Nexto announces NVS2500 backup storage device

Nexto, a manufacturer of portable backup storage devices, has announced the NVS2500 backup device claiming to offer back up speeds of up to 80MB/s. Primarily designed for video professionals, it is compatible with Compact Flash, SDHC and MemoryStick Pro, though its fastest speeds are reserved for SxS media. Built around a 2.5” SATA hard drive, it offers eSATA/USB and FireWire support. It also allows simultaneous backup to both its internal HD and an external USB hard drive. It also features a 2.4" preview LCD, rugged construction and a free-fall sensor for maximum drive protection. The NVS2500 is available in 160GB, 250GB, 350GB and 500GB storage capacities.

Vestax Handy Trax USB Turntable Recorder Now On Sale!

Vestax introduced the handy trax USB, a turntable that plays vinyl and converts vinyl to WAV or AIFF up to 24bit/48kHz (CD quality is 16bit/44.1kHz) thanks to its USB interface. The handy trax USB comes with a built-in 4W speaker and offers volume controller fader as well. You can find line-in, line-out and, headphone out jacks. It was three play speeds, 33 1/3, 45, and 78 rpm.

Source
Vestax

Corega's Latest Four Bay RAID HDD Enclosure

If you you have no interest in a NAS but still need a solid RAID backup solution for your PC or home server, Corega's latest 4 bay RAID HDD enclosure is made for you. Behold the CG-HDC4EU3500!

Supporting RAID 0/1/3/5/10, it can be connected to PC or Mac via eSATA or USB and has been confirmed to work with 1.5TB HDDs, giving you up to 6TB of disk space in Raid 0. and 3TB in Raid 10.

It will be sold in Japan for around (€225).

Source
Akihabaranews

New Carat Emerald Hi-Fi USB Audio DAC

Styleaudio is a Korean based company with offices in Japan. Today they announced the availability of their latest Hi-Fi USB Audio DAC in Japan. The Carat-Emerald now replaces the one year old Carat Period.

I'm not going to give too many details simply because I could make myself look rediculous. The Carat Emerald (24bit, 192KHz / 1.5ppm TCXO / 300 ohm headphone accepted), is a REAL hi-fi audio DAC and headphone amp with USB support that provides ideal sound without having to carry heavy stuff in your ears.

Source
Akihabaranews

Nikon announces new Coolpix cameras

Nikon announces new Coolpix cameras

Nikon UK announces three new affordable, exciting COOLPIX cameras: the L100, L20 and the L19. All three are packed with high-quality features that make taking photographs a joy, without stretching the budget.

With superb quality NIKKOR lenses, these cameras are both easy to carry and easy to use and include features such as Scene Auto selector, Smile Mode and Blink Warning - making great images possible for everyone.

Mark Pekelharing, Product Manager Consumer Products at Nikon Europe B.V: “Not everyone wants to spend a lot of money on a camera. With these three new cameras, you get the best of both worlds: quality imaging with many exciting features, and all at an affordable price.”

Enjoy your photography
The L100 boasts 10 effective megapixels, Nikon’s EXPEED digital image processing system for high performance and a 15x zoom NIKKOR lens covering a wide-angle 28mm to super-telephoto 420mm (35mm-format equivalent) - you know you’re going to capture almost any scene in detail. Put it in macro mode, and you can even capture objects from as close up as 1 cm. With four anti-blur features, including Image Sensor Shift VR image stabilisation, you can rest assured that it’s also going to be in focus.

You will also appreciate the L100 if you enjoy sports photography, as the L100’s Sports Continuous Mode allows up to 13 fps. Scene Auto Selector automatically adjusts the settings to suit the scene. Smile Mode takes the picture when your subject looks his or her best whilst Blink Warning warns you when your subjects have their eyes closed. Other features include In-Camera Red-Eye Fix for beautiful portraits, D-Lighting for in-camera image enhancement, 15 Scene Modes, movies with sound, and Active Zoom, amongst others.

