PureSilicon has upgraded its Renegade R2 SSD series with a brand new 256GB version. The drive features 255MB/sec sequential read rates and 180MB/sec sequential write rates and supports MIL-STD-810F standards so that it can hold up in extreme temperatures and to shock and vibration.

The tough and rugged 256GB SSD drive will begin shipping in the first quarter of 2010 along with encrypted versions. The PureSilicon 256GB SSD Drive is also available in 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities.

The 1TB Origin Storage portable hard drive comes with built in hardware encryption to protect your valuable and highly secret data. The device is available in two versions. The Pro version features 128bit AES hardware encryption, while the Enterprise version features 256bit hardware encryption.

Both models boast an LCD screen that can be used to enter an 18 digit PIN number in order to access the drive. These hard drives can also detect brute force and malware attacks and can be set to self destruct and clean all of the data from the device should you need it.

When it comes to computers, flash drives and other gadgets and technology, we typically want the fastest gear we can get our hands on. Today Pretec announced what it claims to be the world’s fastest USB flash drive. The drive has read speed of 40MB/s and write speed of 30MB/s.

The theoretical max speed for USB 2.0 is 60MB/s. The drive is available in 8GB to 128GB making it the fastest and largest capacity drive in the world if you get the 128GB version. Inside the drive is MLC NAND flash storage to keep pricing down.

ioSafe, a technology producer of disaster proof storage hardware, launched the ioSafe Solo in January and this week we took the opportunity to test one out to see how well it would hold up. The ioSafe Solo is a rugged external drive designed to keep your stuff safe in the event of a disaster such as a fire, flood or the building literally falling around it.

The ioSafe is not shockproof however and is not designed to be dropped from great distances or thrown around. It is however built to withstand intense heat (up to 1550 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes), complete submersion (up to 10 feet for 3 days!) and is encased in a rugged enclosure making it like the Sherman tank of external drives.

The new LaCie Starck drives are super sexy and look like melting chrome. Has storage ever been this sensuous? They were designed by Philippe Starck. The pair come in the form of the LaCie Starck Mobile Hard Drive and Desktop Hard Drive.

Some features include an LED indicator in the shape of Starck’s sign that is projected onto the table, and the fact that the surface is touch sensitive, so you can assign actions to different kinds of touch. For instance, a tap will trigger the launch of an application, while a caress can start an automatic backup.

Super Talent announced a crazy fast SSD that doesn’t use the SATA interface that most SSDs use. That old and tired SATA interface is just too slow for Super Talent’s needs, the RAIDDrive slips into a vacant PCIe slot on the mainboard.

The PCIe slot allows the RAIDDrive to support sequential read speeds of up to 1.4GB/sec and sequential write speeds of up to 1.2GB/sec. Inside the RAIDDRive are four separate SSDs that use the SATA interface and higher capacity RAIDDrives cram eight SSDs into the RAIDDrive SSD.

Right now when we think of enterprise storage and speed, the product that jumps to mind for many of us is an SSD. These expensive and fast storage devices are very beneficial in the enterprise environment. A company called Pliant has unveiled a new line of storage products called Enterprise Flash Drives that may be even better than the SSD.

The EFD is a storage device that integrates advanced software and a proprietary ASIC controller to improve performance dramatically. The EFD also has minimal energy and space requirements. The drives come in 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch form factors.

Apricorn has introduced its Aegis Padlock Secure Hard Drive that sports a keypad so that users can enter PIN numbers to access the data inside. So if you lose the drive, it can’t be accessed without the PIN number. This drive also features AES-128 or 256 bit encryption to keep things safe when connected to your machine through a USB 2.0 cable and it’s cross-platform compatible.

Another interesting aspect is an administrator feature that allows you to set up to ten user IDs and one administrator, so that others can have direct access to the information. Some other features include a 16-point omnidirectional shock mounting system and it will come in 250GB, 320GB and 500GB storage capacities.

On your typical flash drive, you can always add new folders inside the drive to segregate your data. For some users that really want to keep work and home separate folders may not be good enough.

For this type of users the new Split Stick may be perfect .The device is a double-sided flash drive that is more like two drives grafted on to the end of each other. The drive has one USB connector and a switch that changes between one 2GB flash device or the other.

We all know that eventually the SSD will replace the standard HDD in storage applications. The benefits of the SSD are many, not the least of which is the fact that the SSD is much faster than typical hard drives.

Crucial has announced a new line of SSDs called the M225 series that offers up blazing fast performance. The M225 series offers read speeds of 250MB/sec and write speeds of 200MB/sec. Inside the standard 2.5-inch drive housing Crucial uses MLC NAND flash.

Years ago, you could find some Windows PCs that had FireWire ports and if you really want a FireWire port today you can probably still find some PCI cards that will add them. For the most part the FireWire port is something that you find on Mac computers today.

Verbatim has announced a new external hard drive line called the SureFire series that sports both FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 connectivity. The drive is compatible with Mac and Windows PCs. When used with a USB port no external power adapter is needed.

The Erase-o-Matic degausser will not slice and it will not dice. What it does is erase magnetic data media such as diskettes, cassettes, VHS, zip drives etc, using rare earth magnets enclosed in a special case. There’s a larger version for larger media and hard drives.

It must be the “As seen on TV” type name that has the base version priced at $395.00. For tapes just pass them through once then rotate 180 degrees and pass them through again. A hard drive should be passed once, then rotated 180 degrees and passed again, then pass it again from the other end, rotate 180 degrees and pass again.

Check out I-O Data’s latest 3TB external USB 2.0 HDD that looks like a NAS with a dedicated passive cooling system (fanless). It’s not the sexiest thing we’ve ever seen, but it’s pretty attractive.

The HDC2-U series sports two HDDs on the inside along with all of it’s hopes and dreams about a long working relationship with you. The HDC2-U will be available in Japan in the middle of July for about 50,900 Yen or $527.

Toshiba has a new range of portable hard drives that feature new system backup functionality and password-protected encryption for greater security. The drives will ship with pre-laoded software that’s compatible with both Mac and Windows. The included NTI BackupNow EZ software lets users backup the whole system and even restore the entire system if Windows fails to boot.

These Toshiba drives will come with password-protected security with up to 256-bit encryption. A Drive Space Alert feature will alert you when it is time to perform some digital cleaning. You can choose from white, blue, green and red.

It can be a pain trying to keep a flash drive on you at all times. If you have a normal style flash drive, you have to carry it on your key ring or in your pocket. I hate having lots of stuff on my key ring and I always forget anything other than my wallet or my cell phone if it is in my pocket.

A company called TopTechProducts has a slick little flash drive that is shaped like a credit card and designed to fit into your wallet. The drive measures 3.4-inches x 2.1-inches x 0.11-inches. It is compatible with Windows, Linux and Mac computers.