooler - ARCTIC NC. Its revolutionary design concept and user-friendly functions make it a stylish portable cooler for laptop users.

The ARCTIC NC is a perfect cooling device for any laptops between 12" and 19". The two 60mm fans draw adequate cool air in and wind is blown out from the vent evenly to the bottom of the laptop. Unlike other plate-design coolers, heat can be dissipated from the sides of the laptop easily to achieve maximum cooling performance. Moreover, fan noise of the ARCTIC NC is undetectable at only 0.1 sone - even at full speed. The ARCTIC NC keeps the laptop at safe temperatures and quiet at all time - even during heavy gaming.

Today LaCie announced the latest versions of its Portable DVD±RW Drive, design by Sam Hecht. Now with a sleek black finish, the award-winning LaCie Portable DVD±RW includes new multimedia burning solutions, allowing users to piece together sophisticated movie, music, and photo projects in a matter of minutes - creating customized CDs or DVDs wherever they go.

Featuring two versions for easy setup and seamless compatibility, users can choose from the multimedia burning solution for Mac or PC. The Windows version comes with Creator Suite 10, while the combined Mac and Windows version comes with Toast 9 Basic, as well as Creator Suite 10.

Active Media Products (AMP), manufacturer of netbook SSD upgrades and unique USB drives including the Obama drive, today announced a 3-pack of WWF endangered species USB drives that includes a Panda drive, a Penguin drive and a Polar Bear drive packaged in an elegant gift box. These Windows 7 compatible USB drives are crafted in the likeness of endangered species and benefit WWF.

The panda, penguin and polar bear drives are designed for carrying data on the go. Each drive measures only about 2.2-inches in length and includes a keychain for attaching the drive to a backpack, zipper pull or keys. These lead-free and PVC-free drives are made of soft non-toxic silicone rubber. The WWF Trio is an ideal gift. AMP offers the Trio as a triple pack of 1GB, 2GB, 4GB or 8GB USB drives, and contributes five percent of the retail price of this product line to WWF.

A-DATA Technology Co., Ltd., the worldwide leader in DRAM modules and Flash application products, today announced the addition of the industry-leading capacity of 640GB to its 2.5-inch portable hard drive product lineup. Aiming the recent global boom for mobile computers, the new 640GB portable hard drive provides an ideal solution to meet such growing demand for higher storage capacity.

Embedded with the latest technology, the new 640GB high-capacity solution, available for all A-DATA portable hard drive series, offers a tremendous upgrade on the storage size without sacrificing portability of the device, which is perfect for notebook users or business professionals who are constantly on the go. With 640GB of capacity, users can easily access and share photos, music files, high-definition videos or other digital contents without having to worry about insufficient storage space. The use of high-speed USB 2.0 interface provides a much more efficient data transfer across platforms. Coupled with the stylishly-designed external casing, A-DATA's 640GB portable hard drives are the brilliant choice for consumers who look for both performance and sleek looks on their storage device.

Expanding further on its portable storage lineup, Buffalo added the HD-PVU2 family of portable hard drives. The model numbering goes as HD-PVxU2-y, where x can be 320 or 500 denoting capacity in GB, and y can be WH (white) or BK (black) denoting color. Measuring a somewhat pocketable 81 x 16 x 130 mm (W x H x D), these drives tip the scales at 190 g. With USB 2.0 as data/power connectivity, the drives pack eco-Manager software that powers down the drive when idling for a set amount of time, to save power. It comes in white and black, and data capacities of 320 GB and 500 GB, which cost around US $108 (10,000 JPY) and $158 (14,000 JPY), respectively.

Kanguru Solutions, announces the release of the 64GB Kanguru e-Flash, a high capacity, high performance flash drive with both eSATA and USB connectivity. The Kanguru e-Flash is a dual ended flash drive. One end supports high speed eSATA while the other end supports a USB2.0 interface. The eSATA side provides incredible performance, 5 times faster than standard USB drives. The USB2.0 side provides universal connectivity, so data can still be accessed by computers that may not have eSATA ports yet.