With a sensitivity range up to ISO 3200, problems images in poor lighting are a thing of the past. This is further enhanced by the camera’s Motion Detection system, which detects camera shake or subject movement during shooting, automatically selecting a faster shutter speed and higher ISO sensitivity.

Easy does it
The L20 and L19 (10 and 8 effective MP respectively) have several features that ensure smooth and comfortable shooting, such as Full-Auto Mode, Scene Auto Selector, Smile Mode and Blink Warning. Power them with two AA-size batteries that are available anywhere, and you’ll never miss a shot. Large buttons and controls, and a 3-inch and 2.7-inch LCD monitor on the L20 and L19 respectively, improve operational ease.

Both cameras record movies and a special new feature for both is the Scene Auto Selector. This automatically judges a scene by its subject and surrounding conditions and chooses the best setting. Now you won’t have to worry about the mode-setting procedure and you will always be ready for speedy, smooth shooting. The L20 is available in black metallic and deep red, the L19 in bright silver or shiny pink.

Taking great pictures with a great looking camera is easy, and very affordable.

The L100, L20 and L19 come with a strap, AA-batteries, USB and audio/video cables, and the COOLPIX software suite. All cameras come with 2GB free online image storage at Nikon’s my Picturetown service on mypicturetown.

Nikon Coolpix L100 images

Nikon Coolpix L20 images

Nikon Coolpix L19 images

USB To HDMI Dongle from Lancerlink

USB To HDMI Dongle from Lancerlink

Lancerlink released in Japan their latest USB to HDMI dongle, the GHC-U2H. Compatible PC or Mac, it displays 720p video (max 1280x720).

Rest assured it's HDCP and will let you use any HDCP compatible display or TV. The only drawback is the price, 19,800 Yen (€155)… Luckly it looks like Lancerlink will offer a nice discount for the launch, 12,800 Yen (€100) for a limited time.

Source
Akihabara

Japan Is Now WiMax Ready... With Free WiMax For All, Well... Almost

Japan Is Now WiMax Ready... With Free WiMax For All, Well... Almost

Know what? Until few hours ago, and until we got this press release, we were completely unaware of the Japanese telco company UQ Communication, but today they made my day by offering to all subscribers (limited to 5000 people) FREE WiMax.until June
Starting today until the 15th, if you subscribe to a WiMax connection within Tokyo, Yokohama, or Kawasaki for a RIDICULOUS monthly fee of 4,480 Yen... you'll get WiMax free until June... What will this get you, sorry us? Decent Internet surfing with 40Mbps in downlink and 10Mbps in uplink, in reality least 16Mbps in downlink...

Anyway, you know free WiMax is available.

I almost forget, you'll need one of these USBs or PCMCIA thingies below to surf WiMax style.

Source
UQ Wimax

DV4S and DV4M, LG's Latest Two Ultra Design DVD Players

DV4S and DV4M, LG's Latest Two Ultra Design DVD Players

Samsung introduced impressive Blu-ray and DVD players at the CES. Today it was LG's turn with thier DV4S and DV4M DVD players.

Both built for different usages, these DVD players feature different functions, the DV4S supports Dvix HD video and the DV4M is a more music oriented DVD player it directly converts CD audo to MP3 for storage and USB device playing.

Source
Akihabaranews

A Micro USB Thumb Key

A Micro USB Thumb Key

Buffalo Japan just announced a shiny new Micro USB thumb key, the RMUM Series. With a tiny size of 15 x 22 x 8mm at just 2.3g, this tiny USB thumb key is in fact a microSDHC card reader sold in a bundle with a 1, 2, 4 or 8GB microSD card.


It's available in Black or White, and will be released in Japan sometime in December.


