OCZ to use SandForce controllers on future SSDs
SSD-spearheading company OCZ has signed an agreement with SandForce that will see it use the latter's controllers for its "next-generation" mainstream and enterprise solid state drives. Future OCZ SSD will make use of SandForce's SF-1500 and SF-1200 controllers as well as MLC (multi-level cell) and SLC (single-level cell) NAND flash memory in order to deliver a top-notch mix between high performance, reliability, endurance, and power efficiency.
"OCZ is committed to delivering SSD solutions to our enterprise clients and also has a strong following for our consumer solid state products; partnering with SandForce enables us to offer an even more robust offering to both these markets," said Ryan Petersen, CEO of the OCZ Technology Group. "Together with SandForce we are focused on making enterprise-class MLC-based SSDs which offer excellent reliability and performance coupled with superior total cost of ownership for all our customers."
The SandForce-powered OCZ SSDs, which are set to be announced in the weeks leading up to CES 2010 (which is in early January), will come in 50GB to 400GB capacities and in SATA 3.0 Gbps and SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) 6.0 Gbps flavors. It remains to be seen what this move will mean for OCZ's partnership with Indilinx (designer of the Barefoot controller).
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Corsair intros 32 and 64GB Survivor GT flash drives
Corsair has now officially rolled out a couple of speedy new flash drives, a 32GB and a 64GB Flash Survivor GT. Both models comes enclosed in a CNC-milled, 6061 Type 2 Aluminum shell with an EPDM seal that makes them water resistant up to a depth of 200 meters, have a USB 2.0/1.1 connection interface, are bundled with a USB extension cable and 'Corsair' dog tags, and deliver read and write speeds of up to 30 MB/s and 16 MB/s, respectively.
"The Flash Survivor GT is the ultimate flash drive for users requiring both high speed and extreme ruggedness," said John Beekley, VP of Technical Marketing at Corsair. "These drives will carry your data and media into the harshest environment and still provide rock-solid protection."
Backed by a 10-year warranty, the 32 and 64GB Flash Survivor GT drives are listed in Europe with prices around 79 and 149 Euro, respectively.
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Sprint to lay off up to 2,500 people by year-end
2009 started with layoffs for Sprint Nextel and it's going to end with layoffs as the communications company has announced that between 2,000 and 2,500 employees will be getting a pink slip in the next few months, most before the end of this year.
Through this new workforce reduction round Sprint aims to cut at least $350 million in labor expenses per year in an effort to "make its cost structure more competitive in the industry and to remain financially secure in a challenging economic environment." The layoffs will affect positions companywide but will not hurt the customer experience.
Sprint will take a charge between $60 million to $80 million during this Q4 for severance and related costs.
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HP unveils the Pro 3000 series compact business desktops
Hewlett-Packard has announced a couple of new additions to its business PC line-up, the Pro 3000 and Pro 3005 desktops. Both targeting small and midsize businesses (SMBs), the systems come in microtower cases, will be available with Windows 7, Vista, XP (downgrade), SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11, or FreeDOS, have up to 8GB of RAM, up to 500GB in storage space and a Blu-Ray drive.
The Pro 3000 is based on an Intel platform and can be equipped with a Pentium DC or Core 2 Duo/Quad CPU, while the 3005 model uses AMD power and will pack an Athlon II (X2/X3/X4) or Phenom II processor. The PCs are also available either with integrated graphics or a discrete card - a Radeon HD 4350, HD 4650 or a GeForce 210.
HP's Pro 3000 and 3005 desktops are expected to become available next month at starting prices of about $470 and $450, respectively.
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Nokia N900 smartphone starts shipping
Announced back in August, Nokia's N900 'Internet Tablet' has now begun being delivered, with the first batches set to become available in Europe, the Middle-East, Russia and North America. Running the Maemo 5 OS, the 181-gram N900 has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a 3.5-inch (800x480) touchscreen, a 600 MHz ARM Cortex-A8-based chip with a PowerVR SGX graphics core, 256MB of RAM, 32GB of built-in storage, a microSD slot, and a 5 megapixel camera.
"The Nokia N900 has generated a lot of interest since its public launch in August, which has been reflected in the device preorders," said Josأƒآ©-Luis Martinez, Vice President fo Nseries. "What's exciting is the Maemo software, which takes its cues from the desktop computer and offers a full browsing experience like no other handset. We believe the Nokia N900 will be a very compelling device for people who are passionate about technology."
