We have news from Dell, Source R&D, Super Talent, Toshiba, and NZXT this week. Behold!
- New enhancements to Dell Precision portfolio boost performance and productivity. This one isn’t so much a product launch as a round of product updates, but it’s noteworthy nonetheless. Dell has beefed up its mobile and desktop workstations with new hardware and optional features. The Dell Precision M6500 mobile system, for instance, can now be configured with 32GB of RAM, AMD FirePro M7820 graphics, and new Intel quad-core processors. Dell also lets you configure several of its desktop workstations with new Nvidia Quadro 4000 and 5000 graphics cards.
- Wireless laptop docking station now shipping. Talk about an unusual product. Source R&D’s Warpia Easy Dock is a docking station that lets you connect a mouse, keyboard, speakers, and a monitor (maximum resolution: either 1400×1050 or 1440×900) to your laptop. The twist here is that you need only connect a wireless USB dongle to the host system, and the actual docking station can be at a distance. Not bad for $149.99… even if you can only play back video up to a 720p resolution through the wireless connection.
- Super Talent introduces new UltraDrive MX. Super Talent has outfitted this solid-state drive with both Serial ATA and USB interfaces, making it a pretty versatile mobile offering. The drive will become available on September 1 in 60, 120, 240, and 480GB capacities. Super Talent says the drive has a JMicron controller with TRIM support and can write at up to 180MB/s.
- Toshiba announces family of small form factor drives. Toshiba isn’t kidding around with this product announcement, which covers not one, not two, but three sub-families of 2.5" 7,200-RPM hard drives: standard (MKxx61GSY), high-durability (MKxx61GSYB), and self-encrypting. The standard drives have started shipping already, while the high-durability offerings will follow in the fourth quarter. Toshiba says it’ll announce the release date for the self-encrypting offerings "at a later date."
- NZXT unveils Phantom enthusiast full tower chassis. We already told you all about the Phantom back during Computex, but NZXT has now officially launched the case. You’ll be able to pick this puppy up in "early September" for $139.99.
Looks like things are beginning to pick up. Perhaps the summer lull is ending?