Source
Akihabaranews

All In One Digital Photo Frame with Integrated Printer

All In One Digital Photo Frame with Integrated Printer

Keian Japan will soon release the P71-A2-JP, a 7” (480 x 234) digital photo frame. It features SD (SDHC with max 32GB) and MS support, USB Host, Mp3 audio file support (for music listening while viewing photos), and a nice integrated printer that saves shots directly from a memory card once selected from the screen.

With its USB host it will be interesting to see if a larger external HDD drive full of pictures can be connected to it. If so, this will be a nice little device.

Printing resolution is about 300dpi on 100 x 150 mm photo paper.

Source
Keian

Prime Note Cressida NC

Prime Note Cressida NC: Who Needs a Netbook?

When the first netbook came out over a year ago, it was a remarkable milestone in mobile computing. Now with increased HDD space, features, size, and design, cheap netbooks are not so cheap. Now DosPara (a store in Akihabara) has announced their Prime Note Cressida NC notebook. For less than 630€, it includes a Core 2 Duo T5500 (1.66GHz), 12.1” WXGA, 2GB of RAM, Intel 945GM express, 250GB of HDD, a DVD Multi, Wifi BG, memory card reader, USB 2.0 3x, IEEE 1394, and XP Home edition.

Compared to a netbook this notebook is pretty heavy (1.85kg) and bulky (297 x 213 x 36.5mm), but at this price we won’t complain!

Source

Akihabaranews.com

RetroSound - Elegant Modern Stereos For Vintage Cars

RetroSound - Elegant Modern Stereos For Vintage Cars

The $299 RetroSound Model One neatly solves the problem of adding modern digital sound to your classic vehicle. It includes an Infinimount system that allows you to space the control knobs as required to fit virtually any console. The distinguished-looking front panel is removable and features a mini USB jack and analog aux input for connecting an mp3 player or streaming music directly from a portable thumb drive.

The Model One also includes an integrated AM/FM tuner with 30 presets, 4 x 60W amplification and RCA pre-amp outputs if you'd like to pump out Dark Side of the Moon at slightly more earth shattering levels. There's even a trunk mountable 10 CD changer for old timers who haven't yet joined the iPod revolution.

RetroSound offers dozens of different faceplates to ease installation into most vintage vehicles from the 1940s to the present, including such classics as the 1967-1968 Camaro/Firebird, 1970-1978 Datsun 280Z and even the 1976-1987 Chevy Chevette (oh, the humanity!)

Source
Retrothing

Get a Second USB-powered Screen

Get a Second USB-powered Screen for your Notebook or Desktop

Century Japan was kind enough to give us a MEGA heads-up of one of their future best sellers, the LCD-4300U.
With an official sell and launch in Japan in the middle or late November, this USB powered 4.3” LCD is the ideal companion for anyone on the go who wants a second screen for MSN. It's even for Photoshop users who need to have ALL their main screens free of tools.

Compatible with PC (XP / Vista) or MAC (Intel) these screen feature a WVGA resolution of 800 x 480 with an LED backlight.

Century also confirmed that up to seven of these screens can be can hooked-up to a single PC.

The good news is that this product is on Pre-Order for 19,800 Yen (The official retail price here in downtown Tokyo!)

Source
GeekStuff4U

The World's Smallest Projector from Earth Trek

The World's Smallest Projector from Earth Trek

Earth Trek, a Hong-Kong based company, recently released the world’s smallest handy projector, the 90-805R mini projector. Our little device features a card slot (SD/T-flash card), built-in lithium battery (1-2 hours), built-in speaker, MP4 player, and provides a 22" diagonal projection. It measures 105x58x25mm and weighs 160g.

Source
Akihabaranews

The MicroVault

New USB Memory from Sony: The MicroVault

Sony has updated its range of USB memory and is providing us with new USB keys from 2GB to 16GB (why is the picture of a 1GB USB?). Reading speed is 31 MB/s, 11 MB/s for writing, and the key is 9g lighter than previous models.

The MicroVault is also compatible with ready boost for people like me who are fed up with Vista, and are available this month in our green lands.

