Posts filed under 'Hardware Tech'
SanDisk has introduced a 32-gigabyte, 1.8-inch solid state drive (SSD) as a drop-in replacement for the standard mechanical hard disk drive. Initially aimed at enterprise users as the first step toward mass consumer adoption, SanDisk SSD offers field-proven durability to keep mobile PCs working in the toughest of conditions and improves the overall user experience.
Previously, large capacity flash-based drives had been used primarily by the military, aerospace and telecom industries, which demanded high performance and reliability under challenging environmental conditions. But now the declining cost of NAND flash memory has made SSD a viable and economically attractive alternative to existing technologies in a wider variety of applications, including mobile PCs aimed at enterprise and consumer users.
“This is an important milestone for SanDisk in our relentless quest to create new large-scale markets for flash storage solutions for consumers in the personal computing space,” said Eli Harari, SanDisk CEO. “The 32-gigabyte SSD that we are announcing today represents the fifth generation of flash-based solid state drives developed by msystems, which we recently acquired. The 32GB SSD has been made commercially viable through SanDisk’s technology leadership coupled with msystems’ tremendous experience and IP, which are captured in the high-performance, low-cost system controllers that distinguish this product.
“Once we begin shipping the 32GB SSD for notebook PCs, we expect to see its increasing adoption in the coming years as we continue to reduce the cost of flash memory. When these SSD devices become more affordable, we expect that their superior features over rotating disk drives will create a new consumer category for our retail sales channels worldwide,” said Harari. It is projected that inclusion of the SanDisk 32GB SSD in a notebook PC could increase the end-user price by around $600 in the first half of 2007, he added.
Using NAND flash enhanced by SanDisk’s patented TrueFFS® flash management technology, SanDisk SSD delivers two million hours mean time between failures (MTBF)i. With no moving parts, it does not need to spin into action or seek files in the way that conventional hard disk drives do. These characteristics, combined with SanDisk’s advanced flash management technology, make it possible for SanDisk SSD to deliver excellent performance compared with hard disk drives and competing solid state drives.
The SanDisk SSD announced today achieves a sustained read rate of 62 megabytes (MB)ii per second and a random read rate of 7,000 inputs/outputs per second (IOPS) for a 512-byte transferiii – more than 100 times faster than most hard disk drives. Taking advantage of this performance, a laptop PC equipped with SanDisk SSD can boot Microsoft Windows® Vista™ Enterprise in as little as 35 secondsiv. It also can achieve an average file access rate of 0.12 milliseconds, compared with 55 seconds and 19 milliseconds, respectively, for a laptop PC with a hard disk drivev.
Another advantage of SanDisk SSD is its extremely low power consumption rate compared to the hard disk drive: 0.4 watt during active operation versus 1.0 wattvi . This is particularly important to extend the battery life for the benefit of enterprise road warriors. These results enable new operating systems, such as Microsoft® Vista™, to provide mobile PC users with a superior overall system experience.
“There has been a huge increase in demand for NAND flash memory over the past few years from consumer devices such as digital cameras, MP3 players and mobile phones,” said Robert Gray, analyst with IDC, based in Framingham, Massachusetts. “There are dramatically higher bit capacities and lower prices, so the technology is now well positioned to be the foundation for new generations of potentially disruptive solid state drives. Enterprise mobile PC users will find the high performance and low power consumption especially attractive,” he added.
SanDisk SSD 1.8-inch 32GB solid state drive is now available for original equipment manufacturers. It is the first in a range of solutions that SanDisk will be offering to bring flash to the mainstream mobile PC market.
January 6th, 2007
Samsung has announced that it has developed the industry’s first one gigabit Mobile DRAM (dynamic random access memory) for mobile products, using 80nm process technology.The new chip, also known as low-power DDR (double data rate) or synchronous DRAM , will be more cost effective than other high density mobile solutions and used for a wide range of advanced handset applications as well as for digital still cameras, portable media players and portable gaming products.
