Seagate Officially Launches Hybrid Hard Drive

We knew Seagate was cooking up a hybrid hard drive that would combine an SSD and HDD under the same hood, but most of the information we had was based on speculation and leaked specs. Things are a bit more concrete now, as Seagate today officially unveiled what it claims is the "world's fastest hard drive for laptop computers."

It's called the Momentus XT and it comes in three capacities, including 250GB, 320GB, and 500GB. These hybrid drives will sport 4GB of fast SLC NAND solid state memory, a 7200RPM spindle speed, 32MB of drive-level cache, and SATA 3Gb/s with NCQ.

"We see the Momentus ® XT drive as a game changer, a product heralding a new generation of hard drives that combine SSD and HDD capabilities so that laptop users don’t have to make trade-offs on speed, cost or capacity," said Dave Mosley, Seagate executive vice president of Sales, Marketing and Product Line Management.

To squeeze the most performance out of its hybrid drive, Seagate has implemented what it calls Adaptive Memory technology. What this does is analyze patterns in how often certain digital data is used and then moves the most frequently used bits to the embedded solid state memory for faster access.

Product Link

HP Expands Worldwide Battery Recall

Battery packs shipped in HP notebook PC products manufactured between August 2007 and May 2008 may pose a potential safety hazard to customers, HP said on Wednesday. The batteries can overheat and pose a fire and/or burn hazard.

HP had already issued a worldwide voluntary recall for the potentially faulty batteries, and has now added several more to the list. Additional models include HP, HP Pavilion, HP Compaq, and Compaq Presario products, over 31 SKUs in all.

If you own one of the affected models, HP will send out a replacement battery pack at no cost. According to HP, less than 3 percent of the notebook PC products manufactured in the above time frame are included in the program.

Full list and validation instructions here.

Netbooks, Ultra-Thins Off to a Strong Start in 2010

If tablets are going to kill off the netbook market, they're going to have to kick things up a notch or three. According to market research firm iSuppli, netbooks posted double digit growth so far in 2010, the result of improved economic conditions around the world.

"Despite the worldwide recession last year, consumers were enthusiastic about notebooks, a trend that will persist in 2010 especially for the market's two fastest-growing segments-the netbook and the ultra-thin notebook," said Peter Lin, senior analyst for compute platforms at iSuppli.

Netbooks shipments are expect to surge to 34.5 million units in 2010, a 30 percent increase over one year ago, and by 2014, iSuppli forecasts netbook shipments in the neighborhood of 58.3 million. At the same time, ultra-thins are becoming extremely popular and will ship nearly 14.5 million units in 2010, equivalent to a 93 percent increase from the 7.5 million units shipped in 2009.

Netbooks, Ultra-Thins Off to a Strong Start in 2010

If tablets are going to kill off the netbook market, they're going to have to kick things up a notch or three. According to market research firm iSuppli, netbooks posted double digit growth so far in 2010, the result of improved economic conditions around the world.

"Despite the worldwide recession last year, consumers were enthusiastic about notebooks, a trend that will persist in 2010 especially for the market's two fastest-growing segments-the netbook and the ultra-thin notebook," said Peter Lin, senior analyst for compute platforms at iSuppli.

Netbooks shipments are expect to surge to 34.5 million units in 2010, a 30 percent increase over one year ago, and by 2014, iSuppli forecasts netbook shipments in the neighborhood of 58.3 million. At the same time, ultra-thins are becoming extremely popular and will ship nearly 14.5 million units in 2010, equivalent to a 93 percent increase from the 7.5 million units shipped in 2009.

Toshiba Implements Sony's TransferJet Technology into Notebooks

PIQOO | www.piqoo.blogspot.com

Starting sometime in the second half of this year, Toshiba says it will begin implementing Sony's TransferJet technology into its product lines.

If you've never heard of TransferJet, it's a close-proximity wireless transfer technology offering high-speed transfers of larger files from your handheld gadgets to other devices. The physical transmission layer comes rated at 560Mbps, while the maximum data throughput (think: real-world) is 375Mbps (you can read more about TransferJet here).