Paris, 22nd May, 2008 - Sony Europe’s Recording Media & Energy (RME) division today announced its MicroVault™ Click and Click Excellence ranges with both mid-range and high-end device availability. The new MicroVault™ Click line-up offers advanced performance with increased storage capacity, high speed data transfer rates1 and Windows® ReadyBoost™ compatibility; to improve PC memory performance on Windows Vista™ Operating System without installing additional RAM. Users can simply click, plug and share their documents, pictures and video clips and keep important files to hand whilst on the move.

Both the MicroVault™ Click and Click Excellence ranges incorporate a neat ‘click’ design to uncover and retract the USB connector for quick and easy use.

For ultra fast data transfer rates and storage capacity from 2GB up to 8GB2, the MicroVault™ Click Excellence is designed with business professionals in mind. With up to 31MB/s read and 11MB/s write speeds3 heavy business files can be transferred easily to share with colleagues and clients via Hi-Speed USB 2.04 connectivity. The MicroVault™ Click Excellence range is available in a stylish, compact, ivory design, complete with LED indicator display which illuminates while transferring the data.

With high capacity storage as a focus, the bright mid-range MicroVault™ Click has a reduced form factor from its predecessor and is lighter at approximately 9 grams. The colourful line-up offers Hi-Speed USB 2.0 data transfer and storage capacity from 2GB up to 16GB2. The MicroVault™ Click range has a bright design, with one colour per capacity via an LED indicator light.

For advanced performance, the Sony MicroVault™ Click range offers Windows® ReadyBoost™5 compatibility, allowing Windows Vista to use part of the MicroVault’s™ memory to speed up system performance without additional RAM. Sony’s pre-installed Virtual Expander6 compression software allows storage of up to 3 times more data, depending on the file type and content.

The MicroVault™ Click and Click Excellence ranges are available from May 2008 and come with 5 years European warranty.

Source
Sony Europe

Creative Vado Pocket Cam

Creative Drops a Cheap Camcorder: The Vado Pocket Video Cam

Creative has released a new video camcorder, the Vado Pocket Video Cam. Nothing Earth shattering, but with its VGA CMOS sensor it records video in MPEG-4 AVI at 30Fps (640 x 480). Our device also features 2GB of internal memory and will store a 60 min video in excellent quality, a 2x digital zoom, and flexible USB port. It's also compatible with YouTube and Photobucket.

It measures 100 mm x 55 mm x 16 mm, weighs 84g (with battery), and will cost under $100.

MILPITAS, Calif., May 13 -- Creative, a worldwide leader in video innovation, today announced the Vado Pocket Video Cam. Small enough to fit easily in your pocket, purse or the palm of your hand, the Vado Pocket Video Cam changes the way video is captured, shared and stored by making it fast, easy and fun. Priced at only US$99.99, the Creative Vado Pocket Video Cam is available today at Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Buy.com, Creative.com, Fry's Electronics, J&R, and Newegg.com.

A breakthrough in video camera design, the Vado Pocket Video Cam at only $99.99 is dramatically thinner and lighter than competing video cameras. Available in silver or hot pink, the Vado Pocket Video Cam is so small and lightweight that it's hard to believe it can capture such high-quality video. With the press of a button you can record life's spontaneous moments, whether it's baby's first steps, awesome sports stunts or hilarious adventures with friends.

Creative's President and COO Craig McHugh describes how the Vado Pocket Video Cam completely changes the experience of shooting and sharing video:

"When you're having a really great time and are experiencing one of life's special or funny moments you'd love to have a video of it, but you don't have your video camera with you. Your camcorder is likely stored away somewhere in a camera bag, because it's too expensive and you're afraid of breaking it. You end up missing many video opportunities and use your camcorder only for planned video shoots. When you finally do get it out to shoot something you have to make sure you have a tape or disc and the batteries are charged before you set up your shot. Chances are you're going to miss that awesome spontaneous moment while you get your camera ready. Once you've shot the video, how are you supposed to share it with anyone? It can be a time- consuming challenge trying to figure out how to get video from your camera or tape, so it remains stuck on the camera or put away somewhere in a box of tapes or discs, and you can't share it with your family and friends.

