So you picked up your GSM-variety LG KG800 Chocolate phone to find it not only missing the 850 band, but it also suffers from a paltry 128MB of on-board memory (without any type of expansion) making the whole media aspect of the phone relatively pointless. Well check it tri-bander, ’cause Samsung is ready to boost your storage via the ol’ SIM slot by coupling 1GB of NAND flash with a traditional SIM without upping the size of the card. Yes, that makes the 1GB S-SIMTM card yet another “world’s biggest” for Samsung. No word on when these 1GB S-SIM (as they are generically dubbed) cards will be available or who might actually carry them. All we know is they they’re on display right now at the Cartes 2006 show in Paris.

[Via Akihabara News]
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While it isn’t the first dual-bay enclosure that we’ve seen, the Planex PL-35U2BS is among the first SATAII dual-bay (or “dual-core”, if you prefer) enclosures that we’ve spied. It’ll support up to 1TB of storage, by taking a pair of 500GB drives and striping ‘em with some RAID 0 action, and will connect to the PC of your choice via USB 2.0. Not enough? The aluminum casing claims to keep your hard drives both thermally and aesthetically cool. That’s right: twice the coolness.

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If that 500GB LaCie gigabit NAS didn’t do it for you then try on the new RoHS-compliant (read: environmentally friendly) Giga LANDISK from IO-Data now with up to 750GB of SATA disk. That’s right, another network attached storage device with room to grow off additional 1x eSATA or 2x USB 2.0 disks. Lickity quick eSATA disks allow for mirroring your precious data while an additional USB port allows you to attach a remote printer or host USB devices like digital cameras for PC-less data transfer. They’ve also furthered that Toshiba alliance with the ability to record HD television when connected over gigabit Ethernet to Toshiba’s REGZA Z2000 series of Televisions and yeah, it plays nice with DLNA streaming devices like IO-Data’s own AVel LinkPlayer. Prices start at Â¥33,285 (about $285) for 160GB of disk on up to Â¥92,400 (about $790) for that biggie 750GB spinner when they ship in late November. With competition on the rise and prices in free-fall, isn’t it about time to move your data to the LAN? Mama always said it was good to share.

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If you’re looking for some fancy, hot-swappable, Windows Storage Server 2003 R2-based NAS storage, I-O Data has this new HDLM-GWIN for your consideration. The RAID 1 mirroring unit comes in 300, 500 and 750GB capacities, and will cost you up to €1,350 ($1,714 US) for the privilege. Being Windows Storage Server-based, the device can share a couple of printers with your network, or hook up to a VGA monitor if the mood strikes, but the redundant storage device can also be managed over the network just like a good little NAS should. The HDLM-GWIN should be shipping mid-November, but there’s no word yet on a release outside of Japan.

[Via Akihabara]
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Power Quotient International — best known for squeezing exorbitantly large amounts of data onto incredibly small modules — is at it again with its zany flash drive antics, and this time the company is unveiling a retractable version to keep that presumably delicate USB connector safe. The Cool Drive U350 will be available in 0.5/1/2/4GB sizes and play nice with both Windows XP and OS X-based systems, but differs from the stockpile of other alternatives by “automatically retracting the USB head into the main body” when the outer tab is pulled. Although the U350 is a tad lengthy at 7.75 centimeters, at least it’s less likely to be “misplaced” when out and about, and the “pen-like” mechanism will give you one more thing to fidget with while on the subway if nothing else.

[Via Far East Gizmos]
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In addition to that 4GB SDHC card announced earlier, Transcend is also slipping us a big ol’ USB flash drive today. Their 16GB JetFlash drive shares the stylings of their 8-gigger but doubles the capacity and increases read/write times to an impressive 25/20MB/s. Yeah, as usual, Transcend is not the first to reach 16GB, but at least they’ve arrived. Well almost anyway, ’cause without a ship date or knowing if this drive will sneak in for under a grand we just don’t know how to feel right about now. Why you gotta treat us that way Transcend, why?

[Via Impress]
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Sure, it’s not the first first 8GB SDHC card, but Transcend’s is the, uh, second. Really, that’s about all we can tell you about this class 2 card which, like their 4GB SDHC card also announced, means you’ll get a guaranteed minimum data transfer rate of just 2MB/sec compared to Pretec’s 8GB SDHC which touts access speeds up to 20MB/sec. Sorry no ship date or pricing information at this time but the Pretec is shipping this quarter for $299 if that’s any consolation.

[Via Impress]
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