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• Toshiba and SSDs Competing in a market that’s been targeted by the world’s largest semiconductor company is no easy task. Given Intel’s push into the SSD (solid state storage) market, Toshiba has tried to differentiate itself from Intel’s more commodity-like approach. For example, Toshiba offers a half-terabyte SSD, while Intel’s current largest SSD is 160GB. Now Toshiba is pushing into alternative form factors, such as a mSATA (mini-SATA) configuration in 30GB and 62GB sizes, suitable for netbooks or server boot drives. These drives plug directly into a mini-PCI interface and are substantially smaller (up to 1/7th the size of a 2.5-inch form factor). Toshiba will also be offering similar configurations in a “half-slim” form factor, smaller than a business card, with no actual case, that plugs directly into a SATA port. USB 3.0 Update We mentioned USB 3.0 (also known as “SuperSpeed USB”) in our day two IDF update. We’re updating that brief mention today with an update after a technical session on USB 3.0’s steady march towards actual products. Up to 10x performance increase--480 Mb/s to 5 Gb/sFast Sync-N-Go to minimize user wait timeOptimize power efficiency--uses 1/3 the power of USB 2.0; no device polling and lower active and idle power requirementsBackward compatible with USB 2.0. NEC announced the first SuperSpeed USB host controller, the uDP 720200. Asus had a PCI Express interface card based on the NEC chip, running in several PCs, connected to various peripherals. Asus is also showing its previously-announced P6X58 Premium motherboard with the NEC controller built directly onto the motherboard. The system was connected to a solid state drive streaming data off at 250MB/sec, around eight times faster than similar USB 2.0 products. Fujitsu demoed a laptop PC with the NEC host controller, too. Given Intel’s public roadmaps, it may be a good year before we see SuperSpeed USB embedded into PC core logic. Then there’s the issue of software support. At the USB 3.0 technical session, senior program manager Lars Guisti of Microsoft gave an update on how SuperSpeed USB’s XHCI driver stack might be implemented into Windows. It’s a fairly complex driver stack, given support for backward compatibility, the new power management features, and higher data speeds. Microsoft will be delivering native support for XHCI in some future Windows update, but the timing is uncertain.

• ASUS is presenting its new highlight in the notebook gaming arena with the G70. This is also ASUS' first notebook to support two Nvidia 8700M GT graphics processors that have 1 GB of dedicated video memory at their disposal. Two hard disks offer more than sufficient capacity and provide optimal transfer rates. When little 3D power is required, one of the graphics chips shuts itself down, coming back online when more rendering muscle is required. Equipped with a HD display with a resolution of 1900 x 1200 pixels, an integrated TV tuner, a remote control, stereo speakers, and an HDMI interface, the ASUS G70 is the perfect companion for high-res games and movies. Next, ASUS will also be showing the U2 designer notebook with a 32 GB SSD (solid state disk) at its stand, which will be under the motto "Looking ahead 2008". The black 11" U2 is also ASUS' first subnotebook to use an SSD drive instead of a conventional 2.5" hard disk. Compared to standard HDD, modern SSDs allow for faster access times, reducing boot times noticeably. Also, the SSD module is less susceptible to bumps and physical shock than a spinning platter in a conventional HDD. Based on an Intel Core Duo ULV CPU, the U2 sports such security features as a TPM and finger print sensor and comes with an 11.1" WXGA display with power-efficient LED backlighting, as well as three USB ports and a webcam. Despite the fact that it also has an integrated super-multi drive, the entire unit weighs only about 1300 grams. ASUS U2 More highlights at the ASUS expo stand Asus eeePC: Updates Asus U2: 12" notebook from the Lamborghini line ASUS F8P: All-rounder notebook sporting the Galaxy Black leather look ASUS G70: Notebook with SLI technology ASUS M930: Smartphone with two displays Asus m930 Hall 26, Stand D39

• High-Security Flash Storage

  If you think of flash memory, people typically think of USB memory sticks or memory cards for digital cameras and camcorders. But the potential applications for flash have expanded tremendously. The media started off as non-volatile memory for firmware on PCs and consumer electronics devices. It then became an ultra-portable storage technology that conquered the PC and consumer electronics sectors at their intersection in multiple formats, such as compact flash or SD. It has finally reached a state of development in which flash-based solid state disks (SSDs) can even outperform conventional hard drives (at the expense of capacity). However, having access to your most important data wherever you go will be one of the key goals in coming years, and we see ultra-portable flash memory devices meeting this demand until the day when wireless networks such as GSM, 3G, WiMAX or WLAN become completely ubiquitous. But still, users will always likely want to have a storage device that can securely hold all of their key data, which they can take with them wherever they go. (Compare Prices on Corsair Flash Survivor 4 GB) While competition in the memory sector is fierce, some brands have managed to carve out a good reputation: G.skill, Mushkin, OCZ, Patriot and Supertalent are well known for their top-of-the-line enthusiast products. Other such as A-Data, Buffalo, Crucial, GeIL or Kingston offer outstanding products as well. Corsair, which was the first memory vendor to offer overclocking products back in the times of first-generation SDRAM, is considered the number-one player in this business and tries to transfer its reputation into other product areas. Flash memory products seem to be suitable to expand member vendors’ product portfolios, as they’re based on technologies that are not only attractive to PC enthusiasts, but also to less-technical PC users. The Flash Voyager was Corsair’s first USB flash memory stick, which is available in capacities of 2 GB to 32 GB today. Flash Voyager GT is the high-performance product that is only available with a capacity of 16 GB, while delivering throughput beyond 20 MB/s. While most USB Flash memory vendors offer smaller and smaller products, some focus on offering robust and secure solutions. This is exactly what Corsair attempts to do with its Flash Survivor series, which combines robustness with data security features. Join our discussion on this article!