The Vado changes all of that! We're making shooting and sharing video as easy as taking pictures with a point-and-shoot portable digital camera. The Vado is so small and lightweight that you can have it in your pocket so it's always there, or you can just set it on your coffee table so everyone in the family can use it. It's so inexpensive and easy to use that you don't have to worry. It's always ready to capture spontaneous moments that are once in a lifetime, the type you can't plan for in advance. The Vado doesn't need tapes or discs; it can record up to two hours of high-quality video on its built-in 2GB of memory and it has a removable rechargeable battery, so you can shoot two hours of video on a single charge and you don't have to hassle with disposable batteries.

Just as the Vado makes it super easy and quick to shoot video, it makes it incredibly easy and fast to get the videos off the camera. It has a built-in USB connector so you can just plug it into your PC, just like you would with a thumb drive. The Vado has a software program built right into it that will prompt you to copy the video, or you can just drag the videos directly to your PC. With one easy step, the software can take you to YouTube or Photobucket so you can easily post your videos. When you want to share your videos with only friends and family, you can use Box.net, where they can either view or download a copy of the video. Box.net provides online storage and creates a web link to videos you've uploaded, so you can share them with anyone."

Vado Features
-- Slim, lightweight, pocket-sized design
-- Built-in two-inch color LCD screen
-- Removable rechargeable battery
-- 640 x 480 VGA video resolution
-- Built-in USB connector for PC
-- Built-in software program for posting videos to YouTube or Photobucket
-- Enable friends and family to download your videos from Box.net
-- Available in silver or hot pink
-- Priced at only US$99.99


Vado Accessories

To customize your Vado experience, equip your Pocket Video Cam with the following accessories, available at www.creative.com:

-- A pouch to stow your Vado Pocket Video Cam, priced at US$14.99
-- Spare batteries providing up to two hours of recording or playback,
priced at US$14.99
-- A power adapter with charging station so your Vado is ready to go when
you are, priced at US$29.99
-- An A/V cable for sharing your Vado video on your TV screen, priced at
US$9.99


For more information about the Creative Vado Pocket Video Cam visit http://www.creative.com.

About Creative

Creative is a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products. Famous for its Sound Blaster(R) sound cards and for launching the multimedia revolution, Creative is now driving digital entertainment on the PC platform with products like its highly acclaimed ZEN MP3 and portable media players. Creative's innovative hardware, proprietary technology, applications and services leverage the Internet, enabling consumers to experience high-quality digital entertainment-anytime, anywhere.

This announcement relates to products launched in the United States. Availability is subject to change without notice and may differ elsewhere in the world according to local factors and requirements. Vado, Sound Blaster and ZEN are trademarks or registered trademarks of Creative Technology Ltd in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.



Source
Creative

Datamore Twin from SavitMicro

Datamore Twin from SavitMicro, another RAID HDD enclosure

Here you are another wonder coming from Korea and Savit Micro, the DATAMORE TWIN, which is in fact an USB and eSATA HDD enclosure which support 2 3.3” SATA HDD, as well as RAID0/RAID1/NORMAL/JBOD/JBOD33/JBOD50. Our Datamore Twin feature a Silicon Image Sil5744 SteelVine RAID processor, processor which is usually embedded in High-end mother boards and can support Hot-plug for example.

Source
Akihabaranews

Bravia DAV-F200 2.1 Home Theater

Stylish & Sophisticated: The New Bravia DAV-F200 2.1 Home Theater

Looking for a stylish yet powerful in home DVD player/home theater system? Here's the DAV-F200 Bravia from Sony Europe!

Our system comes with DVD upscale (1080p), subwoofer, 450W S-Master output, as well as Mp3 and WMA audio and DivX video support.

