Patriot launches the a dual-sided USB type-C/type-A flash drive featuring a USB-C connector on one end and a standard USB 3.0 connector on the other for seamless data transfers between traditional and USB-C devices.

“As many MacBook users rely heavily on external storage options, we wanted to be at the forefront with a product that will cater to these consumers,” the company says. “As a leading manufacturer of USB and flash memory, we want to offer solutions for our customers that are easy-to-use and provide seamless experiences across all their devices.”

Corsair adds 480 and 960GB capacity models to the existing Force Series LS SSD lineup, providing customers with a cost-effective means to upgrade their notebook or desktop PCs with solid-state storage.

One can install the 7mm-high Force Series LS SSDs in PCs with standard 2.5- and 3.5-inch drive bays (3.5-inch bays require optional adapter). Connectivity comes through 6GB/s SATA 3, and the drives are backwards compatible with SATA revision 1.0 and 2.0.

According to the company file transfers reach speeds of up to 560MB/s read and 540MB/s write. The drives support TRIM, garbage collection and SMART commands, and include a built-in dynamic and wear-leveling algorithm to extend lifespan further.

Micron and Intel announce the availability of their highest-density flash memory technology yet-- 3D NAND, featuring vertical stacks of data storage cells, allowing for more storage in less space.

According to the two company 3D NAND allows for three times higher capacity than competing NAND technologies while keeping flash storage performance gains and cost savings aligned with Moore's Law.

3D NAND is is built out of floating gate cells, a design in use by the regular "2D" flash storage. As the companies put it, 3D NAND "stacks flash cells vertically in 32 layers to achieve 256Gb multilevel cell (MLC) and 384Gb triple-level cell (TLC) die that fit within a standard package. These capacities can enable gum stick-sized SSDs with more than 3.5TB of storage and standard 2.5-inch SSDs with greater than 10TB."

Kingston's HyperX division launches the Predator PCIe SSD-- the highest-performance SSD range from the company promising speeds of up to 1400MB/s read and 1000MB/s write in capacities and capacities of up to 960GB.

The Predator SSDs feature a PCIe generation 2x4 interface in M.2 form factor, and HyperX offers optional half-height, half-length (HHHL) adapters with both standard and low-profile brackets to fit slim desktop builds. Powering all is a Marvell 88SS9293 controller

“HyperX is happy to soon unleash its fastest HyperX SSD to date. The PCIe form factor showcases extreme speeds while processing both compressed and uncompressed data,” the company says. “We worked closely with Marvell to engineer this HyperX Predator PCIe SSD for higher performance and it more than delivers through its ultra-responsive multi-tasking and faster system performance.”

LaCie follows on the new MacBook announcement with the addition of USB type-C technology to the Porsche Design Mobile Drive, making it the first company to offer storage products featuring the latest USB standard.

"This new technology makes the LaCie Mobile Drive incredibly easy to connect, since both ends of the cable are identical and the connector is reversible," LaCie says. "As a result, there is no need to worry about which end goes to which device or about plugging it in upside down."

USB Type-C offers data transfer speeds of up to 100MB/s-- making it slower than Thunderbolt, even if it also carries power and video data.

SanDisk launches a first product featuring an integrated USB Type-C connector, making it ideal for future laptops and PCs, together with a 128GB iXpand Flash Drive designed for iPad and iPhone.

As the name suggests, the Dual USB Drive with Type-C connector includes a regular USB 3.0 connector for data transfer between next- and current-gen devices and PCs. It is initially available in 32GB capacity and is compatible with the SanDisk Memory Zone Android device app.

Meanwhile the iXpand Flash Drive is ideal for cable- and internet connection-free data transfers between iDevices and Macs or PCs. Now available in 128GB capacity, it uses the companion iXpand Sync app to automatically sync, backup and transfer photos and videos, and also enables playback of videos in non-native AVI, MKV and WMV6 formats.

Sony claims regular micro SD cards are not good enough for the most demanding of audiophile customers as it launches the SR-64HXA, a micro SDXC card boasting to offer "Premium Sound."

What makes the SR-64HXA audiophile-grade? As Sony puts it, the card "reduces electrical noise generated when [digital music] is read" through "thorough management of parts and materials."

However such (supposed) quality comes a price-- specifically 18500 yen, or around $160.

Toshiba launches the Encrypted USB Flash Drive-- a self-explanatory device armed with hardware-based encryption to provide customers with military-grade AES 256-bit security for their sensitive files.

Designed for both security-minded consumers and enterprise customers, the Encrypted USB Flash Drive carries a built-in mini-keyboard for users to input a PIN before plugging into a USB port. Once unlocked, the drive permits access to all content, and once removed it automatically re-locks and encrypts the stored media.

A further security addition is a brute force hack mechanism-- the drive renders all stored data unreadable after 10 consecutive unsuccessful attempts at PIN entry.