"The combination of performance and versatility make the Kanguru e-Flash the perfect product for people who want top tier transfer speeds without sacrificing usability," said Nate Cote, VP of Product Management for Kanguru Solutions.

The Kanguru e-Flash has a built-in powered eSATA connection so you don't have to worry about multiple wires plugging into the drive, and it's packaged with an eSATA + Power bracket and an eSATA + Power cable for easy hookup to the computer you use most.

Following the success of the Supreme U100 ultimate USB disk, Team launches the enhanced version of the Supreme U100 to meet the demands of consumers requiring high capacity, premium design and absolute trend setting flair. The enhanced Supreme U100 has a capacity of 64G for users to store anything they want.

In an aluminum case, the enhanced Supreme U100 delivers a high-quality feeling in its exceptionally smooth leather-like coating marks its unique prestige. Together with the superb 64G capacity and patented swivel cap design, the Supreme U100 is perfect for mature high-level business executives with classy taste. Finally, its lightweight design of only 17 grams makes it the best of breed: with exquisite style and ultra-high capacity combined together.

OCZ Technology Group, a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory, today introduced the Zee USB 2.0 flash drive, perfect for users seeking a simple and portable way to tote their multi-media files and documents. For the on-the-go student, gamer, or professional, the OCZ Zee is the ideal companion for a busy digital lifestyle at an affordable price point.

"Designed for the consumer on the go, the compact Zee is an economical USB drive that makes it easy to transfer images, multimedia and essential data between multiple computers," commented Alex Mei, CMO of the OCZ Technology Group. "The Zee is designed to be affordable to the complete range of consumers, and is available in large capacities up to 16GB yet is both lightweight and compact so that it highly portable."

To offer a greater selection to suit the diverse needs of different customers, Transcend Information, Inc., a global leader in storage and multimedia products, recently released a brand new Anti-Shock USB Flash Drive-the JetFlash V70. The drive is made out of a durable eco-friendly rubber that makes it highly resistant to survive shock, splashes and dust. Created with sporty outdoor adventurers in mind, the JetFlash V70 allows users to express their individuality and unique personal style with attractive bright color schemes.

Unlike USB flash drives that are made of plastic or metal materials, Transcend's JetFlash V70 is made of eco-friendly silicone rubber that provides a pleasant tactile feel and offers excellent protection for stored data while working, exercising, or traveling outdoors. For added piece of mind, the JetFlash V70 fully meets rigorous U.S. military drop-test standards (MIL-STD-810F 516.5-Transit Drop), literally making it one of the most robust USB Flash Drives available. The V70 also has an eye-catching streamlined shape and vivid bright colors that set it apart from the normal USB flash drive crowd. Additionally, the JetFlash V70 is equipped with a unique tethered cap holder that prevents it from getting lost when removed from the drive during file transfer.

Optical drives specialist LiteOn is out with the slim and compact eTAU10 external DVD writer. Best suited for netbooks and ultra-slim notebooks without optical drives, the eTAU10 is slimmer than most external slim optical drives, measuring the same as portable CD players, and weighs 350 g. It comes in piano-black and pearl-white (both glossy). USB 2.0 is the almighty connector here, that provides both power and data connection to the host PC. DVD±R and DVD+RW discs are burnt at 8X, double-layer DVD±R at 6X, DVD-RAM at 5X, and 24X for CDs. Priced at 45 Euro, the LiteOn eTAU10 external DVD writer starts selling next month.

Scythe announces the availability of a new multifunctional panel for 3.5inch bay. Kaze Station 3.5 is available in black (KST01-BK-3.5) and silver (KST01-SL-3.5). This new device combines a 2-channel fan controller with an easy to access front panel connecters including 4x USB2.0, 1 x e-SATA, 1 x MIC and 1 x Headphone. Both Front panel and fan controller knobs are made of brushed aluminum.

