Buffalo America has quitted flash memory business altogether after an infringement lawsuit filed against the company by Sandisk, but that didn't stop the Japanese division from rolling out exciting new flash memory gadgets. Here's Buffalo SHD-PEHU3 - the latest SuperSpeed USB SSD in almost the same glossy black plastic case as its hard drive sibling. Unlike the HDD version, the Buffalo USB 3.0 SSD is built to rake in money and to impress early adopters in mind. Nearly all models carry a jaw-dropping price tag, from $281 for 64GB to $476 for 128GB and $1075 for 256GB. Click here to Read the full article.

The e-reader market has experienced quick growth over the past couple of years, but even today, only a couple of standouts are well-known. Amazon's Kindle is easily the most well-recognized e-reader out there, with most every other one riding shotgun at best. But what the influx of lower-end, lesser-known e-readers has done is drive down prices overall, and for those who don't really care about branding or access to Amazon's specific e-book store, that's great news.

 

 

Also, the impending boom in Tablet PCs has left the e-reader market in an interesting position. E-readers still hold the lead in terms of readability and battery life, but overall functionality goes to the Tablet. It's clear that e-readers are becoming more and more a niche device, and while you may not be concerned about them at $200+, the introduction of the "bargain" e-reader may make you think twice. Read the full Article.

It's a tough world out there for anyone attempting to compete with HTC, Apple, Samsung and LG in the smartphone sector. Even for Nokia, who has held the overall lead from a worldwide perspective for years now. Overseas, Nokia phones are everywhere, but they're becoming less and less common to see in America with other smartphones grabbing the bulk of the mind and market share.

Recently, Nokia released the company's latest quarterly results, and most of the news wasn't exactly rosy. The outfit cut their profit outlet for the key phone unit, and it also lowered some phone prices in a bid to remain competitive in a space that is quickly putting Nokia behind it. Many analysts have even said that the  has put Nokia in a position where it could never really compete at the high-end smartphone level, leaving just the mid- and low-range sectors to compete in.

Another blow for Nokia is the delay of the next generation of their Symbian software, Symbian^3. Previously, Nokia stated that it would be ready for smartphones by Q2 of this year, but now, it won't be ready until Q3. That's after the next generation iPhone will purportedly launch, leaving Nokia in yet another awful position. Too little, too late? Or maybe it's time for Nokia to throw in the smartphone towel and simply focus on their bread-and-better, the low-end candybar, overseas.

While Apple may tinker with the final packaging and design of the final phone, it's clear that the features in this lost-and-found next-generation iPhone are drastically new and drastically different from what came before. Here's the detailed list of our findings:

• Front-facing video chat camera
• Improved regular back-camera (the lens is quite noticeably larger than the iPhone 3GS)
• Camera flash
• Micro-SIM instead of standard SIM (like the iPad)
• Improved display. It's unclear if it's the 960x640 display thrown around before—it certainly looks like it, with the "Connect to iTunes" screen displaying much higher resolution than on a 3GS.
• What looks to be a secondary mic for noise cancellation, at the top, next to the headphone jack
• Split buttons for volume
• Power, mute, and volume buttons are all metallic

Click here to Read the full article.

Apple's iPad has left an indelible mark on the Tablet PC universe. It wasn't that long ago when just about everyone gave up on the tablet. Just about every notebook manufacturer in existence tried their hand at making a tablet at one point or another, and just about everyone hung it up by 2005. For whatever reasons, tablets never managed to catch on in the consumer industry, but now, things are different.

Consumers have shown a willingness to adapt somewhat and try new things. Some thought ultraportables would never catch on; their steep price tag and small screens didn't make sense to some, but road warriors have proven that these diminutive machines do actually have a place in society. Netbooks have a similar story. Many credit Asus' Eee PC line with really kickstarting the netbook craze, and even today, these tiny, inexpensive laptops are selling like hotcakes to individuals who just need a simple machine for web browsing and e-mail to take on the go. No bells and whistles leads to lower costs, and lower costs lead to increased attention and sales.




The iPad has arrived during an interesting time. It's a time in which many consumers are re-evaluating their computing needs, and they're striving to decide whether a full-sized notebook, a netbook, a tablet or something in between is best for them. The iPad has definitely driven more people than would traditionally consider a tablet, to investigate the iPad's usage model. That said, does it really make sense to buy this device over a netbook, or better still, a netbook / tablet hybrid? We covered the ins and outs of Apple's first tablet in our full review, but this article is intended to dig deeper and investigate whether an iPad or netbook / tablet hybrid is best suited for you. These two are the most similar of the machines currently available in terms of price, form factor and usability.




