Seagate to Reveal Ultra-Thin Drives for Netbooks at CES

Seagate are planning to unveil a new hard drive at CES next month that will see the form factor reduced to just 7 millimetres. The 7mm form factor is a saving of about 25% from the current drives used in netbooks and will allow netbook manufacturers to design even thinner models.

Traditionally the thicker the drive the more platters could be crammed inside it allowing for more storage space. Thanks to advances in technology, drive makers such as Seagate are now capable of getting a sufficient amount of data on to a single platter, thus saving space in thickness of the drive.

It is currently unknown at the moment what the capacity of the new drives will be although HotHardware have said the drives are part of the Momentus Thin Series of drives. The drive will lower the costs also allowing for the price of netbooks to drop slightly too (in theory) although I can see the manufacturers increasing price just because the netbooks are thinner and more desirable to consumers.

Expect an official announcement at CES.

Sony PS3 3.15 Firmware Announced

Sony have announced a new firmware release for the Sony PlayStation 3. The new firmware 3.15 offers a feature that allows you to copy content from one PS3 to another. Data such as saved games, save data, videos etc… will be transferred and deleted from the old PS3 while personal data such as photos and videos uploaded yourself will be copied rather than deleted from the original PS3. The update is optional and need not be installed unless you need the mentioned features. A quick run down of how the system works can be found after the jump. Data Transfer Utility 1. Turn both the current PS3 (A) and new PS3 (B) on and connect them with a LAN cable; PS3 (A) should be connected to the TV. Please note, firmware (v3.15) must be installed on both systems. 2. On the XMB of PS3 (A), scroll to the Settings category and select [System Settings] and then [Data Transfer Utility] 3. Follow the instructions on-screen and transfer data 4. After transferring the data, follow the instructions on-screen, and then connect PS3 (B) to the TV to view the XMB 5. If content that was downloaded from PlayStation Store was transferred as part of this operation, you must activate PS3 (B) before you can use the data. Log in to the PS3 system as the user who owns the content, and then select (PlayStation Network) > (Account Management) > (System Activation) to activate the system. As well as offering the data transfer feature the 3.15 firmware update will enable minis that can be played on the PS3. Minis are bite-sized games that allow you to play shorter games for more casual gaming sessions. If you have purchased a game for your PSP then in the next few weeks you’ll be able to download the game to the PS3 also for play on the larger screen.

Qisda MultiMedia Router spotted at FCC

When you purchase a wireless router it normally gets shoved next to a computer or stuck in a corner, gets configured and then forgotten about till it breaks. Qisda have created an interesting wireless router that also functions as a multimedia device as well as a clock.

The wireless part works at 802.11n specifications allowing for quick transfer of data. On the front is an LCD screen that allows you to see the time, or perhaps watch a Youtube video if you wish. Other features allow you to use it as an FM radio that tunes in to internet stations.

It’s an odd concoction of gadgets rolled in to one unit and perhaps too strange if you ask me. If you are interested in reading more about the multimedia router then check out all the FCC documentation here. The documentation has more pictures of tests, dissections and anything else you’d expect to see in an FCC document.

Buffalo USB 3.0 ExpressCard

Buffalo have created a USB 3.0 ExpressCard that in theory should be capable of transferring data at up to 5GBps depending on what sort of ExpressCard it is (ie, 1.0 or 2.0). If the former older version then speed of data transfer will be restricted to 2.5GBps.

As USB 3.0 is still in it’s very early stages I’d suggest waiting for reviews of the USB 3.0 ExpressCard to be completed before jumping in and buying one.

Also, I’d suggest waiting for clarification on what version of ExpressCard it is too. If you must go get one then they are listed in the UK costing £35 although no stocks are available just yet.

Seagate Pulsar SSD Drives Launched

Seagate have launched a new range of SSD (solid state drives) called Pulsar. The new Pulsar SSD’s are designed for server blades and enterprise configurations that require speed and performance. Each Pulsar SSD leverages non-volatile flash memory that has no moving parts unlike regular hard drives.

Each Pulsar SSD can store up to 200GB of data and comes in a 2.5 inch form factor measuring just 7mm in thickness.

For data safety each drive also has power loss data protection that makes sure data isn’t lost if the power to the drive or server fails.
Pulsar SSD Features

* Single-level cell (SLC) technology optimizes SSD reliability and endurance
* 0.44 percent AFR for high reliability and endurance
* Up to 200GB capacity in a 2.5-inch form factor and 7mm z-height
* Power loss data protection to ensure against data loss upon power failure
* 5-Year Limited Warranty
* SATA 3Gb/s interface to support current blade server chipsets
* Leveraging industry-leading, global enterprise support
* Industry-leading SSS and SSD standards development through JEDEC and SNIA

The new SSD drives are available to OEM’s now.

Planex CQW-MRB Autonomous WiFi Router Supports 3G

Planex have launched a new portable wireless router that allows a 3G USB dongle to be connected up to it allowing several people to share the same connection.

The device is battery powered and can provide up to two hours of internet usage on a single charge. These types of router are not new, but it’s always good having other options on the market.

An alternative option to running a setup like this is to root your Android based phone, install the wireless tether and allow users to connect wirelessly to your phone to share data that way. But, if you need or want a seperate device then the Planex CQW-MRB is another option.

The wireless 3G router will be available in Japan in the next week or so costing 14800 Yen.

Point to Point Wireless Network Sharing

If you need to share your internet connection between a couple of buildings a few miles apart that have line of sight to each other then this point to point antenna might do the trick. The antenna is rated at 15 dBi and has a narrow beam width of 16 degrees horizontal/21 degrees vertical that is used to direct the wifi signal to a point up to about 3 miles away.

The antenna is built from aluminium alloy covered with a protective coat. Cabling options can be found below.