iSSDs are intended to be integrated into mobile devices that require storage, like mobile phones or flash-based media players. The drive will offer 160MB/sec sequential read rates, meaning that it can transfer up to 160MB of data that is stored on the drive in order. It also offers 100MB/sec sequential write speeds. It measures 16mm x 20mm x 1.85mm and weighs less than a gram. It has a SATA interface to make it compatible with all popular operating systems. The drives will be installed by soldering them to the main board of the device they are integrated into. No pricing was given.

Sandisk Offering Postage Stamp Sized 64GB SSD is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

The new SanDisk P2 and S2 units are quoted as being up to 50 times faster than SanDisk’s original pSSD. The P2 and S2 are available in 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB capacities. The target markets are next-generation netbooks and smartbooks where maximum battery life is achieved through the use of low-energy ARM processors and SSD technology.

SanDisk Announces Netbook-centric pSSD is a post by Truc from Notebooks.com.

OCZ Announces Summit SSD Available is a post by Truc from Notebooks.com.

Kingston Technologies, well known for its digital storage solutions, announced a bundled kit utilizing Intel’s X-25M SATA SSDs in 80 and 160GB capacities. The kit includes both a 2.5″ external enclosure for use in notebook applications as well as a 3.5″ drive bay mounting bracket for use in desktop applications. The Intel X-25M is capable of 250MB/s read and 70MB/s write speeds and is backed by a 3-year warranty with 24/7 tech support.

Pricing information is provided below:

The full press release can be found here.

Kingston Releases SSDNow M Series Bundle is a post by Truc from Notebooks.com.

Netbooks, like the HP Mini 1000, already have small affordable SanDisk flash drives, but in a few months it will finally be kinda-sorta reasonable to choose a SSD instead of a hard drive. Manufacturers will offer the G3 SSDs as upgrade options on new notebooks or you’ll be able to buy one to upgrade your notebook yourself.

The SanDisk 120GB SSD drive will cost $249 and the 240GB version will cost $499.

SSDs have several advantages over traditional hard drives, but until now the prices have been astronomical. SanDisk’s SSD prices are still higher than traditional hard drives, but they’re going in the right direction.

To learn more about Solid State drives, you can visit SanDisk.com/SSD

Full press release from Sandisk:

SANDISK UNLEASHES WORLD’S FASTEST MLC SOLID-STATE DRIVE (SSD) FAMILY

Affordable Third-Generation SSDs Based on Multi-Level Cell (MLC) Flash Technology, Equivalent to a 40,000 rpm Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

CES 2009, South Hall, Booth # 30659, LAS VEGAS –Jan. 8, 2009 SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) today unveiled its third-generation family of solid-state drives (SSDs). Using multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash memory technology, SanDisk’s G3 Series establishes new benchmarks in performance and price-performance leadership in the SSD industry.

Designed as drop-in replacements for hard-disk drives (HDDs) in notebook PCs, the initial members in the SanDisk G3 family are SSD C25-G3 and SSD C18-G3 in the standard 2.5” and 1.8” form factors respectively, each available with a SATA-II interface. Available in capacities of 60, 120 and 240GB*, the unit MSRPs are $149, $249 and $499, respectively.

The G3 SSDs are more than five times faster than the fastest 7,200 RPM HDDs and more than twice as fast as SSDs shipping in 2008, clocking in at 40,000 vRPM1 and anticipated sequential performance of 200MB/s read and 140MB/s write3. The G3 SSDs provide a Longterm Data Endurance (LDE) of 160 terabytes written (TBW) for the 240GB version, sufficient for over 100 years of typical user usage. (2,3)

SanDisk’s G3 SSD has met the demand of a 120GB SSD at less than $250 with an exceptional user experience” said Rich Heye, sr. vp and general manager, Solid State Drives (SSD) business unit, SanDisk. Three key features developed by SanDisk enable this new design: a new SSD algorithm called ExtremeFFSTM allows random write performance to potentially improve by as much as 100 times over conventional algorithms; reliable 43nm multi-level cell (MLC) all bit-line (ABL) NAND flash; and SanDisk’s new SSD controller, which ties together the NAND and the algorithm.”

With large capacities and aggressive pricing, SSDs are poised to enter mainstream corporate notebooks in 2009.” Heye explained, Given the current economic environment, corporate IT managers have also described a desire to extend the service life of existing notebooks. These notebooks are already maxed out on DRAM, and struggle to meet users’ performance expectations. These existing WinXP notebooks can be upgraded to a 60GB SSD for $149, resulting in a system that frequently outperforms a new notebook with a HDD, thereby delaying the need for large capital purchases.”

Web-Feet Research has tested the replacement of the HDDs in three year old Notebooks with SSDs and has found an improvement in boot times, application loading and general user responsiveness that, in many cases, exceeds what a new notebook with an HDD can deliver,” said Alan Niebel, Principal at Web-feet Research. In these challenging economic times, IT managers are looking for ways to reduce IT spending without adversely affecting their user base and the SanDisk G3 SSD solution extends the notebook replacement cycle an additional two years at minimal cost.”

