Buffalo Japan sent out a press release this morning, announcing two new 12x Blu-ray Disc writers. Based on what appears to be the LG BH12NS30, the internal BR3D-12FBS-BK and external, USB 3.0 equipped BR3D-12U3 are capable of 12x BD-R, 12x 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 10x. The BR3D-12U3 is also backwards compatible with USB 2.0. However, as Buffalo is quick to point out, its BD-R writing speed is limited to 8x.

The BR3D-12FBS-BK and BR3D-12U3 come bundled with CyberLink's Blu-ray Disc Suite and are expected to cost 39,100 Yen ($433US) and 28,500 Yen ($316US), respectively, when they hits stores in mid-June.

LaCie today announced the safest mobile hard drive on the market – the LaCie Rugged Safe, offering multiple levels of data protection. The Rugged Safe features unbreakable 128-bit AES hardware encryption, the safest biometric authentication technology, and a shock-proof enclosure.

Designed for people on the go, the LaCie Rugged Safe is bus-powered through USB or FireWire and is compatible with Mac or PC. Where other safe products require software installation on every workstation, the Rugged Safe is plug & play. Once configured, it will grant a user access to his or her data on any computer with a single finger swipe.

More than just a superior solution for portability, the Rugged Safe combines a 128-bit AES encryption engine and biometric fingerprint access – preventing unauthorized access. Professionals can protect and share sensitive files or intellectual property with up to 10 registered users.

Add a comment

VIA Labs, Inc., a leading supplier of USB 3.0 integrated chip controllers, today announced the VIA Labs VL800 USB 3.0 Host Controller. Adding to the industry’s leading line-up of USB 3.0 products, the VL800 is a single chip solution that allows a PCI Express-equipped platform to interface with up to four SuperSpeed USB peripheral devices simultaneously – double the capability of any currently available USB 3.0 host controller.

USB 3.0 (also known as SuperSpeed USB) allows for a maximum data transfer rate of up to 5Gbps, or ten times the throughput available to USB 2.0 based devices. Other enhancements provide for improved interaction between device and host controller, including important advancements in power management. The tremendous increase in throughput allows for the quick and easy transfer of large-volume data and will hasten the development of a new generation of high-performance consumer electronic products.

Add a comment

Lexar Media today announced that it is shipping Lexar® Professional 133x Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) memory cards in 16GB and 32GB capacities to retail outlets. The Lexar Professional SDHC cards will be available in B&H and Adorama stores in the U.S. For additional information about the 16GB and 32GB Lexar Professional 133x SDHC cards, visit www.lexar.com.

The Lexar Professional SDHC memory cards offer the maximum Class 10 speed rating, providing a blazing-fast minimum sustained write speed capability of 133x (20MB per second), while the higher capacities of the new 16GB and 32GB cards make them an excellent choice for shooting higher-resolution images and large-sized, high-definition video files with SDHC-compatible digital SLR cameras. In addition to enabling photographers to fully leverage a digital SLR’s high-speed processor, the Professional SDHC cards significantly accelerate image download times from the card to a host computer, improving the digital workflow.

Add a comment