For our comparison, we're going to focus mainly on another machine that has just recently hit the market, Lenovo's IdeaPad S10-3t. It's a cutting-edge netbook / tablet hybrid with one of Intel's newest Atom processors, Windows 7, a full touch panel, a swivel screen to turn it into a full tablet, and of course something the iPad lacks: a real keyboard. The S10-3t starts at $549, while the iPad starts at $499, but if you want to add a USB port or SD card slot to the iPad, the starting price rises to $529, making these two machines comparable in terms of the initial investment.

Join us in the pages ahead to get a better idea of how the iPad does and doesn't live up to the standards set by modern day netbooks, and how the S10-3t outperforms and under-performs in a variety of tasks.

Taipei, Taiwan – April 12, 2010 – A-DATA Technology Co., Ltd., the worldwide leader in DRAM memory and Flash application products, today announced the shipment of NH01, the first 2.5-inch portable hard drive equipped with the latest USB 3.0 interface, following its debut at CES back in January. Adopting the new generation of USB 3.0 interface, the A-DATA NH01 is designed to deliver astounding data transfer rates up to 88 MB/s in read and 81 MB/s in write overall, which are proven to be three times faster than the conventional hard drives with USB 2.0 interface based on real-world test results.

The transfer speed has become increasingly critical for external storage devices in order to cope with the nowadays’ richer and larger-sized multimedia content. Combining the next-generation interface, users of NH01 are able to enjoy the benefits of SuperSpeed USB 3.0 and save up to 70% on file transfer time compared to the preceding USB 2.0. With the A-DATA NH01, transferring a typical 24GB Blu-ray movie would take just 4.6 minutes as opposed to 14.6 minutes via a conventional USB 2.0 interface1, significantly boosting users’ efficiency with no more time wasted on waiting. Other than its superior transfer speed, USB 3.0 also provides improved interaction between device and host computer to deliver enhanced energy efficiency compared to its predecessor. 

With various capacities up to 640GB, NH01 offers high-capacity storage solution suitable for system backup or carrying massive data on the go. Along with its outstanding performance, NH01 is elegant and stylish with a glossy front panel and coating around the enclosure. It is also compactly designed to fit right in the pocket. NH01 supports the easy plug-and-play on compatible platforms and is also backward compatible with USB 2.0 at a lower speed. Users of A-DATA portable HDDs are able to download value-add software HDDtoGO, OStoGO (no registration required), Norton Internet Security 2010 (60-day trial) for free and experience enhanced mobility and security with just few mouse clicks away. All A-DATA portable HDDs are backed by 3-year product warranty.

1Estimates are based on an average transfer rate of 88MB/s on systems with built-in USB 3.0 function motherboards and 28MB/s via USB 2.0 interface for illustration purposes; results may vary with different platforms and software used.

The Nokia N8 also introduces the ability to record high definition videos and edit them with a smart built-in editing suite on the device. Playback quality is just as important, and the 3.5-inch HD capacitive touchscreen is the ideal window for assessing your flicks and footage. There’s also a HDMI connector allowing you to hook the smartphone to your HD TV and share your media with friends and family in superb quality. We wanted to find out more about the benefits of HDMI in the Nokia N8 so we spoke to Paul Wheeler, a software program manager at Nokia, to get the full story – again, be sure to keep an eye out for our full story this later this week.

The Nokia N8 also doubles as a portable entertainment centre. Watch HD quality video with Dolby Digital Plus surround sound and hook into a dedicated Web TV application for access to news and entertainment on the move.

It’s not just its 12-megapixel camera and HD video skills with HDMI support that set the Nokia N8 apart from the crowd. Packing more memory than most, the Nokia N8 has 16GB of built-in storage and is expandable up to 48GB with a micro SD card.

Joining the social messaging fold with the likes of the latest Eseries and Cseries devices, the N8 enters the fray with live Twitter and Facebook updates direct to your homescreen. Comment, read and send messages, update your status and share your location and photos with one touch.

Embracing location based services, the N8 is location-savvy and comes with free global Ovi Maps walk and drive navigation with support in more than 70 countries worldwide.

Powering the Nokia N8 is the all-new Symbian^3 platform. This latest incarnation introduces major new advances including multi-touch and support for gestures such as pinch-to-zoom. Onboard there’s also three customisable homescreens that can be loaded with applications and widgets and flicked through by a swish of the finger. There’s also improved 2D and 3D graphics for a faster and more responsive UI, greater memory management and a visual task manager.

Of course, the Nokia N8 comes with access to the full range of Ovi services and it’s Nokia’s first smartphone to be integrated with Qt. Got and idea for an app? Qt is a software development environment that makes it a cinch to build apps and deploy across the Symbian and other software platforms.

