1/11/09 - 1/18/09 | technicalupdates

Jan 17, 2009

PS3 XCM Dominator Joystick gets price and ships next week

Last month XCM unveiled its prototype Dominator PS3 joystick, with combo attacker and independent rapid fire features, which sounded like a perfect tool to go with the highly anticipate Street Fighter IV. This week they have it priced out and announced a firm shipping date for PS3 fans. Also, they have made available some new pictures taken in dark, [after the cut] showing the inner glow of the dominator in action.

To jog your memory, the XCM Dominator is an arcade style joystick for Playstation 3 console offering programmable rapid fire / turbo and a macro mode for up to 20 steps, to perform combo moves that you wouldn’t be able to do with a regular game stick. The macro/ program can be stored into four memory keys and engaged with a simple click on the corresponding memory button.

The joystick has blue LEDs surrounding the edge of the enclosure, and that’s what glows inside the translucent black case. The MSRP of this new joystick is $89.99, it’s scheduled to ship early to mid next week from its official retailer extreme-mods.com.

Cydle packs HD Radio into their first T43 navigation device

If you’ve been in the market for a personal navigation device recently you may have noticed that there are so many new options on the market today. With all the options, manufacturers need to add features to their devices that put them ahead of the rest. Cydle is introducing the T43 navigator with features that just seem to sweeten the deal.

The Cydle T34 is a very clean looking device that incorporates a feature that I have believed should be standard in these types of gadgets for some time now. There is no need to go out and get an HD Radio if you pick this navigation system up, as has one built right in. There is no word as to if you can simultaneously use both features at one time, but we imagine voice directions and music would clash after a while.

The T43 has a 4.3-inch touchscreen, and integrated Bluetooth support. With a combination of Cydle XE Map, 4Cydle 3D Map and real-time traffic updates this little device should hit the ground running against other famous brands like Garmin. There was no pricing mention, but it is expected to hit Best Buy shelves sometime in the near future.

Nintendo Wii sales set new industry records

Nintendo has set amazing sales records in the year 2008 due to the growing popularity of the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS gaming devices. Never before has a gaming console sold more than 10 million units in a single year, but Nintendo has almost accomplished this twice in 2008.

According to independent sales data released yesterday by the NPD Group, the Wii had a total sales number of 10.17 million units for 2008 with the Nintendo DS coming in as close second with just 9.95 million. In the last generation of gaming devices, Nintendo fell short against Sony and Microsoft with its GameCube, but this generation Nintendo has redeemed themselves with amazing sales.

“Our type of entertainment has now moved to the point where there is no longer a question that if you offer consumers an expanded definition of what a video game can be, and deliver that idea with quality and affordability in mind, millions of new people will start playing video games,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing.

The previous record was set in 2007 by the Nintendo DS with sales of 8.52 million or 72 percent of the total handheld gaming market. The DS held that 72 percent of the market in 2008 wile the Wii takes up 55 percent in home console sales. Nintendo also has the industries top 4 selling games of 20008 with Wii Play at number 1, Mario Kart Wii at number 2, Wii Fit at number 3, and Super Smash Brothers Brawl coming in at number 4. 2008 has been an amazing year for Nintendo.

Sprint will not fail Super Bowl XLIII, the network is ready for some Football

Em’ Cowboys flopped and choked on its own dramas, I’ve been avoiding the playoffs but like millions others, I would definitely tune in on the day of the Super Bowl XLIII; not for the game, but the much-traditional ad campaigns. The event will be massive, and officials are estimating more 70,000 attendees from fans to media will be gathering at the Tampa Covention center. Though we wouldn’t be there to cover the year most anticipate sport event, many sport media would, and they certainly don’t want to experience any network clog like AT&T failed on CES 2009. Fortunate for them and the Sprint subscribers, the official wireless telecommunications service sponsor of the NFL is well prepared for the Super Bowl XLIII

Super Bowl to many is a major game day for sponsor, the regional vice president of Sprint network, Richard Blanc said “We’re looking forward to our own game-day performance,” The company has already got their game face on, bolstering its wireless and landline infrastructure to accommodate the anticipated data and voice traffics.

Many Network enhancements are already in place.

* 18 new cell sites in the Tampa area to enhance coverage in and around the stadium.

* Distributed Antenna System (DAS) in the stadium to enhance Sprint’s wireless coverage and capacity and to enhance 3G data coverage and capacity for high-speed mobile broadband use.

* In-building coverage enhancements at area hotels.

* Three Cell Sites on Wheels (COWs) deployed near the stadium for additional coverage.

* One COW deployed in downtown Tampa, enhancing coverage for area events.

* Optimized and extended the NFL’s existing nationwide Sprint Global MPLS enterprise network into Tampa for the Super Bowl.

* Implemented Sprint Dedicated Internet service to support the secure access and critical communication needs of the teams as they prepare for this event.

Sprint takes a gamble with a $50 unlimited plan

We all know Sprint has taken a few big hits recently and needs more than good ideas to pull out of its slump. These days it is a rare find to get an unlimited wireless plan from a major name in the mobile phone industry. Sprint has just managed to change that by offing a new unlimited $50 wireless plan – via Boost Mobile.

Such stiff competition can force other mobile providers to change their entire plan pricing in order to be competitive. Boost Mobile is the Sprint brand that offers prepaid wireless services for those who cannot be tied down to a contract. Doing really well they had 3.9 million customers at the end of September. Last year Sprint offered unlimited calling options in the $100 range and it was a success, maybe not the huge serge that was expected, but it certainly did not fail.

Even though the prices for wireless contract options have stayed about the same, the prepaid market pricing has been steadily declining. Boost Mobile plans to market this new price point very heavily and even reach out to those who currently have contract agreements. The $50 package includes unlimited, voice, text and wireless Internet access. Most contractual agreements do not offer text and Internet in the unlimited pricing, only minutes. Below are charts outlining the monthly expenses and running totals for each plan price.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS85 features 4x zoom lens

Another digital cam to join the new Panasonic lineup is the Lumix DMC-LS85. Like its presuccesor LS80, it’s a basic model with an improved Panasonic Venus Engine IV image processor and extended tele-end zoom lens.

