Is Data Recovery Possible When Using Solid-State Disks?
You'd better stay away from trouble if you use a solid-state drive
By: Bogdan Botezatu& Hardware Editor

Solid-state disks are already an important presence on the market, and almost any worth-mentioning notebook manufacturer provide its customers with a SSD option. The most important promoters are Apple

(in their Macbook Air) and Sony (in the Vaio family). The most important advantage of the SSDs over conventional spinning platters is the fact that they are extremely fast, since they do not use moving parts during the read/write process. Moreover, they are shock-proof, and there's a high chance your SSD will work even after it has been dropped from the top of a two-level building. It seems that the solid-state drive is immortal, so why bother thinking about recovery services?Data loss occurs not only because of physical HDD "injuries", but also as a result of having formatted the wrong disk (it happened to me, and I am sure it also happened to others, too), or even because of a virus infection. Data recovery using software solutions is not possible all the time, and if hard-drives could merely be cracked open, then have their data read directly from their platters, the advent of SSDs have surely changed the game for the computer forensics.Many data recovery tools were cross-compatible for the whole range of HDD manufacturers, so it was relatively simple to get data back no matter the affected disk was built by Maxtor, Seagate or Hitachi. I am afraid that the compatibility era is close to its end in the SSD market. Wear-leveling and other types of performance-boosting algorithms have made each disk unique, built on very complicated controller technology. The proprietary algorithms are not available for the data forensics, which makes mapping an address to the physical media impossible.All in all, data recovery might be performed on solid-state drives, but you will have to search for a specialist depending on the disk's brand, rather than a general data recovery service provider.

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Webcast: iPhone Forensics Demonstration

Presented by: Jonathan A. Zdziarski

Date: Thursday, April 17, 2008 at 01:00 Local (17:00 GMT)

This is a free live event. Scheduled for approximately 45 minutes


With the iPhone quickly becoming the market leader in mobile devices, the need for law enforcement personnel to perform forensic analysis of these devices is beginning to surface. Unlike most other smart phones, the iPhone incorporates desktop-like features in an easy-to-use mobile package. As a result of its high level of technology and available features, many are likely to use it as a primary device for various forms of data and communication. While some of a suspect's data can be viewed using the direct GUI interfaces in the iPhone's software, much hidden and deleted data is available as well, which may provide for more thorough evidence gathering.

more details on O'REILLY
link : http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/e/949?CMP=ILC-orm_webinars&ATT=iphone-forensics

Device Seizure 2.0 for iphone forensic acquisitions

PLEASANT GROVE, Utah, March 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Paraben Corporation a digital orensic technology provider announced today that it has released Device Seizure 2.0 with pple iPhone support. Device Seizure is the first forensic tool to support the Apple iPhone in forensic acquisitions. Investigators and Law Enforcement have long known the forensic value of data from cell phones and other handheld devices, and the apple iPhone created a problem with examiners from the beginning. With a variety of options used, the new release of Device Seizure 2.0 will stop the elusiveness of the Apple iPhone and allow for quality forensic evidence to be gathered.

for more details visit PRNewswire blog
link : http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/03-28-2008/0004782053&EDATE=

Samsung's high-density 16Gb NAND flash released: cheaper, faster SSDs on the way

We're chomping at the bit for Solid State Disk (SSD) drives in our laptops here at Engadget HQ. The durability of flash coupled with the cut in weight, extended battery life, silent operation, and boost in boot and sleep recovery times almost makes us dig deep -- really deep -- for the luxury. Well, SSD ubiquity takes a tiny step forward today with Samsung releasing their new high-density (50-nanometer) 16Gb multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash memory modules for sample. These modules are destined for SSDs, external memory cards, or for packing into the latest "world's slimmest" cellphone. Samsung's first 50-nm NAND modules double the read speed of conventional MLC NAND (not SLC NAND) while increasing write performance by 150%. Mass production begins in Q1 2007 which will undoubtedly bring along a drop in price to the existing, not-exactly-lethargic 32GB SSDs already loosed on the market. Oh tiny wafers of mobility,( for more details from engadget blog )
link:
http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/03/samsungs-high-density-16gb-nand-flash-released-cheaper-faster/