"IRVINE, Calif., July 15, 2008 – Toshiba Storage Device Division (SDD), the pioneer in small form factor hard disk drives (HDDs), today announced the industry's first commercially available 200GB-per-platter 5,400 RPM HDD, which will provide the highest HDD capacity at 400GB for integration into mobile PCs for the holiday season. In addition, the company also introduced a new family of high-end 7,200 RPM HDDs, offering up to 320GB storage capacity and superior performance.

The standard 9.5-millimeter-high package of both HDDs fits existing product designs, enabling an easier migration path to high-capacity storage for portable PC, gaming and personal storage manufacturers catering to the diversified needs of mobile users in the digital age.

In addition to increasing areal density to 308 gigabits-per-square-inch, the 400GB MK4058GSX incorporates acoustic techniques that make the 5,400 RPM HDD nearly inaudible during seek operations. The large storage capacity and silent operation of the MK4058GSX are particularly suited for video and audio playback.

For optimum user experience in data-intensive applications such as image processing, video editing, multimedia and gaming, Toshiba’s new 7,200 RPM, MKxx54GSY series delivers first-rate performance through a combination of factors, including optimized firmware, caching algorithms and fast data throughput of 1,020 megabits per second.

The MKxx54GSY provides a variety of capacity options ranging from 320 to 80GB. For added durability in mobile applications, free-fall sensor options also are available on the new HDD series."

"San Jose, California – July 15, 2008 -- Super Talent Technology, a leading manufacturer of Flash storage solutions and DRAM memory modules, today announced the PICO-C Gold, a 24-carat gold plated, water resistant USB drive that weighs less than a nickel (~4.7 grams), is smaller than an SD card, and can store over 2,000 MP3 songs.

Super Talent uses chip-on-board (COB) technology to squeeze 8GB of Flash into an impressively small 31.3mm x 12.4mm x 3.4mm gold plated steel case. The Pico-C Gold is shock resistant, water resistant, and has up to 200X (30MB/sec) transfer speeds. The Pico-C Gold includes a sturdy gold chain, and looks more like a fashion accessory than a high performance Flash drive.

“Is it the speed, the ruggedness, the water resistance, the incredibly tiny size or the pure elegance that people like most in our Pico-C drive? Who knows? But, this combination of features and style is not offered in any other terrestrial storage device, which makes it a real craze”, commented Super Talent Marketing Director, Joe James.

All Super Talent USB drives are backed with a lifetime warranty. The 8GB Pico-C Gold drive, part number STU8GPCG, is available from NewBiiz and NewEgg today for under $40."

"As computer chips get smaller and are pushed to work harder they are also getting too hot for digital gear to handle. That's why IBM researchers believe that liquid cooling microprocessors, instead of air (or fan) cooling them, will be more effective.

Researchers from IBM's Zurich Research Lab and Berlin's Fraunhofer Institute have figured out a method to send "tiny rivers of water" through layers of chip stacks. So-called 3D chip stacks are better for computer speed than the standard side-by-side CPU configurations because stacks reduce the distance between circuits and in turn speed up processing time. That translates into software applications running faster and more reliably."

"Once this transaction closes, customers of both companies will have access to an expanded range of products and services, including a premier lineup of basic and advanced devices and an expanded IN Network calling community. Alltel customers also will benefit from advanced services including over-the- air downloadable music from a three-million-song library, and a network that is nationwide, for a uniform coast-to-coast experience. They also will be able to take advantage of industry-leading consumer policies, including Test Drive and Worry Free Guarantee®.

"This move will create an enhanced platform of network coverage, spectrum and customer care to better serve the growing needs of both Alltel and Verizon Wireless customers for reliable basic and advanced broadband wireless services," said Lowell McAdam, Verizon Wireless president and chief executive officer."

"Firefox fans looking for a major update to the open-source Web browser probably will get a final version of it next month.

"We're looking for final ship sometime in June," said Mike Schroepfer, Mozilla's vice president of engineering, in an interview Wednesday. Mozilla, which was spun out of AOL more than 10 years ago, oversees the Firefox programming project."

"NEW YORK (AP) — It's the big horse race in the gadget market this year: Who's going to win consumers' hearts with a box that brings Internet movie downloads to the TV set? Now, we have a tiny box that deserves to be a winner.

Roku Inc., a small maker of Internet-connected media devices, this week introduced a black box that grabs movies and TV shows from Netflix, the DVD rental-by-mail pioneer.

You attach the Netflix Player to your TV, and connect it to your home broadband connection over Wi-Fi or a cable. Pick a movie using the included remote, wait a minute for the download to start, and then watch on your TV.

There are couple of other boxes on the market that do the same thing, including the Apple TV. The Roku Netflix Player, which is half the size of a Nintendo Wii, isn't really better than any of them, but it has one tremendously attractive feature: its price. In a shaky economy, that's the kind of feature that seals the deal.

It costs just $99.99. Even more importantly, it's cheap to use. If you already subscribe to Netflix's DVD rentals, you pay nothing extra to watch as much Internet video as you want, as long as your monthly plan is $8.99 or more."

"File-sharing site TorrentSpy has been ordered to pay $110m (£56m) in damages to the Motion Picture Association of America for copyright infringement.

The ruling from a court in the United States comes just weeks after the website shut down.

TorrentSpy facilitated the illegal sharing of copyright files by hosting a collection of links to films and music.

TorrentSpy parent company Valence Media and its owners Justin Bunnell and Wes Park have filed for bankruptcy."

"Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said the company could re-evaluate its plans to phase out Windows XP by June 30, if customers demand that it stick around. So far, they have not.

"XP will hit an end-of-life. We have announced one. If customer feedback varies, we can always wake up smarter, but right now, we have a plan for end-of-life for new XP shipments," Ballmer said during a Thursday news conference in Belgium, according to Reuters.

Big-name computer makers are still scheduled to have to stop selling models with Windows XP installed by the end of June. Mainstream technical support will continue to be available for Windows XP through April 2009, and more limited support will continue through April 2014."