SanDisk updates and double the capacity of its SSD

The specialist in small flash memory (memory card, USB) yesterday announced the renewal of its families of SSD. The manufacturer has actually benefited from Computex to announce the new SSD Notebook Series G4, and new miniatures for mini-notebooks and tablets of the P4 series.

The SanDisk SSD G4 promise to double the capacity and performance improvements over their predecessors G3 Series , launched earlier this year. By relying on MLC chips etched 32 nm, they offer a capacity ranging from 64 to 256 GB of fast reading and writing sequential respective 220 and 160 Mb / s (against respectively 220 and 120 Mb / s with the G3).

A proprietary technology, based on an algorithm by pages, it promises for improved random write performance. SanDisk also guarantees a long life for example to include the model of a total capacity of 160 TB over the re-entries, a lifetime of more than 10 years on the basis of 4 GB per day . These SSDs finally arise as a 2.5-inch disk format and adopt a Serial ATA 3 Gbps.

The SanDisk SSD P4 is destined for their parts in mini-notebooks and tablet, or even all kinds of devices such as media players lounge, adopting the interface MSAT. The model most miniaturized does actually measures only 30 x 26.8 x 3.4 mm. Their capacities range from 8 to 128 GB for performance not supplied.

The new SanDisk SSD is now reserved for system integrators or timing of marketing or selling price to the general public have thus far been reported.

Firefox Sync Graduates from Mozilla Labs

 The "Weave Sync" project from Mozilla Labs has officially graduated and is now being incorporated into the Firefox roadmap.

"Weave Sync" is now named "Firefox Sync" and the service will become a feature of Firefox in an upcoming major release, Mozilla announced today. Until then you can download Firefox Sync as an add-on.

The latest version of Firefox Sync, v1.3, has a few new features and developments including:

- Availability in more than 15 languages including German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Chinese
- A simpler sign-up and setup process
- A single button to access all your remote tabs and more.

Mozilla has been also been working on an application for the iPhone based on the Firefox Sync technology. The app is called "Firefox Home", and it will give iPhone users instant access to their Firefox browsing history, bookmarks, and the set of tabs from their most recent browser session, in addition to having "Awesome Bar" capability.

AMD Brings the CPU and GPU Together With AMD Fusion

At Computex this week, AMD is offering the first-ever public demonstration of AMD Fusion technology. AMD Fusion represents AMD's effort to combine the CPU and GPU onto a single die - called an Accelerated Processing Unit (APU).

The idea is that a single die or chip could efficiently deliver popular (and demanding) consumer experiences like playing a DirectX 11 game to HD video playback. AMD Fusion represents what AMD believes to be a major shift in processor architecture and capabilities.

Rick Bergman, senior vice president and general manager, AMD Products Group, provided an APU technology demonstration during a press conference today. This demonstration provided a sneak peek into the upcoming shift in the computing industry: power-efficient processors that combine CPU, GPU, video processing and other accelerator capabilities in a single-die design to power HD video applications to media-rich Internet experiences to DirectX 11 games.



"Hundreds of millions of us now create, interact with, and share intensely visual digital content," said Rick Bergman, senior vice president and general manager, AMD Product Group. "This explosion in multimedia requires new applications and new ways to manage and manipulate data. Low resolution video needs to be up-scaled for larger screens, HD video must be shrunk for smart phones, and home movies need to be stabilized and cleaned up for more enjoyable viewing. When AMD formally launches the AMD Fusion family of APUs, scheduled for the first half of in 2011, we expect the PC experience to evolve dramatically."

Microsoft joined AMD on stage at Computex and discussed how AMD Fusion APUs can enable improvements to applications such as Microsoft Windows 7 and DirectX 11.

In addition to Microsoft DirectX with DirectCompute, software developers can also build applications using OpenCL via the ATI Stream SDK.

The AMD Fusion Family of APUs are planned for the first half of 2011. These will include a mainstream version called Llano and a low-power version called Ontario. The mainstream Liano chip will support DirectX 11 and 3D gaming. The Ontario chip will power ultra-thin notebooks and offer HD playback capabilities.

AMD also demontrated the ATI XGP Technology (eXternal Graphics Platform), an external graphics solution for notebook PCs. ATI XGP allows users to enjoy high graphics performance powered by an external graphics device plugged in to their notebook. The device connects to specially designed notebook using an external PCI Express 2.0 connector. Once the device is plugged in ATI XGP technology is activated. ATI XGP can run up to 4 displays when activated on the notebook PC and comes with HDMI with integrated audio, DVI and USB connections.

Super Talent announced USB 3.0 Express RAM Cache

Super Talent today announced the new "USB 3.0 Express RAM Cache drive".

Available in 32 & 64GB capacities, this new drive implements a DRAM caching system to boost small block random performance by up to 110x over USB 2.0 speeds.

Flash performance scores have traditionally focused on sequential read and write speeds, but real world performance often involves the transfer of a larger number of smaller pieces of data, also known as random read and writes speeds. As the number of files increase, flash performance degrades rapidly and this is exactly where a caching system pays off.

"No longer are we talking about a 10x performance increase over USB 2, now we are talking about a real world experience that is up to 110x what our customers have experienced before. Adding RAM Cache to our USB 3.0 Express Drive line-up raises the bar we have establish with our first three USB 3.0 products and reiterates our commitment and leadership in the USB 3.0 space.", Super Talent COO, C.H. Lee.

Measuring 62 x 37 x7.5 mm, the new USB 3.0 Express RAM Cache Drive requires no separate cable and is backward compatible with USB 2.0 ports, at USB 2.0 speeds. This product will be available in March from Super Talent resellers worldwide.

The USB 3.0 Express RAM Drive is demonstrated at Computex Taiwan on June 1st and available in early July from Super Talent resellers worldwide.