By using the integrated fan controller up to two fans can be adjusted with an output voltage of 5 to 12 V. Supported fan speed is specified in the range from 0 up to 9,990 rpm. For convenient purposes, Kaze Station 3.5 comes with the required connection cable such as two fan extensions, one power adapter, one USB cable, one audio cable and one S-ATA cable. Overall dimensions of the unit are 102 x 25 x 93 mm (4.01 x 0.98 x 3.66 in) and it weights 130 g (4.58 oz).

Remember this thumbnail-sized USB drive by Buffalo? The company developed the idea further with the RMUM-H, which, not only packs up to 16 GB of data in its thumbnail-sized package measuring 11 (W) x 15 (H) x 1 (D) mm, but also holds a Micro-SD/Micro-SDHC card reader that expands its capacity. The card reader can be used to port data between compatible phones and cameras, and the PC. The 16 GB variant (RMUM-16GH/BK) is priced at 10,900 JPY (US $112), the 8 GB one (RMUM-8GH/BK) at 5,200 JPY ($53), 4 GB one (RMUM-4GH/BK) at 2,600 JPY ($26.5), and a 2 GB (RMUM-2GH/BK) variant for 1,700 JPY ($17.5). There is provision for a lanyard or keychain, which is very much welcome.

Transcend Information, Inc., a worldwide leader in storage and multimedia products, recently announced its alliance with Trend Micro, Inc., a global leader in Internet content security, to offer advanced Trend Micro USB Security software preloaded on its newest USB flash drive, the JetFlash V15. With this powerful combination of Transcend hardware and industry-leading Trend Micro software, users can now share, store and manage valuable data more safely and securely than ever.

Trend Micro USB Security is a unique software program specially developed to protect against malicious content in files transferred to USB Flash Drives. With its easy-to-use interface and simple one-step activation process, Trend Micro USB Security protects the JetFlash V85 from the first moment it is connected. Upon finding threats, the software will alert the user and move all dangerous files to a hidden quarantine folder. Additionally, when the JetFlash V85 is plugged into a computer with Internet access, Trend Micro USB Security will automatically download and install the latest security updates directly onto the drive. Thanks to its powerful Trend Micro USB Security built-in software, Transcend's JetFlash V85 AntiVirus USB Flash Drive can freely be used in any computer with no danger of malicious data hitching a ride while transferring files.

Active Media Products (AMP), manufacturer of SSDs and WWF series USB drives, today announced immediate availability of a bootable Linux USB (BLU) drive that is compatible with Windows 7 and benefits WWF. These new penguin BLU drives are preloaded with the full installation of Ubuntu Linux 9.0.4.

BLU drives allow booting into Ubuntu Linux from the USB drive regardless of what operating system is installed on the hard drive. Because the hard drive will still be fully accessible when booting from the BLU drive, it's an excellent disaster recovery solution in the event of problems with the operating system on the primary hard drive, because important data files on the hard drive can be backed up onto the BLU drive or another USB storage device.

Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of Flash storage solutions and DRAM memory modules, has succeeded in squeezing 32GB of NAND Flash storage into a thumbnail sized USB drive that is water resistant and supports data transfer speeds up to 200X (30MB/sec). Six new models of 32GB Pico drives will begin shipping this week.

Just 15 months after launching the 8GB Pico drive, then hailed as the world's smallest 8GB USB drive, Super Talent is now able to pack an astounding 32GB of NAND flash into the same small dimensions. "Our customers have an insatiable need for higher capacity flash drives, but they don't want a big and bulky drive", Super Talent Director of Marketing, Joe James said in a statement. The Pico C drive measures only 31 x 12 x 3 mm and weighs less than an American nickel (~5g). Super Talent uses a COB manufacturing process for its Pico series to achieve the smallest possible size.