Seoul, Korea – July 9, 2008: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, announced today that it has begun mass producing 1.8- and 2.5-inch multi-level cell (MLC)-based solid state drives (SSD) with a 128 Gigabyte (GB) storage capacity. Mass production of the Samsung MLC-based 64GB SSD also began this month.

“With the 64 GB and 128 GB MLC SSDs, we are satisfying the density requirements of most business users and many PC enthusiasts, who will appreciate not only the performance gains and added reliability, but also the more attractive pricing,” said Jim Elliott, vice president, memory marketing, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc.

Samsung SSDs feature far greater reliability, faster boot times and faster application start-up times than hard disk drives. Power consumption for the Samsung SSD is exceptionally low in standby mode at approximately 0.2 watts and in active mode at 0.5 watts.

The Samsung MLC-based SSD has a write speed of 70MB/s and a read speed of 90MB/s - performance levels that approach those of single-level-cell (SLC)-based SSDs now in mass production. Moreover, the new 128GB SSD will last approximately 20 times longer than the generally accepted 4-5 year life span of a notebook PC hard drive.

Featuring a 3.0 gigabit-per-second interface, the 128GB MLC-based SSD consists of 64 MLC NAND flash memory chips of 16 gigabits each, optimized single-chip controller technology and advanced flash-management firmware technology. Enclosed in a brushed metallic casing, it measures 100mm x 69.8mm and is only 9.5mm thick.

Samsung is aggressively expanding its SSD market offerings. It introduced a 64GB SSD in the second half of 2007, and plans to begin producing a 256GB at the end of this year. Samsung’s mass production of 128GB SSDs helps it to maintain its position as the leading producer of SSDs in the world, with capacities ranging from 32GB to the highest available today.

Samsung expects sales of SSD units to increase 800 percent between now and 2010, keeping SSDs on pace to be the largest growth segment in the NAND flash market over the next few years.

They took a Gateway T-6828 with Vista Home Premium SP1 and tried it with its native Western Digital Scorpio WD2500BEVS and two SSDs: a Samsung SATA II 64GB, and a SanDisk SATA 5000 32GB.

And guess what? Both SSD's resulted in an extra 10 minutes of battery life, versus the native hard drive. That's not a huge difference, sure, but it's a completely different story to the Tom's Hardware study which showed worse battery performance.

Laptopmag admits that the absolute hardware choices both studies make may have a large impact, but they conclude "in real-world use, SSDs offer a small improvement in battery life." And, of course, there's the potentially faster loading times you get from SSD's, meaning your laptop's uptime may be more productive. [Laptopmag]

While moving hard drives have higher power requirements on paper, in reality, those peaks are only reached when random data is being searched out. On average, these drives have become very power efficient and rarely peak even when data is being accessed.

SSDs, on the other hand, pretty much have an "on" mode and an "off" mode. That's it. So while you are using your hard drive, that mode is pretty much always going to be the "on" one. SSD manufacturers haven't focused on other power saving principles at this time. And until they do, don't expect things to get any better.

Note: the benchmarks were all completed on the same Dell laptop. A 5400 RPM hard drive would have even lower power consumption than the 7200 RPM model tested.


As for buying that new SSD for your notebook...I'd suggest you wait a bit longer, even if you have the cash. [Tom's Hardware via Crunchgear]

Jul 01, 2008 04:00

OCZ Technology Announces Core Series SATA II 2.5 Solid State Drive Delivering the World's First Truly Affordable High-Performance SSD for Consumers at Price Points Less Than 50% of Comparable High Performance SSDs

SUNNYVALE, Calif. —(Business Wire)— Jul. 1, 2008 OCZ Technology Group, Inc. (LSE:OCZ), a worldwide leader in innovative, ultra-high performance and high reliability memory and computer components, today unveiled the OCZ Core Series SATA II 2.5" Solid State Drives (SSDs). OCZ has gained momentum in this pioneering technology, which uses NAND flash instead of rotating platters as the storage medium, and is a high-performance, highly reliable and energy-efficient alternative to conventional hard disc drives.