The monolithic 1Gb Mobile DRAM is a highly competitive choice for mobile applications over the double-die stack, 1Gb memory solution widely used today, as the electric current in the new chip drops a full 30 percent.
The new 1Gb Mobile DRAM chip uses the same packaging technique as the 512Mb double-die stack 1Gb package, however it introduces a new temperature-sensing feature. This new temperature-compensated, self-refresh feature maximizes the self-refresh cycle to reduce power drain in standby mode by 30 percent over conventional memory chip designs.
Also offering a more compact form factor, the new 1Gb Mobile DRAM chip is at least 20 percent thinner than a multi-stack package of 512Mb dies, allowing a single high-density package solution of 1.5Gb or even 2Gb Mobile DRAM memory, for which market demand is expected to grow in 2007. One 1Gb mobile DRAM also can be combined with Flash memory in multi-chip packaging including package-on-package designs.
Samsung plans to mass produce the new device beginning in the second quarter of 2007 at a time when demand for high-density 1Gb mobile DRAM is expected to be very high.
December 28th, 2006
Logitech today announced that its award-winning NuLOOQ navigator, originally released with support for the Mac OS and Adobe Creative Suite 2 as part of the NuLOOQ Professional Series bundle is now available unbundled and with added support for Windows XP, and a host of additional applications. The NuLOOQ navigator is an innovative device used in conjunction with a mouse and a keyboard that allows people to better navigate and manipulate graphics and multimedia files. It significantly reduces repetitive use of shortcut keys or palette access typically needed to navigate images and documents, or to adjust values such as brush size, font size and even volume.Applications running on either the Windows XP operating system or the Macintosh OS X, that work with the NuLOOQ navigator, include Adobe Illustrator CS2, Adobe InDesign CS2, Adobe Photoshop CS2, Adobe Bridge, Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0, Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro, iMovie, iTunes, Microsoft Office Word and Excel, and Safari. For added flexibility, NuLOOQ navigator can be easily configured to support virtually any application.
“Since its launch earlier this year, NuLOOQ navigator has provided digital photographers and creative professionals with a fun and easy-to-use input device, and the ability to streamline repetitive tasks,” said Pratish Shah, vice president of business development for NuLOOQ. “By expanding the product´s support to include Windows, we are able to bring these benefits to a wider range of people. The added application support and user flexibility make the NuLOOQ navigator an exceptional value for digital photographers, creative professionals and business users alike.”
The NuLOOQ navigator is a creative partner to a mouse and a tablet or keyboard. Approximately the size and shape of half a tennis ball, this stationary device has a moveable rubber-like ring (the navring) for easy navigation — including simultaneous panning and zooming — of images and documents. Located on top of the NuLOOQ navigator, a circular touch-sensitive disk (the tooltuner) can be used to precisely adjust tool or system attributes, such as brush or font size. The NuLOOQ navigator also has five embedded programmable buttons (triggerpoints) for calling up frequently used tools or commands. Additional features include:
* Effortless navigation: Logitech´s innovative navring can be moved in six directions — left, right, up, down, and twist clockwise and counter clockwise — for navigating images and documents. Using just two fingers to nudge the navring, people can navigate to the right, left, or diagonally for full, 360-degree panning and zooming.
* Precise adjustment of brush size or font attributes: The unique touch-sensitive, circular disk tooltuner enables people to fine-tune a number of different values based on the application. It´s easy to quickly adjust the brush size in Photoshop, font size in Word, leading and tracking in InDesign, or to scrub video in iMovie or even to adjust volume in iTunes.
* Quick command access: Five built-in triggerpoint buttons embedded in the tooltuner provide instant access to commands, shortcuts and modifier keys, and are fully programmable. For added convenience, NuLOOQ automatically detects which application is active, making custom configurations possible.
* User configurable for virtually any application: NuLOOQ navigator is preconfigured to work out of the box for a range of applications, and can be configured for virtually any application. For example, people can scrub timelines in video and audio applications, scroll through pages in a browser and control iTunes quickly without bringing iTunes to the foreground.
