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  • SanDisk Launches 32GB Flash


    SanDisk has introduced a 32-GB CompactFlash card aimed at digital photographers and videographers.

    At twice the size of SanDisk’s previous largest product the latest Extreme III CompactFlash is the company’s largest CF storage device.
    It has read and write speeds of 30 MBps.

    The higher-capacity card is intended for photographers using Hi-Def camcorders and will enable users to store as much as 80 minutes of 100 MBps, 10-bit, 4:2:2 HD video.

    This is of sufficient quality for today’s professional video applications, according to SanDisk.

    For photographers, the additional capacity is useful for storing pictures shot in RAW format.

    The format uses 10 times the storage space as regular JPG images, but provides higher-quality images.

    The card can operate under temperatures ranging from minus 13 degrees Fahrenheit to 185 degrees Fahrenheit.
    Pricing (all in USD): 2 GB, $45; 4 GB, $70; 8 GB, $130; and 16 GB, $240; 32 GB, $300.

  • WD Launches Half Terabyte Portable Storage Drives


    WD has launched a 500 GB capacity portable USB drive that is designed to make it easy to store a half a terabyte of music, videos or photos while being small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.

    A recent consumer study conducted by WD of 1,559 external hard drive users revealed that 54 per cent of survey respondents wished that there was an automatic way to back up their computer without having to think about it.

    My Passport Elite portable drives are equipped with software to automatically back up consumers’ ever-growing collection of personal media and digital files.

    Weighing in at less than 7 ounces and designed to withstand the rigors of everyday use, the new 500 GB My Passport portable drives are small enough to fit in a pocket or backpack for easy portability.

    Jim Welsh, vice president and general manager of WD’s branded products and consumer electronics groups, said: "In our mobile society, there is an increasing desire to have data collection at your finger tips at all times.

    "The new My Passport 500 GB portable drives provide the convenience of a compact USB-powered drive with the high capacity previously only available in larger desktop drives."

    MSRP for the My Passport Essential family of portable drives is GBP £109.99 for the 400 GB and GBP £129.99 for the 500 GB capacities.

    MSRP for the My Passport Elite family of portable drives is GBP £133.99 for the 400 GB and GBP £153.99 for the 500 GB capacities.

    Features of the My Passport Elite and My Passport Essential portable drives include:

    – USB-bus powered, which eliminates the need for an external power adapter

    – Synchronisation software that lets users sync their changes and protect their information with 128-bit encryption

    – plug-and-play capability with gaming consoles to make it easy to play music and view photos and video files on a TV.

  • Broadcom Achieves Industry-first HBA Functionality


    Broadcom Corporation, a global leader in semiconductors for wired and wireless communications, has announced that it is the first to demonstrate 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) iSCSI host bus adapter (HBA) functionality, along with converged networking and storage functionality, within VMware virtualized server environments.

    These capabilities will be demonstrated at this week’s VMworld 2008 exhibition on Broadcom NetXtreme II converged network interface controllers (C-NICs) that address the challenging and dynamic input/output (I/O) requirements of a virtualized server by offering networking and storage convergence, as well as real-time flexibility in I/O processing, in a low power, low cost solution.

    Besides the newly added iSCSI HBA functionality to its C-NICs, Broadcom is working with VMware to provide support for VMware virtualization including advanced networking features such as NetQueue and VMDirectPath.

    Networked storage is crucial in virtual server environments as it provides for a smooth migration and failover of a guest operating system (GOS) from one physical server to another.

    iSCSI has emerged as a high-performance, easy-to-manage networked storage technology that is popular in many virtualization deployments.

    As server and enterprise application customers strive to achieve density and compute-resource utilization objectives for their servers and enterprise applications, Broadcom’s NetXtreme II iSCSI HBA functionality, with support for Vmware virtualization, provides the converged functionality needed in a virtualized server environment by offering complete on-chip processing solutions that free up CPU resources, and increase bandwidth and performance.

    "Broadcom is working with VMware to provide support for VMware virtualization such as iSCSI HBA functionality, as well as VMDirectPath and NetQueue for networking, on our NetXtreme II C-NIC products," said Vinod Lakhani, Senior Director & General Manager of Broadcom’s High-Speed Controller line of business.

    "Today’s demonstration of iSCSI HBA functionality and convergence on a VMware ESX hypervisor marks a significant performance milestone for I/O processing on virtualized
    servers."

    "Advancements in VMware virtualization technology coupled with the increasing processing capability of hardware platforms are driving higher server consolidation ratios in data centers.

    To complement this trend, Broadcom’s innovation in high bandwidth I/O subsytems and network fabric convergence can add value for our customers by pushing the current boundaries of performance and functionality," said Brian Byun, Vice President of Global Partners and Solutions at VMware.