The OCZ Core Series delivers the performance and reliability of the latest SSDs at a 50% less price per gigabyte than other high speed offerings currently on the market. For the first time, OCZ is putting SSD technology within reach of the average consumer, and delivering on the promise of SSDs as an alternative to traditional hard drives in consumer targeted mobile applications.

"SSDs offer higher performance, reliability, and energy efficiency than conventional HDDs but the cost variance has limited adoption of vastly superior SSD technology, until now," said Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology. "It is our mission to deliver the highest performance products to consumers at reasonable prices, and with the release of the Core Series SSDs we have done exactly that."

OCZ Core Series Solid State Drives enable enhanced productivity in everyday computing and intensive multi-tasking applications. Perfect for notebooks, the Core Series is ideal for energy-efficient mobile computing to extend battery life, increase access time, and provide a durable alternative to conventional hard disc drives with superior shock resistance. High capacities and low power consuming NAND flash technology provide the necessary performance and battery life boosts generated by the proliferation of mobile gaming and new ultra-thin laptops. With fast access and seek times combined with excellent reliability, the OCZ Core Series SSDs are the answer for consumers demanding this latest storage technology.

The drives feature a durable yet lightweight alloy housing, and because OCZ SSDs have no moving parts, the drives are not prone to damage from common mishandling. Designed for ultimate reliability, these SSDs have an excellent 1.5 million hour mean time before failure (MTBF) ensuring peace of mind over the long term. All Core Series SSD drives come backed a two year warranty and OCZ's legendary service and support.

Core series SSD drives are available in capacities of 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB and deliver incredible 120-143Mbs/ 80-93Mbs read/write speeds and seek times of less than 0.35ms, making the Core series up to 10x as fast on a seek-time basis and up to 40% faster on a R/W basis that the best performing 2.5" HDDs on the market, all while consuming 50% less power. MSRPs at time of launch are USD $169, $259 and $479 for 32GB, 64GB and 128GB models respectively.

Even while the new 20,000RPM Raptor could be engineered to be ultra-fast and more or less silent at the same time, the challenges for a mechanical design are too many to ignore. Mainly, there's is the issue of power consumption: this rotation speed will require a lot of extra energy compared to normal drives, which is a bad spot in a market that is claiming for greener technology, and is moving away from the desktop into the mobile space, where power consumption is a make or break issue. The reliability of such a complex mechanical design would be another potential problem.

Everything to try to match Solid State Drives, which also will keep evolving, getting faster and even more efficient down the line. [Bit-Tech]

TAIPEI, TAIWAN AND MILPITAS, CALIFORNIA, June 3, 2008 - SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) today introduced a line of flash memory-based solid-state drives (SSDs) that are designed for an emerging new category of portable consumer electronics - called Ultra Low-Cost PCs (ULCPC) or "netbooks" - that allow users to have an enhanced experience while easily surfing the Internet using wireless communication. The SanDisk® pSSD™ (Parallel ATA solid state drive) eliminates the need for a hard disk drive and can store both the operating system and application data for these new devices.

A pioneer in developing SSDs for laptop computers, tablet PCs and blade servers, SanDisk is making the new SSD modules available in 4-, 8- and 16-gigabyte (GB)1 capacities, with a streaming read speed of 39 megabytes per second (MB/s)2 and a streaming write performance of 17MB/s.2 Supporting both Linux and Microsoft® Windows® XP operating systems, SanDisk pSSD solid state drives are being shown this week at Computex Taipei, where SanDisk is exhibiting at Booth M320 in Nangang Exhibition Hall.

SanDisk's pSSD solid state drives, which are expected to be available starting in August, are built using the company's reliable Multi-Level Cell (MLC) and Single-Level Cell (SLC) flash memory. This technology is produced at fabrication plants in Yokkaichi, Japan, where SanDisk and its partner, Toshiba Corporation, share the output. The two companies have co-developed many of the designs and technologies in NAND flash.

