Pioneer Japan sent out a press today, announcing what it claims to be the world's thinnest and lightest slot-loading Blu-ray Disc writer. Thanks to a magnesium alloy case, the BDR-XU03J 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-XU03J 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-XU03J 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 Windows-based tablets and iOS devices. The BDR-XU03J ships with authoring and playback software from CyberLink and is expected to hit stores in late January for about 23,000 Yen ($211US).

Today Nero announces the launch of its Nero 2015 Classic and Nero 2015 Platinum digital media suites which make it easier to burn, rip, play, edit and share digital content anytime, anywhere, on any device. The software suites feature more than 10 all-new mobile apps and major enhancements to Nero’s flagship PC applications Nero Burning ROM (advanced ripping, copying and disc burning), Nero Video (video editing and authoring), Nero Recode (video ripping and transcoding), Nero Express (easy ripping, copying, and disc burning) and Nero MediaHome (streaming server, audio/photo/video manager, slideshow creator).

“The major enhancements to Nero 2015 reflect feedback received directly from consumers, who are looking to take their content anywhere and view it across all of their devices,” said Jürgen Kurz, CEO, Nero AG. “Our brand new version not only allows consumers to enjoy their videos, photos, and music more easily on any device, but also offers enhanced media management, video authoring, editing, and burning features which are not available in any other comparable software solution.”

Add a comment

Toshiba’s Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today introduced the TransMemory ID USB 3.0 Flash Drive, a simpler storage solution for people who are on the go and need a better way to organize their ever-growing collection of digital files.

The slim design, unique space for labeling and wide range of colors and storage capacities make the TransMemory ID USB 3.0 Flash Drive a smart, simple way for students, families and business professionals to organize, personalize, and store their growing collection of digital files with fewer devices. The dedicated label area makes it easy to organize files by category, family member, event, class or project. With USB 3.0, this device transfers videos, photos and other large files quickly and conveniently with any USB 3.0 compatible device. With built-in plug-and-play, for both Mac® and PC, up to 64GB1 of storage capacity and a slim, space-saving design that will facilitate the use of multiple TransMemory ID USB 3.0 Flash Drives (even where USB port placement is side by side), the TransMemory ID USB 3.0 is an easy solution for all storage needs.

Add a comment

Lexar, a leading global brand of flash memory products, today announced the new Lexar Professional 2000x SDHC/SDXC UHS-II cards, the fastest UHS-II memory cards available on the market today. To complement the new line and create a full portfolio of SD UHS-II products, Lexar also announced new Professional 1000x SDHC/SDXC UHS-II cards and the new Professional Workflow SR2, a SD UHS-II USB 3.0 reader.

The new Lexar Professional 2000x SDHC/SDXC UHS-II memory cards leverage the new Ultra High Speed II, UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) specification, to quickly capture and transfer high-quality photos and 1080p full-HD, 3D, and 4K video. Available in 32GB and 64GB capacities, the cards offer transfer speeds up to 300MB per second and write speeds up to 260MB per second. Additionally, every 2000x SDHC/SDXC UHS-II card includes a SD UHS-II reader for high-speed file transfer of photos and videos from the card to any PC or Mac®, offering users immediate performance right out of the package.

Rounding out the new SD UHS-II card line up, the Lexar Professional 1000x SDHC/SDXC UHS-II cards provide read transfer speeds up to 150MB per second and write transfer speeds up to 95MB per second. The cards are available in a full range of capacities, from 16GB to 256GB. The Professional 1000x SDHC/SDXC UHS-II line of memory cards offer professional photographers, videographers, and enthusiasts great performance at a more affordable price.

Add a comment

Toshiba’s Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today introduced EXCERIA UHS-I SD Memory Cards, a new line of EXCERIA products focused on continuous shooting and full HD (including 4K resolution) video, a perfect fit for professional or amateur photographers in a wide-range of sizes at an affordable price.

Great for professional DSLR photographers, videographers and content creators who demand high-performance tools, these EXCERIA SD cards offer faster write speeds than Class 10 SD cards, have greater mobile storage capacity (up to 128GB) than other EXCERIA products and include UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) support for 4K2K video recording and playback.3 With EXCERIA UHS-I SD cards, digital pros, enthusiast photographers and amateurs can enjoy fast-motion capture and playback of high-resolution content, plus the benefits of high-speed continuous shooting, real-time full HD video recording and the time-saving value of lightning-fast data transfers for large files. With EXCERIA, backing up 1,000 photographs takes only one-third the time needed by other UHS-I SD cards.

Add a comment

Micron Technology, Inc., today announced a next-generation, client-class solid state drive (SSD) that sets a new bar for low-power, high-performance storage for personal computers. The M600 SATA SSD—specifically designed to take advantage of Micron's leading-edge NAND Flash technology—addresses the storage demands of modern mobile computing applications, including Ultrabook platforms and tablets, as well as performance-oriented PC desktops and video capture systems.

"Storage is an important enabler for ultrathin designs in personal portable computing devices," said Greg Wong, founder and principal analyst at Forward Insights. "Micron's M600 delivers the power efficiency and performance that helps to enable instant-on performance and responsiveness as well as the all-day battery life demanded by next-generation computing systems."

To help meet consumers' ever-increasing expectations for longer battery life, the M600 offers class-leading SSD power efficiency. It draws less than 2 milliwatts (mW) in sleep mode and averages 150mW during active use. Typical laptop hard drives require exponentially more power when idle (130mW) and ten times as much power while they spin their platters to access data during active use (1400mW to 2000mW).

Add a comment

SanDisk Corporation, a global leader in flash storage solutions, today announced the world’s fastest microSD UHS-I memory card, the 64GB SanDisk Extreme PRO microSDXC UHS-I card. The company also recently announced the 512GB SanDisk Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I card, the world’s highest capacity full-sized SD memory card. These new offerings expand the company’s impressive portfolio of 4K Ultra High Definition (3840x2160p) capable products. For more than 25 years, SanDisk has been committed to delivering breakthrough technologies that expand the possibilities of storage.

4K Ultra HD video resolution is the next generation of video quality ushering a new era of consumer devices that require fast, reliable storage as a core enabling component. The exceptional resolution that 4K Ultra HD video delivers comes at the expense of very large files that can reach up to four times the size of a Full HD (1080p) video file. The SanDisk Extreme PRO microSDXC UHS-I card, the fastest microSD UHS-I memory card in the world, now comes with up to 64GB of storage to address consumers’ desire to generate high quality 4K Ultra HD content. With transfer speeds of up to 95MB/s, users can shoot like a pro and still experience world-class responsiveness from their smartphone, tablet or action camera. The card also features Class 10 and UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) ratings, which are recommended by the SD Association for 4K Ultra HD video capture.

Add a comment