    "VMware is pleased to work with Broadcom in the areas of 10 Gigabit Ethernet, network convergence, and hardware offloads, and the VMDirectPath iSCSI performance shows the exciting results of one of our joint efforts that leverages VMware NetQueue and VMDirectPath I/O technologies.

  • Orange Chooses ExaStore Storage Back-end For key French Football Matches

    Orange leverages ExaStore to support VOD and live streaming of French League 1 football

    Orange, a subsidiary of France Telecom, has deployed the ExaStore Clustered NAS System to serve as the storage back-end for its production and distribution of French football’s key Championship matches via its mobile network.

    Orange’s 5.9 million subscribers will be receiving the French League 1 football on their mobile phones via VOD and general broadcast.

    Speaking at the IBC in Amsterdam, Jeronimo Munoz, Exanet’s Regional Vice President, Southern Europe, said ExaStore would ensure that Orange could always match the demand required by the ever-increasing size and quality requirements of video broadcasting.

    “Most notably, ExaStore was deployed and integrated into Orange’s broadcast environment by system integrator Cognacq Jay within two weeks,” he said.

    Cognacq-Jay Image (CJI), Exanet’s media partner in France, said it chose ExaStore for Orange because it provided the highest performance within the most economical system by independently scaling online, in real time, ensuring customers get their football when they want it.

  • New IBM System First to Process 1 Million Transactions per Minute

    IBM Unveils New x86 Servers With Latest Six-Core Intel Xeon Processors

    IBM has announced two IBM System x servers – the System x 3950 M2 and x3850 M2 – both of which feature new six-core processor technology from Intel.

    Among their benchmark achievements is becoming the first single x86 server to burst through the 1 million transactions per minute barrier on a TPC-C benchmark.

    This was achieved with an 8-socket System x server running 64-bit IBM DB2 9.5 on Red Hat Linux 5.2.

    Both the System x 3950 M2 and x3850 M2 seamlessly support IBM’s portfolio of virtualization technologies including WebSphere Virtual Enterprise.

    As part of a SmartSOA approach, WebSphere Virtual Enterprise provides application infrastructure virtualization capabilities designed to deliver greater flexibility, agility and efficiencies to clients.

    It virtualizes application servers through policy-based workload, application health and application edition management.

    James Northington, vice president of IBM System x, said that as the market leader in high-end x86 servers and the only vendor to design its own chip set for Intel-based servers, IBM was addressing the performance needs of our clients and the growing demand for scale up x86 servers.

    He said the IBM System x servers, together with VMware technology and WebSphere Virtual Enterprise, provide a powerful combination that can enable clients to reap the full benefits of virtualizing their data center.

    "The new System x servers provide the innovation our x86 clients have come to expect, with better performance and power usage than our competitors’ offerings," he said.

    Northington said the new servers would be an important element in helping clients develop a new enterprise data center, which offers dramatic improvements in IT efficiency and provides for rapid deployment of new IT services to support future business growth.

    IBM is helping clients move to new enterprise data centers by focusing on best practices around virtualization, green IT, service management and cloud computing.

    Kirk Skaugen, vice president and general manager of Intel’s Server Platforms Group, said the world-record database and enterprise resource planning benchmark results posted by IBM were testaments to the performance of the Intel Xeon Processor 7400 series with IBM’s eX4 chipset.

    "These represent more compelling examples of how Intel technology paired with the innovative fourth generation of IBM’s X-Architecture is providing IT managers’ greater performance, scalability and investment protection for their enterprises," he said.

    Other benchmarks the new servers recently topped include:

    * The highest 4-socket x86 server TPC-C benchmark, delivering more transactions per minute than any other 4-processor server.

    * Highest 4-processor performance and overall best price/performance on the TPC-E benchmark, outpacing the Dell 4-way server in both performance and price/performance.

    * The world record for 8-processor results on two-tier SAP SD Standard Application Benchmark.

    Based on eX4, the fourth generation of IBM’s chipset for Intel processor-based servers, X-Architecture, the new systems include the following advantages:

    * System x3950 M2: IBM has tuned the memory of the x3950 so clients can take full advantage of virtualization on the system with mainframe-like reliability and high efficiency power supplies and memory technology capable of up to 37 percent lower overall power consumption.

    * System x3850 M2: With special features for fast performance and efficiency, clients can support a large number of demanding business applications like those for ERP and database on a single server. The system offers flexible scalability that allows clients to easily expand their system from 4 sockets to 16, so clients can pay for more capacity only when they need it — not up front as with other vendors.

