Pioneer Japan sent out a press today, announcing a Mac version of its latest slot-loading Blu-ray Disc writer. Thanks to a magnesium alloy case, the BDR-XU03JM weighs in at a mere 245g and measures only 133 × 133 × 12 mm. This stylish, USB powered drive is capable of 6x BD-R, 6x BD-R DL, 6x BD-R LTH, 2x BD-RE and 2x BD-RE DL writing speeds and a maximum BD-ROM read speed of 6x. The BDR-XU03JM also writes to triple- (100GB) and quad-layer (128GB) BD-R media at 4x and triple-layer (100GB) BD-RE media at 2x.

The BDR-XU03JM includes features like Pioneer's PureRead2+ technology and noise reducing firmware. The drive is also compatible with the company's APS-WF01J wireless dock, which lets it be used with iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad. The BDR-XU03JM ships with Roxio's Toast software and is expected to hit stores in mid-December for about 26,000 Yen ($219US).

Responding to the booming development of SSDs and the growing demands from users, QNAP Systems, Inc. has announced the TS-451S Turbo NAS, a 4-bay NAS that is optimized for high-density 2.5" SSDs and features an Intel Celeron 2.41GHz processor. Meanwhile, QNAP’s powerful SS-x53 Pro series (SMB models that are optimized for high-density SATA 6Gb/s 2.5" SSDs) have been renamed the TS-453S Pro (4-bay) and TS-853S Pro (8-bay) respectively to assist users in quickly recognizing different options in the same product category.

"Users can enjoy numerous benefits when using SSDs in a Turbo NAS, including a smaller physical size to host at least 4 SSDs, higher-density storage capacity, RAID 5 configuration for data protection, quieter system operations, a home theater multimedia experience with the HD Station, and the exclusive QvPC Technology that allows the Turbo NAS to be used as a PC," said Jason Hsu, product manager of QNAP. The TS-x53S Pro series can also work silently and reliably with 2.5" hard drives as well.

Mushkin Enhanced Mfg., an industry-leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance and mission-critical digital storage products, unveils the new REACTOR series of solid-state drives that offer cutting-edge 1TB capacity. The REACTOR SSD provides the extreme performance benefits of a solid-state drive, while enabling the big data capacity of mechanical hard drives.

“Solid-state drive technology is growing in leaps and bounds. Mushkin has been a leader in unleashing performance-maximizing products for a wide array of consumers, and we are pleased to be able to - once again - offer an SSD solution that can quench the growing need for large-scale data capacity at incredible speeds,” said Nicolas Villalobos, Director of Global Marketing at Mushkin.

Synology today launched DiskStation DS215j, a 2-bay NAS server designed for home and personal users to manage data, stream media contents, synchronize files on the cloud, while keeping their digital assets safe and secure.

"The DS215j is packed with advanced technologies to deliver feature-rich applications for users to organize and share their data. Its appealing price tag and intuitive user interface make it a perfect fit for users who are looking to upgrade their NAS or to use NAS for the first time," said Michael Wang, Synology's product manager.

Today, CDRLabs brings you a review of Western Digital's new Wi-Fi enabled storage drive, the My Passport Wireless. Available in 500GB, 1TB and 2TB capacities, the My Passport Wireless broadcasts its own wireless network that allows up to eight devices to connect at the same time and access any content stored on the drive. The drive can also be used to share an internet connection with multiple devices and stream up to four HD videos simultaneously. If that weren't enough, the My Passport Wireless features a built-in SD card slot, rechargeable battery with 20 hours of standby time and an ultra-fast USB 3.0 port for when you need to transfer large amounts of data.

Patriot, a leading manufacturer of computer memory, USB/flash and mobile accessories, added two new additions to its LX Series of SDXC and microSDXC cards reaching new capacities making it easier than ever before to capture images and record in high definition.

Patriot LX Series 256GB UHS-I Class 10 SDXC Flash Card

Compliant with the latest SD Association 3.0 specifications consumers are able to capture images and video in real time without having to worry about delay or storage. The perfect item for an aspiring photographer or a seasoned veteran using the latest equipment, it is fast enough to record in HD 1920 x 1080 and has a read speed of up to 80MB/s and a write speed of up to 20MB/s. Its write protection switch prevents users from accidentally deleting videos or images. The Patriot LX Class 10 SDXC memory cards are available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB and are backed by a 5 year warranty.

OCZ Storage Solutions -- a Toshiba Group Company and leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today announced its new enterprise-class Saber 1000 SSD Series designed for read-intensive applications targeting high-volume deployment hyperscale, web-hosting and distributed computing environments.  The SATA-based Saber 1000 Series solves demanding key customer business challenges and supported by an enterprise-optimized feature-set, large storage capacities, and low total cost of ownership (TCO).

The new series leverages the latest A19nm NAND flash from Toshiba and is available in 240GB, 480GB and 960GB usable capacities.  It utilizes OCZ’s internally developed Barefoot 3 controller and firmware which delivers consistent sustained I/O performance across all capacities to accelerate enterprise applications.