After completing a storage review, in most cases we hang onto the gear that was sent to us (some comes to us on loan). Some of the product gets put through long-term testing, some we warehouse in anticipation of testing updated firmware in the future, and some is so bad we just put it in

LaCie has launched their first USB 3.0 external hard drive, aptly named the LaCie Rugged USB 3.0. The 500GB  drive features a 7200RPM notebook drive inside a rugged case, capable of absorbing drops form 2.2 meters. 

Nimbus Data Systems has introduced its S-class flash storage systems for enterprises. Scaling up to 100TB with up to 504 redundant NAND flash blades, the company claims they systems offer 95% lower energy costs and 24x greater I/O performance.

While SSD adoption has been growing, up 14% in 2009, the rapid inclusion of SSDs in personal computers has been slower than many predicted, largely due to the costs associated with NAND flash chips. NAND pricing has not fallen as fast as expected, though there are indications that prices could start sliding more aggressively later this

Corsair has announced their latest generation rugged USB flash drive, the Flash Survivor GTR. The flash drive unscrews from an aircraft-grade aluminum case which includes a waterproof seal, making the drive water-resistant up to 200 meters. The Survivor GTR comes in 32GB and 64GB capacities.

Samsung Electronics has just announced that they have started producing 20nm-class NAND chips for use in SD memory cards and embedded solutions.  The new process, improving upon a 30nm process, brings better performance and density for storage solutions.  A new 32Gb (gigabit) MLC NAND chip adds to Samsung’s portfolio of storage solutions

Transcend has released a new USB flash drive, the JetFlash 500. The JetFlash 500 features a retractable USB connector operated by the flick of a thumb. The drives come in several colors and capacities up to 32GB.

Patriot has added to their SSD lineup with Zephyr, a mainstream SSD line which comes in capacities up to 256GB and features a JMicron JMF612 controller, TRIM support and up to 240MB/s read and 180MB/s write speeds.

Cars are getting more tech-savvy every day, and now Toshiba has launched the largest hard drive offering designed to deal with the storage needs and rigors of automotive usage.  The Toshiba MK2060GSC offers a 200GB capacity on a single platter with 4200 RPM speed and SATA interface.