By Terry Currier
video of 66 different vendors Computers Gaming Health Power Security Storage Utilities
Advanced Media
(RITEK USA) www.ritekusa.com 
Its RIDATA USB
Drive with Micro SD slot is now available in 8GB
capacity. The drive allows users to securely store and transfer data from a
cell phone or other MicroSD or MicroSDHC enabled device.
A key concern with any flash storage device is security. For
privacy and protection, the USB
Drive features advanced partition and security
functions that make it possible for users to create password-protected sectors
for the storage of personal or highly confidential material. A power-saving
mode reduces power consumption. All are EMC compliant meeting CE, FCC, VCCI,
C-TICK, and BSMI regulations.
The drives are now available at many retail outlets in up to
8GB capacities. The drives are available in several fun colors, weigh less than
10 ounces and come with a two-year warranty.
Adding to their Ridata brand of Blu-ray media is a fast 6X
single layer Blu-ray disc. The disc offers up to a 216 Mbps data transfer rate.
All Ridata Blu-ray discs feature a hard coating that protects the discs from
scratches. Multiple audio and video streams, up to 7.1 channel surround sound,
and user-friendly graphical interfaces are just a few more Blu-ray technology
advancements. Available in Q2 2009. Also introduced was 4X Inkjet White
Printable Blu-ray Discs, available in Q1 2009. See video of CES booth.
Cirago www.cirago.com 
RST1000, External RAID Storage USB 2.0 / eSATA Series
Benefits and Features
D-Link www.dlink.com 
The D-Link 2-Bay Network Storage Enclosure (DNS-323) when
used with internal SATA drives1 enables you to share documents, music, photos
and video across the network and on the Internet so family members, friends, or
employees can access them. This enclosure creates a central network point for
backing up valuable files and the built-in RAID 1 mirroring technology
protects these files from drive failure. You can also use this device to stream
photos, music, and videos to UPnP AV compatible network media players.
The included CD contains the D-Link Easy Search Utility.
This utility allows access to the DNS-323 from anywhere on the network. The
Memeo Autobackup™ software is also included.
The DNS-321 2-Bay enclosure is another great way is the
perfect way to store, share, and safeguard your documents, music, videos, and
photos. The built-in UPnP™ AV media server enables streaming of digital content
to compatible network media players. The availability of four different hard
drive modes (Standard, JBOD, RAID 0, and RAID 1) allows you to choose the configuration
best suited for your needs.
The Web-based configuration software allows users to
establish storage quotas for specific users and groups. It also features a
built-in FTP server2 to access files through the Internet.
Iomega www.iomega.com 
Starting at $160, the Home Media Network Hard Drive is
available as a 500GB or a 1TB single-drive device. Consumers with multiple
computers can use the Home Media Network Hard Drive to centralize their
computer storage as well as access files on everything from a laptop to a big
screen TV to a Microsoft Xbox 360 or a Sony PlayStation 3.
It uses EMC's LifeLine™ Home software, a custom Linux
operating system and application suite that can be set up in three easy steps:
simply plug the Home Network Hard Drive into a router, power on, and install
the software CD. A friendly user interface screen makes it easy to access files
on all networked computers, as well as control which family members have access
to certain folders.
Supports iTunes™ and Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) and
Digital Living Network Alliance™ (DLNA) certified devices. It has a Gigabit
Ethernet connection that plugs directly into a router, and a fast processor so
users can save and access large media files quickly, as well as a USB port to
add a shared network printer for multiple computers, or an external USB drive
for incremental storage capacity.
They include EMC Retrospect® Express backup software for data
backup and protection. For added protection users also get online backup with
EMC's MozyHome™ online backup service (2GB of free online storage.) The 500GB is
available for $160; the 1TB is $230.
With the full-disc eGo Encrypt Portable Hard Drive you can
take your sensitive data anywhere thanks to the hardware-based encryption
built-in. It has government-grade 128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). If
the USB cable is disconnected from the laptop or desktop at any time, the drive
automatically “locks” and requires the owner’s password for data access. In
addition to encryption, data is protected from accidental drops up to seven
feet. Suggested price is $150.
The ruggedized eGo BlackBelt Portable Hard Drive has Drop
Guard Xtreme feature, that protects data from accidental drops of up to seven
feet. It has storage capacity of 250GB in a 2.5-inch drive that is USB-powered
for simple operation (no power supply required). Available now for $120.
Bundled with both portable drives is EMC® Retrospect®
Express HD software for automatic and on-demand backups. They also have Mozy™
online backup service, providing 2GB of storage. See video of CES booth.
