 |
Sandisk Cruzer Titanium USB Flash Drive Wins Two Editor's Choice Awards
Sunnyvale, CA, July 27, 2004 - SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) today announced that its new Cruzer Titanium portable USB flash drive has been honored with two coveted Editors' Choice Awards -- one from consumer electronics website CNET ( www.cnet.com), a leading resource for consumer electronic product reviews and information, and the other from Laptop mobile computing magazine. 
In giving Cruzer Titanium a 9.0 ("Excellent") out of a possible 10 rating, CNET senior associate editor Justin Jaffe said the drive has "a trinity of useful utilities and superior durability at a competitive price per megabyte." Cruzer Titanium comes in a single capacity of 512 megabytes, has a USB connector that retracts into the body, and carries three software applications that provide on-the-road productivity. Users can synchronize and replicate their Microsoft Outlook folders (including email, contacts and calendar) on two or more computers, back up selected files, and engage a password protection security feature. The CNET review, which is posted online at http://reviews.cnet.com/SanDisk_Cruzer_Titanium/4505-3233_7-30795193.html, recommended the drive's rugged metal construction, which SanDisk designed to be crush-resistant to 2,000 pounds*. Said Jaffe: "We couldn't track down a 2,000-pound weight to drop on it to test this claim, but we stomped on it, tried to crack it in half, and chucked it really hard at a wall. The drive and its contents survived wholly undisturbed, and we concede that the Cruzer Titanium is certainly among the sturdiest USB flash drives around." CNET Editors' Choice winners are recognized as top products in their respective technology categories, and contribute to the standard by which all future products are judged. A key selection requirement is the difference it makes in the lives of its users, whether through innovative features, exceptional value for the price, remarkable ease of use, or a demonstrable boost to users' productivity. The Laptop Editors' Choice designation, appearing in the July issue, is part of the monthly magazine's regular High Five section. Cruzer Titanium was given four-and-a-half stars out of a possible five stars, and it was the highest-rated of five USB flash drives. "Fashion meets technology in SanDisk's titanium-coated Cruzer - this gumstick-sized unit is virtually indestructible," wrote reviewer Louis Ramirez. Laptop said it took just 22 seconds to transfer a test folder of 58.6MB full of MP3 music. Under SanDisk's specifications, Cruzer Titanium has a write speed rating of 13MB per second and a read speed of 15MB per second, making it one of the fastest USB flash drives on the market. The three software programs that come preloaded in the device are CruzerSync, Cruzer PocketCache and CruzerLock. Eric Bone, product marketing manager for the Cruzer line, said, "We're delighted to receive two Editors' Choice awards so soon after the retail introduction of Cruzer Titanium. Both media companies are respected for their independent testing criteria and their credibility among consumers. We're proud to be recognized for our dedication and commitment to producing the highest quality products available today." Cruzer Titanium is part of a family of SanDisk USB Flash Drives that also includes Cruzer Mini, which has capacities of 128MB to 1 gigabyte, and Cruzer Micro, which has capacities of 128MB to 512MB. Suggested retail prices range from US$44.99 for a Cruzer Mini to US$199.99 for the Cruzer Titanium. SanDisk, the world's largest supplier of flash memory data storage card products, designs, manufactures and markets industry-standard, solid-state data, digital imaging and audio storage products using its patented, high density flash memory and controller technology. SanDisk is based in Sunnyvale, CA. Press Release Reference: - http://www.sandisk.com/corporate/press.aspSee Sandisk Cruzer Titanium USB Flash Drive product details here.For other USB Flash Drive product click here.
Sandisk Memory Stick Duo Pro Memory Cards in stock
We've just got our first batch of Sandisk Memory Stick Duo Pro memory flash cards after several months of waiting. Our first lot of Sandisk Memory Stick Duo Pro cards have 128MB and 256MB capacities. 
About the Sandisk Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick Duo Pro:
Sandisk introduced the Sandisk Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick PRO Duo flash memory cards this time last year in an effort to expand its Memory Stick product range. These two types of Memory Stick Duo cards are designed to fit into electronic devices such as mobile phones, digital cameras and other consumer devices. Sandisk's Memory Stick Pro Duo is half the size of the standard Memory Stick media. At the moment, Memory Stick flash cards fit mostly in Sony devices.