See the press release below for more information.

Weybridge, 29th April 2008 - Cinema with style – that’s the new DAV-F200 BRAVIA Home Theatre system from Sony. Combining the latest technology with beautiful, clean design, it brings superb virtual surround sound into the home - without filling the room with speakers.

The stylish control centre can stand on a desk or shelf, or be mounted on the wall, and this – along with compact speakers and a hideaway subwoofer – enables the DAV-F200 to deliver all the thrills of a powerful exciting, immersive home cinema experience without the clutter of conventional set-ups.

What’s more, the system is the result tuning by the same team responsible for Sony’s high-end AV receivers, with components such as the speaker driver units and amplification being selected after extensive listening tests to achieve the highest possible quality from a system of this kind.

The DAV-F200 is designed to be as simple to set-up as it is to use, with Sony’s S-Force Front Surround technology combining with a total of 405W S-Master digital amplification to create amazing virtual surround effects from just two speakers and a compact subwoofer.

And it’s packed with the latest technology, including an HDMI output for simple connection to a BRAVIA LCD television. The HDMI not only delivers superb picture quality, with upscaling to 1080p to make your DVDs look stunning on even the largest screens, but also allows simple control from one remote handset of both the DAV-F200 and a BRAVIA TV, thanks to the BRAVIA Sync set up.

You can even make the most of content stored on portable devices, from WALKMAN® MP3 players and Sony Ericsson mobile phones to USB memory keys. There’s a USB socket on the control unit, allowing you to both play from connected devices and record to them, and the system is also compatible with Sony’s DMPORT modular digital media adapters, which include docks for a range of portable MP3 players such as WALKMAN® or iPod, Sony Ericsson mobile phones as well as Bluetooth and wi-fi enabled laptops or PCs.

Stunning, clean style
The DAV-F200 epitomises Sony’s new ‘clean living’ concept – stylish products with superb audio and video quality made possible by the skilled application of the latest technology.

Its sleek black main unit, which can be used on its standard table stand or wall-mounted*, contains the disc player, able to handle DVDs, CDs, and file formats including MP3, Windows Media Audio, DivX and JPEG. There’s also a radio tuner built-in, along with all the control and processing systems to deliver great surround sound.

It’s partnered with a powerful speaker system combining a pair of slimline main speakers and subwoofer designed to deliver all the weight and excitement of those big movie soundtracks.

Technology built to thrill
The audio power for the system is delivered by S-Master digital amplification, with 135W for each speaker as well as the subwoofer – first used in Sony’s flagship AV receivers, it combines compactness, efficiency and superb quality.

Here it works with Sony’s S-Force Front Surround technology to create enveloping, rich and detailed virtual surround effects without the need for speakers all around the room. This system may be compact, but it delivers a truly room-filling sound.

There’s even Sony’s Dialogue Enhancer system, designed to make movies clear and easy to enjoy, even when you have to listen to at low volume settings.

1080p upscaling for breathtaking pictures
The picture quality is every bit as remarkable as the sound: using its HDMI output to connect to a BRAVIA TV, the system can upscale standard DVDs to 1080p resolution, giving them superb colour, sharpness and visual impact even on the largest of screens.

BRAVIA Sync - Simple to set up, simple to use
All that technology also makes the DAV-F200 incredibly easy to use. Sony’s BRAVIA Sync gives one-button control of both the system and a BRAVIA TV connected via HDMI with one remote. Press ‘play’ and the TV will select the correct input automatically; select standby when you’ve finished viewing and both system and TV will shut down. It really couldn’t be any simpler.

The flexibility to make the most of your portable music

A USB socket on the control centre lets you plug in portable MP3 players, memory keys such as Sony’s Micro Vault devices and other portable storage devices. Not only can the system play contents stored on connected devices, it can also record to them, allowing you to take your entertainment with you.

