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Suffice it to say that the Transcend StoreJet 25 Mobile is tough as nails. As a matter of fact, Transcend describes it as "a cybernetic organism: living tissue over a metal endoskeleton." Alright, maybe they didn't go THAT far, but this little external hard drive can take a free-fall drop or two, for sure.

It's built with three layers of material protection from the elements: a durable silicone shell, a suspension bracket, and a thick rubber casing on the outside. While we don't recommend you use this hard drive for artillery, it's certainly strong enough to withstand daily travel to and from the workplace.

Check out the full review of the Transcend StoreJet 25 Mobile.

The beauty of an external hard drive lies almost completely in its simplicity. It's designed to do one thing, and it better do it well: transfer data as fast as possible from a host computer, allowing the user to spend as little time waiting as possible. While other drives add automatic backup solutions or brag about their indestructibility, the $175, 500GB Transcend StoreJet 25f portable hard drive only does what it's supposed to, and on the cheap to boot.

Click here to read our full review of the Transcend StoreJet 25f.

Transcend StoreJet portable drive knows its job and does it well

(Credit: Transcend)

Transcend, the company that introduced a solid-state-drive-based external drive the other day, on Thursday unveiled its 192GB Solid State Drive.

Despite the mundane name, the new drive is equipped with NAND flash memory and offers up to 192GB of storage, a fast sustained read performance of up to 150MBps, and up to a 90MBps write performance, according to Transcend. Its latency is rated at 0.2 milliseconds, which is practically instant.

It's a 2.5-inch SATAII drive--currently the most popular interface--and is compatible with most notebook computers or any other devices that use this storage standard.

Transcend's new SSD also has integrated Error Correction Code technology, mostly found in memory for servers, that helps ensure accurate data transfer and built-in wear leveling technology designed to give the drive long storage lifespan and reliability.

The drive will be available later next week with capacities ranging from 8GB to 192GB. It also comes in an IDE version. All drives come with a two-year warranty. The 192GB SATAII version is estimated to cost $454.

(Credit: Transcend)

If you like your thumb drive for the durability, you'll like what Transcend introduced on Monday. It's a new breed of compact external storage device that's based on 1.8-inch solid state drives (SSDs), the SSD18M.

Unlike traditional external storage devices that are based on hard-disk drives, the SSD18M is made of reliable NAND flash memory that contains no moving parts. This eliminates the possibility of mechanical failure due to shock or vibration and also provides substantial weight savings and reduced power consumption.

The new drive features both both eSATA and USB2.0 interface options. This means when portability is not required, people can use the eSATA interface, which requires a separate power adapter, to take advantage of the high throughput speeds of up to 90Mbps in reading and 50Mbps writing.

The SSD18M sports a stylish gloss diamond pattern fascia and measures only 3.1 inches by 1.2 inches by .5 inch and weighs merely 1.8 ounces. It comes in 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB capacities.

Transcend backs the new drive with a two-year warranty and a comprehensive global service network. The SSD18M is available for purchase later this week and costs $285 for the 128GB version. The 64GB and 32GB versions cost $169 and $99, respectively.

Transcend once again takes external hard drives to the next level with its stylish new portable solid-state drive. Just announced, the SSD18M is available in a small 1.8-inch size, measuring 3 inches long by 2 inches wide and draped in a chic black "gloss diamond pattern" exterior.

Unlike other external hard drives that rely on moving parts and an actual disk, solid-state hard drives work on NAND flash memory that eliminates the possibility of damage because of vibration and shock. In addition, you also get the added benefit of weight savings, power consumption, and portability thanks to its lack of internal moving parts. This model gives supports eSATA as well as USB 2.0 interfaces for connectivity, ensuring flexibility across almost all notebook and desktop PCs.

The Transcend SSD18M eSATA drive is available now in 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB capacities. No word yet on pricing.

Click the read more link to view more photos.

