(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.
In any collection of similar laptops, the one with the Sony Vaio logo is likely to be the most expensive in the group. So, imagine our pleasant surprise to find the Vaio AW125 to be less expensive than the other 18-inch, Blu-ray equipped laptops we've seen.
Our Blu-ray HP HDX18 was $2,149, while the Blu-ray version of Acer's Aspire 8920 was $2,499 (both have cheaper non-Blu-ray versions). In comparison, the Vaio AW125 was a mere $1,849 (although fancier models from the AW line can get up as high as $3,200).
We're big fans of the 18-inch 16:9 screen concept, which matches the resolution of HDTV screens and works perfectly with HD content. Our only real knocks against the Vaio were its insistence on including the usual assortment of proprietary Sony stuff, from a Memory Stick slot to all kinds of Sony-branded media software (just stick with iTunes or the VLC player).
Two weeks after releasing the largest capacity 1.8-inch hard drive, Toshiba announced on Thursday its MKxx29GSG series of this small form factor storage device that's finally catching up with the regular 2.5-inch laptop hard drives in terms of speed and storage space.
Toshiba's 1.8-inch hard drive now spins faster.
(Credit: Toshiba)For a long time, 1.8-inch hard drives' performance was limited to 4,200rpm and the old-school ATA interface, making them significantly slower than the currently popular 2.5-inch hard drives that spin at 5,400rpm (or even faster at 7,200rpm) and use the SATA standard. That discrimination has ended now with Toshiba's third-generation 5,400rpm SATA 1.8 hard-drive family. The new drive features 120GB and 160GB capacities and can take advantage of the SATA-II controller standard, of which the transfer rate reaches up to 3 gigabits per second.
Other than improved performance, the new MKxx29GSG series also comes with a freefall sensor option, which enhances protection from external shock and vibration. It also offers more quiet and more energy-efficient operation. PC vendors can now make ultraportable laptops without having to compromise much of their performance, battery life, and functionality.
Toshiba's new family of 1.8-inch hard drives will be available to PC manufacturers and distribution partners in December. Right now, it's unclear how much they will cost.
The internal of Toshiba's new dual-platter 1.8-inch hard drive
(Credit: Toshiba)Toshiba announced on Tuesday two new 1.8-inch hard drives, including the single-platter 120GB (MKxx31GAL series) and the world's first dual-platter 240GB (MK2431GAH) internal hard drives. The single-platter version also includes an 80GB offering.
Generally speaking, 1.8-inch hard drives are small form factor portable hard drives, where the regular size is 2.5-inch--and used mostly in portable media players, camcorders and compact ultramobile PCs.
These two new hard drives use the Parallel ATA interface and feature the industry's highest area density at 344 gigabits per square inch. They incorporate the fourth-generation perpendicular magnetic recording technology, which Toshiba first introduced in 2005.
The new 1.8-inch HDD series uses a new mechanical and firmware design for enhanced durability, well-suited for slim mobile gadgets as well as PC applications. The new dual-platter 240GB product is especially suitable for lightweight mobile PC devices and high-end digital video camcorders.
Both new hard drives are designed to use up to 33 percent less energy than previous model and also spin faster at 4,200rpm (up from 3,600rpm). They also comes with 8MB of cache for better write and read performance.
While you might have no need to buy these new hard drives on your own, you will find likely find them incorporated into CE and mobile products shipping this holiday season. Maybe it's time you can start expecting a 240GB iPod. Now that would be really nice.
The Aspire 8920 features Acer's new Gemstone Blue design and an 18-inch screen.
(Credit: Acer)Your desktop replacement options expanded today, with Acer announcing its 16- and 18-inch Aspire Gemstone Blue notebooks are now available. The 16-inch Aspire 6920 starts at $849, and the 18.4-inch Aspire 8920 starts at $1,299. Both models have an Intel Core 2 Duo chip, Nvidia GeForce graphics, and a display with a 16:9 aspect ratio and a 1920x1080-pixel screen resolution for full HD goodness. The 18-inch model finds room for 5.1 speakers; the 16-inch model serves up 2.1 sound. Blu-ray is an option on higher-end configurations.