NuLOOQ Professional Series users can continue downloading and using NuLOOQ navigator drivers for both Mac OS X and Windows. NuLOOQ tooldial, which was previously available as a standalone product and as a component of NuLOOQ Professional Series, is no longer available.
Pricing and Availability
The NuLOOQ navigator has a suggested retail price in the U.S. of $79.99 and will be available through select resellers and major computer and electronics superstores, as well as through Logitech´s online store. Current NuLOOQ navigator or NuLOOQ Professional Series users can download the NuLOOQ navigator Windows driver free of charge in mid-October from www.logitech.com. More information about the Logitech NuLOOQ navigator is available at www.logitech.com/nulooq.
October 10th, 2006
Logitech have produced a rather expensive keyboard, but unlike some of the more ridiculous attempts at pimping up electronic devices, this one is beautiful to behold.
Lets start with the looks, because the appeal starts to fall down when functionality comes into play.
The diNovo Edge is laser-cut from a single piece of black plexiglass. Then, as if that weren’t enough, Logitech have embedded it into an aluminium surround. Icons are backlit in orange or green, but cunningly are invisible until illuminated. Most impressively, the whole thing is only 3/4 inch thick.
“The diNovo Edge is the most beautiful and elegant keyboard we´ve ever made,” said Denis Pavillard, vice president of product marketing for Logitech´s keyboards and desktops. “It elicits an immediate emotional connection the first time you see it — and that connection only gets stronger when you place your hands upon it. The diNovo Edge delivers a premium experience in every way, from how it looks in the office or living room, to how it feels and performs in the hands of its owner.”
With Bluetooth, the diNovo Edge can connect directly, without the included USB micro-receiver, to PCs that have built-in Bluetooth technology. For computers without built-in Bluetooth technology, people need only plug in the micro-receiver to a USB port to connect the keyboard to the PC; the keyboard and receiver are pre-paired during manufacturing so that they automatically connect when plugged in.
Now, we haven’t actually seen a diNovo edge in the flesh, let alone actually used one, but there’s a nagging concern about the fact that functionality has been compromised over design. For a start, where’s the numeric keypad? Not there, that’s where. Then, what the heck is that thing that looks a bit like a thermometer on the right hand side? It turns out that’s the volume slider and a touchpad that attempts to combine horizontal scroll, vertical scroll and clicking all into one. TechSmec.com has its doubts.
Nevertheless, this is a keyboard designed for the living room, not the office, and minimalism is king in that setting.
You would expect to pay a lot for a keyboard like this, and you’d be right. The diNovo edge is expected to retail at $199 when it launches in the USA and Europe in November.
October 3rd, 2006
Intel is launching a $1 million PC design contest with the aim of encouraging manufacturers to think ’sexy, stylish and small’.The winner will be the smallest (easy to measure) and most stylish (a little subjective we think) home PC powered by Intel’s Viiv technology.
The $1 million bounty will be split between two major prize winners, one who receive some wedge to help with manufacturing costs and then marketing, and the other who just receives help with mass-producing the thing.
Systems submitted for the challenge will be rated early next year by a distinguished panel of judges, including IDEO Founder and Chairman David Kelley, PC Magazine Chief Content Officer Michael Miller, Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini, and GQ magazine Associate Editor Kevin Sintumuang.
The winner is expected to be announced at the Intel Developer Forum scheduled for March 20-22, 2007 in San Francisco.
Source: Media Center PC World
September 27th, 2006
Liquid cooled PCs have long been the domain of power users such as gamers, but the fact that the system is completely silent makes them an ideal choice for media center PCs as well.However, not many manufacturers are producing PCs with liquid cooling as standard and building your own system always seemed fraught with danger - after all, water and CPUs don’t mix.
Gizmodo brings us news of CoolIT’s self-contained system specifically designed to easily drop into a media center PC.