The new Lumix is packed with an 8.1 MP sensor and 2.5-inch LCD screen with 230k dot resolution. Optical distance has been increased to 4x, enabling a zoom range coverage of 33-132mm (35mm equiv.), with a fast and bright Lumix DC Vario lens at F2.8 - a superior optic constructed with 6 elements in 5 groups lens structure, which includes 3 aspherical lenses and 4 aspherical sufaces to eliminate image distortions. For movies, the DMC-LS85 can record motion pictures at 848 x 480 and 640×480 resolution at 30fps.

Despite its class as an entry-level model, the camera is loaded with many advanced features such as the MEGA O.I.S and Intelligent ISO Control, both work in conjunction to battle motion blurs; an automate Face Detection technology up to 15-face recognition simultaneously; and an Intelligent Scene Selector to automatically sets the appropriate scene mode according to user setting.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS85 will ship from April 2009, with an estimated retail pricing of $120.

DROP.IO launches a new DROP.IO Manager allowing companies to simply share files

Private file sharing company drop.io, inc. has just announced a very simple file sharing solution that allows professionals in businesses or organizations to centrally manage and share large data files. Many people already use the drop.io service as a central hub for project content.

The drop.io Manager extends the core sharing functionality by providing users with the ability to organize multiple drops from a single interface with many administrative, customization and privacy options. drop.io Manager is available in three different subscription options including Professional, Business and Enterprise.

“Virtually any organization can relate to the increased hassle and expense when they need to share large digital files”, said Sam Lessin, drop.io’s CEO and founder. “Email often imposes strict file attachment limits, FTP requires IT knowledge, is hard to use, and is often un-reliable and portable media (CDs, memory cards) require physical distribution. With drop.io manager, companies can use drop.io’s simple private file sharing system in a custom branded, centrally administered environment for all of their files sharing needs.”

With drop.io Manager companies can privately share, documents, audio files, images and many more. You can even upload files through a variety of different methods including the website itself, MMS / SMS, email, desktop applications, your phone and more. Content can only be accessed by whom ever the uploaded would like through one of many outputs including all of the above-mentioned sources and even iTunes. drop.io Manager as many features that the consuper service does not, these features include a range of enhanced services at a significant value to file sharing alternatives. Some of the key features include the ability to pre-define the total size, access, expiration and look-and-feel of the drops.

Laser Hard Drive boasts 1Tbits/s access time, doesn't exist yet

Whenever we uncover promising new research into lasers, we can generally be sure that it will sound really awesome, and that it will be a long time before it trickles down to the consumer electronics scene (if ever). That said, research into light powered computing has shown considerable promise -- with some folks estimating that commercial laser-drive hybrids (with picosecond pulse lasers doing the work that magnetic read/write heads once did -- something considered impossible until very recently) will be available in five years time. Although the first drives will only achieve a humble 1 TBits/s, in the future we might see femtosecond-based laser drives reaching speeds beyond 100TBits/s. And you know what they say... that's a lot of terabits.

Western Digital about to ship 2TB Caviar Green hard drive?

Western Digital has known that Seagate was toiling away in hopes of being the first to market with a standalone 2TB hard drive, and evidently it has chosen to work its engineers that much harder. In a presumed effort to beat Hitachi (and everyone else) to the 2TB barrier, WD is reportedly aiming to launch its Caviar Green 2000GB WD20EADS later this week, and with it will come 32MB of cache, an 8.9-millisecond seek time and an expected price tag of around €170 ($224). Best of all? It should be "available immediately" just as soon as it's outed for real.

TRENDnet unloads one more at CES: TEW-673GR Wireless N gigabit router

If you haven't seen enough of TRENDnet here at CES, you haven't been looking, but for those in need of a new wireless router, these choices are certainly sights for sore eyes. The latest entry from the company here in Vegas is the TEW-673GR 300Mbps Concurrent Dual-Band Wireless N Gigabit Router. Constructed with a dual-band Atheros chipset, the device can handle both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks simultaneously; essentially, this enables low-bandwidth clients to be assigned to the more congested 2.4GHz band while high-bandwidth, latency-sensitive applications (such as HD streaming and online gaming) head to the uncongested 5GHz band. Can't help you out on a price, but it should be filtering out in short order.

Sandisk unveils new, faster, bigger laptop SSDs

Last year's proliferation of itty bitty and skinny laptops also helped to drive the proliferation of SSDs, and if Sandisk's latest announcement is any indicator that popularity could really pay off this year. The company has announced a new line of 2.5-inch and 1.8-inch SSDs for laptops of various sizes. The three new models come in 60GB, 120GB, and 240GB flavors, priced at $149, $249, and $499 respectively. Great values, by the sounds, and with 200MB/sec read and 140MB/sec writes, great performance, too. We can't wait until to do some evaluating of our own when these start appearing inside laptops sometime toward the middle of this year.

Netgear intros two new home routers, one 3G WWAN router

Netgear's dropping a bunch of new kit here at CES, so we'll get right to the networking piece here. First up is the RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N modem / router (DGND3300), which integrates an ADSL2+ modem with a 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless router. Following that is the RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N Gigabit Router (WNDR3700), which is the first product to introduce the outfit's fifth-generation industrial design. It's also packin' 2.4GHz / 5GHz support along with an inbuilt USB port for hooking up a wireless printer. Finally, the 3G Mobile Broadband Wireless Router (MBR624GU) does exactly what it says, which is to create a WiFi hotspot by plugging in a USB 3G modem. No prices are mentioned for any of these, but they should be in stores here shortly.

