Gadgets and Gizmos

ZyXEL First DMA1100P Home Plug AV digital media adapter

ZyXEL has taken the step of including the PowerPlug technology in something other than a plain old HomePlug adapter. ZyXEL has picked a digital media adapter the DMA1100P as its debut HomePlug enabled device, which is some kind of set-top box for accessing networked media.

Users can now toss content around on their home power lines at around 200Mbps and it also “automatically discovers all media files from DLNA supported devices and makes them available for browsing and playback.”

The DMA1100P streams HD digital content to a user’s home entertainment system from a home computer, or network storage devices over power lines, using the built-in HomePlug AV technology, at up to 200 Mbps.

Once connected to the network and the home entertainment system, it can be set up by using the included remote control.

It automatically discovers all media files from DLNA supported devices and makes them available for browsing and playback. (more…)

Samsung offers 128GB Solid State Drive

Samsung announced today that it would offer a 128GB Solid State Drive in the first half of 2008. The new drive uses multi-level-cell technology, using different voltages to store several bits per cell, and Samsung claims a write speed of 70Mbytes/sec - the fastest yet for storage of this type. The claimed read speed is 100MB/sec. Samsung pioneered the use of SSDs when it used a 32GB one in a version of its Q1 ultra-mobile.

Samsung’s 128GB SSD will be demonstrated in a notebook PC at CES 2008 in its Semiconductor Product Showcase, Room N236, at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), North Hall, 2nd Floor. The complete suite of Samsung SSDs will also be displayed at Samsung Electronics’ Booth 11033, in the LVCC’s Central Hall.

Featuring a 3.0 gigabit-per-second SATA II interface, the new 128GB SSD uses native command queuing and spread-spectrum clocking to add to its higher performance levels.

It also features device/host-initiated power management for an exceptionally low power consumption level of 0.5W in active mode. Samsung’s state-of-the-art wear-leveling technology, combined with its advanced flash management technology, provides high reliability for its MLC-based-SSD and a mean time between failures (MTBF) of one million hours. (more…)

SanDisk Flash Drive

SanDisk has made the first USB flash drive with automatic on-line backlup call Cruzer Titanium. The drive comes with a six month subscription to Belnsync back- up service and a two-year subscription to Boomerangit.com.

Lost files can be retrieved using any Internet connected computer if the drive is lost, destroyed or corrupted. Bommerangit provides tracking of lost or stolen electronics by essentially providing a vin number for items registered on their site.

The Cruzer, which SanDisk believes to be the first USB drive of its kind, is the most recent in a wave of products that link to the internet to offer new features that would have been impossible on offline, stand-alone devices. After initial registration, when the user is online and the device is plugged in, the Cruzer will sync automatically with the online storage account whenever new data is added.

If the computer is not online when files are copied to the drive, the backup will take place the next time there is an internet connection. Files deleted from the drive will be kept online for 30 days, as long as the total of backed up files from the device and deleted files do not exceed the physical capacity of the drive. (more…)

Seagate Removable Disk Storage Market

Seagate Technology has announced that it has joined the iVDR Consortium as a Board Member company. The iVDR (which stands for Information Versatile Disc for Removable usage) was formed in 2002 by leading technology, consumer and auto companies, including Canon Inc., Fujitsu Ltd., Hitachi, Ltd., Pioneer Corporation, Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., Sharp Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation.

Two specifications have been produced by iVDR, one for the cartridge type designed with portability in mind, and the other for built-in but still removable drives embedded inside equipment. The built-in specification envisages three disk formats: 3.5-inch; 2.5-inch; and 1.8-inch. These formats do not have the cartridge of the general iVDR formats.

“The iVDR Consortium is very happy to include Seagate Technology as a Board Member of the iVDR Consortium. With the worldwide market reach of Seagate and long list of products and partnerships, the Seagate brand brings a considerable amount of experience and expertise to the group,” said Dr. Toshiaki Hioki, chairperson of iVDR Consortium.

Sony VPL-VW200

The new VPL-VW60 and VPL-VW200 incorporate SXRD technology to enhance the image which may be achieved at large scale. This is done by minimizing the gap between individual pixels, helping to reduce the grid-like effect which is sometimes seen with projected images.

And with an image size of 80 inches able to be achieved from a minimum distance of 2.5 meters between the projector and the screen, the units could be good for most lounges around the country.

The VPL-VW200 is the most color-accurate front projector we’ve seen for less than $30,000, and it basically smokes anything at or near its price range in overall image accuracy.

Sony must have listened to our incessant complaining about inaccurate primary and secondary colors, as the company has delivered near perfection in that area.

This unit also adds some really flexible setup features, and it looks great hanging from the ceiling. As of this writing, the Sony VPL-VW200 is the new high-end projector to beat. (more…)