The SanDisk G3 SSDs will be available to this market in mid 2009, in a 2.5” PATA configuration expressly for this purpose. In addition, the SanDisk G3 SSDs will be available on sandisk.com for do-it-yourself (DIY) enthusiasts. An SSD upgrade improves the user experience like nothing else you can do to a computer.” Heye concluded.

SanDisk’s flash technology is produced at fabrication plants in Yokkaichi, Japan, where SanDisk and its partner, Toshiba Corporation, share the output. The SSD controller and firmware were designed by SanDisk expressly for the G3 SSD.

If you would like to learn more about flash and the significant role that it plays inside laptops and other consumer electronic devices, please visit SanDisk’s SSD Academy at http://www.sandisk.com/ssd. Here you can learn about solid state drives and the great promise they present to the computing market

SanDisk G3 Solid State Drives Explained (CES 2009) is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

Many thin and light notebooks and netbooks utilize 1.8-inch drives because of their smaller footprints and lower energy consumption.

Higher capacity SSDs are exciting, but I’m still waiting for prices to come down before I buy any of my own.

Here’s the press release from Toshiba:

Toshiba Launches Industry’s First 512GB Solid State Drive and Next-Generation SSD Family Using 43nm MLC NAND

New SSD Family Achieves High Levels of Performance, Endurance, Capacity and Reliability to Meet Market Requirements for Notebook Computers, Gaming and Home Entertainment Systems

IRVINE, Calif. and TOKYO, Dec. 18 /PRNewswire/ — Toshiba Corp. (Toshiba) and Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC)*, its subsidiary in the Americas, today announced the expansion of their line up of NAND-flash-based solid state drives (SSD) with the industry’s first 2.5-inch 512-gigabyte (GB)(1) SSD and a broad family of fast read/write SSDs based on 43 nanometer (nm) Multi-Level Cell NAND. The new drives provide a high level of performance and endurance for use in notebook computers, gaming and home entertainment systems, and will be showcased at International CES 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada from January 8 – 11, 2009.

In addition to the 2.5-inch, 512GB drive, the 43nm NAND SSD family also includes capacities of 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB, offered in 1.8-inch or 2.5-inch drive enclosures or as SSD Flash Modules. Samples of the new drives will be available in the first quarter (January to March) of 2009, with mass production in the second (April to June) quarter.

Toshiba’s second-generation SSDs bring increased capacity and performance for notebook computers. They utilize an advanced MLC controller, which is also compatible with further advanced processes, that achieves higher read/write speeds, parallel data transfers and wear leveling to optimize performance, reliability and endurance. The drives enable improved system responsiveness with a maximum sequential read speed of 240MB per second (MBps)(2) and maximum sequential write speed of 200MBps enabling an improvement in overall computing experience, and faster boot and application loading times. The drives also offer AES data encryption to prevent unauthorized data access.

“The solid state drive market is evolving rapidly, with higher performance drives to meet market requirements, and differentiated product families targeted for appropriate applications,” said Mr. Kiyoshi Kobayashi, Vice President of Toshiba Corporation’s Semiconductor Company. “This new 43nm SSD family balances value/performance characteristics for its targeted consumer applications, through use of MLC NAND and an advanced controller architecture.”

Toshiba and many market analysts expect SSDs to begin to gain significant traction in the market in 2009, growing to approximately 10% of the notebook market by 2010, and 25% of the notebook market by 2012. Toshiba expects the value/performance of its MLC NAND-based SSD line-up to help speed the acceptance of solid state storage.

Toshiba will continue to promote innovations that widen the horizons of the NAND Flash market and support its continued leadership in that market. The company will spur demand for SSDs in notebook PCs, netbooks, laptops and digital consumer products by enhancing its lineup, offering products with different densities and interfaces in a range of packages, while advancing device performance. For more information on Toshiba SSDs, please visit ssd.toshiba.com.