ULCPCs are inexpensive handheld laptops - smaller than a conventional notebook computer but larger than a mobile "smart" phone - that are easy to carry and cost in the range of $250 to $350. They enable consumers to browse the Internet on the go, with a user interface that replicates that of larger PCs. Originally, ULCPCs were developed as low-cost computing solutions for school children in developing nations. But the diminutive devices have caught on with adults, and now manufacturers are rolling out devices that are designed for general consumer use. Other names for these include Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC) and Mobile Internet Device (MID).

"We're excited to be involved in this emerging market of ULCPCs, which take the concept of affordability into new directions - ones that are ideally suited to the multiple benefits of SanDisk's technology," said Rich Heye, Senior Vice President and General Manager at SanDisk's Solid State Drives (SSD) Business Unit. "Based on consumer response to some of the first ULCPCs, these devices are quickly developing a popular following. Our new pSSDs are enablers for manufacturers to create what could become the next wave of personal and portable computing devices."

According to Joseph Unsworth, Research Director at Gartner, "The opportunity for SSDs in the emerging market of ultra low-cost PCs is promising." Gartner expects the low-cost SSD category to grow from 635,000 units in 2007 to over 33 million units in 2012, and that represents a five-year compound growth rate of 117 percent.3 "As semiconductor innovation enables more powerful functionality at lower prices, storage requirements will continue to be elastic, providing opportunities for companies that can command compelling low-cost SSD solutions," said Unsworth.

The ULCPC category includes devices that exclusively use solid state drives, rather than conventional hard disk drives, for the system volume. The devices require small form factor and low power consumption, thus providing a good user experience and a full day's work on a single battery charge. In addition to providing affordable computing solutions, these PCs are designed to withstand the heat, dust, humidity and unreliable power that can impact performance. Thus, ULCPCs leverage the main advantages of flash-based SSDs including reliability, power consumption, form factor and cost.

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.

While a new 15" MacBook Pro with 200GB hard drive will run you $2,000 from Apple, ExperCom's version with a 120GB SSD will only cost $649 more at $2649. That's only a $50 price premium over the drive's $600 pricepoint, so not nearly as bad as those beefed-up TiVos of yore. A 13" MacBook with 60GB SSD will cost $1649...meaning that SSD laptops with functional hard drives will soon be getting downright buyable.

ExperCom will also transfer files off of existing systems you want to upgrade. That'll run you $599 (60GB) or $899 (120GB) for the full hardware and service. [ExperCom via TUAW]

Samsung Develops World's Fastest and Largest Capacity 2.5-inch, MLC-based (256GB) SSD with SATA II Interface

Taipei, Taiwan, May 26, 2008 - Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, announced today that it has developed the world's fastest, 2.5-inch, 256 Gigabyte (GB) multi-level cell (MLC) based solid state drive (SSD) using a SATA II interface, at the fifth annual Samsung Mobile Solution Forum held here today. Samsung's new 256GB SSD is also the thinnest drive with the largest capacity to be offered with a SATA II interface.

With a sequential read speed of 200 megabytes per second (MB/s) and sequential write speed of 160MB/s, Samsung's MLC-based 2.5-inch 256GB SSD is about 2.4 times faster than a typical HDD. Furthermore, the new 256GB SSD is only 9.5millimeters (mm) thick, and measures 100.3x69.85 mm.

Once introduced, the Samsung's 256GB SSD will mark the largest capacity SSD from the global market leader in SSD sales, effectively eliminating density as a barrier to SSD adoption in the consumer space.

"With development of the 256GB SSD, the notebook PC is on the brink of a second stage of evolution. This change is comparable to the evolution from the Sony Walkman to NAND memory-based MP3 players, representing an initial step in the shift to thinner, smaller SSD-based notebooks with significantly improved performance and more than ample storage," said Jim Elliott, vice president, memory marketing, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc.

Through major advancements in proprietary controller technology, Samsung's new MLC 256GB SSD, besides being comparable in speed to an SLC-based SSD, also boasts reliability equal to that of SLC SSDs, with a mean time between failures (MTBF) of one million hours, while costing considerably less. Power consumption is also exceptionally low at 0.9 watts in active mode.