Not to be outdone by its innards the Nokia N8 is carved from a single piece of anodised aluminium and looks glorious decked in one of five eye-catching colours (we’ll shortly be bringing you an entire article dedicated to the colours). It will cost €370 (before the usual local taxes and subsidies) when it starts shipping in the third quarter of 2010.

Over the coming week we’ll bring you heaps more insight and info surrounding the new Nokia N8, including designer interviews, exclusive videos, and much more. Stay tuned for all our unmissable coverage throughout the week. In the meantime, share your instant reactions and let us know what you want to know about the Nokia N8 by joining the conversation below.

Buffalo America has quitted flash memory business altogether after an infringement lawsuit filed against the company by Sandisk, but that didn't stop the Japanese division from rolling out exciting new flash memory gadgets. Here's Buffalo SHD-PEHU3 - the latest SuperSpeed USB SSD in almost the same glossy black plastic case as its hard drive sibling. Unlike the HDD version, the Buffalo USB 3.0 SSD is built to rake in money and to impress early adopters in mind. Nearly all models carry a jaw-dropping price tag, from $281 for 64GB to $476 for 128GB and $1075 for 256GB.

 

If you have the dose, then the USB 3.0 SSD will give you up to 8 times better performance than with a, eh, USB 2.0 equivalent. There's even a piece of software called Turbo PC that squeezes every last drop of performance out of USB 3.0. The result is a 240MB/s bus-powered shockproof external storage, weighing a mere 66g. To put this into perspective, copying 1000 800KB of JPEGs will take just 8 seconds, at such speed not even other first gen. USB 3.0 hard drives can rival. We simply just fall in love with the Buffalo SSD, though we treasure our hard-earned pennies even more.

Description:
A powerful entertainment and on-the-go social networking device, the Nokia X6 mobile phone features a lush 3.2-inch widescreen capacitive touch display, 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and dual LED flash, integrated GPS with free Ovi Maps Navigation, and 16 GB of internal memory. You'll have tons of space to save your pictures, music, video clips and data, and you can always grab more games and applications downloaded from the Ovi Store.

Padlock 2 Security

The Flash Padlock 2 secure flash drive's most notable improvement over the Padlock 1 is its use of 256-bit AES hardware encryption. You see, in early 2008 it was revealed that Corsair's original padlock was susceptible to unauthorized access by anyone who had physical access to the drive and a soldering iron. By connecting a resistor from the battery to one of the contact points on the main circuit board, the drive would instantly present itself as unlocked.

Sure, the original Padlock's security might have passed as a deterrent to anyone unskilled in electronics in the same way that the cylinder lock on your front door is a deterrent to anyone unfamiliar with lockpicking and bump keys, but this lax security is simply not up to par if you're protecting anything more than a high school diary. If you need to secure company data, finances, or other sensitive personal information, the bottom line is that you must use strong encryption.

As a last ditch attempt to rescue the data locked within the Padlock 2 secure flash drive's rubber cell walls, I decided it was time to operate with my trusty pocket knife. I discovered that underneath the rubber shell is a second enclosure made of hard plastic, and while that much wasn't a surprise, the lack of extra watertight protection around the drive's LED lights was, as were the open vents around the keypad buttons. Well then, that explains the moisture I'd encountered, but what about the buttons?!




Still anxious to get to the drive's core and rescue my data, I cracked open the second casing and fiddled again with the buttons to quickly discover the cause of the problem. For some odd reason the key button would only activate if pressed anywhere but the direct center, not coincidentally where the plastic overbutton was designed to make contact. Hurray! I could now unlock the drive and access my data, all of it intact! Since I've already compromised the drive's casing, this would conclude my durability testing. Lesson learned: the Padlock 2 secure flash drive is probably better suited for sudden impact over water resistance, so next time I'll perform that bit of testing first!

On one last note, to my great satisfaction I saw that all of the Padlock 2's components were covered with an epoxy resin of some kind, discouraging me from tinkering with the individual components like what happened when the Padlock 1's naked two-PCB design was hacked. Hurray for hardened security! 

Portable SuperSpeed USB Drives:

Buffalo, one of the better but lesser known drive accessory manufacturers, has released a new thin external USB 3.0 2.5" drive, a follow-up to the DriveStation. The Ministation Cobalt USB 3.0 version portable The sleek MiniStation Cobalt USB 3.0 2.5" drive is supposed to see benefits from the Turbo PC software in copy speeds. Buffalo claims up to 30% speed boosts on USB 3.0 transfers and a whopping 70% increase on USB 2.0 transfers. This is likely accomplished with RAM buffering, which will appear to complete transfer to the drive while remaining bytes are transferred from the software behind the scenes. While this might seem sneaky, feeling fast and being fast are effectively the same thing for the majority of real world drive uses. The MiniStation Cobalt drives are available in 500 and 640GB sizes, and should happily run with USB 3.0 bus power. 