Outline of the new products

Form Factor Capacity Product Number Samples Start of

Mass

Production

2.5-inch Serial ATA-2 512GB THNS512GG8BB 1Q, 2009 2Q, 2009

2.5-inch Serial ATA-2 256GB THNS256GG8BB 1Q, 2009 2Q, 2009

2.5-inch Serial ATA-2 128GB THNS128GG4BB 1Q, 2009 2Q, 2009

2.5-inch Serial ATA-2 64GB THNS064GG2BB 1Q, 2009 2Q, 2009

1.8-inch Serial ATA-2 256GB THNS256GG8BA 1Q, 2009 2Q, 2009

1.8-inch Serial ATA-2 128GB THNS128GG4BA 1Q, 2009 2Q, 2009

1.8-inch Serial ATA-2 64GB THNS064GG2BA 1Q, 2009 2Q, 2009

1.8-inch Flash Module 256GB THNS256GG8BM 1Q, 2009 2Q, 2009

Serial ATA-2

1.8-inch Flash Module 128GB THNS128GG4BM 1Q, 2009 2Q, 2009

Serial ATA-2

1.8-inch Flash Module 64GB THNS064GG2BM 1Q, 2009 2Q, 2009

Serial ATA-2

Product specification

2.5-inch Serial 1.8-inch Serial 1.8-inch Flash

ATA-2 ATA-2 Module Serial ATA-2

Size 69.9 (W) x 9.5(H) 54.0(W) x 5.0(H) 53.6(W) x 3.0(H) x

x100(D) mm x78.5(D) mm 70.6(D) mm

Mass 66g (Typ.) 44g (Typ.) 15g (Typ.)

Interface Serial ATA-2 (3Gbps)(3)

Voltage 3.3V (Module, 1.8-inch type), 5V (2.5-inch type)

Reading speed Maximum speed 240MBps (sequential mode)

Writing speed Maximum speed at 200MBps (sequential mode)

Temperature 0 to 70 degrees Celsius

MTTF(4) 1 million hours

*About Toshiba Corp. and TAEC

Toshiba Intros 512GB Solid State Drives for Notebooks is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

If you’re looking for performance and style in a small package the TT might be just what you’re looking for. Besides a smaller than average display, the TT has very little in common with low-cost netbooks that are flooding the market. With a starting price of $2,000, the VAIO TT is definitely meant for those with fatter wallets.

The VAIO TT uses Intel’s Centrino 2 technology, including ULV Core 2 Duo processors and integrated GMA 4500MHD graphics. The VAIO TT can be loaded with up to 4GB of RAM and with dual 128GB solid state drives (256GB total).

This is the first time an 11-inch notebook’s included a Blu-ray disc drive. The drive can read and write CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs, which are capable of storing up to 50GB of data for backup or archiving.
The VAIO TT includes an HDMI port so you can watch Blu-ray discs on on an HDTV.

The VAIO TT comes with an integrated 3G card, with service provided by Sprint so you can stay connected wherever you are.

The VAIO TT comes with either Windows Vista Home Premium, Vista Business,Vista Ultimateor Windows XP Pro.

The TT model starts at $2,000. The Blu-ray Disc version starts at $2,700, and the SSD models with a single 128GB drive will cost around $2,750. Fully loaded systems will cost in excess of $3,000.

The VAIO TT is available in a premium carbon black, silk black, champagne gold and crimson red.

Sony VAIO TT Series, Smallest Blu-ray Disc Notebook is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

The Core Series V2 SSDs are rated to read data at up to 170MB/sec and write at up 98MB/sec.

Solid state drives offer many benefits compared to traditional notebook hard drives, including improved reliability since there are no moving parts, but low capacities and high prices mean they’re generally reserved for highly mobile and expensive systems such as the Lenovo X300 and MacBook Air.

OCZ Core V2 SSD Specs:
Capacitiy: 30GB, 60GB, 120GB or 250GB
Read: up to 170 MB/sec**
Write: up to 98 MB/sec**
Seek: <.2-.3ms
Slim 2.5″ Design
100.2 x 70 x 9.3mm
Lightweight 77g
Operating Temp: -10C ~ +70C
Storage Temp: -55C ~ +140C
Low Power Consumption
Shock Resistant 1500G
RAID Support
Mini USB 2.0 Port
MTBF 1.5 million hours
2 year warranty

OCZ Intros Core Series V2 Notebook SSDs is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

Toshiba will ship three solid state drives with SATA interfaces, including 32GB, 64GB and 128GB versions.

The maximum read speed is 100MB a second, and the maximum write speed of 40MB a second with the SATA2 interface (transfer rate of 3Gbps), which is compliant with high speed serial interface. The estimated operating life is 1,000,000 hours.

A 128GB SSD capacity is the minimum required for users to adopt them without feeling like they’re sacrificing too much compared to hard disk drives. Just a year ago the big announcements were about 32GB flash hard drives, which are far too small for most users.

via Engadget

128GB SSD for Laptops from Toshiba is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.

The Super Talent SSDs can operate in extreme heat conditions, from -40C to 85C. The SSDs will be sold directly to OEMs at what’s sure to be a hefty price tag. They will be direct replacements for 3.5-inch SATA hard disk drives.

“Weâ€â„¢re using our expertise in flash technology and our own controller to develop maximum density solid state storage solutions. This may well be the worldâ€â„¢s highest capacity SSD available today. Itâ€â„¢s a big addition to our already broad line of SSD products that firmly positions Super Talent as the market leader,â€Â said Super Talent Marketing Director Joe James.

256GB 3.5-inch Super Talent Solid State Drive is a post by Xavier Lanier from Notebooks.com.