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  • Adaptec Introduces Greener More Efficient RAID Controllers


    Adaptec has announced the availability of its Series 5Z Unified Serial (SATA/SAS) RAID controller family.

    The company said these high-performance controllers integrate an industry first – a flash-based Zero-Maintenance Cache Protection module that provides data center managers with a single controller solution for data protection in the event of both power loss and drive failure.

    Designed to replace a current generation of Lithium Ion battery-based cache back-up devices, the Adaptec RAID Series 5Z is an integrated solid state solution designed to "significantly reduce" annual data center operating costs and environmental impact.

    The controllers offer an integrated, maintenance-free design, eliminating the need to monitor battery charge levels or shut down servers for battery replacement.

    Scott Cleland, director of marketing, Adaptec, said that as enterprise storage demands skyrocket, there is an enormous need for feature-rich, maintenance-free data storage I/O solutions that work to lower overall IT costs and provide significant environmental advantages.

    "For both SATA and SAS drives, the Adaptec Series 5Z family not only delivers the performance, scalability and power efficiency that our customers demand, but with Zero-Maintenance Cache Protection, it offers a simple, maintenance-free solution that provides a critical layer of data protection that is often overlooked," he said.

    All three Adaptec Series 5Z controllers are available now priced at the following MSRPs: Adaptec RAID 5405Z (USD $785), Adaptec RAID 5805Z (USD $965), Adaptec RAID 5445Z (USD $1,045).

  • WD Launches Dual-Drive Network Storage System


    WD has unveiled its newly redesigned My Book World Edition II dual- drive network storage system in capacities of up to 4 TB.

    The company said the double protection of two Mirrored (RAID 1) drives and continuous backup software, makes the storage system extra-safe for users to back up and store the data and digital media.

    The new dual-drive system joins the recently introduced My Book World Edition and is compatible with PC and Mac computers.

    According to a July 2008 report by research firm Parks Associates, the number of households worldwide with data networks will grow from around 170 million in 2008 to 240 million by year-end 2012.

    The firm also reports that the average broadband household will see its digital media storage need grow to nearly 900 GB by year-end 2012.

    In addition, consumers indicate that the most important feature for a network-attached storage (NAS) device is the amount of available storage.

    With its massive 4 TB capacity, WD is hoping the My Book World Edition II network storage system will serve this rapidly growing need for home data storage.

    The new network storage systems are available now in 2 TB and 4 TB capacities, MSRP with 4 TB is GBP £599.99 and 2 TB is GBP £369.99.

    The new My Book World Edition II network drive features:

    • Automatic, continuous backup for all the computers on your network;
    • Dual-drive system that mirrors valuable data for extra safe data
    • protection;
    • Centralised storage and sharing for all of your family’s digital
    • content;
    • Streaming to any connected PC, Mac or DLNA certified game console or
    • media player;
    • Easy remote access to all your data from anywhere, anytime;
    • Works seamlessly on networks with both Windows and Mac computers;
    • Ability to centralise and stream music collection to a Mac or Windows
    • PC using iTunes software;
    • USB 2.0 port to turn any USB drive into an instant network drive or
    • extra capacity for the My Book World Edition II;
    • Cooler, quieter, eco-friendly design with drives using WD GreenPower
    • Technology(tm) which run cooler, quieter and consume up to 33 percent less
    • power;
    • User serviceable;
    • Capacity gauge to see at a glance how much space is available on your
    • drive;
    • High-speed data transfer with Gigabit Ethernet; and,
    • 3-year limited warranty.

  • SanDisk 32GB Flash Card Handles HD Video


    SanDisk is offering a new Extreme SDHC card which it claims is the world’s fastest 32GB card – with both the capacity and I/O speed to handle HD video clips.

    With a sustained write speed – up to 30 megabits-per-second – the company said it is fast enough to capture a storehouse of up to 160 minutes of full HD (1920×1080) video at a 24Mb/s data transfer rate.

    According to SanDisk, the card also is compliant to the SD Association’s new Class 10 specification, which exceeds requirements for today’s high-definition (AVCHD) video recording.

    Susan Park, SanDisk director of Retail Product Marketing, said a memory card’s write speed plays a crucial role in the overall system of the camera when taking pictures in rapid succession.

    "If a card cannot process data quickly enough, then the burst-mode shooting may pause unexpectedly as the card catches up to the camera," she said.

    Burst-mode bottlenecks can lead to missing an important shot, especially at sporting or other fast-motion events, according to Park.

    "The market for entry to mid-level DSLR cameras is growing," she said. "This card’s 32GB of storage and fast read/write speeds enable DSLR users to shoot without worrying about storage or speed limitations."

    The SanDisk Extreme SDHC 32GB cards will begin shipping worldwide to major retailers in August.

  • IT Execs Doubt Virtualization is Data Recovery Remedy


    Separate backup data center locations are not being used by many companies to provide the complete data-recovery system, according to research.