The Sandisk Memory Stick PRO Duo flash cards are embedded with the higher performance MagicGate technology which means that they are highly suitable for digital music players, digital still and video cameras.
The main features of the Sandisk Memory Stick PRO Duo cards are: - high data/memory capacity - high-speed data transfer - built in security for the secure transfer of copyright-protected content - real-time recording of high-resolution images and video For more information click through to our Memory Stick section: - Sandisk Memory Stick Pro Duo 128MB
Archos AV400/AV420 is here!
Finally after several anxious months of waiting the first batch of Archos AV400s have landed in Australia. Here's a picture I just took of the packaging: 
For the full low-down on the Archos AV400 click here. As you can imagine these are going like hotcakes so get yours soon!
Sandisk Transflash 128MB Memory Module - Tiny New Memory Card to hit Australia
The Sandisk Transflash (previously known as T-Flash) is an exceptionally small memory card that was released earlier this year. It is reportedly the smallest memory card in the world and is only a little bigger than a fingernail (11mm x 15mm x1mm). Tiny! Sandisk had to employ advanced packaging technology and SanDisk's latest NAND MLC flash memory and controller technologies to achieve the remarkable size. Sandisk also use this technology in its miniSD and TriFlash products. 
Don't be deceived by its miniscule form factor as it is fully-featured with storage-intensive multimedia applications such as digital cameras, video capture and playback, MP3 players, video games, personal organizers, Multimedia Message Service (MMS), email and voicemail capabilities. With 3G gaining, so too will the storage needs of mobile users. Sandisk's foresight in designing removable and upgradeable memory cards for mobiles phones will definitely result in huge dividends as the market grows. Sandisk have hinted that there will be a SD Card adapter that converts a TransFlash memory card into an SD Memory Card for interoperability with standard SD gadgets, allowing users to exchange data between their TransFlash-equipped mobile phone and any SD compatible host, such as a digital camera, PDA, laptop or PC. Motorola was the first mobile player to endorse and support the Sandisk Transflash Memory Card. At the moment I know of three Motorola phones that will accept the Sandisk Transflash Memory Card: A1000, E1000 and V10. Each of these are set to hit the market any time now in North America.
We'll be receiving our first batch of Sandisk Transflash memory cards in two weeks. Don't know how much use they'll be though as phones accepting these in Australia are still as rare as hen's teeth...Initially the Sandisk TransFlash 128MB will retail around the $80-$90 mark. References:
- http://www.sandisk.com/pressrelease/20040322.html
- http://www.sandisk.com/pressrelease/20040227.html
- http://www.sandisk.com/retail/transflash.asp
Click here to see Sandisk TransFlash at Mr.Gadget Australia!
MSI Mega Cache 15 : 1 inch 1.5GB Hard Drive!?!
Want a device that replaces approximately 1000+ floppies that's the size of your hand? Or perhaps something that allows you to easily read/write approximately 500 of your favourite MP3 songs and not look like a pre-historic brick? Look no further than the MSI Mega Cache 15 portable storage drive! 
The MSI Mega Cache 15 is a highly portable mobile storage device that holds up to 1.5GB of data - excellent for storing heaps of documents, your treasured photos, favourite music (go Avalon and Jody McBrayer!), video and other multimedia devices. The impressive factor about this mobile storage device is that it does not use flash memory but has a 1 inch hard drive inside! That's right a 1 inch hard drive that has 1.5GB worth of storage! 
The MSI Mega Cache 15 is Plug 'n' Play, which means that you don't need to install drivers and it's a matter of plugging it into a spare USB port on your laptop (see picture below) or PC, then dragging and dropping files onto it - simple! Being USB 2.0 means that you can take advantage of extremely fast data transfer speeds (up to 48MB per second). 
The dimensions of the MSI Mega Cache 15 are 57.5mm (w) x 69.7mm (h) x 13.1mm (d) which make it palm-sized. It is encased in a high quality aluminium case and weighs approximate 50grams. Get your MSI Mega Cache 15 Portable 1.5GB USB Storage Drive here!