Routers and Gateways

At CES, NETGEAR will debut three sleek, versatile, feature-rich wireless routers to fulfill the unique

lifestyle needs of different customer segments - for people on-the-go as well as consumers and

prosumers looking to upgrade their network environments and take full advantage of a growing number

of bandwidth-hungry applications, online gaming, and HD video streaming. Also in 2009, in partnership

with OpenDNS®, NETGEAR will introduce a powerful network-based parental controls service for select

Wireless-N routers and gateways, to enable parents to restrict access to unsafe web sites, filter

inappropriate content, and establish time limits around the use of the Internet. (See press release,

"NETGEAR Launches New Series of Versatile Wireless Routers Designed to Meet Needs of Prosumers,

Media Enthusiasts and People On-The-Go.") More information can be found at

(http://www.netgear.com/Products/RoutersandGateways.aspx?for=Home+Networking).

Named "Best of Innovations" in the CES Home Networking category, NETGEAR's RangeMax Dual

Band Wireless-N Gigabit Router (WNDR3700), the first product to introduce NETGEAR's sleek new

fifth generation industrial design, is a simultaneous Dual Band 2.4 GHz and 5GHz wireless router with

Gigabit ports and a USB port to network an external USB storage device for high speed data access from

multiple computers in the network. It incorporates a powerful 680 MHz MIPS processor, high

performance power amplifiers and eight ultra sensitive metamaterial antennas – resulting in faster wired

to wireless throughput and long range wireless coverage. Features include a four-port Ethernet low power

consumption "green" switch, dedicated Quality of Service (QOS) for video streaming over wireless, one-

touch wireless on-off and power on-off buttons, and adjustable transmit power for maximum energy

efficiency. Along with easy and secure Push 'N' Connect with industry standard WiFi Protected Setup

(WPS), the RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N Gigabit Router is the ideal solution for the prosumer with

multiple networked gadgets running multiple applications, online gamers, and video streamers that

require the ultimate network experience.

NETGEAR's RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N Modem Router (DGND3300) integrates an ADSL2+

modem along with a Dual Band Wireless Router operating at both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz – all in

NETGEAR's popular compact industrial design. NETGEAR's modem router uses double firewall

protection including Network Address Translation (NAT), hiding PCs and files from outside users, and a

Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) firewall denying outside requests for personal information. The Dual

Band Wireless-N Modem Router can also be configured as a wireless repeater to double the range. With a

new multi-language installation wizard, Push 'N' Connect with WPS, and energy saving features, the

modem router is perfect for DSL customers who want a single integrated wireless router and DSL modem

device for all of their growing networking needs.

And for consumers and professionals on-the-go, NETGEAR's 3G Mobile Broadband Wireless Router

(MBR624GU) creates an instant WiFi hotspot using 3G mobile broadband access service for broadband

access virtually anywhere, simply by plugging in any compatible 3G USB modem to the router. Mobile

users thus have the flexibility to create a WiFi network whether in a satellite or temporary office,

construction site, emergency center, hotel, vacation home, at an offsite event or campsite, or even from a

moving recreational vehicle. The 3G Mobile Broadband Wireless Router features auto detection of

compatible 3G USB modems and associated mobile carrier networks to have broadband access almost

instantly. It supports SPI, intrusion logging and reporting, denial-of-service (DoS) protection, up to five

IPsec VPN endpoints, and NAT. With Push 'N' Connect with WPS, energy saving features, and an

optional car power adapter to power the router while on the move, NETGEAR's 3G Mobile Broadband

Wireless Router is ideal for sharing a 3G broadband Internet connection with friends, colleagues and

Clickfree gone wild at CES: 1TB drive, Mac support and online backup

Clickfree's remarkably useful Transformer Cable isn't the only new gear being announced from the outfit today -- far from it, actually. For starters, it's bringing a 1TB backup drive with its heralded auto backup functionality at $229.99. Next, we've got the entirely overpriced ($19.99) five-pack of DataGuard Clickfree DVDs, while the "automatic" Total Backup Clickfree DVDs ring up at just $14.99 for the same quantity. Potentially more notable is the notion that all Clickfree products are now Mac compatible so long as you're using OS X 10.5 (Leopard) or higher and an Intel CPU. Moving on, we're told that Clickfree Online Backup and Flash Backup are both slated to become a reality later this year for folks needing off-site / pocket-sized backup solutions. The full spill is hosted up just past the break, and trust us, it's crowded down there.

Clickfree debuts stunning array of consumer backup products and features at CES 2009, including multimedia DVD, Mac-friendly drives

Storage Appliance Corp.'s latest technology is taking the backup process to a new level of convenience and simplicity

TORONTO – Jan. 8, 2009 – Storage Appliance Corp. – the company whose portable backup systems make backing up computer data manually a thing of the past – unveiled an array of much-anticipated additions to the Clickfree lineup of products and features today during CES 2009 in Las Vegas.

Clickfree has evolved traditional storage technology applications into a modern-day solution that makes saving digital content as easy as connecting your computer via USB cable to the Clickfree backup drive. Clickfree devices are designed to automatically start, search, organize and backup your computer's digital files.

"These latest additions to our lineup of products and features demonstrate yet again why the Clickfree name has become synonymous with effort-free computer backup," said Storage Appliance Corp. CEO Bryan McLeod. "We continue to advance the capabilities of our personal storage devices to make the backup process as simple and intuitive as it can possibly be. Our latest offerings are sure to be a real hit with customers."

The latest new Clickfree products unveiled at CES 2009 include:

• Clickfree 1 Terabyte Backup Drive: The 1 TB Clickfree Backup Drive is an innovative computer backup device that's perfect for small and medium enterprises or home offices where users need to backup multiple computers. Based on a larger 3.5-inch hard drive, the 1 Terabyte Clickfree Backup Drive is the latest addition to the hard drive-based Clickfree lineup. As expected with all Clickfree products, there is no need to install or configure any software. Just connect the device to a USB port and it does the rest. The backup application starts automatically, searching and backing up data without requiring any user interaction. The drive stores 220,000 songs, 440,000 photos, and over 2 million documents. The retail price is $229.99.

• Clickfree Transformer USB Cable: Convert any external hard drive into a Clickfree backup drive. There's no need for any backup software - just plug the Transformer Cable into your PC and plug any size of external hard drive from any manufacturer into the other end of the Transformer. The Clickfree backup application will automatically start, search the computer, organize and backup all of your important data onto the external hard drive. As expected with Clickfree, there is no software to install or set up and over 400 file types are automatically backed up. Use one Clickfree Transformer with many 2.5" or 3.5" external hard drives, giving them all Clickfree simplicity. The retail price is $59.99.