The DAV-F200 also features Sony’s DMPORT, able to accept a range of modular adapters to interface with portable devices such WALKMAN® MP3 players, Sony Ericsson mobile phones and iPods. There are even adapters for Bluetooth and wi-fi connectivity with laptop or desktop PCs, and the system’s Portable Audio Enhancer setting is designed to enhance the sound quality of compressed music files such as MP3.

The BRAVIA DAV-F200 will be available in June from Sony Centre stores, retailers and online at the Sony Style shop - www.sonystyle-europe.com


BRAVIA DAV-F200 2.1 Home Theatre System key features

* 2.1 system with compact, stylish control unit and speakers
* HDMI connection with 1080p upscaling and BRAVIA Sync system control
* USB play and record
* DMPORT connection for portable devices
* Portable Audio Enhancer
* 405W 32bit S-Master Digital Amplifier
* S-Force Front Surround
* Plays DVD, DVD+/-R/RW, CD, CD-R/RW, MP3, WMA, JPEG, DivX (plus WMA and AAC on USB)
* Optical/coaxial digital and analogue inputs for external sources
* Supplied with remote handset

Source
AkihabaraNews

Mvix MV-2500U

Mvix MV-2500U

Mvix USA launches a new 2.5” multimedia HDD enclosure for $149, the MV-2500U. It supports MPEG-1/2/4, VOB, ISO, DVIX, XviD, BivX video as well as AC3, MP3, WMA and OGG audio. It allows you to access your media files directly on any TV supporting an HD resolution of either 720p or 1080i.

MvixUSA Launches Ultra Portable HDD-based Hi-Def Media Player

Mvix (USA), Inc., a leader in HDD-based, portable media playback solutions, announces the launch of yet another hi-def media decoder now in ultra small size. The new Mvix MV-2500U supports the small 2.5-inch hard drive, but boasts of most of the key features of its predecessors like MX-780HD or MX-760. It can support HDDs as large as250GB hard disk, enough to carry 100 DVD quality movie titles.

Fairfax, VA (PRWEB) May 1, 2008 — Mvix (USA), Inc., a leader in HDD-based, portable media playback solutions, announces the launch of yet another hi-def media decoder now in ultra small size. The new Mvix MV-2500U supports the small 2.5-inch hard drive, but boasts of most of the key features of its predecessors like MX-780HD or MX-760. It can support HDDs as large as250GB hard disk, enough to carry 100 DVD- quality movie titles.

Introducing this next generation portable gadget in MvixUSA's corporate office in Fairfax, VA, Mike Mallon, the Business Development Manager of MvixUSA commented, "MvixMV-2500U is the perfect companion for the people on the move. People, who enjoy traveling on RVs or boats, can virtually carry their entire home theater collection in this tiny marvel, and enjoy the same hi-def video quality. What differentiates our product from other portable video devices are the quality of video output and versatility in terms of video and audio formats support."

Extremely competitively priced, this black beauty fits everyone's pocket, both in terms of size and dollars MV-2500U comes in a stunning black look and just measures under 5x3x0.5 inches in dimension, almost the size of a PDA. "Extremely competitively priced, this black beauty fits everyone's pocket, both in terms of size and dollars," commented Mike.

Mvix MV-2500U uses a 2.5" PATA / IDE HDD and supports large-sized hard drives (250GB). When connected to the PC, it works just like an external USB 2.0 hard drive. It comes with a highly functional and ergonomically-designed IR remote control. It is capable of storing and decoding hours of standard or high definition digital video (480p, 720p, 1080i) in over a dozen file formats. Video file formats supported include files encoded in MPEG-1, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4, DVD (VOB, IFO), DivX ® (3/4/5/6), Xvid, BivX ®, VCD (DAT) for both PAL and NTSC systems.

Source
AkihabaraNews

Verbatim Releases their New SmartDisk HDD

Verbatim Releases their New SmartDisk HDD

Yesterday Verbatim announced their new Half-Terabyte 2.5’’ portable HDD. It's available in two versions, one with just a USB interface, the second with a combo FireWire/USB interface. Transfer speed is of 480 Mbps when connected to USB 2.0.