The maintenance-free system fits into the space normally reserved for a couple of three-inch cooling fans, replacing them with a radiator and tubes that carry cooling liquid around the CPU and graphics processor.
Source: www.mediacenterpcworld.com
September 19th, 2006
Dell and Intel have cosied since…well, since time began, but that relationship is going to be put under strain with the announcement that Dell has a new friend, Intel’s arch rival AMD.
Next month Dell will start selling its Dimension desktops with an AMD option.
“Dell’s wider embrace of AMD processor-based offerings is a win for Dell, for the industry, and most importantly for Dell customers,” says Marty Seyer, AMD’s senior vice president for commercial business. “Dell’s plan to expand the AMD footprint serves as a powerful statement on the strength of the AMD processor roadmap, as well as the demand that exists for AMD technology in Dell products.”
“Customers want certain price, performance and heating characteristics that aren’t possible with the Intel chips. Dell has always been very customer-responsive and sometimes that goes beyond exclusivity,” said Rick Doherty, an analyst with The Envisioneering Group.
August 21st, 2006
Flash memory is everywhere - phones, USB keys and even hard drives. However, the ability to revolutionise the venerable hard disc by replacing spinning discs with solid state memory depends on manufacturers increasing the density of the chips. The greater the density, the higher the capacity per unit volume and the more likely it is that capacities will match those of standard hard disc drives.
Intel and Micron have moved a step closer to making solid state hard drives a commercial reality by producing 50nm NAND Flash, a reduction from the 72nm variety commonly in use today. Both companies are sampling 4 gigabit devices now, with plans to mass produce a range of devices from 2007. A factory in Lehi Utah dedicated to the joint venture will start production of NAND in the beginning of next year.
July 27th, 2006
AMD may claim that it isn’t worried by the plaudits being dished out to Intel’s new Core 2 Duo processor, but it certainly seems to be reacting having announced a dramatic reduction in the price of its desktop processor range.
AMD chips now sell for anything between $58 for the bottom of the range Sempron 2800, to $312 for the excellent Athlon 64 X2 5000+. Crucially, the top end of the market is where AMD is coming under pressure from Intel and the Athlon 64 X2 5000+ now costs over $500 less than the FX62.
AMD also cut the price of mobile processors. AMD Turion 64 mobile chips fell by as much as 26%, with its Model ML-44 down to $263.
The next leg of the Intel/AMD battle comes on Thursday when Intel unveils its Merom notebook processor, the next launch in its Core Duo line.
AMD won’t just be relying on price cutting to keep up the pressure. Quad-core processors are in the pipeline for 12 months time. “We have a new microarchitecture under development and the first substantiation of that will be the quad-core to be launched in mid 2007,” said Dirk Meyer, AMD’s president and chief operating officer.
July 24th, 2006
Freescale, the chip manufacturer that was spun off from Motorola, has announced that it will begin commercial production of MRAM (Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory).
MRAM has been described as the most significant memory introduction so far in this decade - a completely new technology instead of just an evolutionary step. It relies on the resistance between two magnetic plates that operate like transistors to record the ones and zeros that make up the information stored. This is much more durable than DRAM memory commony used in PCs around the world as that form of RAM relies on a small electrical charge.
MRAM could enable instantaneous startup of PCs, giving it a useful application in the homes of the future where PCs will have to operate more like consumer electronics devices, but the storage capacities will have to increase first. The chips in production at the moment are only 4GB making them more suitable for use in printers than in PCs.
Freescale has had the MRAM chips in production for a couple of months before making the launch announcement to allow it to build up stocks.
“The commercial launch of the industry’s first MRAM product is a major milestone made possible by the pioneering research of Freescale technologists. It underscores our commitment to deliver breakthrough technology to our customers to address real-world challenges,” said Sumit Sadana, senior vice president, Strategy and Business Development, and Chief Technology Officer at Freescale. “The unique capabilities of MRAM technology have numerous exciting applications in our target markets.”
July 11th, 2006
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