LaCie www.lacie.com 
High capacity storage system for users who want advanced
RAID features with consumer-level ease of use and style LaCie announced its
Hard Disk MAX. It delivers 2 TB (terabytes) of storage capacity in a package
that will satisfy high-performance requirements for the discriminating user.
It includes two large-capacity disk drives that can be set
in either a RAID 0 or RAID 1 configuration with the simple flick of a switch on
the back panel. Included is the LaCie Setup Assistant for quick, easy and
customizable formatting of the disk drives. The system also ships with Genie
Backup Assistant for PC and Intego Backup Assistant for Mac. The multi-purposed
blue LED stripe provides ambient light and changes to red to warn of potential
problems. The suggested retail price starting at $270 USD.
Suited for all fans of digital movies, music, and
photography LaCie announced the LaCinema Classic Hard Disk. It has up to 1 TB
(terabyte) of capacity, yet weighs a mere 33 ounces. Customers simply load
content from their PC or Mac on it and connect it to their TV for instant playback.
No configuration required. Users will also enjoy HDMI 1080p upscaling of movies
and photos. An SPDIF coaxial cable is included to maximize the audio
experience.
DivX-certified so customers can watch DivX transcoded videos
with high quality and resolution. It comes in 500 GB (gigabyte) and 1 TB
models, offering the Hi-Speed USB 2.0 interface for PC or Mac. Available now
and retails for $170. 
LG www.LGusa.com
Their N4B1 Network Attached Storage (NAS), is the world’s
first NAS device with a built in Blu-ray
drive and burner. It offers advanced data management with data archiving and
automatic disc back up features. This unique drive has up to 4 TB of storage
through four-bay configurations, allowing a multitude of business data to be
stored in the system without having to delete files to make room. The built-in
Blu-ray rewriter serves as a secondary storage medium with each disc holding
between 25 and 50 GB for home and small business users who manage large amounts
of data.
They also had some interesting flash drives. The M5 has
built-in anti-virus, the H1 can also be used as a mobile phone charger. They
also had a security drive with built-in biometric fingerprint reader.
nDigitus www.ndigitus.com
Fitting into any 5.25” drive bay the iM-Boot Duo offers users
security for trying two different operating systems. You can also setup your
computer as two different systems. While other products address multiple
operating systems with a software only solution, the iM-Boot Duo is all
hardware; easy to install and easy to use. It sits between the motherboard and
two SATA drives. The front switch controls which drive the computer boots from.
Check at the website to see when it will be available. They
are also working on a M-Boot Quad will support selecting between up to four
different hard drives on the same computer. Also a iM-Boot Dual RAID will
support RAID levels such as RAID-0, RAID-1, and 3 Disk RAID-5 sets while still
allowing the computer to boot two different operating systems.
SanDisk www.sandisk.com 
Never back up because it’s too
hard? SanDisk just made it easier for you with the world’s first backup USB
flash drive. No cables are required and the SanDisk Ultra Backup flash drive
does not come with any complicated software to install. The backup application
is onboard the drive. It’s activated by pressing a button, so it doesn’t need
to be installed on a PC. The flash drive has capacities up to 64 gigabytes
(GB). No software installation is needed. The drive protects onboard digital
content with a dual layer of security, including password-protected access
control and ultra-secure AES hardware-based encryption. When plugged in to a
host device, a glowing, amber-colored LED light alerts users that the drives
are ready for reading or writing data. This LED light rapidly pulses when data
is being transferred, and slows down when the drives are idle, providing users
with a clear indication of device activity. The new SanDisk USB product family
includes three different product lines:
The SanDisk Cruzer has been redesigned with up to 32GB of
storage. The design include a bright red USB connector and a simple cap-less
design, which exposes the USB connector. They will continue to have U3™ Smart
technology. Transfer speeds at 25MB/second read and 18MB/second write. It also
includes superior security with 256-bit AES USB hardware encryption and
password-protected access control. Available in April 2009 The SanDisk Cruzer
drive will be available in capacities of 4GB-32GB with MSRPs ranging between
$25 and $100. The SanDisk Ultra Backup drive will be available in capacities of
8GB-64GB with MSRPs ranging between $40 and $200. The SanDisk Extreme Contour
USB flash drive is available in major retailers today.
Compatible with the Nintendo® Wii™ console the 2GB Rock
Band® 2 SD™ Gaming Card makes it possible for gamers to take advantage of the
over 300 additional songs that will be available for download. The card works
in compatible digital cameras, allowing users to fill the card with images and
then post their pictures on the Wii’s photography channel.