In addition, the drive offers a sophisticated data encryption process that prevents data stored on the SSD from being accessed in an unauthorized manner, even after the SSD is removed from the PC.

Overall, the number of computing units in which SSDs are being offered is expected to increase dramatically once Samsung's previously announced 128GB SSD and the new 256GB SSD are launched. At present, Samsung is actively involved in high-capacity SSD design-in activities for all of the top PC and server manufacturers from the U.S., Asia, and Europe.

Samsung is expected to begin mass producing the 2.5-inch, 256GB SSD by year end, with customer samples available in September. A 1.8-inch version of the 256GB SSD is expected to be available in the fourth quarter of 2008.

According to a Q1 2008 report by the semiconductor market research firm iSuppli, the SSD market will grow at an annualized average of 124 percent during the four-year period from 2008 until 2012. iSuppli now projects SSD sales to increase by an additional 35 percent in 2009 over what it projected last year, 51 percent more in 2010, and 89 percent more in 2011, and continue to show dramatic increases in subsequent years.

[DigiTimes via Engadget]

• 8gb solid state drive
• 32gb Patriot XT drive
• 2gb RAM
• Intel Wi-Fi A/B/G/N upgraded card
• 7" LCD with touchscreen
• Air Play installed so you can transmit all of your sound to an FM radio
• Custom copper heatsink installed because it's overclocked
• Bluetooth adapter
• 2 USB hubs so all the USB devices can hook up to the Eee PC
• web cam
• speakers
• microphone
• 3 USB ports
• one external VGA port so you can hook up an external monitor
• Windows XP Professional SP3 with all the drivers installed and tested
• Screen resolution is set a 1024x768 with the hacked Video Driver

All good, even if the motherboard now looks like the Millennium Falcon's guts. [eBay—Thanks Moe]

It's great to see Toshiba jacking up the specs on it to make it a total badass in the thin, light and fast category—with, ahem, 3 USB ports, and in addition to that, a FireWire port and a PC card slot. But Toshiba is still only offering Vista Business on these guys, and when I tested an R500 early on, it was Vista that totally stunk up the machine.

Toshiba's US site still shows the model capped at 64GB (for $3,000), but we assume it will be updated soon. When you do, Toshiba, please offer XP as an option. Then again, you never know how many of the issues were resolved by SP1. [Register]

Keep in mind that the return rate for standard hard drive failures is only about one to two percent. Crave narrows down the most probable manufacturer to be Dell, who pointed out when admitting that SSDs suck for small data packets (like in Outlook) that Samsung is about to drop a new SSD that doesn't cry itself to a slow churn when faced with them. Not exactly an admission, but about the best you could expect out of a flack.

That said, it doesn't really address the whole issue of a 20 percent fail rate, which doesn't exactly stoke the lines with people ready to throw down the platinum card. [Crave]

Samsung already has a 128GB drive on deck for the third quarter of this year, doubling the size of the drives we're seeing in pricey laptops like the SSD flavor of the Macbook Air. And while there are plans in place to bump that up to 256GB soon after, it'd be done using "Multi Level Cell (MLC) storage, which is slower than a Single Level Cell (SLC) drive but stacks multiple bits of data per cell to reduce the overall cost of the disk." That kind of sucks, as the SLC drives aren't exactly blowing us away with their blistering speed, so it doesn't really seem worth it to jack up the capacity if the performance will take a nosedive as a result.

In any case, the good news is that SSD prices are expected to drop 35% to 45% yearly. As far as I'm concerned, it's fine that Samsung is playing around with big, expensive, inefficient SSDs as long as it's also working on smaller, faster, cheaper versions that, you know, people would actually buy. No one is clamoring for a 256GB iPhone, after all. We're not that greedy. [CNET via Electronista]

When you factor that in with Sandisk's shrinkdown to a 43-nanometer process from 56nm, the two-for-one combo greatly improves efficiency, so we'll be seeing 120GB and 160GB drives on shelves by the end of the year. Still for more than you can afford, but at least we're getting there. [Crave]

In a series of benchmarks, both Macbook Air variants had their asses handed to them by their beefier cousins, the Macbook and the Macbook Pro. But even when just comparing the two Macbook Air models there was such a tiny difference in performance as to make it unnoticeable. Booting up was quicker (about 12 seconds quicker, to be exact), yes, but still slower than a Santa Rosa Macbook Pro. And while random disk tests and reading from the disk was a bit faster on the SSD model, due to slower read times than the HDD, it actually performed worse when it came to sequential disk tests and general writing to the disk.