• Clickfree Transformer Combo with 320GB hard drive: The Clickfree Transformer can convert any external hard drive into a Clickfree backup device. For those customers that may not have an external hard drive, Clickfree has bundled one with their Transformer cable. There's no need for any backup software - just plug the Transformer Cable into your PC and plug the included hard drive (or any other external hard drive) into the other end of the Transformer and backup will automatically start. The retail price with a 320GB hard drive is $209.99.

• DataGuard Clickfree DVDs: Clickfree DVDs are perfect for single use scenarios where data needs to be backed up for archival purposes. The incorporated backup application and DVD burning software make the entire backup process a breeze. Triple Guard Protection feature provides extra security from scratches, blemishes and dust. Retail price is $19.99 for a package of 5 DVDs.

• Total Backup Clickfree DVDs: Now one Clickfree DVD will backup all content types. For customers that want to backup all of their content to DVD, the new Total Backup Clickfree DVD is perfect. The incorporated backup application and DVD burning software make the entire process a breeze. Clickfree Total Backup DVDs automatically back up over 400 file types to cover every office, e-mail, photo and music application. The retail price is $14.99 for a package of 5 DVDs.

Advanced new Clickfree product features unveiled today at CES 2009 include:

• Mac Support: Clickfree products are now Mac compatible. Simply plug any Mac- supported Clickfree product into a USB connection and Clickfree does the rest. Mac requirements: MacOS X 10.5 Leopard, Intel Processor, 100 MB of free space.

• Restore Data by Category and to original locations: Completely revamped restore feature now lets you restore files by category, such as Photos. The application will also automatically restore all files to their original locations on the computer without the user having to know anything more about them.

• Migration: Save valuable time and avoid hassles when moving data from one PC to another - just use the new restore tool integrated into Clickfree products. The migration tool supports migration from Windows XP to Windows Vista and Windows Vista to Windows XP-based computers. MS Outlook is fully supported by the restore tool. Backup e-mail from one PC and restore it to another instantly, even backup files from a PC and restore to a Mac.

• Instant Uploading of Photos to Facebook, MySpace and more: Clickfree now comes with integrated support to upload photos to networking sites like Facebook and MySpace.

• Integrated Music Player: Listen to music directly from the backup application. No need to restore the files to a PC or to launch another application just to listen to a tune. The integrated music player is built into the backup application for your convenience.

• Thumbnail View for Video: With built-in thumbnail view, identify and select your videos, click the restore button and you are done!

• Reminder: Clickfree software now includes a backup reminder application that can be configured to remind users by week or month.

• Password protection: ClickFree devices and content are now protected by a password to maximize security of data.

Clickfree products coming in 2009 and being presented at CES 2009 for the first time include:

• Clickfree Online Backup: Never lose another document again, knowing that even in the worst case scenario, your precious data is safely stored off-site. Clickfree Online Backup ushers in a new age in data protection and file recovery by offering the easiest online backup ever. Users can backup multiple computers, have flexible scheduling options, can access their data from anywhere and share files and folders, with support for over 400 different file types.

• Clickfree Flash Backup: This ultra portable, credit card-sized flash memory-based backup solution goes with you everywhere; as expected from Clickfree, it requires no software installation or hardware configuration to start the backup process. Just plug it into a USB port on your computer and it does the rest.

Clickfree's entire lineup of products is designed for the 85 to 95 percent of computer users who, research shows, fail to regularly backup content on their PCs because they do not have the time, desire or skill to install, set up and use confusing or complex software and hardware products.

All Clickfree products are available by ordering directly from the Storage Appliance Corporation's website (www.goclickfree.com) and many retailers. Clickfree products can be found at leading outlets such as Best Buy, FRYS, OfficeMax, and Walgreens, in addition to Amazon.com, Costco.com, Newegg.com, and Walmart.com, with additional major retailers coming soon.

Clickfree is exhibiting additional future products and features from the 2009 International CES at Booth # 31764, LVCC South Hall 3.

LaCie offers up LaCinema Classic multimedia hard drive

It may not be Premiere or anything, but LaCie's LaCinema Classic can still dish media to your HDTV with the best of 'em. Available in capacities as large as 1TB, the multimedia hard drive weighs in at 33 ounces and promises to upscale your digital media to 1080p over HDMI. Of note, the unit is DivX certified and features a S/PDIF audio output, though it might have trouble handling some of the more exotic formats. It's up for grabs as we speak starting at $159 for a 500GB version.

[ Tag: divx, lacie, lacinema classic, LacinemaClassic, multimedia hard drive, multimedia hdd, MultimediaHardDrive, MultimediaHdd, Neil Poulton, NeilPoulton ]

lacie intros 22x d2 external DVD burner, 2TB Hard Disk MAX

SanDisk showcases new Ultra Backup / Cruzer USB flash drives

Rather than simply adding a new capacity option or throwing another adjective on the end (i.e. Ultra, Xtreme, Gnarly, etc.), SanDisk is actually launching something in the flash drive sector that's worth paying attention to. The Ultra USB Backup is hailed as the planet's first USB key with simple backup software activation at the touch of a button, and with capacities up to 64GB, we'd say this is a pretty decent option for keeping your digital paraphernalia backed up sans an external HDD. In related news, the outfit has redesigned the long-standing Cruzer to fall more in line with today's trends, effectively stripping the retro pastel hues and adding in "iconic new design language developed by global innovation firm frog design." The new bunch is expected in stores this April, with prices ranging from $24.99 to $99.99 for the Cruzer and $39.99 to $199.99 for the Ultra Backup. Full release is after the break.