If small in size but big in capacity aren't good enough for you, Transcend on Wednesday will offer a little extra with a new member in its StoreJet external hard drive family.

The StoreJet 25F external hard drive.

(Credit: Transcend)

The new StoreJet 25F comes in a designer gloss diamond pattern and lustrous metallic finish and features anti-slip rubber feet to provide a stable base for resting on a table or computer case.

The drive offers 500GB of storage space and comes in a size similar to the company's previous StoreJet external hard drives.

Measuring only 4.5 inches by 3.2 inches by 0.6-inch, the StoreJet 25F has only one USB 2.0 connection that works both as the data and power connector.

The drive ships with StoreJet elite data management tools that have Web site AutoLogin, Mobile Favorites with NoTrace Internet browsing, Secret-Zip file encryption, Mobile E-mail, Online Update, and intelligent backup scheduling, security, and file compression functions.

Transcend's StoreJet 25F supports all commonly used operating systems, including Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Mac, and Linux. The drive will be available soon, but its cost information has not been released.

(Credit: Transcend)

Transcend has announced the P8, a stylish new all-in-one multiformat memory card reader. The P8 is a compact USB 2.0 card reader with rounded edges and a streamlined design.

All four of the P8's card slots are clearly labeled to avoid confusion. The P8 accepts most formats including CF, SD, SDHC, MMC, MMCplus, RS-MMC, MMCmobile, microSD(with adapter), and the Memory Stick series of cards. It has support for high-speed USMA transfer mode.

It is currently available for about $20, and it comes in white and black.

(Credit: Transcend)

On the short list of things I appreciate in a digital photo frame is a lot of internal memory. Sure, it's cheap enough to buy an extra SD card, but when a flash-memory manufacturer like Transcend makes a frame, I expect it to have a healthy amount. The newly announced PF810 has 2GB thankfully, but also adds a couple things that I just don't care about.

For one, the frame looks decent enough, but what's with the rhinestones on the corners? It's also touch-sensitive, which could be fun if Transcend didn't use a finger-print-collecting gloss-black finish.

The 8-inch, 800x600-resolution display sounds OK, and the company's new NaturaTone intelligent skin color processing and other image enhancements are promising, too. Like Transcend's 7-inch photo frames, the PF810 has MP3 and video playback (presumably motion JPEG) as well as a built-in FM radio tuner, alarm clock, and calendar functions. Honestly, I can't say I'd ever use a frame to listen to the radio, but if someone out there can explain the scenario where you would, please comment.

Pricing and release date weren't announced, but the company's PF720 frame has similar features and sells for around $100.

Look at me! I am colorful and have a loop.

(Credit: Transcend)

Facing a flash-based memory market downturn, flash chip makers are getting creative. Recently Super Talent unveiled a fancy thumbdrive with a black leather carrying case and on Wednesday, Transcend announced its new USB drive that's no less eye-catching.

However, you will still have to look very carefully to find it. The new Transcend JetFlash T5 drive is tiny, measuring only 1.2 inches by 0.6 inch by 0.2 inch and weighs merely 0.1 ounce.

Fortunately, it's very colorful, available in bright two-tone fashionable color schemes, including: orange/black (2GB), white/black (4GB), and red/black (8GB). The first two cost $8 and $13, respectively. It's currently unclear how much the 8GB version costs.

Though tiny, the new drive is constructed with unbreakable plastic and is rugged enough to resist bending, stress, vibration, shock, and even full water submersion, according to Transcend. It has a retractable connector with an attachment loop, making it suitable to be used as a mobile phone dongle or a key chain.

Specification-wise, the JetFlash T5 USB drives support high-speed USB 2.0 and offers transfer speed up to 480Mbps. It also comes with Transcend's downloadable JetFlash elite software that helps manage data and increase productivity on the go. The software can also turn the T5 into a key to automatically log into Web site accounts, or even temporarily lock a computer to prevent unauthorized access.

While these designs look really cool, I'd trade the colors for more storage space in a heartbeat.