Sandisk 4GB Compact Flash Memory Card here in two weeks
Earlier in March this year, Sandisk announced its Sandisk 4GB Compact Flash Card and 5 months later it'll be here in Australia; not such a bad wait time... At that time it was the highest capacity CF Type 1 available. With 4GB on board, the Sandisk 4GB CompactFlash Memory Card is an ideal product for professional digital photographers who need as much data storage capacity that they can get their trigger-happy hands on. 
Sandisk has leveraged its production 0.13 micron NAND flash technology and a new advanced high density component package to quadruple the capacity of its largest capacity CF card. This card comes at the right moment with continued growth in camera resolution and corresponding file sizes. Memory hungry professional and pro-consumer cameras are requiring larger capacity cards and up till now camera owners have not been able to satisfy their appetites. Now at the expense of their wallets, Sandisk 2GB and 4GB Compact Flash cards will keep them happy...until they fill up too! Chris Chute, a senior analyst at the IDC market research firm, said, "We predict an increased demand for higher capacity CompactFlash cards because of the growing popularity of high-resolution digital cameras and other consumer electronics products. This new SanDisk card will be an especially compelling product for professional photographers who need all the storage capacity they can get to store their many images." With this unprecedented flash storage, more than 4,000 high resolution pictures could be stored on the 4GB CompactFlash card, or more than 1,000 digital songs or even a full length DVD movie. Before buying this card please make sure that your camera supports the FAT32 file system. I haven't looked at any of these cards yet, but I'm pretty sure that it'll come with some software like Image Rescue that assists you in properly reformatting the cards to FAT32 if they are mistakenly used in a non-FAT32 compliant camera. We'll update stock levels on our website once they've arrived ( ETA August 9th). Check out the product details for the Sandisk 4GB Compact Flash Card here. Reference: http://www.dpreview.com/news/0303/03031303sandisk4gbcfcard.asp
Toshiba SD Cards and Compact Flash Cards Here!
Smartdisk FlashTrax FTX20 : Great work!
This is the best portable storage gadget I've seen to date! The SmartDisk Flashtrax FTX-20 is a the storage device of choice for anyone considering quality portable photo storage. 
Unlike some similar devices on the market, I was impressed at the build of this unit. It has a solid feel to it and fits nicely in the hand. The screen flips out smoothly and shuts quite securely. At 3.5" (diagonal) in size it provides for ample display space for viewing of photos stored on the hdd or memory card. Navigation buttons on the side allow one to perform normal music player functions such as rewind, play/pause, fast forward and control volume control. There are also audio out, video out (NTSC & PAL), DC in 5V and USB ports on the other side. Attaching the battery to the unit was easy - was just a matter of slotting in the battery cartridge in the back until it snapped into place. Removing it was easier - just pushed the battery release buttons! The device can run on either battery (Lithium Ion - excellent, better than NiMh or NiCad) or by DC power input (AC Power Adapter included). Straight out of the box the SmartDisk Flashtrax FTX-20 reads Compact Flash Type I, Type II and IBM Microdrive memory cards. Other flash media can be used through use of a Compact Flash Adapter, such as the SmartDisk FlashTrax Media Adapter. I really liked the "copy" button which allows you to copy the whole content of a memory card with one button press! Great thinking! JPEG and most RAW images can be viewed with hardware zoom in/out, pan/scroll, and rotation support. GIF and BMP files can be viewed without zoom. TIFF images can be viewed if containing an uncompressed embedded thumbnail. The SmartDisk Flashtrax FTX-20 also displays motion JPEG picture decoding. Beside images, the SmartDisk Flashtrax FTX-20 also plays music! It has a stereo analog line out (earphone jack) and built-in speaker which allows you to listen to your favourite MP3s or WAV files. The sound quality with the built-in speaker wasn't too bad either. With 20GB on board you can store quite a number of albums and still have a lot of room for photos too! This device would not be complete without at least USB 2.0 or Firewire. SmartDisk have not let us down! The SmartDisk Flashtrax FTX-20 has a USB 2.0 port for you to transfer data to and from your PC. Attach the SmartDisk Flashtrax FTX-20 to your TV via video cable and watch picture slide shows using the remote control that's included in the package! The feature packed SmartDisk Flashtrax FTX-20 also includes a felt-pouch to protect your little gadget! No wonder why the SmartDisk Flashtrax FTX-20 won the DIMA 2003 Innovative Digital Product Award and Professional Photographer 2003 Hot 1 Award! Congratulations to SmartDisk who've created a brilliant product! Click here to view full product specifications for the FTX-20 (20GB) and FTX-40 (40GB)versions.
