Tech News Updates

The wait for a legitimate mass market Windows 7 tablet continues, but at least MSI is showing signs of progress. The WindPad 100, which we saw at Computex in prototype form , has now reached design maturity and the concordant gallery of pictures has been distributed to the world. There’s no word of any spec changes, meaning we’re still looking at a 1.66GHz Atom Z530 CPU, 32GB SSD, 2GB RAM, Wind Touch UI overlay, and HDMI plus 2x USB ports on the stat sheet. The 100 has been joined by a new dock in these latest images, which will throw in the typical expanded connectivity options . We can probably expect to see both reappearing at IFA in Berlin in about a month’s time. Gallery: MSI WindPad 100 press shots MSI’s 10-inch WindPad 100 advances past prototype stage, gets pictured with a dock originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 06:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

She ain’t the first solid state drive to ship with a keen understanding of both SATA II and USB, but in the case of niche storage devices, the more the merrier, right? The newest member of the UltraDrive family (that’d be the UltraDrive MX, if you’re curious) has given Super Talent its first two-faced SSD, complete with a dual interface that enables it to be used as an internal or external drive. The company claims that this makes laptop drive swaps a lesson in simplicity, as you simply mount it via USB in order to clone your existing drive, and then connect it via SATA once you’re ready to take it beneath the surface. We’re told to expect read and write speeds as high as 250MB/sec and 180MB/sec, respectively, with capacities of 60GB, 120GB, 240GB and 480GB being available. Oh, and speaking of which — these bad boys won’t actually ship until September 1st, so we’d suggest pinching those pennies in the meantime. Continue reading Super Talent’s dual interface UltraDrive MX SSD does SATA II and mini-USB Super Talent’s dual interface UltraDrive MX SSD does SATA II and mini-USB originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