 

Google unveiled the Nexus One at its Silicon Valley headquarters during a low-key event that was as hotly anticipated as any of Apple’s dramatic launches. Although the handset is not the first to use the Google operating system, called Android, it is the first device that the company has designed itself. High-speed web browsing and voice recognition for writing emails or controlling the device are the two key features the company hopes will distinguish its product in a crowded market. Google claims the device's high specifications make it the first of a new class of "superphone".

While Apple may tinker with the final packaging and design of the final phone, it's clear that the features in this lost-and-found next-generation iPhone are drastically new and drastically different from what came before. Here's the detailed list of our findings:

• Front-facing video chat camera
• Improved regular back-camera (the lens is quite noticeably larger than the iPhone 3GS)
• Camera flash
• Micro-SIM instead of standard SIM (like the iPad)
• Improved display. It's unclear if it's the 960x640 display thrown around before—it certainly looks like it, with the "Connect to iTunes" screen displaying much higher resolution than on a 3GS.
• What looks to be a secondary mic for noise cancellation, at the top, next to the headphone jack
• Split buttons for volume
• Power, mute, and volume buttons are all metallic

• The back is entirely flat, made of either glass (more likely) or ceramic or shiny plastic in order for the cell signal to poke through. Tapping on the back makes a more hollow and higher pitched sound compared to tapping on the glass on the front/screen, but that could just be the orientation of components inside making for a different sound
• An aluminum border going completely around the outside
• Slightly smaller screen than the 3GS (but seemingly higher resolution)
• Everything is more squared off
• 3 grams heavier
• 16% Larger battery
• Internals components are shrunken, miniaturized and reduced to make room for the larger battery

We're as skeptical—if not more—than all of you. We get false tips all the time. But after playing with it for about a week—the overall quality feels exactly like a finished final Apple phone—and disassembling this unit, there is so much evidence stacked in its favor, that there's very little possibility that it's a fake. In fact, the possibility is almost none. Imagine someone having to use Apple components to design a functioning phone, from scratch, and then disseminating it to people around the world. Pretty much impossible. Here are the reasons, one by one.

It has been reported lost
Apple-connected John Gruber—from Daring Fireball—says that Apple has indeed lost a prototype iPhone and they want it back:

The screen
While we couldn't get it past the connect to iTunes screen for the reasons listed earlier, the USB cable on that screen was so high quality that it was impossible to discern individual pixels. We can't tell you the exact resolution of this next-generation iPhone, but it's much higher than the current iPhone 3GS.

The operating system
According to the person who found it, this iPhone was running iPhone OS 4.0 before the iPhone 4.0 announcement. The person was able to play with it and see the iPhone 4.0 features. Then, Apple remotely killed the phone before we got access to it. We were unable to restore because each firmware is device specific—3GS firmware only loads on 3GS devices—and the there are no firmwares available for this unreleased phone. Which is another clue to its authenticity.

It is recognized as an iPhone
This iPhone behaves exactly like an iPhone does when connected to a computer, with the proper boot sequence and "connect to iTunes" restore functionality. Xcode and iTunes both see this as an iPhone. Mac OS X's System Profiler also reports this as an iPhone in restore mode, which is a natural consequence of remotely wiping the phone, but report different product identifiers (both CPID and CPRV) than either the 3G or the 3GS.

It uses micro-sim
The fact that it uses a micro-sim is a clear indicator that this is a next-generation iPhone. No other cellphone uses this standard at this point in the US.

The camouflage case
The case it came inside was a fully developed plastic case to house this phone to disguise it like a 3GS. This wasn't just a normal case; it had all the proper new holes cut out for the new switches and ports and camera holes and camera flash. But it looks like something from Belkin or Case-Mate. It's a perfect disguise.

The fact that it's in the wild right now
Logic can also narrow down why this phone is this year's iPhone, rather than next year's model or one from the previous year's, just because it was found in the wild right now. It makes no sense for Apple to be testing 2011's model right now, in super finished form—they wouldn't be nearly finished with it. The phone also can't be last year's test model, because last year's model (based on the iPhone 3GS teardowns) components were way different. No micro-sim, much bigger logic board, no flash, no front camera, smaller battery and an inferior camera. That only leaves the 2010 model.

