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Sonnet speeds transfers with new card reader

Sonnet Technologies has introduced the SDXC UHS-I Pro Reader/Writer ExpressCard/34, which enables digital videographers and photographers to transfer files quickly from SDXC and SDHC memory cards to an ExpressCard slot-equipped MacBook Pro or Windows notebook computer on location, in the studio, or at the office. The ability to transfer data from the fastest professional SD media at speeds up to 104MB/s makes for a significantly more convenient and efficient workflow. This UHS-I-compliant Sonnet adapter uses the 2.5Gb/s PCI Express interface incorporated into ExpressCard slots, so it delivers performance superior to adapters that depend on the slot's USB 2.0 interface.

FirmTek Announces First Shipments of the World's First Serial ATA ...

Union City, CA (PRWEB) June 10, 2006

FirmTek, LLC, a pioneer and leader in Serial ATA (SATA) storage solutions for the Macintosh and PC platforms, is now shipping their anticipated SeriTek/2SM2-E ExpressCard adapter, a full month ahead of original projections. Announced at NAB, this breakthrough solution provides the MacBook Pro with storage performance capable of streaming live video directly to disk. Now professional and amateur videographers can perform almost any and all of their work in the field. FirmTek’s established hot-swap compatibility also makes it easy for users to move entire drives and arrays from the MacBook Pro to any FirmTek-equipped desktop system, or into secure storage, in seconds.

A New Card Standard for Digital Media Applications

With the arrival of the MacBook Pro earlier this year, Apple introduced its first systems utilizing ExpressCard, the industry’s follow-up to the long-established PC Card standard that is now considered too sluggish for the latest needs of media professionals. With nearly double the throughput of PC Cards, the ExpressCard standard allows notebooks to support applications involving HD video and other demanding content. FirmTek’s SeriTek/2SM2-E is the first ExpressCard solution shipping that supports SATA drives and enclosures. While marketed primarily for the Macintosh, the SeriTek/2SM2-E and FirmTek’s hot-swap enclosures are also fully compatible with ExpressCard-equipped Windows machines.

The Storage “Bottleneck,” Now Removed

While the MacBook Pro presents the most powerful portable platform ever available, its stock storage and interfaces have presented a hurdle for video production. The internal drive provided is not large enough for true video production work, and the FireWire and USB ports do not provide the necessary performance. FirmTek’s solutions uniquely remove this barrier, providing both the speed and the flexible, unlimited capacity needed for mobile video production. These same benefits can enable other professionals who need to create and manipulate large, complex files “on-the-go.”

Portability and Flexibility

FirmTek has pioneered ATA storage standards on the Macintosh for many years, and markets a variety of enclosures and interface solutions for demanding users. Since the introduction of Serial ATA, the ability to hot-swap drives between enclosures has been a key feature across FirmTek’s solutions, and this benefit is more pronounced than ever with the SeriTek/2SM2-E. Now videographers, editors and other content creators can work in the field, using a compact and easily portable two-drive enclosure and as many drives as they choose to carry. Once back in the office, large volumes are easily moved to any desktop system in the time it takes to move a drive tray from one enclosure to another, in just seconds. This flexibility allows users to share important data quickly, transfer or duplicate files at the speed of SATA (instead of over sluggish networks or Internet connections), and to keep more sensitive files locked up and secure with minimal effort.

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