    The IBM System x3850 M2 and x3950 will be available with Intel Xeon 7400 processors in September, starting at USD $10,389 and $13,389 respectively.

  • Pivot3 Demonstrates Serverless Computing Platform

    Innovative Platform Eliminates Dedicated NVR Servers to Save Power, Reduce Rack Space, and Lower Costs

    High-Definition Storage experts, Pivot3, have announced the first public demonstration of its Serverless Computing platform at ASIS International 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia.

    The new platform, which runs NVR software on the storage node rather than requiring its own dedicated server, will be demonstrated in three locations at the show at the World Congress Convention Center.

    The company also disclosed that five NVR companies and four channel partners had joined its newly formed Serverless Computing Certification Program (SCCP) for NVR to speed adoption of the technology in the video surveillance market.

    Companies such as Exacq, Genetec, Lenel, Milestone, and OnSSI have already joined the program.

    Also joining SCCP are integrators who install and support Pivot3 solutions in the field, including Southwest Surveillance Systems, Connections IT, Aware Digital Inc, and Broadcast Technologies.

    The Pivot3 Serverless Computing platform allows surveillance directors to run video surveillance applications such as video recording, access control and video analytic software directly on the Pivot3 clustered storage platform.

    Using this approach, users can eliminate the physical NVR server hardware required in a conventional solution to realize hard savings in cost, rack space, power and cooling.

    A customer with 500 cameras, for example, can realize savings of 44 per cent in power and cooling costs, 51 per cent in rack-space usage and 22 per cent in cost savings by eliminating 15 physical servers and 5 physical failover storage RAIDs.

    Dilip Sarangan, research analyst with Frost and Sullivan, said: “On average, storage solutions account for an estimated 50 per cent of all acquisition costs for video surveillance systems.

    “With Serverless Computing, these costs can be reduced dramatically with all savings transferred directly to end users.”

    The Pivot3 Serverless Computing Certification Partner Program is designed to help users simplify the deployment and speed the adoption of video surveillance solutions running partner software applications on the Pivot3 Serverless Computing platform.

    The program is open to software leaders who are working with Pivot3 on joint sales opportunities and who are committed to providing world-class support for open-systems to their joint customers.

    Pivot3 offers the following benefits to SCCP members:

    * Pre- and post-sales support for qualified joint opportunities, including configuration assistance, demo systems loaners, and joint sales calls

    * Joint marketing and lead-sharing activities, including joint PR, collateral, webinars, and local seminars

    * Access to the Pivot3 High-Definition Video Simulator Tool, which allows partners to simulate large video workloads for performance assessments

    * Access to the Pivot3 video lab and a team of dedicated engineers

  • BBC to launch regular HD DTT broadcasts


    Catherine Smadja, head of strategy at the BBC, said the Corporation is to start regular DVB-T2 HD broadcasts in November 2009.

    Speaking at the the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) 2008 in Amsterdam, she said: “One of the multiplexes will be upgraded to DVB-T2 and MPEG-4, on which there will be the BBC HD service and two others. And very soon thereafter, three other HD services.”

    The new multiplex will launch in November 2009 in the first regions, but should eventually be available to 98.5 per cent of the UK population.

    Five other DTT muxes will remain DVB-T.

    “DVB-T2 is for us an absolute necessity, because DTT is the number one platform in the UK,” Smadja said.
    “We have to offer HD as a public service broadcaster on DTT, not only on cable and DTH.

    Smadja said there was no business model for how to accomplish this and HD would only add to the cost.

    “There might develop a market for HD pay-TV, but not for free-to-air,” she said. “Luckily, the DVB Group solved the spectrum scarcity problem.”

  • The Future is 3-D HDTV

    DreamWorks CEO says 3-D will transform movie watching.

    Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of Dream Works, believes that 3-D HDTV is the future of the TV and movie industries.

    Fittingly he made his comments in a speech that was beamed by satellite across the Atlantic and displayed in glorious 3D HDTV at the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) 2008 in Amsterdam.

    In what was described as the world’s first live transatlantic broadcast in Stereoscopic 3D, Katzenburg told over a 1,000 delegates that the technology is the “most exciting thing to happen to the visual experience in 70 years”.

    As well as laying out his vision for 3D, Katzenberg entertained the 3-D glass-wearing audience with 3-D HDTV clips from the animated Kung Fu Panda, which has been released in theaters, and Monsters vs. Aliens, set for a spring 2009 release.

    “I believe this is the future,” he said. “Not only my future, but all of our futures.”

    Katzenbugh said that 3-D is being seen as a means of enticing people away from their home screens and into cinemas.
    “The theater experience, in many ways, has been trumped by the home experience,” he said.