The guts, the definitive proof
And finally, when we opened it up, we saw multiple components that were clearly labeled APPLE. And, because the components were fit extremely well and extremely conformed inside the case (obvious that it was designed FOR this case), it was evident that it was not just a 3G or a 3GS transplanted into another body. That probably wouldn't even be possible, with the size constraints of the thinner device and larger battery.

At first sight, this new iPhone's industrial design seems so different from the previous two generations that it could be discarded as just a provisional case. Even while the finish is so perfect that it feels right out of the factory, some of the design language elements that are common to all Apple products are not there. Gone is the flushed screen glass against the metal rim. Gone is the single volume button, replaced by two separate ones. Gone is the seamless rim, and gone are the tapered, curved surfaces.

Why the plastic back?
The plastic back is the most obvious of the design choices. The iPad, with its all aluminum back, has seen its Wi-Fi reception radius reduced. The 3G version comes with a large patch on the top, probably big enough to provide with good reception. But the new tiny iPhone doesn't have the luxury of space: It needs to provide as much signal as possible using a very small surface. I'm sure Jon Ive is dying to get rid of the plastic back, and go iPad-style all the way, but the wireless reception is the most important thing in a cellphone. A necessary aesthetical-functional trade-off.

Why separate volume buttons?
This new iPhone uses separate buttons for the volume instead of the single button that you can find in the iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. It's one of the factors that may indicate that this is a provisional case, until you think about one of the most requested features for Apple's phone: A physical button for the camera. The new iPhone has a bigger sensor and a flash, which means that the camera function keeps gaining more weight. It's only logical to think that Apple may have implemented this two-button approach to provide with a physical shutter button. It makes sense.

Why the seams?
The seams are perhaps the most surprising aspect of the new design. They don't seem to respond to any aesthetic criteria and, in terms of function, we can't adventure any explanation. But they don't look bad. In fact, the whole effect seems good, like something you will find in a Braun product from the 70s.

It's doubtful that the seams are arbitrary, however. Either they will disappear from the final product, or they have a function we can't foresee at this time.

Why no tapering or curves?
As you will see in a future article, the new iPhone is so miniaturized and packed that there's no room for the tapered, curved surfaces. Everything is as tight as it could get, with no space for anything but electronics.

The phone measures 4.50 by 2.31 by 0.37 inches. It weighs 140 grams. The 3GS weighs 137 grams on a postal scale (and 135 on Apple's official measurements). So, in comparison, it's 3 grams heavier. The battery is 5.25 WHr at 3.7V, compared to the 3GS battery, which is 4.51 WHr at 3.7V. On the back of the phone, it said it was XX GB, but since we were unable to get the phone to a running state, we couldn't see exactly how large it was.

 

Freaking amazing. As a person who never really liked the round mound of a back in the 3GS, the sleeker, flatter, squarer design is super welcome. It feels sturdier than the 3GS, and much less plasticky. The metal buttons give it a heftier feel—less of a toy—than all previous generations. The closest analog to it would be the original iPhone, which is more square and heavy than its newer brothers.

It feels completely natural up to your face, and the fact that both the front and the back are glossy makes no difference on how well you can hold it without the phone slipping. And because it's thinner, it feels even nicer in your pants.

Apple has updated the exterior drastically different from the 3G and 3GS. That design is old, it felt out of place compared to the rest of their products and needed desperately to be killed. Now you have a thinner body, a much more pleasant form factor with no wasted space and lots of hard lines. But the design isn't the most important part that's changed.

They've delivered many of the features people have been waiting for—that damn front camera!—while at the same time upgrading everything else. Flash, better back camera, better battery life and another microphone for better voice clarity. People who bought the 3G two years ago and are now in the perfect position to upgrade and get a dramatically different, and better, phone. If confirmed this summer, and if it performs as we expect, this next-generation iPhone looks like a winner.

Internet communication has boomed in the past few years. It allows for people to talk to each other around the world, the best thing being that it's all free! Programs such as Windows Live Messenger, Skype and other VoIP programs have rendered this possible for us. To meet this demand, many audio companies have taken this opportunity to give consumers the right headset for their needs. Logitech is amongst those. See More..

New Technology Concept, Mobile Broadband:
If you’re tired from regulating broadband services that can not take you anywhere, then the service of mobile broadband is for you. Mobile Broadband comes with a USB device with built in SIM card. There is a unique number to each mobile device to a broadband phone. See More..

TwinMOS Mobile Disk A2:
Following the popularity of the USB disk, TwinMOS is enriching your life again with the release of the A2; The convenience and portability of USB disks have made them a part of many people's everyday lives. See More...