SANDISK LAUNCHES WORLD'S FIRST BUTTON BACKUP USB FLASH DRIVE

Drives Allow Consumers to Easily Store Critical Files with the Touch of a Button

CES 2009, South Hall, Booth # 30659, LAS VEGAS, January 6, 2009 – SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) today introduced an innovative new family of SanDisk® USB flash drives, including the world's first backup USB flash drive with simple backup software activation at the touch of a button. The SanDisk Ultra® Backup USB portable flash drive is the first offering of the company's new SanDisk Ultra USB product line. With capacities up to 64 gigabytes (1)(GB), the SanDisk Ultra Backup USB flash drive is designed to protect computer users' photos, music, videos, personal and business documents, and other types of digital files, with the simple touch of a button. No software installation is needed. The drive protects onboard digital content with a dual layer of security, including password-protected access control and ultra-secure AES hardware-based encryption.(2)

The new SanDisk USB product family includes three different product lines:

1) The popular SanDisk® Cruzer® USB flash drive which provides simple, reliable and portable storage, plus access to a variety of U3™ applications.

2) The SanDisk Ultra Backup USB flash drive offers the added protection and peace of mind consumers expect from the minds behind flash memory.

3) The SanDisk Extreme® Contour™ provides increased security protection and higher performance levels, enclosed in a sleek industrial design

SanDisk Ultra Backup USB Flash Drive:

Back up critical files with the simple touch of a button

With no cables required, or any complicated software to install, the new SanDisk Ultra Backup USB flash drive is a complete backup solution that provides an incredibly easy way to protect digital files. It uses patent-pending backup technology with capacities up to 64GB, large enough to back up average consumer requirements, as well as critical small business files and documents. In addition to one's digital personal life, these products protect critical work files with a dual layer of both password protection and AES hardware encryption. This ensures content stays private and secure (via data scrambling at the flash controller level) when the drives are either physically removed for portability, or stored away for safe keeping.

The explosion in global sales of laptops and mobile devices has exponentially increased the vulnerability of digital files. Computer users can quickly lose precious photos, music, videos and professional work files due to drops, spills, theft, viruses and other incidents. PC Magazine (www.pcmag.com) conducted a research study on annualized notebook failure rates published in July 2008 which found that more than 24 percent of business notebooks need repair each year due to failures.

"Like flossing our teeth or balancing our checkbooks, when it comes to backing up our digital files, even though people know they should do it, they simply don't – and that behavior is putting many consumers' precious digital content at serious risk," said Kent Perry, director of USB product marketing, SanDisk. "We're delivering incredibly simple backup to protect people's most valuable digital content at Main Street prices. With our wide array of capacities and price points, consumers can even choose to store particular file types like digital music or photos on different USB flash drives."

A 2008 Consumer Electronics Association market research report, titled "Amassing Digital Fortunes: A Digital Storage Study," found the average U.S. online adult has nearly 1,800 files stored, and plans to store another 1,060 digital files during the next year. This amounts to approximately 30GB3 of content that needs to be backed up. The study found that digital photos are considered to be the most valuable because of their irreplaceable natures.

SanDisk Cruzer USB Flash Drive:

Reliable storage with a new contemporary look

The SanDisk Cruzer has been redesigned with a contemporary look as part of the new SanDisk USB family of flash drives. These portable, reliable drives are designed to share consumers' digital world with ease, with up to 32GB of storage for simple sharing of photos, videos and other files.

The entire new SanDisk USB family introduces an iconic new design language developed by global innovation firm frog design. Signature design elements include juxtaposed L shapes that create a dynamic, yet balanced, composition, a bright red USB connector and a simple cap-less design, which exposes the USB connector for use via a dynamic sliding mechanism. When plugged in to a host device, a glowing, amber-colored LED light alerts users that the drives are ready for reading or writing data.

The new SanDisk USB family will continue to have U3™ Smart technology, developed by SanDisk, which allows applications to run from a SanDisk USB flash drive without having to be installed on a computer. (4) PC-users can download a variety of both free and paid software, games and content by visiting www.u3.com, or by accessing the SanDisk USB Program Wizard in the U3 Launchpad. Among other bonus applications available for download is the Veoh™ Web Player for SanDisk, which enables users to watch, download and share Internet video content.

The various product lines of SanDisk USB flash drives will continue to include the sleek and high-performance SanDisk Extreme Contour as its high-end storage solution for maximum security and speed. This showpiece of innovative design sports super-fast data transfer speeds at 25MB/second read and 18MB/second write.(5) It also includes superior security with 256-bit AES USB hardware encryption and password-protected access control.

Pricing and Availability

The new SanDisk USB flash drives will first become available in April 2009.(6) The SanDisk Cruzer drive will be available in capacities of 4GB-32GB with MSRP's ranging between $24.99 and $99.99. The SanDisk Ultra Backup drive will be available in capacities of 8GB-64GB with MSRP's ranging between $39.99 and $199.99. The SanDisk Extreme Contour USB flash drive is available in major retailers today.

The SanDisk Cruzer drive includes a two-year limited warranty, (7) the SanDisk Ultra Backup drive includes a five-year limited warranty, (8) and the SanDisk Extreme Contour includes a lifetime limited warranty.(9)

About SanDisk

SanDisk Corporation, the inventor and world's largest supplier of flash storage cards, is a global leader in flash memory – from research, manufacturing and product design to consumer branding and retail distribution. SanDisk's product portfolio includes flash memory cards for mobile phones, digital cameras and camcorders; digital audio/video players; USB flash drives for consumers and the enterprise; embedded memory for mobile devices; and solid state drives for computers. SanDisk (www.sandisk.com/corporate) is a Silicon Valley-based S&P 500 company, with more than half its sales outside the United States.

Iomega's Home Media Network Hard Drive backs up files, streams content

Slowly but surely, the multimedia hard drive is becoming more and more relevant. At first, it was outlets like Mvix doing the honors, and then mainstays such as LaCie got in while the gettin' was good. Now, we've got ole Iomega trying its hand at the game, with the introduction of the Home Media Network Hard Drive at Macworld in San Francisco. The drive, which includes the firm's LifeLine software, enables users to easily backup their precious files and stream music, photos, videos and all manners of other multimedia between computers, networked TVs, gaming consoles, etc. For those curious, it'll function just fine as an iTunes server and play oh-so-nice with DLNA certified devices, and aside from the obligatory gigabit Ethernet jack, there's also a USB port for adding a shared network printer or extra capacity. It should be available early this month for $159.99 (500GB) / $229.99 (1TB).

