Visiontek released its brand new USB Pocket SSDs today in both 120GB and 240GB versions.  The drives utilize speedy USB 3.0 while delivering up to 455MB/s reads and 440MB/s, thanks to a high-performance LSI SandForce SSD controller.

Utilizing USB 3.0 the Visiontek USB Pocket SSD is compatible with both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0.  The drives are compatible with all OSes that support USB.  If using Bootcamp on a Mac it is able to run Windows directly from the drive without the need to partition the drive, making things even easier.  With up to 455MB/s reads and 440MB/s writes this portable option will be just as capable as an internal drive.  Additionally, this is able to be used like a large capacity portable USB Drive, making it possible to transport large files with ease.

There are many uses that these drives could be used for, some of which are:

• High-speed backup drive
• Portable media drive for photographers, videographers, and digital artists
• High capacity storage drive for smartphones or tablets
• Drive for use with portable apps, live Linux distros, and live utilities
• Bootable drive for an OS

Key Features:

Built for rugged portability: No moving parts and an aluminum housing safeguards your data from drops and impacts.
SuperSpeed USB 3.0 performance: Up to 455MB/s reads and 440MB/s writes…up to 10x faster than USB 2.0!
UASP mode support: enables multiple simultaneous commands for faster and more efficient transfers as well as lowers CPU utilization.
DuraClass™ Technology: Ultra-efficient block management & wear leveling offers maximum drive and data reliability.
Bus powered: No need to carry a bulky power adapter…powers via computer.
Use with nearly any computer: Compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux systems with a USB 3.0/2.0 interface.
Keychain grommet: allows the drive to easily attach to a set of house/car keys.
US Made & Supported: Designed and built in the US with the highest quality components and backed by free lifetime US-based Tek support.
TAA Compliant: Assures government contractors and government buyers this product is assembled in the U.S.A and is in compliance with the Trade Agreements Act.

One use that a large drive like this is ideally used with is as a portable drive for using XBoot to load multiple live utilities and live Linux distros.  This would be very useful for those who spend a lot of time fixing computer problems as there are a lot live versions of utilities that can help fix problems.  If there are concerns about using public computers and security, booting a live Distro can be much safer.  Portable apps can also come in handy for those on the go, as you can take what you need to get work done with you.

Pricing of the drives are currently $109.99 for the 120GB version and $174.99 for the 240GB, making these fairly good comparisons to what normal SSDs go for.

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As Computex is getting ready to open its doors in and around Taipei, the capital of Taiwan – more products are leaking to the surface. Thanks to a Spanish e-tailer PCComponentes, we learned of one such product coming to the market comes from the States, in the form of Crucial’s Solid State Drive (SSD).

Crucial’s Retail box for the MX100 SSD

MX100 line of SSDs will mark the beginning of the end for memory chips produced using the 20nm process. While the 128GB drive will carry the 20nm MLC NAND memory chips, 256GB and 512GB models will feature brand new 16nm NAND flash from Micron. According to Micron,

“Our 16nm NAND technology is not only the leading Flash process, but it is also the most advanced processing node for any sampling semiconductor device. It improves on our award-winning planar cell design to create a highly compact storage solution.

Our advanced 16nm technology is also enabling a new 128Gb MLC device for applications that demand high-capacity storage in small form factors— including consumer SSDs, removable storage (USB drives and Flash cards), tablets, ultrathin devices, mobile handsets, and data center cloud storage.”

Micron’s 16nm MLC NAND Flash memory chip

Translated into regular English, a single 16nm chip features no less than 16GB of storage space. Should you wish to integrate this into an ultrabook of the latest type, you’ll be pleased to know that the drive in fact is a 7mm thick 2.5″ drive, featuring an 9mm adapter as well (if you buy a retail packaged unit).

The company stayed clear of LSI / Avago / Seagate / SandForce one more time, and utilizes Marvell’s 88SS9189 controller. This means the drive will connect using a convetional SATA-III (6Gbps), meaning the drive cannot achieve higher transfer speed than 600MB/s up and down. Naturally, the real stated numbers are far lower than that.

All three drives are capable of sequential reading of 550MB/s. Write speeds vary by drive (given the amount of memory chips used for the drive). 128GB SSD comes with the smallest number of NAND flash chips and it achieves barely 150MB/s write, while 256GB drive tops at 330MB/s. The big hitter is the 512GB model, with 500MB/s write speed.

These drives won’t be fastest in the class, but the 16nm process might help 256 and 512GB drives to achieve longer life span.

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So, its starting to get a bit confusing how many times SandForce has changed hands by this point, but the short of it is that they were bought by LSI in 2011 to beef up the company’s flash business, and then LSI as a whole was purchased by Avago last year which included the SandForce division. And now, Avago, a company mostly known for their components (not necessarily entire products) has sold the solid state flash business of LSI to Seagate to the tune of $450 million. This includes both LSI’s own line of PCIe based SSDs as well as their SSD controller business which produces SandForce SSD controllers.

The Cupertino based company, Seagate, is buying this division from the Singaporean based company, Avago, in order to beef up their solid state offerings which have admittedly taken some time to develop when compared to their competitors like Toshiba, Intel, Samsung and SanDisk. This continues to industry’s consolidation of solid state storage companies as now LSI no longer does solid state storage which means Avago no longer does either. And by selling it to a company that already technically has their own SSD technology they’ve effectively consolidated the industry into one fewer company. Even though, for consumers, this is probably not the best thing because when there are more companies there is more competition. However, some of these companies struggled to develop their own controllers that would really enable them to capture some market share.

What will be interesting to see if how the different titans of solid state will perform now that we’ve got 5 major competitors all with their own technology. Additionally, it will be interesting to see how some of Seagate’s competitors, who use SandForce controllers will react to today’s news. And even more importantly, what Western Digital will do as a response. After all, Seagate and Western Digital are both in a virtually never ending race to prove who is the biggest hard drive manufacturer in the world with their essential duopoly.

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