Check out the Flybook Tablet!
Our friends at Digitalreviews.net told us about this handy little travel companion, the Flybook from Dialogue.   Just reading the overview of its specifications, show how far we've come in terms of portables. The Flybook comes with WiFi, Bluetooth, slot for a SIM card for GPRS, a CF/PC card slot, 2 USB 2.0 ports, 2 FireWire Ports and an 8.9" TFT XGA wide-view screen capable of 1024x600 pixels! Yowsers, now that's a feature packed ultra-portable. Makes me wish I had a look at this before acquiring my Toshiba M200 tablet... For an in-depth look at the Flybook, surf on down to DigitalReviews.Net: http://www.digitalreviews.net/reviews/072004/flybook.htm
Sandisk WiFi SD Memory Combo Card 256MB just a couple of weeks away
Got word last week that the Sandisk WiFi SD Memory Card 256MB is approximately 3 weeks away (ETA August 20th). I've been waiting for one of these for months! There is currently a Sandisk SD WiFi Card available but it has no memory on board. At the moment, I'm using a Sandisk 64MB MMC to hold my GPS maps, so I figured I'd wait for the Sandisk WiFi SD Memory Card 256MB instead of having to use to separate cards all the time. When I was in Sydney earlier this year, I was amazed how easy it was to get hooked up to the wireless hotspot at the Rydges hotel. If only I had a wifi card in my o2 XDA II then! Oh well, the old axiom "good things come to those who wait" definitely applies in this case. Sandisk's 256MB WiFi SD Combo Card combines flash memory and wireless communications into a single card giving SDIO-enabled PDAs the freedom to quick and receive data, images and music from thousands of 802.11b hotspots worldwide. 
The advanced features of the Sandisk WiFi SD Memory Card 256MB are:
- 802.11b Wi-Fi communications up to 11Mbps High Speed Data Transfer Rate - Enterprise and consumer security - includes WEP, PSK, 802.1x, WPA - Conserve precious internal memory by saving directly to the card - Battery optimised for lowest power and highest performance The Sandisk WiFi SD Memory Card 256MB will support PocketPC 2002, PocketPC 2003 and Windows Mobile 2003. On Mtekk, I've heard of a couple of incidents where people have purchased the Sandisk WiFi SD Memory Card 256MB overseas then were not able to use them in Australia. For those in Australia, itching to get your hands on these, I would suggest you wait until Sandisk Australia have released their own version. Palminfocenter.com reports that SanDisk has repeatedly delayed releasing drivers for the SD only version of this card. First announced in January of 2003, drivers have yet to be released for Palm Powered handhelds. It is unclear when drivers for either product will be made available for the Palm OS.
We have PalmOne Treo 600 Smartphones
We finally have PalmOne Treo 600 Smartphones! As a special we're throwing in a Palm SD Backup Card valued at RRP$99 in with these for a limited time.  Read the product details of the PalmOne Treo 600 here.
Archos AV400 Pocket Video Recorder on its way
I've just been informed that Australia's first batch of Archos AV400 are on its way. Since it's a European product it is undergoing some changes to suit Australian electrical requirements. Can't wait to get my hands on one of these to do some tests! 
