Monday 25 November 2013

WD® debuts world's first SSD+HDD dual drive

Innovative 2.5-inch Drive Pairs 120 GB SSD with 1 TB Hard Drive to Deliver Maximum Performance, Data Control in Ultimate Upgrade for Notebook, AIO, Single-Drive Bay Systems

WD®, a Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC) company and storage industry leader, today announced the release of the WD Black2TM dual drive, a unique storage innovation that fuses a 2.5-inch 120 GB solid state drive (SSD) with a 1 TB hard disk drive (HDD) to offer a powerful dual drive solution. Perfect for consumers and service providers looking to upgrade notebooks, small form factor desktops, and single-slot and all-in-one (AIO) systems with both SSD level performance and HDD capacity, the WD Black2dual drive connects through a single cable and fits into a conventional 9.5 mm slot. 

"Our customers told us they like our Solid State Hybrid Drive technology, but our tech savvy users asked for more control of where they store their data," said Matt Rutledge, senior vice president of WD's Storage Technology business unit. "The WD Black2 dual drives empower our customers to enjoy SSD performance and access high capacity storage in a no-compromise package. The WD Black2 dual drive is a direct result of our interaction with our customer base through WD Labs initiatives. WD devised its beta labs program to provide an exclusive testing arena for key customers and technology influencers of existing and emerging WD storage products."

2-in-1

Designed for enthusiasts, creative professionals, gamers and PC builders, the WD Black2 dual drive provides improved overall drive capacity, performance, and reliability, while offering the flexibility to choose how and where their data is stored. Utilising the benefits of both flash and magnetic disks, WD Black2 dual drives offload data usage from the SSD to the HDD, which increases endurance and life of the SSD. Users maintain greater data control, which can eliminate the need and expense of cloud-based storage.

WD Black2 is free of caching algorithms and benefits from SATA 6 Gb/second interface speed. It is neatly packaged in a standard 9.5 mm, 2.5-inch form factor with legacy SATA connector, making the WD Black2 dual drive compatible with popular PC operating systems ranging from Windows XP to Windows 8.1.

Friday 22 November 2013

SAPPHIRE releases Performance Boost for R9 290 - BIOS Flash gives greater headroom for enthusiasts

SAPPHIRE Technology has just announced that it is releasing a performance enhancing BIOS for the recently introduced SAPPHIRE R9 290 graphics card.

Based on the latest GCN (Graphics Core Next) architecture from AMD, the new SAPPHIRE R9 290 introduced enthusiast level performance and some exciting new features at a more affordable price point than the flagship R9 290X model.

Many enthusiasts and gamers like to tune the performance of their systems, and SAPPHIRE has always provided tools for this to be achieved safely. For many current models, the SAPPHIRE TriXX software, free to download from the company's website, offers the ability to adjust clocks and fan speeds to optimise operation of the graphics card for different applications and save different profiles.

In the case of the new SAPPHIRE R9 290, it is recognised that performance is capped by the system when the GPU temperature reaches its operating maximum. Therefore, by providing better cooling, maximum performance levels can be raised. As all the current products are shipping with the standard blower style cooler, this can only be achieved by increasing the fan speed to increase airflow in the cooler, with the trade-off that fan and air flow noise will also be increased.

After internal testing under various operating conditions, SAPPHIRE is now releasing a BIOS specifically for the currently available R9 290 which operates with a different fan profile, and a maximum fan speed of 47%. The company believes this offers the user the best compromise for enhanced performance, noise and reliability. The new BIOS and Flash tool are available free to download from the company's website.

Always looking to provide the user with the best solutions, SAPPHIRE will be introducing new models in the R9 290 family over the coming weeks based on the company's own designs and with innovative and enhanced cooling solutions.

Wednesday 20 November 2013

NETGEAR Readynas 102 RN10211D-100EUS (1X1TB DS) ONLY £144.97


NETGEAR Readynas 102 RN10211D-100EUS (1X1TB DS) 
ONLY £144.97 at Okobe.co.uk


- 2-bay (8TB max. capacity) NAS storage with iSCSI.
- Sleek, modern and intuitive user interface.
- Powerful embedded and add-on applications for iTunes, DLNA, backup and more!
- Cloud-based set-up and file management with ReadyCLOUD.
- Only consumer NAS to include unlimited snapshots, cloud-managed replication and real-time anti-virus.

Photographs, video clips, songs, web sites, text messages… the types of data that enrich our lives can seem endless. With ReadyNAS you finally have an easy way to centralize, access and share your digital world. Way more than just simple storage for all your stuff, every ReadyNAS features unprecedented protection of your files, the ability to manage stored data from any webenabled device and a library of add-ons that allow you to do more with your storage than you ever thought possible Every networked attached storage (NAS) device from NETGEAR runs on the revolutionary ReadyNAS operating system.

Designed with ease-of-use in mind, new devices are discovered automatically through the cloud and feature a sleek, modern interface. Also, stored data is protected not only with automatic RAID configuration, but this ReadyNAS is the first to offer home users the continuous data protection of unlimited snapshots along with real-time anti-virus and native encryption. In addition to the confidence of knowing data is secure from virtually any threat, ReadyNAS features remote access innovations, seamless cloud-based file synchronization (ReadyDROP) and the ability to backup data from your Mac anywhere in the world when using Apple Time Machine.®

These days, your data is your world. With ReadyNAS, protecting and accessing that world has never been easier. ReadyNAS – Storage Made EASY.


NETGEAR Readynas 102 RN10211D-100EUS (1X1TB DS) 
ONLY £144.97 at Okobe.co.uk

Tuesday 19 November 2013

Linksys Re-Enters the Small and Medium Business Marketplace with the launch of New Unmanaged Switches and VPN Routers

Rushden, UK - November 19, 2013 - Linksys announced it has re-entered the Small and Medium Business (SMB) marketplace with the launch of seven new unmanaged switches (three with PoE) and two new VPN Routers.  Linksys sold SMB infrastructure products for 20 years and has been a leading provider of switches and routers.  The Linksys SMB brand was dissolved a few years ago, but now is back under Belkin International to offer a portfolio of business networking and security products that will target SMB businesses and resellers.

"It's with our commitment to honour the Linksys heritage by entering back into the SMB space to target SMB businesses and resellers with solutions that are purpose-built for SMB environments," said Mohammad Meraj Hoda, Vice President Linksys International Markets.  "Our competitive advantage is our solid 20+ experience in the SMB space and we understand customers, resellers and partners want quality products with high performance while servicing them to help grow their business.  Our line-up of switches and VPN routers is the first in a series of high performance business networking and security solutions to come from Linksys."

D-Link DAP-3310 brings wireless connectivity and Power-over-Ethernet to outdoor areas

Exterior Access Point marries Wireless N connectivity with PoE Pass-Through

London, Tuesday 19th November, 2013 - D-Link has unveiled the Wireless N PoE Outdoor Access Point with PoE Pass-Through (DAP-3310), the ideal solution for expanding the coverage and signal strength of any wireless network while providing the flexibility of Power-over-Ethernet (PoE).

Rated as an IPX6 device, the Wireless N PoE Outdoor Access Point with PoE Pass-Through can handle heavy splashing and rain. While multiple operating modes, network management tools and security features give network administrators a wide range of choices for deploying the device.

Delivering wireless access speeds of up 300Mbps, the Wireless N PoE Outdoor Access Point with PoE Pass-Through uses a built-in 10 dBi sector high-gain antenna, ensuring that wireless coverage will include even hard to reach locations. It also excels in connecting separate networks that cannot be joined physically and can act in a number of configurations. It can be deployed as a standard access point (AP), wireless distribution system (WDS), WDS with AP, repeater, wireless client, WISP client router and WISP repeater.

Rather than having separate networks with several access points, the Wireless N PoE Outdoor Access Point with PoE Pass-Through enables administrators to deploy one single AP to support more than one application, such as public Internet access and internal network control, in order to increase flexibility and keep costs down. This device also supports 802.1Q VLAN Tagging and provides WLAN partitioning, a useful function for deployments such as wireless hot spots. With station-to-station partitioning enabled, security is enhanced, as wireless users cannot see each other, and the possibility for data theft is greatly reduced.

"Whether it's the outdoor area of a coffee shop, a side entrance to a building or to wirelessly connect two buildings on a campus, this device is perfect for any situation that requires outdoor connectivity and an additional peripheral such as a security camera, card reader or IP phone," said Andrew Mulholland, Head of Business Solutions, D-Link UK&I.

"Built to withstand harsh environments, the Wireless N PoE Outdoor Access Point with PoE Pass-Through is powered by PoE which allows for convenient installation. Furthermore, PoE Pass-Through means users can connect and power additional PoE devices, such as IP cameras, without needing additional cabling or power points."

Network security is assured with support for data encryption and WPA/WPA2 security functions. In addition, it provides MAC Address Filtering to control user access and the Disable SSID Broadcast function to limit outsiders' access to the internal network. Similarly, network administrators have multiple options for managing the DAP-3310 including web access and advanced network management features.

The Wireless N PoE Outdoor Access Point with PoE Pass-Through (DAP-3310) will be available in December 2013.

Lenovo Introduces Rugged ThinkPad Chromebook for Schools

London, UK - November 19, 2013: Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) today announced the ThinkPad X131e Chromebook -- a fast booting, highly customisable laptop PC built with rugged features for the daily rigors of primary and secondary education. The ThinkPad X131e Chromebook simplifies software and security management for school administrators and provides students and teachers with quick access to thousands of apps, education resources and storage.  

Throughout the course of a typical school day, students' laptops are often subject to extreme wear and tear. To help school-proof them, the ThinkPad X131e has rugged features including a rubber bumper around the top cover and stronger corners to protect the system in the case of an accidental drop. The hinges and hinge brackets are also strengthened to last more than 50,000 open and close cycles.

"The ThinkPad X131e has proven to be very successful in education environments," said Vincent Fauquenot, VP Products and Channels Lenovo EMEA. "With the rugged features we added to the X131e, we've seen reduced failure rates in the field. This is a huge benefit to schools and students. We're pleased to be able to offer this hardened ThinkPad Chromebook as a great computer for schools."

Latest Tools for Today's Digital Learning Environment

Lenovo's ThinkPad X131e Chromebook, provides students, educators, and IT administrators with an intuitive, easy-to-manage, and rugged laptop for all their computing needs right out of the box. Using Google Apps for Education along with thousands of web apps in the Chrome Web Store, students can easily create documents, edit spreadsheets, view multimedia videos, create slide show presentations and view PDF files.

Students can use the low-light webcam to communicate with students in other schools across the world or just across town. They can also easily connect via WiFi and Chrome's fast start up gets students online instantly. With HDMI and VGA ports, students can present their reports to the class with a projector or big screen TV.

The 11.6-inch X131e laptop features an Intel® processor, a 1366x768 HD LED anti-glare screen, and three USB ports. At less than 1.8 Kg1 and battery life for the entire school day, students can easily carry the laptop between classes without the need to recharge.

Recognizing that one laptop doesn't fit all, especially when it comes to schools, the ThinkPad X131e offers a number of customization options including custom colors, asset tagging services to help keep track of devices left on the school bus or in the classroom, and school logo etching to make every device unique to each educational institution2.

"Chromebooks are widely used today in primary and secondary schools, and they make an ideal one-to-one device because they're more cost effective, easier to manage and maintain than traditional laptops or tablets," said Caesar Sengupta, director of product management, Chrome OS, Google. "Lenovo has a great reputation in schools for making durable and reliable laptops, so we're excited to partner with them to introduce the ThinkPad X131e Chromebook."

Friday 15 November 2013

GIGABYTE Launches Radeon™ R9 270 Overclock Edition Graphics Card

WINDFORCE 2x cooling design plus 28nm GCN Architecture - The best choice for HD gaming experience

Taipei, Taiwan, 15th Nov 2013 - GIGABYTE, the leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, is pleased to announce RadeonTM R9 270 Overclock Edition Graphics Card (GV-R927OC-2GD). Starts from the dark blue PCB to the WINDFORCE 2X cooler, GV-R927OC-2GD is an overall custom designed graphics card. Built in 1024 GCN stream processor, 2 GB high-speed GDDR5 memory and 256-bit memory interface, GV-R927OC-2GD is also well overclocked to 975 MHz (boost clock). Equipped with two 100mm inclined fan and an S-type pure copper heat pipe, GIGABYTE WINDFORCE 2X cooling system guarantees the powerful airflow and heat dissipation capability to keep the graphics card extremely cool, quite and provide the best performance.

WINDFORCE 2X cooling system, not just cool but quiet!

GV-R927OC-2GD features WINDFORCE 2X cooling system with parallel-inclined fin design, two 100mm inclined fans and S-type pure copper heat pipes. The combination of anti-turbulence inclined fans and pure copper heat pipe helps to reduce excessive heat and minimizes the flow of turbulence between fans. It can efficiently enlarge the air channel on the graphics card vents and creates a more effective airflow system in chassis. 

Unlimited OC Experience with OC GURU II

By using GIGABYTE exclusive OC GURU II, gamers can monitor and adjust all important settings such as GPU clock, memory clock, fan speed, voltage, power target and online support. With the upgrade and easy-to-control user interface, GIGABYTE OC GURU II becomes the best mate while using GV-R927OC-2GD.

APP Acceleration technology

With advanced video features like color correction, image sharpening and noise removal, AMD App Acceleration sets the bar for beautiful movies. And when it's time to multi-task, the optimized GCN Architecture is more than ready to make quick work of everyday applications.

Thursday 14 November 2013

TRENDnet® Ships High Performance Wireless PoE Access Point

Newbury, UK. - November 14, 2013 - TRENDnet, a best-in-class wired and wireless networking hardware brand, today announces the availability of the N600 Dual Band PoE Access Point, model TEW-753DAP - a feature rich business class PoE access point, with proven concurrent dual band 300 Mbps Wireless N technology.

The off white, low profile, smoke detector shaped TEW-753DAP blends into most environments, offering the ability to turn off flashing LEDs to further reduce product visibility. A variety of installation scenarios are supported with Access Point, WDS Access Point, WDS Bridge, and Repeater modes.

Save installation time and costs with Power over Ethernet (PoE). Manage two 300 megabit per second Wireless N bands - a 2.4 gigahertz band and a less congested 5 gigahertz band. A Gigabit Ethernet connection to the network maintains high performance wireless connections.

Advanced features include: IPv6 support; a handy integrated AP scan feature; the ability to create up to 16 SSIDs; eight system logs for network troubleshooting; Spanning Tree and SNMP support; and traffic shaping by allocating bandwidth to specific SSIDs.

Thursday 7 November 2013

Corsair Announces CS Series Modular PC Power Supplies

Corsair's New CS Series Modular PSUs Deliver 80 PLUS Gold Efficiency on a Bronze Budget 

Fremont, California - November 7, 2013 - Corsair®, the most awarded PC power supply brand in the world1, today announced the new line of CS Series Modular power supplies (PSUs) in 450, 550, 650 and 750 watt models. Designed to be exceptionally energy efficient and simple to install, the new CS Series are the most affordable 80 PLUS® Gold certified PSUs in Corsair's line of high-performance PC components.

