Jun 22, 2010

Toshiba working on boosting SSD write speeds to 4.2Gbps

Using a boost converter

WITH THE INTRODUCTION of SATA 6Gbp, SSD drives got a much needed, faster interface, but it appears that we’ve hit another “wall” when it comes to performance of SSD drives, at least higher density drives. SSDs with more than 16 NAND Flash memory chips on them will have power issues in the near future which prevent them from reaching optimal write speeds. The good news is that Toshiba is already working to solve this problem with the help of a Japanese research group headed by Ken Takeuchi.
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Jun 22, 2010

Acer Aspire TimelineX finally launches stateside

Thin and powerful, yes, it’s possible

IT’S TAKEN ACER a good few months to get the Aspire TimelineX series of notebooks to the North American market, but for anyone wanting a thin and light, yet powerful notebook with decent battery life for an affordable price, then this is what you’ve been waiting for. Acer is offering models ranging from 11.6 to 15.6-inches with a selection of Core i processors and even discrete graphics in some models.
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Jun 22, 2010

CULV notebook pricing in free fall, getting replaced

Notebook manufacturers favours full fat CPUs

CULV NOTEBOOK PRICES started falling a while back and in Taiwan “high-end” models with SU7300 processors have been sold at what must be close to cost from less well known notebook manufacturers such as ViewSonic. Now the big brand names are following suit and we should see this price and stock dumping take effect in other markets as well within the near future.
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Jun 18, 2010

Marvell working on “free” hybrid SSD/HDD solution

Not exactly free, but…

THE NEXT BIG thing appears to be hybrid drives, although Seagate’s new Momentus XT failed to impress most reviewers, despite offering some clear advantages over a traditional hard drive. The downside here of course is that we’re talking about a 2.5-inch notebook drive, but what if you want a hybrid drive for your desktop PC? Well, Marvell might very well have the solution to this problem with its upcoming “free” HyperHDD solution.
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Jun 17, 2010

Intel getting ready to launch four sub $150 desktop processors

Dropping some prices too

LOOKING FOR A cheap Intel processor? Well, Intel is getting ready to launch a range of new affordable options over the next few months, as well as some price drops on several other models. A few more expensive parts will also make an appearance, with emphasis on ‘few’. Most of the new and price cut models are oddly enough LGA 775 processors, so it seems like Intel believes there’s still some life in its old platform.
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Jun 17, 2010

Toshiba launches 128GB NAND Flash memory chips

Yes, that’s GB, not Gb and it’s in a single package too

MOST SMARTPHONES ARE still only shipping with a measly 512MB of storage memory at best, there are exceptions, of course like Apple’s iPhone and a couple of devices from Samsung to mention a few. However, Toshiba seems set on getting more storage memory into our mobile devices, as the company has launched 128GB e-MMC compliant NAND Flash memory chips today.
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Jun 17, 2010
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OnLive Game Service Taps Dell to Provide Server Hardware for Launch

Using both ATI and nVidia hardware

Unless you’ve been locked in your mother’s basement, blissfully tapping away at your Atari 2600 paddle for the past 32 years, you’ve probably heard about the upcoming OnLive game service that officially launches today.  While we’re reasonably sure that the majority of our readers have progressed beyond the latest game technology from the 70’s, we’ll elaborate anyway.
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Jun 15, 2010

Razer announces StarCraft II peripherals

Keyboard, mouse and headset

STARCRAFT II IS COMING and the game is only about a month away, but it seems like we’re already seeing the first licensed peripherals arriving from none other than Razer. Blizzard and Razer’s collaboration was announced in August last year, but it’s taken this long for Razer to release any details on the new peripherals. A new keyboard, mouse and headset have been announced and all three are, of course, adorned with StarCraft II motifs.
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