SanDisk and Sony have co-developed two expanded Memory
Stick™ formats. Expanded format for “Memory Stick PRO” is capable of storing up
to 2 terabytes (TB) of data, and “Memory Stick HG-Micro” offers a 60MB/s
transfer rate, making it one of the fastest-smallest memory card formats
announced to date.
SSD’s
Advanced Media
(RITEK USA) www.ritekusa.com 
Expected to will be especially popular with users of the
latest generation of notebooks that feature an eSATA and USB combination port
is the Ridata eSATA SSD flash. No external power or battery is needed, as it is
powered by either the eSATA or USB bus. As a result, there is very low power
consumption.
Data transfer rates while using the eSATA connector of up to
79MB/s reading and up to 45MB/s writing are assured. When using the USB
connector, a read data transfer rate of up to 24MB/s and write speed up to
12MB/s can be achieved. The unit is in full compliance with USB spec. 2.0.
The Ridata eSATA SSD flash drive supports multiple operating
systems. No driver is needed in Windows ME®, Windows 2000®, Windows XP®,
Windows VISTA®, Mac 9.x or later, Linux Kernel 2.4 or later. It also supports
1-port 1.5/3.0Gbps SATA I/II interface. It is shock resistant and noise-free,
and offers long-time data retention. It may also be used as a bootable device
while in Fix mode.
Available in 16GB and 32GB capacities, it measures
3.5”x1”x0.3” (lwd) and weighs 0.6 ounces. See video of CES booth.
Kingston www.kingston.com 
With the SSDNow E Series and SSDNow M Series, they are
shipping the first two products in its SSDNow line of solid-state drives (SSD).
The SSDNow E Series is specifically designed for the enterprise server
environment while the SSDNow M Series is built for the road warrior who demands
ultimate performance from a notebook PC. Kingston is using Intel’s solid-state drives.
The drives have greater input and output operations per
second (IOPS). For enterprises they can fewer SSDs compared to standard hard
disk drives (HDD), which also leads to energy savings in a server environment.
For the notebook user it allows for faster boot times and quicker application
load times.
It uses a standard SATA hard disk drive interface but unlike
an HDD, they are very rugged and can withstand shock and extreme environments
as there are no moving parts. They come equipped with S.M.A.R.T
(Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) to monitor the integrity
and reliability of the drives. The
drives are backed by a three-year warranty, 24/7 tech support and
KingstonCare. Features and Specifications:
SanDisk www.sandisk.com/ssd
They unveiled its third-generation family of solid-state
drives (SSDs), using multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash memory technology. Designed
as drop-in replacements for hard-disk drives (HDDs) in notebook PCs, each are
available with a SATA-II interface. Available in capacities of 60, 120 and
240GB, the unit MSRPs are $149, $249 and $499, respectively. The G3 SSDs are
more than five times faster than the fastest 7,200 RPM HDDs and more than twice
as fast as SSDs shipping in 2008, clocking in at 40,000 vRPM and anticipated
sequential performance of 200MB/s read and 140MB/s write.
SanDisk G3 SSD is significantly more reliable than a hard disk
drive. It is 5 time more rugged, withstanding shock and vibrations, and its
MTTF (mean time to failure) is 6 times better than HDDs. The G3 SSDs provide a
Longterm Data Endurance (LDE) of 160 terabytes written (TBW) for the 240GB
version, sufficient for over 100 years of typical user usage.
Toshiba www.toshiba.com 
Expanding their line up of NAND-flash-based solid state
drives (SSD) with the industry's first 2.5-inch 512-gigabyte (GB) SSD and a
broad family of fast read/write SSDs based on 43 nanometer (nm) Multi-Level
Cell NAND. The SSD family also includes capacities of 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB.
It utilizes an advanced MLC controller that achieves higher
read/write speeds, parallel data transfers and wear leveling to optimize
performance, reliability and endurance. The
maximum sequential read speed is 240MB per second (MBps) and maximum
sequential write speed is 200MBps.
They did an interesting show of putting a SSD on a vibrator
to show it would not affect performance. See video of CES booth.
Stated prices are rounded up to the nearest dollar.
 |
Winners is a member of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG) is an international, platform-independent, nonprofit corporation (incorporated in Washington, DC) devoted to helping user groups throughout the world. Almost 400 user groups are members of APCUG. http://www.apcug.net/ |