Costing about 500 Euro SIM-free, the N900 also packs GPS, an accelerometer, FM radio, a digital compass, and has 3G, EDGE, HSDPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g and Bluetooth 2.1 support.
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Kindle PC app now available
Amazon has now let loose a beta version of its free Kindle for PC application which enables people to read Kindle-compatible ebooks on their Windows-powered desktop and/or laptop. The software provides access to the Kindle Store which has over 360,000 books ready for purchase and reading, has the Whispersync technology that automatically saves and synchronizes bookmarks and last page read across devices, features 10 different font sizes for better viewing, and even comes with a few touch capabilities (zoom, page turning), but only for Windows 7 users.
"Kindle for PC is the perfect companion application for customers who own a Kindle or Kindle DX," said Ian Freed, vice president, Amazon Kindle. "Kindle for PC is also a great way for people around the world to access a huge selection from the Kindle Store and read the most popular books of today even if they don't yet have a Kindle."
Working on Windows XP, Vista and 7, the Kindle for PC beta can be downloaded from this page. A Mac version of the app is 'coming soon'.
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Buffalo BR-X816U2 Blu-Ray writer reaching EMEA stores
Introduced in Japan around mid-September, the BR-X816U2 external Blu-Ray burner from Buffalo has started to become available in the EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) retail. The drive has a USB 2.0 connection interface, 4MB of buffer memory, it provides maximum write speeds of 8x for BD-R/-R DL, 2x for BD-RE/-RE DL, 16x for DVD-R/+R, 8x for DVD+RW, 6x for DVD-RW, 5x for DVD-RAM, 4x for DVD-R/+R DL, 32x for CD-R and 24x for CD-RW, and is bundled with a CyberLink software suite which includes PowerDirector, PowerProducer, PowerDVD, Power2Go, PowerBackup, InstantBurn and MediaShow.
"More and more people are expecting to watch their favourite films in high definition quality and more PCs and televisions are now supporting this," said Paul Hudson, Northern European Sales Director, Buffalo Technology. "This new external Blu-ray drive provides consumers with a low-cost option for watching their own high definition content and taking advantage of the latest technology."
The BR-X816U2 has a recommended price tag of $339.99 / أ‚آ£189.99.
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MSI's 770-G45 AM3 motherboard detailed
MSI is currently finishing up work on a third AMD 770-based AM3 motherboard, the 770-G45 so more info about it has started to pop up. The new 770/SB710-powered product has a black PCB, the APS (Active Phase Switching) PWM control technology, it supports AM3 Phenom II and Athlon II processors, and includes four DDR3-1600 memory slots.
MSI's board also boasts two PCI-Express x16 slots enabling CrossFireX setups, six SATA 3.0 Gbps ports, Gigabit Ethernet, 7.1 channel audio (integrated), and an Easy OC switch. No word yet on the 770-G45's price or release date but it shouldn't be long before we see it in stores.
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Pyramid delivers USB multiboard for home and office use
Young PC and electronics accessories company Pyramid Distribution has now introduced the UBoard, a multi-board that's claimed to help you have a better, more organized computing experience when at home or at the office.
Measuring 555 x 210 x 80 mm and weighting in 1.6kg, the UBoard has an ABS frame and a tempered Glass stand, it packs three USB 2.0 ports, and enables people to better position their laptop, or monitor so as to have a good access to the system and (apparently) reduce the working time.
Pyramid Distribution's UBoard can be purchased via its maker's site for $50.
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Google to offer free WiFi in US airports this holiday season
Less than a month after revealing its collaboration with Virgin America to provide free in-flight WiFi, Google is still playing Santa (for some anyway) and has teamed up with Boingo Wireless, Advanced Wireless Group, Airport Marketing Income and others so as to offer free WiFi in 47 US airports until January 15 (2010). This gift of web will enable more people to use their devices and get online while waiting or simply going through the airport, keeping them connected with friends and co-workers, or offering more opportunities for shopping or killing time.
"We're very happy to extend our Holiday Wi-Fi gift to the millions of people who will spend time in airports over the next few months," said Marissa Mayer, Vice President of Search Products and User Experience at Google. "We know that this is a very hectic travel season for people, and we hope that free Wi-Fi will make both traveling and connecting with friends and family a little bit easier."
The participating airports, which are listed here, handle over 500 million passengers each year, or about 35% of the total number of annual passengers in the US.
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