Toshiba didn't say exactly what products will be the first infused with TransferJet, nor what kind of pricing premium the technology would result in. The company did say, however, that TransferJet will probably be added to just a handful of models to begin with. And because it has already been demonstrated by Toshiba's UK laptop division, it's a safe bet that we'll likely see this appear on Toshiba's laptop line first.

Image Crdit: electricpig.co.uk

Asus G73 Gaming Laptop Available in the States

PIQOO | www.piqoo.blogspot.com

In the market for a gaming notebook? If so, Asus' G73 laptop might be the steal of the year, albeit it's still early. Nevertheless, we haven't been this stoked about an affordable gaming notebook since Gateway wowed us with its P7811-FX machine.

Those looking for battery life first and performance second need not apply. But if you're into desktop replacements, the G73's spec sheet will certainly oblige. Inside the 17.3-inch laptop sits an Intel Core i7 720QM quad-core processor, and that's just the beginning. You'll also find 8GB of DDR3 memory, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870 graphics with a 1GB frame buffer, and a 500GB hard drive spinning at 7200RPM.

The G73 also boasts a 1920 x 1080 screen resolution, DVD burner, 4 USB ports, VGA and HDMI, an 8-in-1 card reader, 2.0MP, 8-cell battery, and Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.

Ready for the best part? It's available now from Newegg $1,450.

Image Credit: Asus

Sony Intros VAIO E Series 15.5" Notebooks

Sony Intros VAIO E Series 15.5" Notebooks

Sony today silently introduced its VAIO E series notebooks featuring a 15.5-inch display. The E series has Intel Core i3/i5 dual-core processors, anavailable Blu-ray drive, and a backlit keyboard. The full specifications are as follows:

• 15.5-inch LED-backlit display (16:9 aspect ratio, 1366x768 resolution)
• Intel Core i3/i5 dual-core processors
• ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470 512MB graphics card, HDMI out
• Up to 8GB DDR3 RAM
• Up to 500GB 7200RPM hard drive
• Battery life: up to 3.5 hours w/ standard battery
• Full-size backlit keyboard w/ number pad
• Color options: Coconut White, Gunmetal Black, Lava Black, Hibiscus Pink, Iridescent Blue, Caribbean Green
• 8X DVD burner, available Blu-ray drive
• Dimension: 14.56" (W) x 9.77" (D) x 1.22" (H)
• Weight: 5.95 lbs w/ standard battery
• 1-year limited warranty

The VAIO E series is available now starting at $799.99.

Alienware M11x Gaming Notebook Now Available

Alienware M11x Gaming Notebook Now Available

Alienware announced its M11x 11-inch gaming notebook at CES this year - we covered the launch. The notebook is now avaiable for purchase starting at $799. It has the following specifications:

• Processor options:
  • Intel Pentium Processor SU4100 (1.3GHz/800MHz FSB/2MB L2)
  • Core 2 Duo SU7300 (1.3GHz/800MHz FSB/3MB L2)
• Windows 7 64-bit
• Nvidia GeForce GT 335M graphics card w/ 1GB GDDR3 memory
  • Claimed 3DMark06 score of 6,100
  • Switchable to integrated Intel graphics
• 2-8GB DDR3-1066 RAM
• 11.6-inch display (1366x768)
• External slot-loading DVD burner
• 160GB 5400RPM, 160-500GB 7200RPM hard drives or 256GB SSD
• 8-cell 64Wh battery
• 802.11n wireless
• Dimensions: 1.29" (H) x 11.25" (W) x 9.19" (D)
• Weight: starting at 4.39 lbs
• Ports:
  • IEEE 1394a mini-Firewire
  • 100Mbps Ethernet
  • 3x USB 2.0
  • DisplayPort, HDMI, and VGA out
  • 3-in-1 media card reader
  • 2x microphone jacks and microphone jack
• AlienFX illuminated keyboard
• Available in Cosmic Black or Lunar Shadow silver

Alienware claims the M11x can go for up to 8.5 hours unplugged. The M11x is available now starting at $799 and has estimated ship dates of early March.

Alienware Product Page