But what about battery life, that had to be way better, right? Nope. Battery life wasn't affected at all, strangely enough, with the SSD model providing a paltry 2.5 hours of use before needing to be recharged. In fact, it seems like there was really only one place where the performance was better on the SSD model.

However, one major difference I saw while using the SSD model is that it didn't suffer entire machine slowdowns when there was a lot of disk activity—or at least less so than the HDD model. When reviewing the HDD model, using a high I/O browser like Firefox or transferring files over the network to my hard drive threw me more beachballs than a Girls Gone Wild party and rendered the machine relatively useless. The SSD model exhibited little of this behavior—if I were to take my totally unscientific experience and translate it into a number, I would say that such slowdowns were reduced by 90 percent.

It's a bit of a reality check for those of us (myself included) who assumed that slapping an SSD into a laptop would automatically make it noticeably faster and increase the battery life by a sizable margin. Sure, they're great and are clearly an improvement over platter-based drives, but are they worth dropping a lot of money on before the prices drop to something reasonable? It sure doesn't look that way. [Ars Technica]

[Ed. Note:P.S. Please Digg the Ars story if you thought this research was useful.]

The most notable increase was in a Random Uncached Read test, where the HDD read at 13.28 MBs and the SSD at 48.24 MBs. Even though this is a substantial difference, it's expected since the HDD's head reads over various parts of the platter, where as the SSD has no moving parts. To see all the benchmark info check MacRumors for a compiled table. [MacRumors]

What's that mean for you and me? Well, it means that a, say, 32GB iPhone isn't too far off, and that the days of platter hard drives in computers are numbered. If the trend of dropping prices continues, within a couple more years they'll be nearing the low prices of HDDs we're seeing now, and we'll all enjoy faster, more reliable, more energy efficient storage in all of our devices. Until then, you're still gonna have to do what you've been doing: wait. [Yahoo via Electronista]

Ridata Ramps Up 2.5" SATA SSD Read Speed to Sizzling 300MBPS

Read: Up to 170MB/per sec.; Write: Up to 105MB/per sec.

Available in Up to 128GB Capacity

Diamond Bar, Calif.—Jan. 07, 2008 —Advanced Media, Inc., manufacturer and marketer of the popular Ridata brand of recordable CD and DVD media, electronic storage products, and digital media accessories, announced the introduction of a non-volatile 2.5" SATA Solid State Disk (SSD) that truly burst reads at an amazing rate of 300MB per second. The faster speed Serial ATA (SATA) drive is available in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities.

"SSD drives offer a host of benefits over traditional hard disk drives. Cool and silent running; fast data access times; dependability and resistance to harsh environments make SSD drives a serious contender for virtually replacing Hard Disc Drives," remarked Harvey Liu, Advanced Media President. "The read rate of our 2.5" SATA SSD drive provides users with a phenomenally fast speed. For instance, it reduces boot up and seek times to mere seconds, while installation of new software programs can be accomplished in seconds rather than minutes."

Data Integrity
The Ridata SSD drive is inherently resistant to vibration, shock, and temperature extremes. It is very reliable with more than 4,000,000 hours Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF). Data integrity is further supported by static wearing leveling and Reed-Solomon ECC(RS-ECC 6/8/10 symbols). With a SMART features and write endurance cycle (P/E) of more than 2,000,000 times, the Ridata SSD drive is built to securely write and store critical data.

NAND Flash Technology

The Ridata 2.5" SATA SSD drive is a cutting-edge solid-state flash disk, based on NAND flash technology. It has no moving parts, which allows it to be virtually silent, run cooler, and use less power than a traditional hard disk drive. It is NAND technology that provides the drive's data transfer rates of up to 170MB per second for maximum sequential read.

