LSI has released an update to its SSD-caching software package for their MegaRAID 6Gb/s SATA+SAS controller cards. The software allows a tier of SSDs to be added to a HDD-based array and serve as cache to increase transaction speeds. The company claims a 13X increase in transaction rates with a 82% cost savings.

Popular teardown site iFixit has released a kit that allows a second hard drive (or SSD) to be added to the current generation Mac Mini (mid 2011). Apple left the space available for the second drive largely for their Mac Mini Server model, which includes two 500GB drives but costs $400 more.

Intel and Micron took home a little silverware from the Flash Memory Summit this year. The duo won the award for Most Innovative Flash Memory Technology for the companies’ 20nm NAND flash memory process technology. The 20nm 8GB NAND chip from Intel and Micron delivers the highest capacity in the smallest form factor.

At Flash Media Summit 2011, flash memory is an exciting topic on the mind of all visitors. Near the center of this market, Micron sits with a heavy influence in components ranging from the NAND itself to complete end-user products like the RealSSD m4/C400 SSD. Even as adoption rates are increasing faster than ever, one

Addonics Technologies has introduced its HPM-XU hardware port multiplier which can connect up to five SATA devices including hard drives to eSATA or USB 3.0. The device features hardware RAID support including RAID 5.

At Flash Media Summit 2011, SandForce was the first to show off 24nm Toshiba MLC NAND working with their existing SATA 6.0Gb/s SF-2000 processor. As flash manufacturers continue to shrink existing NAND sizes, having compatibility means more options and ultimately lower prices for buyers.

Seagate has announced that they have shipped one million Momentus XT hybrid hard drives. The 2.5" hybrids offer 7200RPM platters with 500GB of capacity, boosted by 4GB of solid state SLC NAND used for caching frequent activities, making the XT more responsive than traditional hard drives.   

Today Hitachi released their new Ultrastar SSD400M, offering SLC-level write endurance using 25nm MLC Intel NAND. With the write endurance levels topping 7.3PB lifetime, or roughly 10 full drive fills per day on the 400GB model for five years, Hitachi is able to bring enterprise-level performance in at a much lower cost. Offered in 200GB

Seagate has added another offering to their line of GoFlex external hard drives, the GoFlex Turbo. The Turbo is highlighted by SafetyNet data recovery services. While many external drives have some sort of recovery service available, the Turbo includes two years of the service as part of the purchase price. Inside, Seagate is using a