    Instead they are relying on failover to separate storage arrays and servers within the same physical building.

    Market researcher Harris Interactive said this is the Achilles heel of many virtualized IT environments.

    Three-quarters of IT executives surveyed believe virtualization by itself can play a major role in an enterprise disaster recovery plan.

    But they said it in no way represents a complete answer to a DR strategy, according to a "State of Disaster Recovery" survey released by Harris.

    While many IT decision-makers say they have deployed virtualization in a production setting, survey data indicated that most have not yet utilized it in a disaster-recovery situation.

    A full-fledged disaster-recovery system using virtualization replicates the system and all its data to an off-site location away from the main enterprise data center.

    In the event of the main data center going offline and out of action, virtual machines replicated at the backup location continue to keep the workloads running smoothly, with little or no latency in daily production.

    However, many companies are not able to deploy separate backup data center locations to provide the complete data-recovery system, relying instead on failover to separate storage arrays and servers within the same physical building.

    Seventy-four per cent of survey respondents indicated that virtualization can play a major role but is not a total solution for disaster recovery plans.

    One-quarter of IT respondents said they would never include virtualization technologies in their disaster recovery plans.

    Sixty per cent of respondents said they have virtualization in place now as a recovery tool from unplanned outages; only 29 per cent said they have used it successfully.

    Eight per cent said they used virtualization but that it didn’t work to their satisfaction.

    Another 29 per cent of IT decision-makers say they have deployed virtualization but not yet used it as a tool for disaster recovery.

    The survey said that over the next two years, half of IT decision-makers say they will be looking into virtualization as an option for managing unplanned outages and disaster recovery.

    About a quarter of IT executives say they will be looking into cloud computing and grid networking as potential options.

    The survey was commissioned by SunGard Availability Services, which provides disaster recovery services, managed IT services, information availability consulting services and business continuity management software to more than 10,000 customers in North America and Europe.

  • Vuzix First With Wrap-Around Specs for iPhone 3GS


    Vuzix has announced the first wearable display glasses compatible with the new iPhone 3GS.

    The iWear AV310 gives users the virtual equivalent of a 52”, 16:9 widescreen display as if viewed from a distance of nine feet.

    Vuzix says the specs are compatible with both 2D and stereoscopic 3D video.

    David Lock, director of Vuzix’s European operations, recently told smartphone.biz-news that the company’s new Wrap glasses would transform the whole video eyewear from "geek to chic".

    Certainly the AV310 wouldn’t be a problem to wear in most situations.

    Weighing just 4 oz, the specs are worn like regular glasses.

    As well as being compatible with the new Apple handset, Vuzix says they also support all audio/video devices with composite video-out.

    A single removable AA battery gives up to 11 hours of viewing.

    The AV310 retails for USD $249.95.

  • Truphone Expands Services to 11 More Nokias


    Truphone has extened its VoIP and call-through services to an additional 11 Nokia handsets.

    The move is to capitalise on the improved the distribution channel now being offered by Nokia’s Ovi Store.

    It has had great success in both the iPhone App Store and Android Marketplace – something it hopes to repeat on the S60 platform.

    The company offers both VoIP (Truphone WiFi calling) and call-though (Truphone Anywhere) technologies.

    Smartphone.biz-news reports that with the addition of the 11 new handsets, Truphone is now compatible on 26 Nokia devices.

  • HTC Forecasts 50% US Sales Growth


    Hot on the heels of launching its third Android smartphone, HTC is forecasting its US handset sales to grow by at least 50 per cent this year.

    With the arrival of the Hero, the Taiwanese phone maker is establishing itself as the leading manufacturer of the Linux-based devices.

    The release of the Hero follows the G1 and the myTouch3G.

    Jason Mackenzie, vice president of sales and marketing for HTC America, said this would help the company drive sales despite a smarphone market packed with rivals.

    Apple, Palm and Research In Motion have all recently launched new handsets – and other major mobile makers are expected to release Android phones this year.

    Mackenzie said HTC’s forecast sales growth would represent sales of around 6 million phones in the US this year.

    "Competitively we feel very good," he said.

    AT&T Mobility is seen as the carrier that will offer the Hero in the US this fall.

    It will be available on T-Mobile and Orange in Europe in July and in Asia by late summer.

    Similar in appearance to the G1, the Hero has an updated profile – no physical keyboard – and is based on a 528 MHz Qualcomm MSM7200A processor.

    It also has two of the highly-in-demand features – a 3.5mm headphone jack and the multi-touch and fingerprint-proof 3.2" HVGA touch display (320 x 480).

    Other features include:

    • a 3.2-inch capacitive touch screen
    • 288 MB RAM
    • quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
    • 7.2 Mbps HSPA/WCDMA radios
    • Bluetooth 2.0
    • GPS
    • digital compass
    • gravity sensor
    • 5 megapixel camera
    • MicroSD slot

    HTC has also layered its own UI – known as Sense – over and above the Google-backed Android.