The Gemstone Blue design is a new look, which Acer unveiled earlier this year at a media event in New York. Though it may be overstating it a bit, according to Acer, "the unique style of the Gemstone Blue is expressed through a distinctive color, one that reflects the power, performance and control the Aspire 8920 gives to everyone who uses it." Aside from new color scheme, the Gemstone models introduce a touch-sensitive media control called CineDash.
The touch-sensitive CineDash Media Console
(Credit: Acer)Dan Ackerman has been tracking these two models and is currently at work on the Aspire 8920 review. Check back next week for his full review. In the meantime, you can get more information from Acer's news release here, and visit the product pages on Acer's site for the 6920 and the 8920.
An 18-inch Acer next to a 17-inch Gateway.
You may (or may not) have heard some buzz lately about new laptop sizes, as models with 16- and 18-inch screens join the traditional 12-, 13-, 14-, 15-, and 17-inch party (plus all those 7- and 9-inch mininotebooks).
That may seem a little like overkill, but there is at least some method to the madness when it comes to the new 18-inch screen size (and these new sizes may eventually replace more traditional 15- and 17-inch displays). Take, for example, the very first 18-inch laptop we've gotten our hands on, the 18.4-inch Acer Aspire 8920.
The new screen sizes allow for true 16:9 aspect-ratio displays, which means Blu-ray or other HD content will fit the screen better. The native resolution of our 18-inch screen was 1,920x1080-pixel resolution (you know, like Blu-ray), while a high-end 17-inch laptop is usually 1,920x1200. To fit a lower, wider panel, the Acer Aspire 8920 is about 1.5-inches wider overall than a 17-inch Gateway P-172. Even though both of these laptops were equally deep (11.9-inches), the Acer has a hinge that pivots the entire lid back, making it about .75-inch shorter when you've got the screen open at a 90-degree angle (as pictured).
The upshot is you're trading a little tabletop footprint space for a more cinematic experience in a marginally larger chassis, and we've seen some not-yet-announced 18-inch laptops that are hardly larger than their current 17-inch versions. However, we also think the laptop industry could get swamped with too many screen sizes, causing consumer confusion--so maybe we should all agree to pick a handful and stick to them. So, the question to you is: What laptop sizes should we keep, and which ones should be retired to the great wire box in the sky?
The Acer 8920
(Credit: Acer)We first told you back at CES about the laptop industry's move towards 16- and 18-inch laptops, highlighted by a 16-inch Dell prototype and our off-the-record discussions with several other vendors about these new screen sizes.
Acer is leading the charge with two new multimedia-oriented consumer laptops, the 16-inch Acer Aspire 6920 and the 18.4-inch Acer Aspire 8920. Both are part of what Acer is calling the Gemstone Blue series.
We just got a peek at these two new systems in person at a press event in New York, and while they're not going to be game-changers, there are a few highlights worth noting.
The new screen sizes allow for true 16:9 aspect-ratio displays, which means Blu-ray or other HD content will fit the screen better--look for similar displays from other vendors in the coming months.
The CineDash Media Console
(Credit: Acer)Acer has also made a big investment in sound, offering 5.1 speakers in the 18-inch version and 2.1 speakers, with Dolby virtual surround sound, in the 16-inch. Both also offer virtual headphone surround.
Intel Penryn-class CPUs and Nvidia's GeForce 9500 or 9650 GPUs are standard, and Acer claims its new displays are brighter, with better color range, than the previous Aspire models.
The most interesting part was the unique capacitive touch media controls. Instead of running a simple line of media buttons along the top of the keyboard (even budget laptops such as the Dell 1525 have capacitive touch-sensitive controls these days), the media controls are boxed off to the left of the keyboard in a panel called the CineDash Media Console.
It's the same general concept, but the high-tech layout makes it stand out--you get a volume circle, basic play/pause/transport controls, and a few other media player keys.
Look for these two new systems to hit retailers some time in April, starting at $900 and going up to around $1,700.
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