We know you like SandForce’s ludicrous speed SSD controllers, but how much do you know about these enterprise-class chips really? If your answer is anything short of “everything,” you’ll have to give Tech Report ’s writeup a read, where the guys get down and technical with Corsair’s latest SandForce SF-1200-controlled drive, the F120 (above right). Differing from the F100 that came before it by cutting down overprovisioning (user-inaccessible storage space set aside to accelerate random writes and improve longevity) from 28 to 7 percent, this drive offers you an extra 20GB of room, but it does take a bit of a performance dint as well. If you must have the results in bitesize form, the F120 seemed better value (at $339) for netbook and desktop users than its elder, faster brother, though Indilinx-based competitors (such as Corsair’s own Nova ) were recommended as the sagest choice. We still advise, as always, that you wade into the source and give the full review a read. Corsair F120 SSD undressed, reviewed, compared to predecessor originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 09:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Does jargon like “Toggle-mode DDR NAND” mean anything to you? No, but a maximum sequential read speed of 250MBps and 220MBps sequential write speed scampering past a SATA 3.0Gbps interface should. Samsung claims that its new SSD is just as power efficient as its 40nm-class SSDs thanks to 30nm-class 32Gb chips and a low-power controller designed specifically for the toggle-mode DDR. Encryption? You betcha: 256bit AES. Expect to see the 512GB SSD hit production lines next month for an unknown (but not cheap) price. Continue reading Samsung’s high-speed 512GB SSD to begin volume production next month Samsung’s high-speed 512GB SSD to begin volume production next month originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 01:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Flight sim aficionados tend to be a fanatical bunch. It isn’t good enough if it isn’t as realistic as humanly possible, and as technology improves more and more things get more and more possible. It’s now been 10 years since Thrustmaster released its iconic HOTAS Cougar, a near-perfect replica of the F-16’s Hands On Throttle and Stick, and now the company is following up with an even more realistic version for a very different sort of aircraft: the ground-pounding A-10C Warthog. It’s as close as you can get to the real thing without getting commissioned, and we took it for a test-flight. Click on through for our impressions and some impressive footage of the thing in action. Gallery: Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog Continue reading Thrustmaster unveils its perfect replica HOTAS Warthog flight controller, we go hands-on (video) Thrustmaster unveils its perfect replica HOTAS Warthog flight controller, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Jun 2010 00:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Still haven’t dropped a speedy solid state drive into your PC? SanDisk might just tempt you with its latest batch. At Computex 2010 the memory manufacturer announced its fourth-generation SSD lineup, consisting of the laptop-sized SSD G4 and the diminutive SSD P4 — those tiny mini-SATA netbook boards you see chilling outside Jefferson’s posh, nickel-plated mansion. The former will arrive in up to 256GB capacities with 220MB / sec read speeds and 160MB / sec writes (a sizable bump from prior numbers) while the latter range in size from 8GB to 128GB. Both feature the usual set of marketing buzzwords indicating speed and reliability, and both are slated to enter the OEM market in Q3 2010. That said, considering SanDisk’s recent track record here , we wonder if the company meant third quarter next year. PR after the break. Continue reading SanDisk works it harder, unveils G4 and P4 solid state drives SanDisk works it harder, unveils G4 and P4 solid state drives originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 18:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Hitachi-LG outed most of the major details for its forthcoming HyDrive last week , but the company just officially took the wraps off the world’s first SSD -equipped laptop optical drive. Frankly, it’s sort of astounding it took this long for such an obvious idea to come to fruition, but now that we’re here, we fully expect other outfits to follow suit. Put simply, the HyDrive is a standard form factor optical drive (DVD burner or Blu-ray will be available), but there’s a 32GB or 64B SSD (not just a strip of NAND, we’re told) tucked below. When this gets stuffed within a laptop, you’re immediately able to access an optical drive, an SSD (for your operating system and critical launch applications) and a spacious HDD for storing music, media, etc. Previously, this type of three-drive arrangement was only available in beastly Clevo ’s and the like, but this solution is obviously tailor made for even ODD-equipped ultraportables. Another plus to the HyDrive is the integrated Defect Management technology, which essentially caches information from scratched discs (DVDs, namely) in order to play the content back sans jitters. More after the break … Gallery: Hitachi-LG HyDrive hands-on at Computex 2010 Continue reading Hitachi-LG goes official with HyDrive: SSD-equipped optical drives landing in August Hitachi-LG goes official with HyDrive: SSD-equipped optical drives landing in August originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 May 2010 00:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Want a speedy, drop-proof SSD in your laptop? In all but the largest of ‘em, you’ve got just two choices: pay through the nose for a reasonable amount of storage, or settle for a cheaper boot drive at the expense of capacity. Hitachi and LG are pulling a Monty Hall by opening door number three — an optical drive with a built-in 32GB or 64GB SSD. Dubbed the HyDrive and currently being showcased at mysterydrive .net , the product is presently being labeled a “concept,” but a set of impressive demo videos already show the ODD / SSD combo booting, multitasking and error-correcting Keanu Reeves like a trained pro. We’ll have more details at Computex, at which point we’ll let you know whether to be hesitantly expectant or gravely disappointed. Personally, hybrid HDDs be damned — we want one of these suckers yesterday. Videos after the break. Continue reading Hitachi and LG tease HyDrive: an optical reader with loads of NAND (video) Hitachi and LG tease HyDrive: an optical reader with loads of NAND (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 May 2010 23:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Want a speedy, drop-proof SSD in your laptop? In all but the largest of ‘em, you’ve got just two choices: pay through the nose for a reasonable amount of storage, or settle for a cheaper boot drive at the expense of capacity. Hitachi and LG are pulling a Monty Hall by opening door number three — an optical drive with a built-in 32GB or 64GB SSD. Dubbed the HyDrive and currently being showcased at mysterydrive .net , the product is presently being labeled a “concept,” but a set of impressive demo videos already show the ODD / SSD combo booting, multitasking and error-correcting Keanu Reeves like a trained pro. We’ll have more details at Computex, at which point we’ll let you know whether to be hesitantly expectant or gravely disappointed. Personally, hybrid HDDs be damned — we want one of these suckers yesterday. Videos after the break. Continue reading Hitachi and LG tease HyDrive: an optical reader with loads of NAND (video) Hitachi and LG tease HyDrive: an optical reader with loads of NAND (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 May 2010 23:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Want a speedy, drop-proof SSD in your laptop? In all but the largest of ‘em, you’ve got just two choices: pay through the nose for a reasonable amount of storage, or settle for a cheaper boot drive at the expense of capacity. Hitachi and LG are pulling a Monty Hall by opening door number three — an optical drive with a built-in 32GB or 64GB SSD. Dubbed the HyDrive and currently being showcased at mysterydrive .net , the product is presently being labeled a “concept,” but a set of impressive demo videos already show the ODD / SSD combo booting, multitasking and error-correcting Keanu Reeves like a trained pro. We’ll have more details at Computex, at which point we’ll let you know whether to be hesitantly expectant or gravely disappointed. Personally, hybrid HDDs be damned — we want one of these suckers yesterday. Videos after the break. Continue reading Hitachi and LG tease HyDrive: an optical reader with loads of NAND (video) Hitachi and LG tease HyDrive: an optical reader with loads of NAND (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 May 2010 23:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink