Monday, December 26, 2011

Icy Dock Dual Bay RAID Enclosure Review (MB662USEB-2-1)

The Icy Dock MB662USEB-2-1 is a simple two-bay enclosure designed to be used in RAID0/1, JBOD or Concatenation modes with 3.5-inch hard drives. The enclosure offers a quad-interface, allowing users to connect via FireWire 800/400, USB 2.0 and eSATA. In the box Icy Dock includes everything you need to get rolling (except the drives); power adapter and cables for each interface are standard equipment. 
The MB662USEB-2-1 is aimed at users who need either high transfer speeds or data redundancy through use of various RAID modes such as RAID0 and RAID1. By supplying either their own 3.5-inch desktop hard drives, users can customize the RAID array for their individual use. Those wanting a safe way to protect their data with a wide range of connections will enjoy the protection of RAID1 and the quad-interface compatibility. Those looking for high transfer speeds will like the RAID0 capabilities and the eSATA/FW-800 connections for fast data transfers.
Based around the Oxford 946 ARM chipset, the enclosure supports hardware RAID, which gives a big boost in speed or redundancy without impacting CPU usage on the host system. The MB662USEB-2-1 will be available starting December 7th for a suggested retail price of $185. It's worth noting that while many consumer-grade hard drives will work in this enclosure, Icy Dock recommends enterprise-grade drives, or drives that otherwise support TLER, which prevents the drives from falling out of a RAID array when they encounter an error....full review at Storage Reviews

Corsair Performance Pro SSD (256GB) Review

The Corsair Performance Pro SSD is powered by the Marvell 9174 processor, Toshiba 34nm Toggle MLC NAND and a SATA 6Gb/s interface. The Performance Pro adds to Corsair's already excellent line of SDD products that leverage perhaps the most robust set of combinations of NAND and SSD processors available with a SATA interface. In this case the Performance Pro replaces the Performance 3, Corsair's first Marvell 9174-based SSD which was announced about a year ago. A year goes a long way in the SSD world, the Performance Pro picks up a tremendous speed boost over the Performance 3, delivering read speeds of up to 515MB/s and an impressive 440MB/sec in sequential write performance, compared to 480MB/s reads and 320 MB/s writes in the first generation model. 
Corsair offers a simplified capacity lineup with the Performance Pro, it comes in just 128GB (CSSD-P128GBP-BK) and 256GB (CSSD-P256GBP-BK) capacities. Each is ready for notebook duty with the 2.5" form factor, but Corsair also includes a mounting bracket for 3.5" desktop drive bays. The Corsair Performance Pro is competitively priced with a street price of $219 for the 128GB version and $419 for the 256GB capacity.
When comparing similar SSDs, it turns out the Corsair Performance Pro shares a lot with the Plextor M3S; so much in fact that they share the same PCB. As you will see below, we found similar markings on both boards, although each had minor hardware differences (additional capacitors or regulators). Hardware is where the differences stop though as both are running different firmware which is evident in our performance comparison...full review at Storage Reviews

Friday, December 16, 2011

Icy news: Seiko and Singapore's A*Star to Develop 2.5-Inch Hybrid HDD

5mm thick for tablets and mobile devices
With the announcement of its thin hybrid drive initiative, theA*STAR, Data Storage Institute (DSI) has further substantiated its move by sealing a partnership with Seiko Instruments Inc.(SII).
 
SII and DSI has signed a research collaboration to develop pivot assembly for 2.5-inch, 5mm thickness, hybrid HDD, signaling a step towards manufacturability of the DSI's 5mm thin drive target.
 
SII, a maker of hard disk drive components with strong expertise in high performance miniature ball bearing and pivot cartridge design, together with DSI will put in significant amount of resources to this collaboration to bring the design of the pivot cartridge towards manufacturing. The pivot assembly is an important component within the HDD which supports the movement of the actuator arm that carries the integrated system of read/write sensors over the media.
 
DSI's 5mm hybrid HDD architecture is targeted at addressing the current limitations of both flash-based SSDs as well as the conventional HDD, mitigating areas such as portability, data storage reliability, storage capacity, power consumption and cost. The resulting 5mm hybrid HDD is expected to enhance the next generation of media tablets and mobile computing devices, through increased capacity and reliability.
 
Our partnership with SII is a step towards materializing the 5mm hybrid hard disk drive, but more importantly, is a recognition from the industry on the viability and potential of 5mm hybrid hard disk drive,” said Dr. Pantelis Alexopoulos, Executive Director of DSI. 
 
The development of pivot assembly for 5mm thickness HDD is very challenging. However, with DSI's expertise and strengths in hard disk drive, I strongly believe that our collaboration with DSI will be a resounding success and therefore make a positive contribution in the growth of HDD industry,” said Mr. Masao Kasuga, Senior Vice President of SII. Source from storagenewsletter.com

ICY games: Resident Evil 3: The number one survival horror series' best game?

For many gamers, the Resident Evil series begins in a rural part of Spain with old-timers croaking at Leon Kennedy while trying to part his hair with a spinning hatchet.

And such is the majesty commanded by Resi 4 that I feel reluctant to criticise this youthful, naive and literally wrong, perspective.
The number 4 in the title though should make it pretty clear that there's impressive legacy of Evil to pick your way through to truly appreciate Capcom's viral soap opera, but out of the 11 (eleven!) Resident Evils that came before number 4 it's Resi 3 that still makes the blood pump a little quicker.
Resi 3 is often overlooked for those looking for authenticity (Resi 1) or aesthetics (Code: Veronica), yet this is the spiritual godfather of the modern series: an athletic action-game compared to the sparse survival horror predecessors.
The game begins with STARS hottie and Spencer Mansion survivor Jill Valentine attempting to escape Raccoon City, which has become overrun with T-Virus victims. Making the situation more complicated are a bunch of sinister Umbrella Mercenaries and a STARS-targetting mac-wearing bio-weapon called Nemesis.

The presentation is classic: fixed cameras, pre-rendered backdrops, door loading screens and the quirky control system. The action is swifter and more intense mainly due to the power shift between you and the zombies as their strength in numbers isn't enough anymore - now they have reason to fear you!
The reasons: Jill is nimbler than before, able to dodge the lunges of the infected with a pump of the shoulder button and perform a 180-degree spin to launch swift counters. Then there's the content of those counters which is often shotgun led thanks to its discovery in the first 10 minutes of the game, aided by explosive scenery and followed-up with Jill's home-made enhanced ammo.
There's also the whittled-to-perfection design of the environment that dispenses with the lung-bursting back tracking of Resi 2 in favour of a labyrinth-like condensing of space.
It's like an Ikea storage solution in the way it uses and re-uses space, allowing to you to approach set-piece situations from a number of directions and discover just how rotten Umbrella's city is.
All the Resi magic you'd expect, from set-piece jumps to pantomime betrayal, is there - just in a more digestible size than before (or since) that rewards replaying the game.

Lastly, there's the presence of Jill Valentine who manages to carry off a boob-tube and shoulder holster and still smoulder. A truly believable and compassionate heroine at the heart of the most toned, lean and fighting fit of the Resi series. Source from computerandvideogames.com

Icy games: Alan Wake finally coming to PC in early 2012

Alan Wake, originally planned as a PC and Xbox 360 game, but later launched as a console exclusive, has finally been announced again for PC.
Featuring the The Signal and The Writer DLC add-ons, it will arrive in early 2012.
A Remedy spokesperson couldn't confirm PC-specific features like DirectX 11 support when quizzed by Shacknews, or the game's distribution channels, but the developer did offer one screenshot (right).
It's good news for PC players, although we can't say we're totally surprised. Earlier this week, ninja PC gamers spotted a listing for Alan Wake in Steam's registry, sparking speculation that the title could finally be released on the platform.
Alan Wake's XBLA follow-up, American Nightmare, was announced this weekend. Source from computerandvideogames.com

PogoPlug Series 4 Introduced; USB3.0 Meets The Cloud

PogoPlug has been making appearances in a number of products for a few years now. The premise is simple: take a low-power ARM computer, give it a NAS optimized Linux build, add storage and network access and you have what's been termed the "personal cloud." Access your files anywhere from your PC, phone or tablet; and never beholden to a data center. PogoPlug's particular hardware has been integrated into branded docks and also to OEM branded storage solutions. PogoPlug recently improved its service to include 5 GB of cloud storage available free to anyone interested. 
Today, PogoPlug introduces their Series 4 device, an update that adds one key addition. Like the original Seagate DeskStar dock, the Series 4 acts as a dock for Seagate GoFlex mobile hard drives and includes an SD card reader, Gigabit ethernet, single USB 2.0 port and two USB 3.0 ports. The USB 3.0 addition is new, and while the added throughput might be wasted to slow broadband and cellular access, the performance should help with local streaming. 
We can expect more personal cloud devices coming our way. While the convenience of storing all your data in a massive redundant data center is great, having to contend with network difficulties and service fees can be less than ideal, particularly the high costs of expanding storage. Personal cloud devices remove the fees and storage barriers, and leave users with the task of optimization and network upkeep. If you're up to the task and interested in expandable cloud storage, this may be one of the best options around.The Series 4 is available now at your favorite e-tailer for $99. source from Anandtech

Seagate 2nd Generation Momentus XT (750GB) Hybrid HDD Review

To say I liked the original Momentus XT would be an understatement. While Seagate had the lofty goal of negating the need for an SSD with its first mass-market hybrid HDD, the reality was the Momentus XT ended up being the best 2.5" hard drive on the market. In many cases, it was fast enough to be better than 3.5" desktop hard drives as well.
Seagate earned this praise by combining a small amount of of SLC NAND (4GB at the time) with a traditional 7200RPM 2.5" hard drive. A separate NAND controller was introduced to handle caching of frequently accessed data to the NAND. By acting solely as a read cache (only read requests to the drive are pulled into the cache), Seagate skirted the complicated issue of effectively building an on-board SSD by only caching reads from the hard drive and not writes to it... Full review at Anandtech

Friday, December 02, 2011

Icy games: Assassin's Creed Revelations: 'Think huge sequences of high adventure '

It's not only Ezio and Altair who are the stars of the Assassin's Creed series, but it's also the atmospheric, evocative city and landscapes that make this one of the most beautiful series in gaming.

For Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Ubisoft Montreal has rebuilt that famous crossroads of the ancient world, Constantinople, as well as several diverse secret locations.
As part of our Unlock the Animus campaign, we sat down with art director Raphael Lacoste, creative director Alexandre Amancio and scriptwriter Darby McDevitt to give you the low down on Revelations' locations...
You'll spend a lot of time in Revelations in Constantinople. That must have been quite a canvas to work with, can you tell us about the process of bringing it to life?
Raphael Lacoste: Our team invested itself heavily into both historical and on-location research to bring 16th century Constantinople to life. Via many trips to modern Istanbul to fully grasp the feel of the city, to hundreds of hours of research into the political and social realities of the period, we hope that we have brought this rich period of history to life in a convincing and believable manner... completed news go to ComputerAndVideoGames.com
Icy comment: Assassin's Creed is one of PC games I love so much. Especially I was touched when playing Episode 2 because it fully presents the scene and architectures of  the Renaissance period. Unfortunately I have time to get through Brotherhood due to busy...Just share your feedback about it!

Icy news: Samsung 6Gb mSATA SSDs in Production

64GB to 256GB, eight grams, for ultra-slim notebooks
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced volume production of SSDs that support the mSATA interface. 


The drives are designed for use in ultra-slim notebooks such as Ultrabook PCs.

"Samsung's compact mSATA SSDs will provide performance of the highest quality in helping to deliver the advanced ultra-slim PCs that consumers have been wanting," said Myungho Kim, vice president of memory marketing, Device Solutions, Samsung Electronics. "Samsung plans to continue providing timely delivery of advanced SSD solutions, while preserving its leadership position in the SSD market for notebook PCs."

Combining Samsung's mSATA SSDs with the latest multi-core processors will help PC manufacturers to improve performance of their Ultrabook-class portable PCs up to that of notebook PCs.

The new Samsung mSATA SSDs (The mSATA PM830 SSDs are available only to OEMs for installation in new PCs or other devices) will be available in 256, 128 and 64GB densities as main storage devices, and also at 32GB for caching. They measure 50.95 x 30 x 3.8 millimeters and weigh eight grams.

The new SSDs will be part of the Samsung PM830 product family that was introduced earlier this year. They make use of Samsung's 20 nanometer class NAND flash memorycomponents which incorporate the toggle DDR interface.

Utilizing SATA 6Gb/s controllers-based on Samsung's own technology, the new mSATA SSDs can operate at the industry'ssequential read and write speeds of 500MB/s and of 260MB/s respectively, under optimum conditions. This is more than six times the speed of hard disk drives typically offering a data transfer rate of 80MB/s. The Samsung SSDs also enable faster system boot-ups (in the 10-second range) and will transmit five DVD files in about a minute.

In addition, the Samsung mSATA SSDs feature an hardware-based security solution including 256-bit AES protection, which will prevent unauthorized access to data on a lost or stolen notebook PC.

Beginning this year, the market for Ultrabook-class mobile PCs has been growing rapidly and is expected to expand beyond that of tablet PCs as early as next year due to outstanding performance characteristics, more advanced processors and use of the Windows 8 operating system. According to market research firm IHS iSuppli, the Ultrabook share of global notebook shipments will exceed 40 percent in 2015. News from  Storage newsletters

Icy comment: Start from iPad, tablet PC can be said the most popular electronic gadgets in market now, portable, user friendly, slim and light...laptops market seems to face a competitor. Now ultra books start to get the market back now. It is also particular about slim and light body, longer endurance of battery, high storage capacity and performance.Next year will be a battle field of ultra book and tablet PC...which one you support?

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Icy Dock MB981U3-1SA 2.5″/3.5″ USB 3.0 SATA & IDE Hard Drive Docking Station review

Once upon a time, IDE Hard Disk Drives were all the rage, and if you do still have some of these, soon to be, legacy drives then you will be surprised to see a company creating products that allow you to dock an IDE drive, on top of that, this dock also allows you to use SATA drives too.
While this product in itself is not unique, it is certainly a rarity and something we were very interested to take a look at. Most docks that are readily available on the market currently can usually fit 2.5″ or 3.5″ SATA drives only and sometimes only one or the other of these sizes. This Icy Dock creation takes both IDE and SATA drives of both sizes due to a very cleverly designed adapter... full review go to here

Too expensive to buy hard drives due to Thai flood? SSD opportunity coming! ICY DOCK show you how to use a 2.5" hard drive!

Due to Thai flood, 3.5" hard drive prices soar up over 100% in many countries. Just no worry, use your SSD and 2.5" hard drive in a 3.5" bay!!


Monday, November 28, 2011

ICY news: Thai floods boost PC hard drive prices


(Reuters) - Prices for hard drives are jumping as flooding in Thailand creates a shortage of the major component used in personal computers and one big customer is complaining of price gouging.

Drive manufacturers have raised prices by 20 to 40 percent and international electronics distributor Avnet Inc in turn has raised its prices by a similar amount after water poured into factories this month, said Avnet Senior Vice President Chuck Kostalnick.

"The word we're getting is that prices are going to continue to go up," he told Reuters Friday. "This isn't going to be a one-time event."

Flooding in Thailand, the No. 2 exporter of hard drives, has killed at least 377 people since July and devastated industrial areas in the center of the country... completed news to Reuters

Icy Comment: Worldwide Hard drive supply is meeting a critical shortage, prices of hard drive are also incredible high now...It hard to say when hard drive can recover supplying. At this time 2.5" Hdd and SSD may have chance to occupy market right now, but it still depends on users favor...

Friday, November 04, 2011

ICY Game: Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Review

You've seen bits of Uncharted 3. Giant, processor-stretching moments of scale like Drake being tossed about like frying scampi in a capsizing boat, or our hero clinging to an aeroplane's landing gear as it rushes vertiginously from the ground. You might have even thought that: "Wow, that's vertiginous."

But the game doesn't open with spectacle. It starts in the pub; a dusty, pleasingly authentic boozer playing host to Drake and Sully. There's a deal, suspense, London drizzle, East End heavies - but while it's not the eager-to-please attention grabber you might expect from the biggest blockbuster on PS3, it's packed with fine detail, nuanced performances, and a storytelling confidence that's just as gripping as any showy, cards-on-the-table opener you care to mention.
Of course, as you get a little further, those moments of spectacle show up in force, in greater numbers and with greater impact than in previous games. It makes Uncharted 3 a refined juggling act of emotional smarts and technical muscle, the real trick being able to combine the two rather than having them run in parallel...read more at www.computerandvideogames.com

ICY news: Microsoft issues temporary fix for critical Windows hole

Microsoft issued a temporary fix this evening for a previously unknown critical Windows vulnerability being exploited by the Duqu Trojan to infect systems.
The software giant said in an advisory issued late tonight that a flaw in the Win32k TrueType font-parsing engine affected every version of Windows from XP through Windows 7. The vulnerability is related to the spread of the Duqu malware, a Stuxnet-like Trojan infecting computers via a Word document...read more at CNET

ICY news: Kingston Digital Transforms USB Key Into Active Storage Device

With urDrive, free software to simplify file management



Kingston Digital, Inc. announced urDrive, a free pre-loaded application available on a variety of its DataTraveler USB Flash drives.


urDrive transforms USB drives from passive storage to engaged, active storage, allowing consumers to access and organize their personal files, photos, music, games and videos. A built-in photo viewer and MP3 player makes looking at pictures and listening to music easy.


"USB drives have historically served as digital couriers, transporting data from one device to another. Kingston is taking the lead in transforming the way consumers interact with those devices," said Craig Tilmont, urDrive business manager, Kingston. "urDrive enables consumers of all ages to make the USB Flash drive an interactive experience beyond just storing and transferring data between devices."


urDrive enhances security on the PC with Norton PC Checkup. The diagnostic tool scans for virus infections (including spyware, worms and adware) and checks for slow performance and risks to identity and data. urDrive further enhances the digital experience with the Maxthon 3 Web browser. It boasts startup and rendering speeds, and architecture that gives users a portable, safe browsing experience. All temp files, history and cookies remain on the drive, keeping browsing private particularly on public computers.

"Consumer computing habits have evolved and urDrive brings a new level of sophistication to mobile storage that is fresh, functional and different," said Kevin Chapman, general manager and vice president, Norton Consumer Services. "Integrating Norton PC Checkup with urDrive allows users to interact with content in an engaging way with an additional layer of security and performance analysis added to the experience. We are proud to be a part of this new evolution of active USB storage with Norton PC Checkup offering peace-of-mind to mobile users wherever they go."

"Maxthon 3 offers urDrive customers a truly safe and portable browsing experience," said Karl Mattson, general manager and chief of product, Maxthon International LTD. "Now, with urDrive, your browsing history, bookmarks and settings follow you wherever you go."
urDrive appeals to consumers of all ages, whether they are at work, home or traveling. For example, business professionals can access content at work or home and even extend storage capacity beyond the USB with free, additional online backup. The service syncs files from USB to cloud offering backup and access. For family entertainment, urDrive provides access to the latest casual game titles from EA Games and PopCap Games. Busy moms can rest assured that their kids can safely engage in online activities with the Fooz Kids kid-safe web browsing application. Travelers can view, manage and share their growing photo and video albums on the go, while carrying digital copies of critical documents, like passports.

urDrive is available as a free, pre-loaded application on Kingston's entry-level DataTraveler 101G2, 108 and 109 USB Flash drives, and soon on the DTIG3. These devices offer consumers a choice in design and capacity, from 4GB to 32GB. Source from StorageNewsletter.com

Friday, October 21, 2011

Street date, RRP confirmed for PlayStation Vita in Europe and Australia

Following confirmation that the PlayStation Vita will hit Japanese shelves in December, comes news that Sony's handheld gaming device will hit the UK, European and Australian shelves on February 22nd 2012.

The Wi-Fi model will retail for £229.99 in the UK, €249.99 in Europe and $349.95 in Australia, while the 3G/Wi-Fi model will set punters back £279.99, €299.99 in Europe and $449.95 in Australia.


Boasting 80 games currently in production, as well as impressive augmented reality technology, Australian SCEE Managing Director Michael Ephraim claimed in a statement that the Vita is "a revolutionary device, which will offer the best possible portable gaming experiences on the market."

Vita is set to launch first in Japan on December 17. If you do fancy importing one in time for Christmas though, Vita will be region free.

While we have to wait a little longer than Japan to get our hands on the portable, it should arrive over here with plenty of games. It's launching with 26 in Sony's home country, but the platform holder has said it expects 100 to be available within the console's launch window.






The Best Android Tablet Alternatives to the iPad 2

Apple revolutionized the technology industry with the release of the original iPad, but the tablet industry has come a long way since then; thanks to the birth of the Android tablet.

Since the release of the original iPad, modern consumers have been looking for worthy alternatives that match the collective features and price of Apple’s infamous iOS tablet.

But consumers aren’t the only ones looking for alternatives to the iPad. In fact, finding a worthy match is such an obsession for the tech world that the phrases “iPad killer” and “iPad competitor” have been coined, and used quite often.....read more at Thetechlabs

ICY Comment: Since the first iPad released in market, HTC, Samsung, Acer...started to develop new tablet in order to fight the tablet market. Different features different functions to appeal to users. Which one will you support?

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The Intel SSD 710 (200GB) Review

When Intel entered the SSD market one of its declared goals was to bring the technology into the mainstream. The goal was so important to Intel that its consumer drive was branded X25-M, with the M standing for mainstream. Intel's desire for SSD ubiquity wasn't entirely altruistic however. Mechanical storage acted as a potential gate to increasing CPU performance. Eventually, without significant improvements in IO performance, CPU improvements would be less visible to most users. SSDs would help alleviate this bottleneck.


It wouldn't be untrue to say that Intel accomplished its mission. The client SSD market was in a state of disarray before Intel arrived on the scene. Although we still have problems today, there are a number of affordable options for end users and lots of competition. Samsung, Marvell, Indilinx, JMicron and even SanDisk are now vying for control of the market... read more at Anand Tech

Thursday, October 06, 2011

ICY news: Apple co-founder, Chairman Steve Jobs dies


Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple.
1955-2011
(Photo from apple.com)
 Apple co-founder and Chairman Steve Jobs died today, Apple said. He was 56.

"Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives," Apple said in a statement. "The world is immeasurably better because of Steve."

Jobs had been suffering from various health issues following the seventh anniversary of his surgery for a rare form of pancreatic cancer in August 2004. Apple announced in January that he would be taking an indeterminate medical leave of absence, with Jobs then stepping down from his role as CEO in late August.

Jobs had undergone a liver transplant in April 2009 during an earlier planned six-month leave of absence. He returned to work for a year and a half before his health forced him to take more time off. He told his employees in August, "I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come."

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-20116336-37/apple-co-founder-chairman-steve-jobs-dies/#ixzz1a01TjzI1

Your creativity and works always amaze whole the world, R.I.P.

Tuesday, October 04, 2011

ICY news: Facebook adds WebSense safe browsing to its defenses


This is the warning that will pop up if WebSense
determines that a web link is unsafe on Facebook
(Credit: Websense)



Facebook is adding a Websense Web link blacklist service to its arsenal of defenses designed to protect users from clicking on links that lead to sites hosting malware.
The social-networking site will be using Websense ThreatSeeker Cloud service, which warns people when they click on a link on Facebook that could be malicious, the companies announced today. Facebook will start rolling out the service today.

The partnership follows one that Facebook announced in May with the free Web of Trust safe surfing service. Facebook also has its own blacklist. The larger the pool of blacklists the better the chances users will be protected from malware, basically.

When users click on a link, the online blacklist databases are checked to see if the link is flagged. If the link is deemed unsafe, users will see a warning and be given the option of ignoring the alert, returning to the previous page, or getting more information.
Source: CNET NEWS

ICY Comment: I believe you must have a facebook account to contact your friends conveniently and play some webgames via it. Recently the news says Facebook still tracks your situation even though you have logged out. It is like a "Trueman show", and you are a actor/actress, it sounds terrible, doesn't it? Facebook bring not only users' conveniency to contact people in the world, but some private invasion issues... How do you think about it?

Friday, September 30, 2011

Icy news: OCZ: Synapse SSDs for High-Performance Caching

2.5-inch, 6Gb SATA, 64GB and 128GB, 80,000 IO/s, Dataplex software


OCZ Technology Group, Inc. launched its Synapse Cache Series 2.5" SSDs.

The new Synapse SSDs are optimized for caching applications and leverages Dataplex cache software to dynamically manage the Synapse SSD in conjunction with standard HDDs, to provide users with SSD-level performance across the entire capacity of the HDD.


"The industry has shown that it craves the performance advantages that SSDs provide, however, many users still value the high capacities associated with HDDs," said Tobias Brinkmann, Director of Product Management, OCZ Technology Group. "We see the Synapse Cache SSDs integrated with Dataplex software as a big win for a large number of customers who value SSD performance but still require HDD capacity. We are proud to be the first to offer this no-compromise approach to enabling high-performance and high-capacity storage for virtually any PC platform."

This caching solution prioritizes the most frequently/recently used 'hot' data on the Synapse Cache SSD, while 'cold,' less frequently used data is stored on the larger capacity HDD. The OCZ Synapse series features the hardware and software technology to deliver storage performance without sacrificing HDD capacity.  
Source from Storage Newsletter.com

ICY news: Sony PlayStation 4 Features, Design, Games & Release Date

Sony is certainly in competition with Microsoft to bring up its next generation gaming console to the market. When the PlayStation 3 was released five years ago, it was sold out in almost every store, and as of June 31, 2011 there were more than 51 million units sold.


The competition gets tougher and intense in the video game market, and Sony is preparing itself for the release of PlayStation 4. In fact, while the PlayStation 4 is currently getting its treatment, PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 6 are in the early stages of planning and conceptualization at Sony’s R&D labs... read more at  TechLabs.com

ICY comment: As we know before Sony are going to release PS4, now the design and features releases now, I believe Sony fans can't wait to buy it! After PS4 news released, how about Microsoft and Nintendo?
Will they follow it up to announce the new consoles? Let us expect it!

Thursday, September 29, 2011

ICY Games: Dead Space 3 set on icy planet - rumour

While unannounced, it's safe to assume EA is working on a third episode in its successful horror series, and first details have hit the rumour mill today.

According to Siliconera, citing an anonymous source, the game will ditch its typical space ship setting in favour of an icy planet called Tau Volantis.


Isaac will apparently find himself trudging through blizzard conditions after crash-landing on the planet. First tasked with making his way to an abandoned waystation for shelter, Isaac encounters a near-dead survivor who tells him of other survivors who fled to another facility.

According to the report, which gets its info from the same source that accurately leaked details of EA's Syndicate, Isaac gets reacquainted with Ellie of Dead Space 1 fame before encountering a new enemy known as "The Hive Mind".

Siliconera gets more specific, but being conscious of spoilers we'll let you hit the source link for more.

This comes shortly after Dead Space 3 artwork was seemingly leaked into the public domain via a news program in Israel. Asked for comment on the video, an EA spokesman said: "We don't have any news about the Dead Space franchise at this time." 

Source: computerandvideogames.com

Icy comment: Oh my god is that true? Dead space games are so "charming" for these who love FPS game with bloody elements and excellent story, although I am not going through at Dead space 1...It makes me a lot pressure when play game!...-_-" 'coz the strange and dark space environment, you have no idea where the monsters come from! Nice game, hope one day I can get it through!

ICY news: Amazon Kindle Fire: A $199 Kindle Tablet

Kindle Fire


Earlier reports of the device now known as the Kindle Fire have varied wildly and with speculation rampant about what Amazon might announce the finished product appears to fall nicely in between the greatest device ever and a serious disappointment. We'll begin with pricing. Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO, repeated one line more than any other during the event today, "premium products at non-premium prices." By pegging the Fire at $199 he certainly is following through on the latter claim. This undercuts even the Barnes and Noble Nook Color, while providing specifications that match devices more than twice it's price. So, bargain? You bet. ...read more at Anand Tech

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

ICY Choice: a docking station goes with your computer!

Good day everybody, this time ICY DOCK shows you to compare other brand product with ICY DOCK-MB981U3-1SA and MB881U3-1SA in the below photos. Are you confused there is no usage of IDE HDD if you "fortunately" have it since long long time ago? you won't collect them in your attic and covered it by dust,  MB881/981 helps the IDE HDD to be useful again!

Transferring via USB3.0 superspeed up to 5Gb/s, any file can be transferred to another device in a short time! (of course it also depends on the speed of HDD)

Just provide you the brief introduction as above, we believe you will be clear via reading the comparison in photos. More information please go to ICY DOCK now~enjoy it please ^^


MB881U3-1SA link: http://www.cremax.com.tw/eng/goods.php?id=94
MB981U3-1SA link: http://www.cremax.com.tw/eng/goods.php?id=95

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

ICY Choice: How to choose a suitable 2.5" HDD converter for your computer?

2.5" to 3.5" converter series are ICY DOCK popular products in the markets, from the first converter device, MB882SP-1S-1SB, MB882SP-1S-2B to now MB982 series.
Somebody may be confused why so many similar products released? Is the function the same, isn't it? Don't worry, ICY DOCK shows you how to choose a suitable one for your computer. Simple photos with word description let you understand our products! You can go to http://www.cremax.com.tw/eng/index.php right now for more information~!

MB882 series products link
MB982 series products link

Monday, September 26, 2011

ICY choice: How to compare ICY DOCK product MB973SP-B with others!!

So many multi-bay module products in market, to choose a suitable one may confuse you!

For users' consideration, we choose several products in the market to comapare with ICY DOCK multi-bay module MB973SP-B, you will be clear after checking it!! More information please go to ICY DOCK official website or our cooperated partners in the world!!


MB974SP-B review - posted by storagereview.com

The Icy Dock 4-in-3 backplane gives users easy access to four hard drives in the space occupied by three 5.25" drive bays in a typical PC case. The unit is highlighted by tool-less/tray-less hard drive slots and dedicated SATA connections making it an ideal RAID backplane. Icy Dock has also thrown in a bunch of extras like......read the full review

Icy News:Diablo III Delayed Until 'Early 2012'

Holding true to their design ethos of Ship It When It’s Ready, Blizzard just changed the launch window for Diablo III from the end of 2011 to early 2012.
“While this news might not be a complete surprise, I know that many of you were hopeful that Diablo III would ship this year,” stated Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaine. “We were too. However, this week we pulled together people from all of the teams involved with the game to decide whether we felt it would be ready before the end of December, and we grudgingly came to the conclusion that it would not.”
The delay’s silver lining is the extension of Diablo III’s beta period. Blizzard began sending out invites to the closed beta earlier this week, and this could give them time to add even more players. You can still opt-in to the beta over at Battle.net.

Blizzard’s 2012 calendar is now looking packed with Diablo III, the next chapter in Starcraft II, and another World of Warcraft expansion all tentatively scheduled for release. A busy year for a company that only ships when ready.  via Anand Tech

Icy news: Sony Speeds Up 64GB SxS PRO Memory Card

R/W at 1.2Gb/s through ExpressCard slot, without adapter


Sony Corporation has expanded its SxS PRO memory card range with a new generation which offers twice as fast writing speed than previous models.


The new SxS PRO 64GB, SBP-64 model, can read and write data at up to 1.2Gbps through an ExpressCard slot, without the need for an adapter.
With this evolution of increased writing speed, professional users will be able to capture video of higher bit-rate. They will also be able to capture 120 minutes of recording in HD 422 50Mbps MXF mode, which is widely used in the broadcast area, and transfer content directly to a laptop in 8 minutes, which will improve the global workflow.
In addition to its data transfer speed the SBP-64A also features durability, reliability and useful functions with XDCAM/XDCAM EX, included in the full SxS memory card range, which is achieved through 'Intelligent Technology by SxS'.
'Intelligent Technology by SxS' has been developed to reach data reliability and durability and to be compatible with Sony XDCAM/XDCAM EX equipment.
Data reliability is achieved through the 'Power failure management' function which enables the card to read the data again by re-creating data management table in the event of sudden loss of power supply or if the card is accidentally picked out, as well as through the data-error correction or the data-defects minimizing function. Also, like its SxS predecessors, SBP-64A offers salvage function and slow-motion recording function as a result of being co-engineered with XDCAM/XDCAM EX.
The new SxS PRO 64GB will be available in October 2011.  via-StorageNewsletter.com

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Icy News: Blizzard’s Diablo 3 experiments: “Oh, this feels even better with direct control”

Everyone knows what classic Diablo plays like, but Blizzard has never been afraid to experiment. Part of that process for Diablo 3 involved looking at different control systems – up to and including seeing how the action would work with an Xbox 360 controller, or how its demon-slaying might play on consoles.


Yes. Diablo 3. On an Xbox controller. Read on to find out how Diablo 3′s game director feels about that.

“We don’t see ourselves as a PC developer – we see ourselves as a game developer. It’s just that the games that we wanted to make suit the PC platform,” game director Jay Wilson told us. “We don’t believe you can make a Starcraft style RTS and make it Blizzard great on a console. We do believe you could make an RTS that would be on a console, but we would have (to have) that idea, and that spark and that passion to make it.

“One of the reasons why we’re exploring the idea of a console version of Diablo 3 because we feel that the controls and the style of the game lend itself to a console. With some of our early experiments in putting a direct control scheme into the game via a 360-like analogue controller, I’ve been ‘Oh this feels even better, with direct control…’”

Don’t panic though. This doesn’t mean Diablo 3 itself is giving up its classic mouse controls, a la Dungeon Siege 3. It does speak to the chance of other versions further down the road though, which could even benefit the PC. “I can pretty much guarantee that if we decide to do a console version that we will look to support a pad on the PC,” says Wilson. “But initially with release I don’t think we’ll be ready.” via PC GAMER

Icy News: Half of IT Decision Makers Favor SSD Technology

"IBM survey conducted by Zogby International


IBM Corp. released the findings of a customer survey that demonstrates pent-up demand for SSD technology as a successor to flash and hard-disk drives.

Customers are embracing high-performance SSDs to support growing data storage demands driven by cloud computing and analytics technologies.

More than half of the customers surveyed (57 percent) responded that their organization needs to develop a new storage approach to manage future growth. The survey of 250 U.S. IT professionals in decision-making positions was conducted by Zogby International in August 2011 on behalf of IBM.

The survey demonstrates a need for a new class of storage that can expand the market for SSDs by combining their ability to speed the delivery of data with lower costs and other benefits. Nearly half (43 percent) of IT decision makers say they have plans to use SSD technology in the future or are already using it. Speeding delivery of data was the motivation behind 75 percent of respondents who plan to use or already use SSD technology. Those survey respondents who are not currently using SSD said cost was the reason (71 percent).

Anticipating these challenges years ago, IBM Research has been exploring storage-class memory, a new category of data storage and memory devices that can access data significantly faster than hard disk drives-at the same low cost.

Racetrack memory, a solid-state technology, is a potential replacement for hard drives and successor to flash in handheld devices. A storage device with no moving parts, it uses the spin of electrons to access and move data to atomically precise locations on nanowires 1,000 times finer than a human hair. This technique combines the performance and reliability of flash with the low cost and high capacity of the hard disk drive. It could allow electronic manufacturers to develop devices that store much more information - as much as a factor of 100 times greater - while using much less energy than today's designs. Racetrack memory is featured as one of IBM's top 100 achievements as the company celebrates its Centennial this year.

These new storage technologies could also alleviate critical budget, power and space limitations facing IT administrators. Today, an average, transaction-driven datacenter uses approximately 1,250 racks of storage, taking up 13,996 square feet and 16,343 kilowatts (kw) of power. By 2020, storage-class memory could enable the same amount of data to fit in one rack that takes up 11 square feet and 5.8 kws of power.

"Technology shifts and market forces are fundamentally changing the composition and design of storage systems," said Bruce Hillsberg, director of storage systems, IBM Research, Almaden. "Evolving current storage technologies alone would not answer customers' diverse and rising data storage demands. We're constantly researching new materials and processes to extend existing storage technologies and get ahead of the performance and capacity requirements of future systems."

In the last year, IBM Research recorded a number of storage breakthroughs including a 29-gigabit per-square-inch tape demonstration; a world record of scanning 10 billion files on a single system in 43 minutes; and the creation of a 120-petabyte data system that is roughly 10 times larger than the biggest single data repository on record.

IBM storage products also include more than five significant storage innovations invented by IBM Research. One example, IBM Easy Tier, automatically moves the most active data (such as credit card transactions) to faster SSDs to prioritize and provide quick access to data for emerging workloads like analytics. The system moves secondary data (less urgent data to be saved, for example, for regulatory requirements) to more cost-effective storage technologies. This is an important technology in preventing what IBM characterizes as 'SSD sprawl' or the overuse of the technology, helping clients use SSDs appropriately to maximize data access while keeping costs in check.

The survey also found that:

Nearly half (43 percent) say they are concerned about managing Big Data.

About a third of all respondents (32 percent) say they either plan to switch to more cloud storage in the future or currently use cloud storage

Nearly half (48 percent) say they plan on increasing storage investments in the area of virtualization, cloud (26 percent) and flash memory/solid state (24 percent) and analytics (22 percent).

More than a third (38 percent) said their organization's storage needs are growing primarily to drive business value from data. Adhering to government compliance and regulations that require organizations to store more data for longer - sometimes up to a decade - was also a leading factor (29 percent)."

- via storagenewsletter.com

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Icy News: Windows 8 Developer Preview: Come and get it

Those of you interested in taking the current flavor of Windows 8 for a spin can now download and install the Developer Preview edition.
Being demoed at Microsoft's Build conference this week, the Developer Preview is a prebeta version showing off the operating system at its current stage. Though technically designed for developers, no registration is required, so anyone can download and install it.

The Windows 8 Preview is being offered in three different packages--a 64-bit version with various developer tools, a 64-bit version of just the operating system, and a 32-bit version of the OS.

All three come as ISO files--image files of the contents of a CD or DVD. Since each of the packages is several gigabytes in size, you'll need a DVD if you want to burn the files to a disc.

In Windows 7, you can burn the ISO file to a DVD by double-clicking it to open the Windows Disc Image Burner. For older operating systems, you can use a tool such as ISO Recorder to burn the file. Alternatively, you can use such utilities as Virtual CloneDrive or Daemon Tools to "mount" the ISO file as a drive, eliminating the need to burn it onto a disc.

Since this is a prebeta version, you'll want to install the OS on a spare PC or in a virtual environment so that it doesn't interfere with your production or work machine.

Those of you who want to know what you're getting into before you attempt to install the Developer Preview can check out a hands-on early look at Windows 8 from CNET's Seth Rosenblatt.

What's next after the Developer Preview?

Speaking at the Build conference yesterday, Steven Sinofsky, senior vice president of Microsoft's Windows division, confirmed earlier reports that Windows 8 will next segue into one beta version, followed by one Release Candidate. Assuming all goes well, we can then expect the final RTM (release to manufacturing) edition sometime after that.

Sinofsky didn't reveal a specific timeframe for the beta or Release Candidate. However, the company has been expected to launch the beta at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in January, according to WinRumors." -via news.cnet.com