SAMSUNG RELEASES HYBRID HARD DRIVES

[PC, Magazine, June 20, 2007] Samsung's first hybrid hard drives will be available for end-user purchase in a week's time, although only a limited subset of customers with the latest hardware may be able to take advantage of them. CMS Products has begun taking preorders of the new 160-Gbyte SATA 2.5-inch MH80 notebook drive on its Web site, for $299. A company sales associate said the drives should begin shipping at the end of next week, or by July 2 at the latest. Samsung began sampling the drive to OEMs in March. The new drive contains 256 Mbytes of flash memory, which is used as a "write cache" as part of Microsoft's "ReadyDrive" initiative. The drives store data to be written on the flash cache, writing it all in one fell swoop when the cache is full. Writing the data all at once allows the laptop's drive to only spin up when it needs to, instead of operating at full speed to write a few bits of data here and there. The result is a somewhat longer battery life; overall, about 30 minutes, according to Samsung. However, the technology -- which Samsung calls "ReadyBoot" cuts the drive's power between 70 and 90 percent. Moreover, times to boot the PC and resume it from a hibernation state will be cut in half, according to the company. The "ReadyDrive" hybrid hard drive technology is different than the "ReadyBoost" technology already available, which uses a USB flash drive to store frequently-accessed data. OEM manufacturers have been reportedly reluctant to add the ReadyBoost technology, as it offers little benefit compared to additional RAM. According to both CMS and industry sources, the only software driver that's been published for ReadyDrive works only with Microsoft Vista, however. A CMS representative said that any SATA-compatible notebook could use the drive as a replacement using the company's notebook drive upgrade guide. However, documents found on Web sites belonging to both Intel and Lenovo indicate differently. On Intel's site, an Intel 965 "Santa Rosa" chipset is required with support for Turbo Memory to enable Read Drive. Similarly, Lenovo's only Ready Drive driver also limits the available platforms to its R61 and T61 ThinkPad notebooks, as well as the ThinkPad X61, X61s, and X61 tablet PC. CMS will only offer the 160-Gbyte Samsung hybrid drive, the company's sales representative said. Samsung announced the MH80 in capacities of 80 and 120 Gbytes.

Helio Ocean (Pantech PN-810)

APPLE'S iPOD FACES STRONG COMPETITION [PC Magazine, June 22, 2007] Excuse me while I stick my head out the window to breathe, because the iPhone has sucked all of the air out of the room. Some smartphone makers, however, have treated the iPhone not as a smotherer, but as an inspiration. They are piggybacking on the Apple's relentless PR attack and showing off some of their similar (and in their minds, superior) models. You may not believe me, but there are reasons to buy these devices over the iPhone. Here are just a few of them. If you have a job, the Blackberry Curve (pictured) may be more to your taste. The Curve is super easy to use, plus fast and stable and the iPhone will probably be all of those things, too. But keep in mind that the iPhone doesn't connect to most corporate email systems. The Curve, on the other hand, gets the famous Blackberry push e-mail, whether it is from a Blackberry Server, a POP3, Web mail, or Microsoft Outlook Web Access account. It also has a two-megapixel camera, just like the iPhone, and software that automatically reformats videos and music to play on the Curve. Of course the software isn't as smooth as iTunes, but it's still usable. If you live in a Windows Media or Exchange Server world, the HTC Touch could be the closest you'll get to an iPhone. The Touch is a flawed experiment, but it looks a bit like an iPhone and has a fun, if superficial, touch interface that makes it easy to get to some popular applications. Unlike the iPhone though, it syncs up with Windows Media music and Exchange corporate servers – a big plus. For those on T-Mobile, the LG Prada makes a credible alternative. One big drawback with the iPhone is that it's available for AT&T customers only. The Prada, which looks and acts a lot like the iPhone in many ways, is unlocked, so it'll work with AT&T or T-Mobile. It's also a usable, stylish phone that's all the rage in Europe right now. You'll need a geek to help you load on your music and video, though. If you're a geek, a world traveler or a shutterbug, you'll appreciate a Nokia N95 much more. The N95 is close to the ultimate handheld device: unlocked globe-trotting world phone, 5-megapixel camera, and a smartphone with a huge developer community and a wealth of cool software (mostly coming out of Europe.) Its Web browser is just as good as the iPhone's too. Still, the N95's interface isn't anywhere near as easy as the iPhone's and operates much more like a traditional smartphone. Instant messaging addicts listen up, the Helio Ocean is what you really want. I've been boggled by reports that the iPhone won't support IM. If that's actually true, take a look at the Ocean instead. The iPhone has no keypad, but the Ocean has two: a regular phone keypad and a full QWERTY keyboard for texting, IMing and e-mailing. In addition, the Ocean also supports all the popular IM services, along with a whole bunch of e-mail options. It must be said that none of these phones, naturally, will offer the iPhone's ability to play iTunes purchased, protected content, the iPhone's multi-touch interface, the iPhone's wide screen or the iPhone's, well, iPhoniness. So don't worry, Apple fans, you still have something special. I've got just "one more thing" -- Sprint, Verizon, and Alltel users, there's no love for you here. And there's no excuse for that lack of love, either, except that the nation's CDMA carriers seem to be slow to the game. Sure, Sprint may plug their Samsung Upstage as an iPod-like music phone, but its difficult interface pretty much counts it out of the running. LG has a CDMA version of their Prada phone out in Korea while HTC makes CDMA devices, and RIM has always had a strong relationship with Verizon, yet the latest models for those carriers may be months away. Time to step up, guys. Read full article with links to other products HERE