Computers-Plus

If you were so inclined, you could hack your PS3 right now to allow you to play games from the HDD or install homebrew software that you might want. The catch is that most of those hacking solutions involve opening up the case and voiding your warranty. That can be a big hassle for a lot of gamers.

No sooner has a leaked Intel flash roadmap shown enterprise-grade multi-level cell (MLC) flash than Intel and Micron announce they are sampling 3-bit MLC product.

The two are sampling a 64Gb product built using their 25nm process technology and aimed at the Secure Digital flash card market. The die, measuring 131mm², is 20 per cent smaller than Intel and Micron’s current 64Gb MLC shipping product, and they claim that is the smallest and highest density flash card in production today.

MLC flash is seen as the golden key that can unlock the cost mantrap that has its teeth sunk deep into flash’s tender thigh. But it also brings severe disadvantages with it.

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Flummoxed IT giant Hewlett-Packard has hired executive search firm Spencer Stuart to help it quickly and quietly find a new chief executive officer, after Mark Hurd resigned amid a sex and expense reporting scandal on 6 August.

The headhunting firm was established in 1956 and is a privately held partnership with expertise in consumer goods that expanded into technology, communications, and media in 1982 and followed up with life sciences, financial services, legal firms and non-profits, among other industries.

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Diskcon USA is where the hard disk drive industry goes to discuss technology, areal density and innovation. There are lots of juicy sessions but nothing much from Seagate.

It’s being held at the Santa Clara Hotel on September 9th and 10th and session one is concerned with HDD component manufacturing and metrology. There are speakers from Xyratex, Veeco, Intevac and others. Session two is HDD assembly and test and, once again, Xyratex is heavily represented along with others including Hitachi GST.

Session three is a market analyst session with IDC, Coughlin and Associates, Gartner, and TrendFocus. Session four is the one which will attract massive interest, being entitled future technologies for HDDs.

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