Using single-level-chip technology, the Ridata SSD drive provides consistent performance, handles operating temperature up to 85˚F, and has extremely low-power consumption in comparison to a traditional hard drive. The Ridata SSD is among the lightest-weight storage drives available. It is excellent for performance-driven and rugged environments, such as laptops, and industrial, professional, and military applications.

Performance

The drive requires only a five-volt power supply. Because of its low-power consumption, user time on a laptop or other mobile computing application is dramatically extended. Having no mechanical parts, low power consumption, and minimal heat generation, the Ridata SSD drive is a natural alternative for a greener environment.

Mechanical
Meeting bus interface industry standard Serial ATA (SATA) ensures there are no host compatibility or upgrading issues. The Ridata drive offers reliable temperature (0 to 70C) and humidity resistance, assuring long-lasting data storage. The 2.5" drives weighs 64.5 grams with dimensions of 101.85 x 69.85 x 9mm.

Availability

The Ridata burst read up to 300MB/ps and up to 170MB sequential read transfer rate 2.5" SATA - as well as its 1.8" IDE - based SSD cards are available through system integrators, selected retailers, and Ridata distributors. Visit www.ritekusa.com for more information.

About Advanced Media (RITEK USA)

Advanced Media, Inc. is a subsidiary of RITEK Corporation, the world's largest optical media manufacturer. Advanced Media is the sole North and South American marketer and distributor of the RIDATA brand of recordable CD and DVD media as well as other types of electronic storage media. , Since its formation in 2001, Advanced Media has experienced phenomenal annual growth and is already a leading marketer of electronic storage products in the American market.

The Ridata brand offers an extensive line of flash memory products including the cutting edge Solid State Drive (SSD) Series and up to 16GB 266X CF Cards. The brand also features USB EZ Drives including the award-winning Yego USB Hub drive and other USB drives such as the Twister USB drive. Ridata's cornerstone products include Blu-Ray DVD series, HD DVD series, DL DVD-R/+R, DVD+/-R/RW, and CD-R/RW

RITEK for years has been defining and redefining the optical storage market. Around the world, its name is synonymous with innovation, quality, and unparalleled consistency. Its ISO 14001, ISO 9001, ISO 9002, OHSAS 18001, and Green mark certification from the EPA prove RITEK's commitment to quality control.

Media Alert: Sony Transforms PCs into Ultimate Dream Machines

Subject: New VAIO PCs Feature Supercharged Models

Body: Sony today announced it would be shipping super-charged versions of its VAIO® PCs. Dubbed VAIO Premium, these units will empower users with lighting-fast processing speeds, massive amounts of storage, and innovative technologies to improve performance.

Fueling these dream machines will be the new Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processors— T9000 and T8000 series. Among the very first to ship with these chipsets, these PCs will provide business travelers and multimedia enthusiasts alike with unparalleled power and multi-tasking capabilities. The result: high-definition content management, fast-paced gaming and performance like never before.

Mass Storage Meets Ultra-portability

VAIO TZ298N/X Premium Notebook: Outfitted with a carbon fiber chassis, this notebook combines 64 gigabytes of SSD memory with 250 gigabytes of HDD space creating a roomy 314 gigabytes storage configuration. Powered with an Intel Core2 Duo processor U7700, designed for performance and low power consumption, it features an 11.1-inch widescreen display and weighs just 2.7 pounds— making it ideal for travel. The notebook is priced at about $3,600.

SSDs have no moving parts, so seek time is drastically reduced. No spinning=less battery vampirage, so your laptop lasts longer too. And finally, the lack of a deadly read-write head means you can drop your SSD-powered lappy with far less chance of weeping. Right now, SSDs are usually made with either SDRAM (like RAM used in computers) or NAND flash (like in thumb drives, iPod nanos, etc.). Flash is more common, since it doesn't need a battery even though it's slower. Problems: Gig for gig, SSD is way expensive. The beefiest you'll be able to get soon is 128GB (or maybe 256GB)—but the current 64GB 2.5" SSDs go for $1,100 and up. Still got questions?

