Posts in PC & Peripherals

Perpendicular technology reaches new capacities

Darius Chang | Apr 28, 2006

Following closely to its recent announcement of perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) Cheetah drives, Seagate has dropped another bombshell with the rollout of a single-disc 750GB external drive based on the same technology.

Conventional longitudinal recording technology lays data bits flat on the disc as opposed to PMR which makes bits stand on end. In the past, longitudinal recording technology was subject to a force called superparamagnetic effect that might result in bits flipping and corrupting data. This is not an issue with PMR devices. Moreover, by standing the bits, more data units can be fitted on a disc, giving up to 10 times more storage capacity. This is similar to cramming more people on a train by removing the seats and providing standing space only.

Despite the increasing interest in flash-based hard drives, the high-density and cost-per-MB of PMR-based storage cannot be easily dismissed. The huge capacity offered by PMR devices is a match made in heaven for the large storage demands required by high-definition videos and increasingly sophisticated editing software.

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Data gets on its feet

Darius Chang | Apr 19, 2006

Editors' note :

Seagate has announced its first desktop drives using PMR technology; the Cheetah 15K.5 3.5-inch harddisk series. Available in 73GB, 147GB and 300GB capacities, the storage manufacturer claims that the new lineup, with a transfer rate of 73mbps to 125mbps, moves data 30 percent faster than its previous series.

Who says you can't teach old dogs new tricks? Magnetic storage devices have been around longer than most computer users today and, with perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) technology, have no intentions of being made obsolete.

Conventional longitudinal recording technology lays data bits flat on the disc as opposed to PMR which makes bits stand on end. In the past, longitudinal recording technology was subject to a force called superparamagnetic effect that might result in bits flipping and corrupting data. This is not an issue with PMR devices. Moreover, by standing the bits, more data units can be fitted on a disc, giving up to 10 times more storage capacity as longitudinal recording devices. This is similar to cramming more people on a train by removing the seats and providing standing space only.

Toshiba has already begun shipping 1.8-inch PMR disks that pack 40GB onto a single platter. Seagate and Hitachi are producing 2.5-inch notebook harddisks, with the former announcing its first 160GB 2.5-inch disk, the Momentus 5400.3, this month. Considering the advantages of PMR, we expect this technology to be the new standard in the near future. Click here for larger image

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USB Cuffs

Juniper Foo | Apr 11, 2006

Nice one here with the cufflinks idea. The USB thumbdrive gets yet another creative spin as something an executive won't mind accessorizing with. Creator Tonia Welter has even plated it in sterling silver to add some aesthetics to the functionality. However, it's not clear if he's even selling this as a disclaimer states that "all objects on this site are still prototypes" and "not for sale!" Nor are we sure if he's serious about his creations since there's an oddly unusable Keyboard Tablecloth offered on the site as well. But at least we know there's demand for the weirder side of tech since someone's already asking for a USB nose ring/ tongue stud combo. Ouch.

See Imation Flash Wristband | see it worn

Price: N.A.
Availability: Germany, check the Web site
Device: USB drive
Basic specs: Up to 1GB planned

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