The Archos AV400 Pocket Video Recorders are jam-packed with features! Its capacity will be from 2oGB to 100GB - the first batch coming to Australia will be 20GB then 80GB! Quite a jump between sizes but given the applications of this device it's quite logical to go for more space. The display is also impressive with a 3.5" screen. A wide-variety of digital media are supported by the Archos AV400 including video, digital pictures and audio. Audio formats include MP3, WMA and WAV files. XviD, DivX 4.0 and 5.0 and MPEG4 SP at 704 x 480 pixels are video supported formats. In terms of pictures, JPEG and BMP formats can be viewed. There's a compact flash expansion slot built into the Archos AV400 which allows for transferring pictures directly onto the device. It's reported that a memory card adapter will be released in the near future to cater for other memory cards such as SD, MMC, Smart Media, Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pros. The above are just some of the great features packed into this little gadget. For the full low-down on the Archos AV400 click here. We'll keep you posted on when the first batch lands down-under!
Sony Ericsson T610 Package Bonus
Tiny Transcend 1.8 inch Portable Storage
Transcend have recently released one of the smallest portable hard drives on the market, the Transcend JetStore 1.8 inch Portable Drive. It's around the size of a business card and smaller than a 3.5 floppy disk. With a 40GB hard drive inside, this will satisfy your biggest storage needs. Great for backups, storage of digital photos, MP3s and all your other important files.  USB 2.0 enables the Transcend JetStore 1.8 inch Portable Drive to transfer up to 48MB per second. The minute drive is also USB powered so no batteries required! The device is plug 'n' play with most current Windows and Mac operating systems too...what more could you ask for! We just got our first batch so get yours at Mr.Gadget Australia!
Sandisk 2GB Compact Flash now available!
Just a heads up to let you know that we now have the Sandisk 2GB Compact Flash Memory Card and the Sandisk 2GB Ultra II Compact Flash Memory Card.   What's the diff? Well it's all to do with data trasnfer speed. The normal Sandisk cards read and write around 1/2MB per second, whereas it's beefed up cousin reads and writes at 9/10MB per second. I find that people who've been buying the Ultra II cards are either techies with a lot of money to burn or professional photographers. At the moment the price differential is around $150... Similarities? Both these cards are Compact Flash Type 1 which means that if you have a digital camera or device that takes normal compact flash cards you'll be able to use the Sandisk Ultra II cards without any hassles. However some devices fail to utilise the extra speed of the Sandisk Ultra II - check with your devices manual to be sure, to be sure. I've got a Sandisk Ultra II Compact Flash 1GB working in my Canon 300D. I believe they're a must for digital SLRs! With such large photo sizes you need something that will allow you to flick through the pages and take burst shots rapidly when the need arises. Here's a link to our complete range of Compact Flash Memory Cards (click here)...
Transcend's new MP3 Player - JetflashTM MP3 Player
Taipei, Taiwan, July 16, 2004 /Various Agencies --- Transcend, one of the first companies to release a USB Flash Drive MP3 player have released a new version called the JetflashTM MP3. It features a new streamlined design with blue backlit LCD display. The new funky feature is a penti-directional joystick!
It's USB 2.0 with read and write speeds of 3.2 and 2.8MB/sec and will be available in capacities of 128MB, 256MB, 512MB and 1GB. Measuring 86x36x16.5mm and only weighing 25g (without battery), this multi-funtional device combines a USB Flash Drive with an MP3 player, AB repeater, voice recorder, and an FM radio.  We hope to stock this jazzy MP3 player once it hits Australia.
Navman GPS 4460 & ICN 630 Sale!
Go Go Mr.Gadget Executive 256MB USB Watch!
Product #2 with the Mr.Gadget brand of quality! The new Mr.Gadget Executive 256MB USB Watch is the most elegant USB watch in today's gadget market. Featuring stylish stainless steel, shower-proof construction, genuine black leather straps and glow-in-the-dark dial, this is definitely the USB watch of choice. What's more is that is comes with 256MB on board, which is equivalent to carrying around 200+ 3.5 floppy disks! It's great for storing you favourite MP3s, photos, documents or other data files.  The Mr.Gadget Executive 256MB USB Watch also comes with a nifty retractable USB cable that extends to approximately 90cm! Fits nicely into your bag or pocket. Read more about the Mr.Gadget Executive 256MB USB Watch here!
