Pretec unveils first miCard USB flash drive

Flash drive manufacturer Pretec unveiled the S-Diamond - the first card in the new miCard formet - at the Computex 2007 trade show in Taipei.

miCard is a new flash memory card standard from the Multi Media Card Association which can support both USB and SD/MMC specifications.

The card is 40 percent smaller than a miniSD card, and can be converted to an SD/MMC card via an adapter. It measures just 21mm X 12mm X 1.95mm, making it the smallest USB flash drive in the world.

It comes in a range of capacities from 128MB to 8GB, with a theoretical maximum capacity of 2048GB.

S-Diamond is the 2nd generation of Pretec’s i-Disk Diamond series.

Production of the new card is scheduled by Q3 of 2007, with a version implementing MU-Bus, a low-power or digital USB technology, expected by Q4.

4G Systems launches world’s smallest HSDPA/HSUPA USB

4G Systems, Germany’s only manufacturer of HSDPA/HSUPA mobile end devices, has launched the new XSPlug P5 USB Modem, which it claims is the smallest in the world at 41×78x12mm.

XSPlug P5 features ultra-fast 7.2 Mbit/s HSDPA technology, providing download speeds of up to 7.2 Mbit/s. It is also equipped with GPRS/EDGE technology for worldwide use in all mobile networks.The modem also has category 4 HSUPA technology and provides up to 2.0 Mbit/s in uplink, compared with 128 Kbit/s with DSL.In addition to the integrated antennas, both the XSPlug P5 and the P3 version, can be installed onto desktops and notebooks with an external antenna.

The modem features integrated plug and play software for Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/Vista and Apple Mac OS X, and is prepared for the next Apple operating system, Leopard.

The modem is designed to be user friendly, with automatic driver and software installation allowing users immediate internet access.

Kingmax announces World’s Smallest USB Drive

Kingmax’s USB 2.0 ‘Super Stick’ flash drive measures a mere 24 x 12.4 x 2.2mm and weighs just one gram - making it very portable, but also very easy to lose!The drive is Vista / OS X compatible and costs from $19 to $55.The Super Stick features Kingmax’s proprietary semiconductor PIP packaging technology, enabling the drive to provide up to 4GB storage capacity. It is available in four sizes - 512MB, 1GB, 2GB and 4GB.

All Kingmax Super Stick USB flash drives support Vista ReadyBoost. When the drive is used together with PCs and notebooks that run on Microsoft’s Windows Vista operating system, it can effectively improve performance up to 30-40%.

Kingmax Digital Inc, which has its headquarters in Taiwan, offers flash storage products for use in a wide range of portable electronic devices such as digital cameras and PDA’s.

G-Tech announces world’s first 1TB portable drive

California-based G-Technology Inc has announced the G-Raid mini with Raid 0, the world’s first 1TB portable external storage drive.The drive features a triple FireWire 800, FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 interface for universal connectivity to Mac and PC workstations and laptops. FireWire 800 is currently the fastest firewire interface on the market.The device makes it easy to travel with large amounts of data, and is ideal for content creation applications, or for audio and video editing while on the move.The unit supports simultaneous playback of multiple layers of video in Apple Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere and Avid Xpress Pro.
The aluminium encased drive features an Oxford 924 bridge chipset and a quiet fan and heat sink. It will be available from March 2008.

The new Aspire 5315 with Linux operating system (OS) unveiled

The new Aspire 5315 runs on the Linux operating system (OS) and is powered by the latest Intel Celeron M550, supporting Intel Wireless WiFi Link network solution. It comes equipped with 120GB HDD, 1GB of RAM, DVD super multi 8x double layer, and inbuilt CrystalEye Web cam for video conferencing.
The Aspire 5315 also features Acer's CrystalBrite technology and 3D Sonic Sound System promising a home theatre style, visual and audio experience. It also offers latest technology like 10/100 LAN and easy-to-use system utilities like easy-launch buttons for WLAN, email, Internet, and user-programming.

The Aspire 5315 notebook will be available in major cities across India for a price of Rs 22,219.