Storage

I’m not sure what incited the demand for floral-print flash drives. Are these tiny storage units really so unsightly as is? SanDisk did a number on its ug-tastic Fleur USB drive a few months back. PNY Technologies announced on Monday its Lady Attaché drive, adorned with a gothic floral design, in 2GB and 4GB capacities. And Transcend recently released its own artistic interpretation of what tech women want in the JetFlash 168, which harbors a more impressive 16GB of space. It features what Transcend’s press release describes as “intricate oriental artistry,” and we hear proceeds will go to lessons in political correctness for the company’s PR team.

Transcend at least couples the JetFlash’s etched design—representing “a delicate balance of cutting-edge technology and exquisite transitional beauty” or something—with some pretty sweet features women may care more about than the zen pseudo-philosophy: Windows Vista ReadyBoost compatibility (to use the drive as an extra memory boost for your notebook), free JetFlash elite software (loaded with security and backup options), and a lifetime warranty. Remember, designers, we like pretty and practical.

Our friends at Intel have updated their blog with information on the company’s very own solid state drives. We all know the benefits of SSDs as a whole (faster boot times, enhanced durability, longer endurance), but what we’ve found intriguing was blogger Knut Grimsrud’s statement that he saw a “dramatic difference” in system performance, and that for users who dip into the Intel SSD pool (when they’re finally released), it could be “quite difficult to ever go back.”

Considering that the SSDs Grimsrud installed into his IT notebook were preproduction units—and this is essentially Intel commenting on Intel—we’ll take the gushing with a grain of salt. But we’re curious to see how Intel’s SSDs stack up against Mtron’s offerings.

Western Digital today announced the Elite version of its My Passport portable storage line. The new designs come in 250GB ($189) and 320GB ($219) flavors and weigh less than 5 ounces.

The drives are available in bronze, red, titanium, and blue, and come with a capacity gauge on the front, which is a series of lights that glow to show how much space is left on the drive. Other features include a USB 2.0 interface, remote access through MioNet key software, automatic synchronization with pre-designated folders, and included Google software on Windows computers for searching the drives.

At $219, it isn’t exactly a steal considering you can get a MyBook Home edition hard drive with a 500GB capacity for $169.99, but that’s the price you pay for a hard drive that measures in at pocket friendly 4.9 x 3.1 x 0.2 inches.

This morning Transcend took the wraps off the StoreJet 25 Mobile, a 7.2-ounce portable hard drive that features a shockproof silicon outer shell for protecting your cherished documents, music, video, photos, and other files. The drive meets the U.S. military drop-test standard, making it a pretty rugged little device.

The Transcend StoreJet Mobile includes a “OneTouch” automatic backup button and comes bundled with the StoreJet Elite software for scheduling backups, compressing files (to save space), and providing extra security. The drive is compatible with Linux, Mac, and Windows operating systems, so regardless of your operating system of choice, you can keep your data safe. You can purchase it now in 160GB ($128) and 250GB ($176) capacities.

It’s amazing to think that when I bought my first PC in 1997, my “massive” 5GB hard drive seemed as though it was enough storage to last me well into the next decade. I quickly discovered the folly of that thinking when I discovered a little program called Napster. These days flash drive capacity has increased at such a rapid rate that it’s downright funny to reflect back on my first HDD and think of it as anything other than dinky.

Enter the Transcend JetFlash V60. This 32GB drive (over 6 times larger than my old drive!) is about the size of an AA battery and packs the JetFlash Elite software suite, which includes Website AutoLogin (automatically login to your online accounts), Mobile Favorites (browse your favorite sites wherever you go), PC Lock (use the JetFlash V60 as a key to lock your computer), and other useful programs.

Whether your PC runs Linux, Mac OS X, or Windows, no worries; the JetFlash V60 supports all of those operating systems. If 32GB ($194) is overkill, you can also pick up the JetFlash V60 in 1GB ($11.10), 2GB ($15.30), 4GB ($24.00), 8GB ($42.40), and 16GB ($93.50) capacities.

Are you a fan of the solid-state drive found within the Asus Eee PC that helps the system boot its Xandros Linux operating system so quickly? We are too. Solid-state drives are the next big thing in storage, as they come with the promise of faster performance, enhanced durability, and greater endurance than traditional hard drives.

One of the leaders in the SSD industry is Mtron, a company that manufactures blazing fast solid-state drives. It’s latest product is a 1.8-inch, 128GB SSD designed for use in notebooks and UMPCs. Mtron claims the new drive will achieve a maximum read speed of 120MBps, and a maximum write speed of 100MBps; those numbers represent a 6X performance boost over standard 1.8-inch hard drives. Mtron states that its new SSD will consume nearly 50% less power than a normal HDD. The drives will begin shipping in April at an undisclosed price.

At the PMA conference in Las Vegas today, SanDisk announced two new Ultra II SHDC cards that push the envelope on SDHC storage.

The new SDHC cards, which are designed for digital cameras and camcorders, are now available in 16GB and 32GB flavors. Capacities weren’t the only aspect that changed, however, as the cards now offer an increased 15MB/sec read and write speed as opposed to the earlier 10MB/sec and 9MB/sec. I’m still drooling as I dream of the day when these powerhouse memory cards come to cell phones.

The 32GB card can store over 8,000 high-res pictures or 40-hours of video (set to a 640 x 480 resolution at 15 fps). It’s a perfect option for those who want to snap thousands of pictures of Eli Manning’s Super Bowl win over the Patriots this weekend. Both cards also come packaged with a USB 2.0 card-reader.

The 16GB card will be available in March for $179, while the 32GB flavor will be available slightly later in April. The 8GB SDHC Plus cards will be available for $99.

Twenty years ago we kept photos in albums and music in Walkmans, but nowadays so much of our cherished content lives within our notebooks, leaving us just one hard drive failure away from uncontrollable sobs and swearing. Fortunately, external drives such as Buffalo’s MiniStation TurboUSB are available to provided a much-needed back-sup security blanket.

The 320GB drive comes encased in a shock-resistant chassis to help safeguard data from physical damage, transfer speeds 62% faster than standard 4,200-rpm HDDs, and features Memeo AutoBackup for, well, backing up files, and Secure LockWare for drive, folder, and file encryption. A convenient wrap-around USB 2.0 cable housing keeps things tidy.

The Buffalo MiniStation TurboUSB (320GB) is available now for $229.