Clickfree Transformer Cable gives any USB hard drive auto backup functionality

If you're not about to sell off your current stable of external USB hard drives just to experience the wonders of Clickfree backups, you're staring your solution right in the face. Clickfree has just introduced its new Transformer Cable, which is "the first and only USB cable that turns ordinary external hard drives into truly automatic Clickfree backup solutions." Put simply, users just connect their USB HDD to their PC via this here cable, and without any software installations or black magic, the external drive automatically begins to search through, organize and backup your data. The painfully simple cord should be available right now for the mildly reasonable price of $59.99; full release is after the break.

New 'Transformer Cable' from Clickfree is the first and only USB cable that turns ordinary external hard drives into truly automatic Clickfree backup solutions

Storage Appliance Corp.'s latest breakthrough turns any external hard drive from any manufacturer into an effortless, Clickfree backup solution, eliminating the risk of losing precious photos, videos, music and data forever

TORONTO – Jan. 5, 2008 – Storage Appliance Corp. – the company whose portable backup systems made the otherwise laborious task of backing up computer data manually a thing of the past – today announced another breakthrough with the launch of its Clickfree Transformer Cable. The new Transformer USB cable instantly turns any competitor's external hard drive into a Clickfree automatic backup device, completely eliminating the hassle and confusion of installing and configuring backup software. Like all Clickfree products there is no software to install or configure, it is truly automatic - right out of the box.

"The Clickfree name has become synonymous with effort-free computer backup. Regardless of what the competition claims, our new Clickfree Transformer Cable is the only way to make a regular external hard drive easy to use, requiring no software or configuration, and immediately backing up everything that matters from your computer's hard drive," says Storage Appliance Corp. CEO, Bryan McLeod. "The Transformer Cable works with any manufacturer's USB external hard drive to deliver automatic, no-click backing up. Finally, you can stop avoiding backup because it was too much trouble!"

The Transformer USB cable is so easy to use. Simply plug it in to your computer, then connect the other manufacturer's hard drive and it instantly becomes a totally automatic Clickfree backup drive that searches, organizes and backs up all of your PC data and digital files. There are no instructions to read, no software to install and configure, no copying and pasting files, it's really that easy.

Clickfree's entire lineup of products, from the Transformer Cable to Clickfree portable backup drives and DVDs, are designed for the 85 to 95 percent of computer users who, research shows, fail to regularly backup content on their PCs because they do not have the time, desire or skill to install, set up and use confusing or complex software and hardware products.

The Cable Backup has a retail price of $59.99 and will be available starting January 1, 2009 by ordering directly from the Storage Appliance Corporation's website (www.goclickfree.com) and other retailers.

Clickfree products can also be found at leading outlets such as Best Buy, FRYS, OfficeMax, and Walgreens, in addition to Amazon.com, Costco.com, Newegg.com, and Walmart.com, with additional major retailers coming soon.

[ Source: Engadget ]

[ Tag: backup, cable, ces, ces 2009, Ces2009, Clickfree, one-click, Storage Appliance, StorageAppliance, Transformer Cable, TransformerCable ]

PQI showcasing microSATA SSD, ExpressCard SSD and more at CES

Good heavens, it's been years since we've seen anything noteworthy leave the labs of Power Quotient International. Thankfully, the outfit will be relevant once more when CES rolls around, as its forthcoming SSD line has quite a few big hitters. First up is the 1.8-inch microSATA SSD S518, which is destined to squeeze into tight spaces in capacities of up to 125GB, while the 32GB ExpressCard SSD S520 finally gives you a reason to utilize that funky slot over there that's gone untouched for months. There will also be a 2.5-inch SATA SSD S525 (available in sizes up to 125GB) and an elusive e-SATA Combo Card S530. As for details on pricing and availability? You'll have to wait till the show gets rolling for that, but the full release is waiting just past the break to tide you over.

PQI Shows Off Their Latest SSD Products at the 2009 CES

Taipei, Taiwan ~ 2008.12.31 ~ Visitors attending the 2009 CES at Las Vegas during Jan. 8 ~ 11, 2009 can locate Power Quotient International Co., Ltd. (PQI) at the Venetian Tower 233, 234. At the exhibit, PQI will have on display their full range of Solid State Drive (SSD), USB Flash Drive (UFD), Memory Module and Flash Memory Card. Four new SSD products makes their debut ~ 1.8" microSATA SSD S518, Express Card SSD S520, 2.5" SATAв…Ў SSD S525 and e-SATA Combo Card S530. Of which, the 32GB Express Card SSD S520 utilizes PCI/E slot and PQI's patented Intelligent Stick Interface. Users have the option of using it as a USB flash drive or to extend its PC / laptop storage capacity through PCI/E slot. The 64GB e-SATA Combo Card S530 has an e-SATA connection interface and it reaches a maximum read speed of 90MB/Sec.

Both PQI's 1.8" microSATA SSD S518 and 2.5" SATA SSD S525 are available with a maximum capacity of 128GB. The 1.8" microSATA SSD S518 can be installed into PCs or laptops and the 2.5" SATA SSD S525 comes with two interfaces for storage expansion.

SSDs are advantaged over traditional hard drives in read/ write speeds, shock proof, low power consumption, lighter body weight and quiet operation. In addition to industrial, embedded, server and medical industries, PC applications are beginning to see the implementation of SSDs in high end performance systems. Having more than 10 years of experience in solid state storage technology, PQI's SSD and DOM products are ahead of the pack providing customers with a diverse and complete solution!

Other innovative PQI products at CES including a series of waterproof USB flash drives and Intelligent Drive i828, winner of Product Design Award ~ 2009 German iF Award. The Intelligent Drive i828 utilizes a clip-on design that allows for users to make use of existing i828(s) to increase their storage capacity, indefinitely.