    This enables addition of gesture controls, widget support, and quick-launch icons for use in web-specific applications like e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter.

    The Hero also supports Adobe’s Flash technology.

    While HTC’s Sense UI will be available on its non-Google branded Android devices, licensing terms prevent it being on any phone that’s got the "with Google" branding.

  • Palm Targeting Smartphone Growth – Not Apple


    Palm’s new CEO Jon Rubinstein believes there is sufficient growth in the smartphone market to profitably sustain "three to five players".

    He was speaking after announcing "strong and growing" sales of the company’s new Pre handset – with download applications now numbering more than 1 million three weeks after it launched.

    What Rubinstein didn’t reveal in unveiling Palm’s fourth quarter results – its last full quarter before releasing the phone – is how many Pre smartphones have actually been sold.

    Analysts estimate Palm has shipped about 150,000 units so far.

    Palm posted a narrower-than-expected fiscal fourth quarter net loss applicable to common shareholders of USD $105 million, compared with a loss of USD $43.4 million in the year-ago period.

    Palm said it could turn cash-flow positive in the second half of fiscal 2010 and reassured analysts that its capital position was sufficient.

    Revenue fell 71 per cent to USD $86.8 million.

    However, despite increased losses and falling revenues, Rubenstein said he was happy with the way the Pre launch had gone.

    While there have been problems with meeting demand at Sprint stores in the US, he said this is being addressed.

    "We’re successfully ramping supply to meet demand that is strong and growing," he said.

    The Pre, featuring Palm’s new WebOS, is entering a smartphone market full of competitors, from Nokia and RIM to HTC.

    A new iPhone 3GS launched last Friday and sold more than a million units in the first three days.

    However, Rubenstein said the "significant growth" forecast for the smartphone industry meant there is room for up to five smartphone manufacturers.

    "We don’t have to beat each other to prosper," he added

  • Truphone Expands Services to Range of Nokia Devices


    Truphone has announced that its VoIP and call-through services now support an additional 11 Nokia handsets.

    The mobile VoIP operator first offered its VoIP-only services on Nokia devices but went on to include the iPhone and Android platforms.

    With Nokia’s Ovi Store having improved the distribution channel Truphone now sees the opportunity to update its Nokia offerings.

    It has had great success in both the iPhone App Store and Android Marketplace – something it hopes to repeat on the S60 platform.

    The company offers both VoIP (Truphone WiFi calling) and call-though (Truphone Anywhere) technologies.

    With the addition of the 11 new handsets, Truphone is now compatible on 26 Nokia devices.

    Of those, software for 14 of the Truphone-compatible devices can now be downloaded from Nokia’s new Ovi store, with the software for 11 of the remaining 12 new devices to be added to the Ovi store soon.

    The new Truphone-enabled Nokia devices are:

    * N96
    * N78
    * N85 (also VoIP enabled)
    * N79 (also VoIP enabled)
    * 5630 (also VoIP enabled)
    * 5800
    * 5320
    * 6210
    * 6220
    * 6650
    * E63

    All the new handsets are Truphone Anywhere-capable and, in addition, three of the handsets – the N85, N79 and 5630 – are also compatible with the original Truphone Wi-Fi calling service.

    The full list of Nokia devices that are Truphone-compatible is:

    * E51
    * E60
    * E61
    * E61i
    * E63
    * E65
    * E66
    * E70
    * E71
    * E90
    * N80ie
    * N81
    * N81 8GB
    * N82
    * N95
    * N95 8GB
    * N96
    * N78
    * N85
    * N79
    * 5630
    * 5800
    * 5320
    * 6210
    * 6220
    * 6650

  • ZINNET Unveils Networkable HD Media Player


    ZINNET has unveiled a new HD multi-media player and BitTorrent downloader with networking capabilities.

    Called the CinemaCube, it connects to an HDTV and plays media content from USB mass storage devices.

    The device is also networkable, allowing users to enjoy media content stored on a remote PC on a living room TV. A built-in P2P BitTorrent client also means BT download can be computer free.

    Robert Lo, the Chief Operating Officer of ZINNET, which is a subsidiary of Taiwan’s Zinwell Corporation, said there is no need to download different decoders, or burn CDs or DVDs before enjoying the content.

    He said the CinemaCube supports Xvid, RMVB (Real), WMV, AVI, MP4, MKV, H.264, MP2, MP3, JPEG, BMP and PNG.

    "Times are hard, and many people have had to cancel their cable subscriptions just to make ends meet," he said.

    "They think their watching-TV-together family days are gone, and their favorite movies and shows, too.

    But thanks to the CinemaCube, the future of home entertainment is here, and it is affordable."

    Along with the CinemaCube, the ZINNET also unveiled a device called Air HD that wirelessly streams HD transmissions to an HDTV.

    The CinemaCube is USD $89.99 and the Air HD is USD $399.99.