Micron Technology today announced support of the newly ratified JEDEC eMMC 4.4 standard with its portfolio of managed NAND solutions. Targeting mobile applications, Microns eMMC 4.4 products now offer increased security options and NAND partition management, allowing handset manufacturers to swiftly and easily transition to the new features offered in NAND. Micron is currently taking sample orders for delivery in July and expects to be production-ready in fall 2009.

The NAND partitioning feature of the eMMC 4.4 standard allows designers to configure partitions of the multi-level cell (MLC) NAND to act as single-level cell (SLC) NAND and securely store and execute handset boot code. Doing this in MLC NAND eliminates the need for an extra SLC chip and reduces the component count, simplifying product integration and freeing up board space. Also new for the eMMC 4.4 standard are heightened security features that restrict access to the phones critical software, including the boot code and operating system. Specific security features include power-on write protection, permanent write protection and secure memory block. These features ensure that data is unaltered when transferred and stored, as well as during device re-boot and power down.

Pure Digital Technologies recently announced two new products in its pocket camcorder lineup: the Flip UltraHD (MSRP: $199.99) and the Flip Ultra (MSRP: $149.99). Both models build upon the existing Flip Ultra line by offering new features, such as two-hours of recording time and increasing the LCD size to 2.0-inches (diagonal). The Flip UltraHD also offers high-definition (HD) video recording (1280×720) and an HDMI Mini TV-out port. We spent some hands-on time with the Flip UltraHD to evaluate its capabilities. 

Intel is scheduled to phase out its Atom N270 CPU by launching its successor the Atom N450 for netbooks in October at the earliest, according to industry sources.

Codenamed Pine Trail, Intel's 45nm Atom N450 will be a single-core CPU with built-in northbridge functions, and will be paired with the new NM10 (Tiger Point) chipset. Intel will issue last order notice for the Atom N270 in the first quarter of 2010 and the CPU will phase out before the end of the first half next year.

Silverstone LC10B-E HTPC Case @ Benchmark Reviews and other reviews from around the web can be found by visiting our forums!

Home Theater PCs continue to gain popularity, particularly as more television networks are pushing their content over the web. They're also a great platform for gaming, watching Blu-Ray movies, running a custom DVR, and centralizing media storage. For some of these tasks, a low-power Atom system might be sufficient, but for gaming and processing high definition content, most consumers will want a little more horsepower. That's where a quality HTPC chassis can make a big difference. With room for full-size ATX components, seven hard drives, and five fans, the SilverStone LC10B-E that Benchmark Reviews is covering today should fit the bill.

A-DATA Technology has added a new memory solution to its high-density lineup, aiming at the upcoming mainstream DDR3 DRAM solution on the latest platform. Taking up a notch, the new DDR3-1333 SO-DIMM DRAM module, available in both 1GB and 2GB, brings exceptional speed, as well as great stability and mobility, to meet the demand of todays high-end mobile users.

The new 204-pin DDR3 1333MHz SO-DIMM memory uses original DRAM IC and conforms to JEDEC standards, as well as passing stringent cross-platform and durability testing to guarantee quality, compatibility and satisfying performance to our customers. With A-DATAs continuous innovation, 1600MHz SO-DIMM has also passed strict validation, adding yet another high-speed, high-density memory solution to the high-end product line. As long as the supporting platform arrives in the near future, 1600MHz SO-DIMM will be available immediately.

The Pocket PC Central Hands-On Scan2PDF Mobile Review has been posted in the Windows Mobile Software Review Center.

Just when you thought it was safe to turn on your computer … Microsoft and Adobe inform their users they have all sorts of security flaws and even Mac users are affected.First, Adobe: Not only do the “critical vulnerabilities” in Adobe Reader 9.1.1 and Acrobat 9.1.1 “and earlier versions” cause the applications to crash, but they also can make your computer vulnerable to an “attacker.” So this is the deal:Adobe recommends users of Adobe Reader 9 and Acrobat 9 and earlier versions update to Adobe Reader 9.1.2

A quick call with AMD has revealed that the company will soon be releasing a micro-code update for the fresh-out-of-the-gate Athlon II X2 series processor.The processors, while sharing the microarchitecture of the Phenom II, have slightly altered dies which drop the L3 cache in favor of a bigger 1MB per core L2 cache – which AMD hints somewhat lowered the thermals and allowed them to market the faster processor. There was also an assurance from AMD – in not so many words – that other speed grades are

We can’t say for certain, but it sure feels like Rambus is doing its best to redirect attention away from its recent legal tussle with NVIDIA and onto more, shall we say, positive matters. Just a day after NVIDIA made clear that Rambus had withdrawn its complaints in court, the California-based memory maker announced that it had shipped over 100 million of its XDR DRAM modules worldwide. We aren’t mathematicians by trade, but 100 million sure isn’t anything to scoff at. The company’s obviously not satisfied

After what feels like forever, Nokia’s latest shot at breaking ground in the American smartphone market has arrived. The highly sophisticated N97 smartphone, which has been available overseas for a small while now, is finally shipping to US customers. By and large, Nokia is still struggling to have its smartphones taken seriously in the US market. The company has managed to land its lower-end units on various carriers, but in most cases (the N97 included), its smartphones have been sold without carrier support.