A-DATA launches XPG Dual SSD RAID enclosure

So yeah, the easy part about getting the ssd RAID setup of your not-so-lofty dreams is the acquisition of A-DATA's newest XPG Dual SSD RAID enclosure. The tough part is smuggling enough cash in through untraceable means to procure a few 256GB SSDs. For those who don't mind living dangerously, the aforesaid chassis is compatible with twin 2.5-inch SATA SSDs and / or HDDs mounted on a standard 3.5-inch form factor drive cage. Users can connect it to a PC via SATA or USB once those drives have been acquired and installed, but you'll have to wait until the end of this quarter to see it ship.

[ Source: Slashgear ]

NEW SONY ERICSSON W508 FLIP PHONE

Sony Ericsson is going to release its new W508 flip phone, which features music function keys on its cover, alonfg with a 1.1 inch OLED screen.

The device is equipped with a 2.2 inch internal TFT screen. The Phone is loaded with a 3.15 megapixel camera, up to 16 GB of memory via microSD card.

The Phone is equipped with all sony walkman features, such as 'Shake and Gesture' control. The handset boasts of up to 24 hours of music playback, or four hours of talktime, or 400 hours of standby time.
The Gadget will be launched later this year

Motorola Motofone

The rate at which the number of mobile users are increasing, India has transformed into an intermediate market. Motorola already has a couple of mobile phones which are cheap and are showing high sales. The Motorola MotoFone is an even cheaper addition in the list.

This phone is one of the cheapest phones available in the market - it still looks stylish and sleek. The MotoFone is a dual-band GSM phone weighs just 70 gm. It has seven polyphonic rigntones and the vibrator also.

The phone delivers about eight hours of talktime and 20 days of standby. The MotoFone is the cheapest of the cheapest deals. Motofone is one of the best phones in its class for the features as well as the price.

It is sleek, great to hold, simply superb audio quality and above all great network catching capability. The Motofone uses very little power thus enabling it to go on for hours and hours. The battery lasts for over eight hours.

Motofone is for those who are just concerned with talking on the phone and not listening to mp3s on it. The display is big enough and clear enough for you to read even without lenses

LG G5600

The G 5600 camera phone from LG has dimensions of 193 mm by 149 mm by 71.5 mm and weighs just over 85 grams. With an LCD display size of 128 x 160 pixels supporting 65K colours and a VGA camera with a 4X digital zoom, picture and screen clarity is close to as good as it gets.

The G5600 is MMS compatible and also has the advantage of polyphonic ring tones. The menus are logically planned. The instrument is GPRS and WAP enabled giving the owner the option of downloading ring tones and pictures over the net. The G5600 also comes bundled with a few challenging games.

The build is sturdy, with the menus and keys conveniently laid out. It has a 950 mAh Lithium-ion battery with a maximum talk time of 3.5 hours and standby time of 200 hours.

Overall the LG G5600 is a powerful camera phone with a large TFT display and rich multimedia features.

Other Features

Camera: VGA/ 640x480, CMOS
Picture Downloading: Yes
SMS Capacity: 250
MMS: Yes
Internal LCD: 128 x 160
Call Assignable Faces: 35
Memory: 1MB (Shared)

MICROSOFT RELEASES WINDOWS LIVE CALENDAR

Microsoft has officially released its online planning tool, Windows Live Calendar, in more tha 45 languages, including Hindi, Marathi and Gujrati. The service allows users to plan events, set reminders, create a 'to-do' list, and even share their calender with friends and family. Available with the option of integrating it with other Live services, the application can be accessed at calendar.live.com

BLABBERRY CURVE 8900

Research in motion has launched its first device to have both Wi-Fi and GPS built in,the Curve 8900.Touted as the thinnest full-Qwerty BlackBerry Phone.
Features:

For More Detail On Specification And Features: CLICK HERE

Camera (3.2 MP)
Wi-Fi® Support
Built-in GPS
Enhanced Media Player
Video Recording
BlackBerry® Maps
Wireless Email
Organizer
Browser
Phone
Corporate Data Access
SMS/MMS

Dimension:
Height:
4.29 inches (109 mm)

Width:
2.36 inches (60 mm)

Depth:
0.53 inches (13.5 mm)

Weight:
3.87 ounces (109.9 grams)

Screen:
High resolution 480x360 pixel color display
Transmissive TFT LCD
Supports over 65,000 colors
Screen Size: 2.44 inches (diagonally measured)

Phone supports up to 16GB of microSD slot.

Cost In India: Rs 27,990

GOOGLE EARTH OFFERS VIRTUAL TOUR OF MASTERPIECES

Google earth has launched a virtual tour of the Prado Museum im Madrid, Spain, that enables Web Surfers to examine 14 paintings by artists such as Velazquez, Goya and Rubens in ultra high resolution. The researhers took over 8,200 photographs, and combined them using Google Earth's zoom-in technology. Javier Zapatero, Google Spain's Director, said that the images are 1,4oo times clearer than those a 10 megapixel camera could provide.

Sony Ericsson T700

Sony Ericsson has released it new SONY ERICSSON T700 phone. Phone is available in Black on Silver - Black on Red - Shining Silver - Shining Black - Shining Pink - Gold on Red - Shining Gold colors. Phone display is a 262.144 color TFT
- 240x320 pixel screen.
The phone is equipped with 25MB of memory which can be extended to 8GB via microSD card. T700 is supports GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900, EDGE,UMTS2100 networks.
The phone is also loaded with 3.2 megapixel camera for great phtotgraphy experience. Phone has also built in quality speaker which enbles you to listen to your favourite tunes.
The phone weigh around 78.0 gr or 2.8 oz.
size:- 48.0 x 104.0 x 10.0 mm
- 1.9 x 4.1 x 0.4 inches

To now lot about its features and specification: CLICK HERE

NOKIA 5800 XPRESSMUSIC

The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is a S60 5th Edition device with a resistive touch screen and tactile feedback. The device has a large 3,2“, bright nHD (640 x 360 pixels and 16:9 aspect ratio) color display. The device has variety of input methods: stylus, plectrum and finger touch support for text input and UI control (alphanumeric keypad, full and mini qwerty keyboard, handwriting recognition). Use the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic to connect to mobile broadband using WLAN or HSDPA (3.5G). Find directions and locations with the integrated A-GPS and included maps. Additional features include a 3.2 megapixel camera with dual LED flash, Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR, and USB 2.0 High-Speed. Supported WCDMA frequencies depend on the region where the device is available.