The CS Series Modular PSUs are designed to deliver stable, continuous power with 80 PLUS Gold certified power efficiency  to minimize energy waste and lower electrical bills. The new PSUs are cooled with a 120mm sleeve bearing fan that runs at low speeds during  typical loads, keeping the PSU nearly silent during everyday tasks. The CS Series meet the latest ATX power specifications and are compatible with the latest AMD and Intel® processors, with full support for the low-power modes of the latest 4th Generation Intel Core® processors.

The CS Series PSUs feature a semi-modular cable system with the core motherboard power cables (24 pin and 8 pin EPS12V) permanently attached and include modular flat cables that can be attached for powering other devices such as graphics cards, SSDs, hard drives, and fans. The modular design enables users to add just the cables required for their PC, which combined with the black flat cables, creates PCs with reduced cable clutter, a cleaner look, and better airflow.

"The CS Series Modular PSUs deliver 80 Plus Gold efficiency and Corsair quality at Bronze level prices," said Aaron Neal, Corsair's global product manager of PSUs. "They are perfect for users that want reliable, energy efficient power for their PCs at a price that won't break their budget."

OCZ Announces New Vector 150 Solid State Drive Series Delivering Industry-Leading Sustained Performance and Endurance

Next Generation SATA III-Based SSD Leverages In-House Barefoot 3 Controller in a 19nm NAND Flash Design for Enthusiast and Workstation Applications

SAN JOSE, CA - November 7, 2013 - OCZ Technology Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:OCZ), a leading provider of high-performance solid state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today announced its new Vector 150 SATA III SSD Series that utilizes the latest cutting-edge 19 nanometer (nm) NAND flash process geometry and an in-house controller design that shatters barriers by delivering OCZ's highest performing SATA III solid state drive series to date.  At the forefront of Vector 150 innovation is OCZ's proprietary Barefoot 3 controller which was designed completely in-house by the Company's hardware and firmware teams to enable full design control over the product roadmap while delivering high performance flash-based storage, enhanced endurance, and a host of differentiated features for laptop, desktop and workstation applications.

Building off the success of the original Vector SSD Series, the Vector 150 SSD Series implements industry-leading performance by delivering consistent, sustained speeds over time regardless of whether the data is in compressed or uncompressed formats. It provides superior speeds across all capacities to dramatically accelerate gaming, content creation, and multimedia applications, supporting read bandwidth of up to 550 MB/s, write bandwidth of up to 530 MB/s, 4K random read speed of up to 100,000 input/output operations per second (IOPS), 4K random write speed up to 95,000 IOPS and sustained 4K random write performance of 26,000 IOPS.

"Our Barefoot 3 architecture continues to leverage leading-edge controller technologies to deliver our highest performing SSDs to date enabling computing users with faster file transfers and boot-ups, as well as a quicker, more responsive overall storage experience," said Ralph Schmitt, CEO for OCZ Technology.  "With workstation class endurance, advanced data integrity and supported by a 5-year warranty, Vector 150 users can feel confident that their SSD will deliver ultimate performance even in the most demanding client computing environments."

Engineered to provide superior endurance, Vector 150 SSDs are rated to deliver 50GB of host writes per day for a 5-year warranty term, promoting peace of mind that this series will outpace even the most demanding client computing environments over an extended lifetime. OCZ's powerful Barefoot 3 controller features an advanced suite of flash management tools that can analyze and dynamically adapt to increasing NAND vulnerabilities as flash cells wear and is designed to overcome limitations associated with MLC NAND flash memory and heighten data integrity over the long term.

The Vector 150 SSD Series is available in 120GB, 240GB, and 480GB capacities with ultra-slim 7mm alloy housing to support today's thin form factor notebooks. Vector 150 SSDs are also bundled with a 3.5-inch desktop adapter bracket and Acronis® True ImageTM cloning software to enable quick and easy data transfer from legacy hard disk drives to high performance SSD storage. For more information on the new Vector 150 SATA III-based SSD.

Friday 1 November 2013