2009: Year of the SSD

Intel has released a new 160GB solid state hard drive (SSD), the X25-M in a 2.5-inch form factor, with a 1.8-inch 160GB version, the X18-M, following soon in the next month.

You may remember that Intel announced the 80GB X25-M and X18-M - its first SSD products - at its Developers Forum in August.

Intel's 32GB Intel X25-E Extreme SATA is based on Intel's single-level cell NAND flash memory in order to maximise the input/output operations per second. While the new X25M is a multi-level cell memory which means it has much greater capacity.

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Intel Develops Wireless POWER

Intel on Thursday showed off a wireless electric power system that analysts say could revolutionize modern life by freeing devices from transformers and wall outlets.

Intel chief technology officer Justin Rattner demonstrated a Wireless Energy Resonant Link as he spoke at the California firm's annual developers forum in San Francisco. Electricity was sent wirelessly to a lamp on stage, lighting a 60 watt bulb that uses more power than a typical laptop computer. Most importantly, the electricity was transmitted without zapping anything or anyone that got between the sending and receiving units.

"The trick with wireless power is not can you do it; it's can you do it safely and efficiently," Intel researcher Josh Smith said in an online video explaining the breakthrough.

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USB 3.0 ready!

Intel today sent out a press release stating that its “Extensible Host Controller Interface (xHCI) draft specification revision 0.9 in support of the USB 3.0 architecture, also known as SuperSpeed USB” is now available. This move not only clears some confusion over claims that Intel may be withholding USB 3.0 specifications, but also indicates that we should be able to see first USB 3.0 demonstrations at next week’s IDF in San Francisco.

When maxed out USB 3.0, will offer ten times the bandwidth of USB 2.0 – 4.8 Gb/s, which translates into a massive bandwidth of 600 MB/s.

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