Cool speakers for the iPOD
JBL have wowed Apple lovers at the Boston 2004 MacWorld show with its JBL On Stage for the Apple iPOD. The JBL On Stage is compatible with all versions of the iPod, including the iPod mini. It also features a stereo mini jack connection which allows you to enjoy quality audio from other devices such as MP3 and CD players and desktop computers.  A lot of effort has been put into this device with JBL utilising technologies such as Odyssey Transducers, Computer Optimized Equalization, Optimized Compression Topology and Evercharge Topology - in simple terms, this gadget has the latest and greatest in audio! Read more about its features at JBL: http://www.jbl.com/home/products/product_detail.asp?ProdId=ONSTAGE&SerId=HMM&sCatId#description
Want to play MP3s from your USB flash drive?
The Anydrive Car MP3 USB FM Transmitter transforms your USB flash drive into a music machine, where you can enjoy in your car radio, home stereo or even through headphones!  I've had a thorough play around with one of these and they're are so easy to install! Here's the process I used: 1. Loaded my Mr.Gadget USB Pen Drive with MP3 files (can use any USB flash drive) 2. Plugged in the USB Pen Drive into the Anydrive Car MP3 USB FM Transmitter 3. Selected a radio frequency on the Anydrive Car MP3 USB FM Transmitter 4. Tuned into the radio station on my car stereo 5. Sat back and relaxed to the soothing tunes of my favourite artists! The Anydrive Car MP3 USB FM Transmitter comes with a car charger and velcro straps so you can mount it in your vehicle. Get yours here at Mr.Gadget! Click here for product specifications.Check out The Gadgeteers review on this device here.
Oakley Sunnies and MP3 Player combined? About time!
It was only a matter of time before Oakley figured that it would be cool incorporating an MP3 player into their frames. Here's a picture courtesy of Gizmodo:  The first set of converged Oakley sunnies is called "Thump" and integrates a 75Mhz DSP and an 18-bit Sigma Delta DAC with signal-to-noise ration of greater than 90dB. It can play MP3, WMA (DRM) and WAV files. This gadget is powered by a lithium-ion polymer battery and is reported to have six hours of playback! The 256MB version is quite expensive at US$495 and 128MB at US$395. At these prices I think I'll stick to the separate components for now...although I know a good buddy (Fitzie) who would definitely use the MP3 as an excuse to acquire his 4th pair of Oakleys...[www.everthingusb.com]
i-Rocks 12-in-1 memory card reader is tiny!
The i-Rocks 12-in-1 memory card reader is one of the newest additions to the Mr.Gadget catalogue. This plug-n-play, palm-sized gadget is a quality device that reads 12 different memory cards. It's tiny size makes for easy packing in your laptop, handbag or bumbag?! Under the hood is a USB 2.0 engine, rearing to transfer data at blistering speeds (approximately 48MB per second!). Check out the full specs here : i-Rocks 12-in-1 memory card reader 
Mr.Gadget USB Pen Drives are here!
We are very excited to announce that our first Mr.Gadget gadget is here! Presenting the Mr.Gadget 256MB USB Pen Drive! That's right this elegant pen is equipped with 256MB on board so that you'll have the ability to store over 250 floppy disks worth of data. The box also comes with a screw on laser pointer. Perfect for jazzy presentations and lectures. Together they make a great gift or handy pocket companion for yourself! Get yours here today! 
Mr.Gadget Web Hosting Powered by Ilisys (www.ilisys.com.au)
Over 2000 customers and growing!
Well it's been 1 year since www.mrgadget.com.au started and boy has it been a wild ride! What started off as a little hobby and a way to get cheaper memory cards and PC equipment, is now a viable business model ready for the next step. Thank you to all our customers, both new and loyal, in helping us achieve this excellent milestone! Let me share some of our stats with you, check out this graph:  After over 11 million hits and around 160,000 unique visitors, I've decided that it's time to hang up my hat as an IT Business Analyst and dedicate myself to growing this little company full-time. Speaking of company, our organisation is now MRGADGET.COM.AU PTY LTD trading as Mr.Gadget Australia!We hope you'll continue to partner with us in this next exciting chapter of this growing company!
Site contents, design and structure are ©Copyright 2004 by MRGADGET.COM.AU PTY LTD, all rights reserved.
|
 |