Features:

Developer Platform --S60 5th Edition
Operating System--Symbian OS v9.4
Resolution --360 x 640

Browser:
Browser HTML over TCP/IP
OSS Browser
WAP 2.0
Web Runtime
XHTML over TCP/IP
Flash Lite Flash Lite 3.0

Camera:
Camera Resolution 2048 x 1536
Digital Zoom 3 x

Battery:
Power Management 2.0mm Charger Connector
Battery BL-5J 3.7V 1320 mAh
Maximum Talk Time
GSM Talk Time 8.8 hours
WCDMA Talk Time 5 hours
VoIP Talk Time
Maximum Standby Time
GSM Standby Time 406 hours
WCDMA Standby Time 400 hours

price: Rs 20,000(INR)
For More Detail: CLICK HERE

SONY ERICSSON W595

With SONY ERICSSON W595 you can,
->Cherish your friends
->Share your favorite sounds through the built-in stereo speakers. Or let a friend ->listen in from an additional headset via the stereo Share jack.
->Songs in store
->Find and buy songs via TrackID™. The included 2GB memory card stores up to 1900 tracks (assumes eAAC+ encoded files).
->Shake to change
->Change your tune, pump up the volume - and do it the easy way. With Shake control, all it takes is a flick of the wrist.

Screen
- QVGA (320x240)
- 18-bit (262k) colour TFT

Memory
- 40 MB Phone Memory
- Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™) support (up to 8 GB)

Networks
- GSM 850
- GSM 900
- GSM 1800
- GSM 1900
- UMTS 2100
- EDGE
- HSDPA

Available colours
- Active Blue - Cosmopolitan White - Jungle Grey - Ruby Black
Possible limited market availability.

Sizes
- 47.0 x 100.0 x 14.0 mm
- 1.9 x 3.9 x 0.6 inches

Weight
- 104.0 gm
- 3.7 oz

For More Detail: CLICK HERE

Microsoft Fixes Servers, Extends windows 7 Beta Deadline

After microsoft on friday(9th January,2009) offered free availability of the beta version of its new Operating system- Windows 7- at www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7, the sites server were strained and downloads were cut off due to high user traffic. The company has now announced thst it has upped its capacity to handle the traffic, and also extended the deadline for downloading the beta to two weeks, removing the initial limit of 2.5 million users.

Archos 10 netbook announced

Archos is totally getting in on the netbook game with the announcement of their own branded model (actually just a re-packaged Hasee MJ125), the Archos 10. This little 10.2-incher (with 1024 x 600 resolution) is going to pack a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive, with a 3-cell battery, WiFi, and three USB ports -- nothing to get too excited about, for sure, but we'll wait with breath bated for word on pricing and availability.

Asus's Eee PC 1000HE pulls the shift key in from right field

Eee's 1000H is generally held to be one of the more complete netbook packages out there, but the placement of the right shift key to the starboard side of the up arrow drives many a touch-typist bonkers. Welcome, then, to the 1000HE, or "extended." It features a chiclet-style keyboard that slightly increases the size of each key, but more importantly has a slightly revised layout, moving that shift key to the left. New too is a six-cell pack full of 2.9 amp batteries (versus 2.7 amps in the 1000H), said to add another hour to the Eee's life, up to a total of 8.7 according to Asus. Finally, the company announced an "HAE" model that sports 802.11n, Bluetooth, and presumably a higher price tag. No word on what that price will be on either model, though, or when you might be able to get your fingertips on them.

Viliv's S7 ultra-portable gets official specs

Viliv's S7 "productivity MID" got announced in August at the Intel Developer Forum, and, while we were impressed by the form factor and the promise, it's always hard to get too excited without a full spec sheet and an MSRP. Now at CES we're still in the dark about price (and availability), but are finally hearing just what's going on under the keyboard; Atom processors in 1.3GHz and 1.6GHz flavors, a 7-inch, 1024 x 600 screen, 1GB of RAM, and either 16GB worth of SSD or 60GB served up on platters. Wireless connectivity is handled over 802.11b/g, WiMAX, and HSDPA, and the device promises "blueray HD video playback" -- which we're taking to mean it can display 1080p footage without completely choking, but we're not sure just where that video would come from given the lack of optical drive. But, hey, look at that sexy picture! Rest assured we'll prop this up against a VAIO P as soon as we can get our hands on one.

Dell's 22-inch UltraSharp 2209WA LCD monitor surfaces

Dell Canada is good for being the first to show off new LCDs, and yet again we're getting an early look at a forthcoming monitor courtesy of the Great white North. The 22-inch UltraSharp 2209WA will evidently arrive with a 1,680 x 1,050 resolution, 300 nits of brightness, a 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 178-degree viewing angles and a 5-millisecond response time. It also features VGA and DVI connectors, four USB 2.0 ports and an undisclosed price tag. It'll supposed ship in one to two weeks, but given that there's not even an image available yet, we're not so sure we'd bet the farm on that estimate being accurate.

Dell Mini 10 Hands-on

We just caught up with the Dell Mini 10, and while it's not as crazy hot as the white Adamo, it's still pretty sweet -- much nicer looking than the Mini 9, and more compact than the Mini 12. No wonder Dell's calling it a "perfect 10." The multitouch trackpad is really similar to the one on the newest Macbooks, but it's a little less intuitive -- the buttons are pushed into the corners, so a middle press doesn't do a lot. On the other hand, it's a little more useful -- not only can you do the usual zooming and scrolling, laying three fingers on the pad brings up a slick little launcher screen. Too bad we don't have pricing or availabilty -- if this thing comes in at a reasonable number, it's going to be our favorite netbook. We stacked the 10 up against the 9, the 12, and a MacBook Air, check it all out in the gallery below!

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