    “This is a chance for them to leap back ahead, and make it a growth business again … It’s a chance to bring people back to movie theaters who stopped going.”

    While there are only an estimated 2,500-3,000 3-D-capable theaters in North America, Katzenberg said this was expected to change.

    He forecast that up to 80 per cent of theater attendees would be able to see Shrek 4 in 3-D when it opens in 2010.
    Video games are expected to be a driving force in 3-D viewing in the home.

    Barrie Woolston, commercial director at Arqiva Satellite Media Solutions division, which broadcast the 3D transmission, said digital cinema was an important new medium and demand for alternative content was growing rapidly.

    “Live 3D High Definition broadcasts add an exciting new dimension to the audience experience and present significant opportunities for live event organisers and exhibitors,” he said.

    “The big screen is the perfect showcase for the 3D experience and this demonstration has highlighted its enormous possibilities for driving revenues across an exhibitor’s network.”

  • iPhone Downloads Top 100m – Why Isn't Everyone Happy?


    More than 100 million applications have been downloaded from the App Store since the launch of Apple’s 3G iPhone two months ago.

    This landmark was announced today to a chorus of iPhone programmers voicing their displeasure over Apple’s unclear and seemingly arbitrary “approval” policy.

    Fraser Speirs, developer of the popular Exposure program for the iPhone, even went as far as declaring he would not make any further submissions to the App Store until sweeping changes were made.

    “I will never write another iPhone application for the App Store as currently constituted,” he said on his blog.

    He added that while he isn’t pulling Exposure from the store, he isn’t “going to invest time and money into new ideas for the iPhone until this mess is resolved”.

    Apple said today that more than 3,000 applications are currently available on the App Store, with over 90 per cent priced at less than USD $10 and more than 600 offered for free.

    However, its approval policy has already left developers of completed iPhone apps with programs they are unable to distribute after getting an official rejection letter.

    Among those refused recently is Podcaster, which despite following official guidelines fell foul of Apple because it duplicated iTunes’ functionality.

    This is despite other software – calculator and weather apps – that also duplicate Apple’s being approved.

    Another reject is Pull My Finger, which was judged to be too tasteless for customers.

    Null River has also finally received an official response from Apple about its tethering app, NetShare, which was pulled from the App Store twice.

    Apple has decided it will not be allowing any tethering applications in the AppStore.

    What is angering many developers is that even following Apple’s guidelines to the letter is no guarantee their apps will be approved.

    In Speirs’ words, “writing software is a serious investment of time and energy".

    Yet he says Apple’s “current practice of rejecting certain applications at the final hurdle – submission to the App Store – is disastrous for investor confidence”.

    “Developers are investing time and resources in the App Store marketplace and, if developers aren’t confident, they won’t invest in it.

    “If developers – and serious developers at that – don’t invest, what’s the point?” he asks.

    Speirs suggests Apple perhaps wants the App Store to be a “museum of poorly-designed nibware written by dilettante Mac OS X/iPhone OS switcher-developers and hobbyist students”.

    He adds: “That’s what will happen if companies who intend to invest serious resources in bringing an original idea to the App Store are denied a reasonable level of confidence in their expectation of profit.”

    Speirs goes on to make some suggestion for improving the current situation.

    With Apple celebrating the 100 millionth download mark it may be in no mood to appease disgruntled developers, but it would do well to pay some attention to their comments.

    Whoppee cushion apps may not be to everyone’s taste but taking an approach smacking of censorship has an equally bad smell about it.

    Please let us know your thoughts on the subject.

  • Acer and ASUS Planning Smartphones


    It’s done a good job in conquering the PC, laptop and netbook markets, now the Taiwanese electronics giant seems intent on entering the smartphone realm.

    Gianfranco Lanci, Acer’s CEO, said the company plans to launch a smartphone under its own brand at the beginning of 2009.

    Speaking in an interview with German financial magazine Capital Investor, Lanci said the Acer smartphone will be UMTS enabled, with a touch pad similar to the iPhone’s, and would cost around EUR 500.

    Lanci also said that with Acer’s netbook manufacturring capability approaching 6 million, he expects the company to leave all competitors in that market in its wake.

    For the German market, Acer will launch its netbooks bundled with mobile internet services from a German mobile operator, although Lanchi wouldn’t discuss details.

    Meanwhile, following on from its P552w touchscreen phone, another Taiwanese computer giant is said to be preparing to enter the smartphone market.

    Engadget says Asus is planning an Omnia-esque device that will feature a large touchscreen, a 5-megapixel camera, a trackball for non-touch navigation, and the predictable 3G radios / WiFi.

    The smartphone from Asus, which is understood to produce smartphones for other well-known tech companies, is due to appear in November 2008.