One of the first companies to release faster Blu-Ray technology is Panasonic, which has announced its intention to produce 4x recordable Blu-Ray discs to accompany an upcoming computer drive. Most Blu-Ray technology is still rated at the default "1x" level; Panasonic's technology will allow writing at 144Mbps, enabling 1GB of data to be transferred in a single minute. Both 25 and 50GB formats will be available, and another touted advantage is a new film layer, which should reduce write errors by 90 percent by preventing the accumulation of dust. Exact prices and release dates are as yet unknown. [via CDRinf]