Sunrich Technology's ExpressCard Solid State Drive

Sunnyvale, Ca - (Business Wire) - Dec 28, 2007 Sunrich Technology is a leading manufacturer of I/O Connectivity and Storage products for consumer and business professionals.

The Sunrich Technology ExpressCard Solid State Drive (SSD) offers a reliable low-power, ease of use solution for customers who need to add high performance and high capacity plug-in storage to their laptop or notebook computers. The card fits easily into the ExpressCard slot of newer laptop or notebook computers and delivers extra removable memory storage and reliable data backups.

Key Benefits:

* High performance plug-in storage
* Large memory capacity:
Available in 4, 8, 16, and 32GB for MLC
(Multi-Level Cell) Flash
Available in 4, 8, and 16GB for SLC ( Single-Level Cell) flash
* Easy installation with full Plug-n-Play
* Works with Windows ReadyBoost to improve system performance
* Compact ExpressCard / 34 form factor is completely concealed in ExpressCard slot
* Low power consumption reduces battery drainage on laptop or notebook computers
* Supports Windows Vista

Sunrich Technology is now taking production orders for the Solid State ExpressCard.

• In January, Intel will introduce what they claim is the smallest SSD in the industry. Officially named the Z-P140 PATA SSD, the drive holds 2GB or 4GB and is 12x18x8mm (about the size of a penny if you couldn't tell from the pic), and 0.6 grams. The Z-P140 can act as a controller for compatible NAND memory, which means these drives are expandable to 16GB. Intel says that this new style of SSD should be showing up soon in several UMPCs and other mobile internet devices from companies such as Asus, BenQ, Clarion, Lenovo and more.

• Intel will also bring WiMax and other wireless connectivity options to these devices. A WiMax/Wi-Fi combo chip, code-named Echo Peak, will also come to market in 2008. Of the 25 devices in the mobile computing category planned for next year, Intel says that 20% will have WiMax, 60% will have 3G and 40% will have GPS. 100% will of course support both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

• For desktop users, processor capacity and hi-def performance will see major enhancements in 2008. "Skulltrail", a new dual-processor based platform, will enable high-end and professional computer users to run dual quad-core Core 2 Extreme processors for a massive 8-core performance, for gamers and other hardcore users. In addition, a new feature called HD Boost is an instruction set that will provide faster video encoding/decoding, 3D rendering and photo editing.

• Consumer electronics such as set-top boxes and digital televisions will also get a boost from "Canmore", a "system-on-a-chip" that combines 1GHz processing core with A/V processing and graphics and I/O components onto a single chip. Intel sees increased internet connectivity in these types of devices, and cited examples such as playing video games over your cable box as possible implementations.

• Santa Rosa Refresh, an updated version of the Centrino processor, is a 45nm Penryn chip with better graphics capabilities. The Refresh will be offered in notebooks and desktops and is geared to improving the quality of HD DVD and Blu-ray, among other graphic intensive applications.

• Finally, Intel says that the Gateway One and Dell XPS All-In-One will get the Penryn boost next year, and I was also told that they are "talking to Apple."[Intel]

The design uses a SATA interface and is only 4 mm thick. Micron claims the advantages of such a design are the small size and the ability to line up multiple drives next to each other. In addition, this design requires no wires or attaching the motherboard with screws, reducing the risk of the SSD becoming disconnnected or loose inside a computer. While this product is nowhere near ready for market, Micron says they would need to work with an OEM or someone who can offer a compatible computer solution. [Micron]

The 32GB drive will come in 1.8" and 2.5" sizes, while the 64GB will only ship in a 2.5" size. Micron, who also owns memory makers Lexar and Crucial, will release an SSD USB enclosement under the Crucial brand, making SSD expansion easier for users. Micron also expressed an interest in making a 128GB SSD, but have no definite plans as of yet. Pricing is still undetermined on the 32GB and 64GB models, but Micron expects the products to ship in Q1 2008. [Micron]