This HDD is made of three 166GB platters utilizing Advanced Perpendicular Magnetic Recording technology (PMR). The drives feature a 5400rpm spindle speed.

CHARLOTTE, NC (April 29, 200 – Verbatim® Americas, LLC, a global leader in digital storage solutions, announced today the world’s first half-Terabyte 2.5” Portable Hard Disk Drive (HDD) featuring an industry standard 9.5mm Z-height drive. The PDA-sized drive joins Verbatim’s highly rated SmartDisk line of portable HDDs, which currently offer capacities ranging from 120GB to 320GB. Scheduled to begin shipping in Q2 2008, the sleek new HDD will enable Windows® and Mac® users to add up to 500GB of removable capacity to their laptop or desktop systems for less than US$300.00.

The demand for higher-capacity portable storage devices at both the consumer and corporate levels is being driven by the growing number of users who are creating and downloading volumes of digital content.

IDC research shows that the digital universe — information that is either created, captured, or replicated in digital form — will increase from 281 Exabytes in 2007 to nearly 1,800 Exabytes in 2011, or 10 times that produced in 2006. Between 2008 and 2011, the compound annual growth rate is expected to be almost 60 percent. In addition to the higher capacity requirements, today’s more mobile consumers and businesses are becoming more reliant on moving their digital content from one system to another. As a result, IDC sees greater opportunities for smaller devices such 2.5” HDDs.

Verbatim’s 500GB 2.5” SmartDisk HDD meets the capacity, portability and convenience these users need with a simple, easy solution for storing, enjoying, sharing and protecting their music, photos, video and personal files wherever they go. Business people can use the drive to share files between co-worker and partner office systems or to transfer files between office and home systems.

“Being able to add half a Terabyte of storage to a PC or Mac with such a small, easy to carry device is a new milestone in the portable storage industry,” said Charles Klinker, Verbatim Director of Marketing for SmartDisk products. “Imagine the convenience of being able to store, transport and backup all of your digital content without having to span disks or carry multiple storage solutions.”

Weighing less than 6 ounces and measuring only 3.38 in. X 5.38 in. X 0.63 in., Verbatim’s new 500GB 2.5” SmartDisk HDD is easy to carry when traveling with a laptop and requires minimal desk space when
connected to a desktop system. Inside its rugged, ultra-modern case there are three 166GB platters that utilize advanced Perpendicular Magnetic Recording (PMR) technology to deliver breakthrough storage capacity in a small form factor. To optimize performance, the drive features a 5400rpm spindle speed and includes 8MB of cache memory.

Like Verbatim’s complete family of 2.5” SmartDisk HDDs, the 500GB drive will be available with a choice of a USB interface or a Combo FireWire®/USB interface. With the Combo FireWire/USB interface, the device also becomes interoperable and enables users to transfer files between a Mac and a PC. The bus-powered, drives deliver transfer speeds of up to 480MB per second (MB/sec.) when connected with USB 2.0 and up to 400MB/sec. for FireWire connections without requiring an AC power adapter.

When plugged in to the USB or FireWire port of a computer, the drive can be accessed and used like a computer hard drive. Users can drag files to the portable HD’s icon to copy them, navigate to their HD in Open or Save dialog boxes and can delete files stored on the HD.

Verbatim 2.5” SmartDisk Portable HDDs support the “Time Machine” backup feature in Mac OS X Leopard. Included in the USB-only models is CMS’ award-winning BounceBack Express backup software, an easy-to-use backup utility that incorporates scheduling, backup sets, automatic launch options and a quick restore feature.

Pricing and Availability
Verbatim 500GB 2.5” Portable HDDs will be available in Q2 2008 through retailers and leading etailers with suggested retail pricing beginning at less than US$300.00 for the USB version.

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