Sep 14
Western Digital is planning to launch a range of helium-filled hard drives. Not to make them lighter or higher-pitched, though: with a density one-seventh that of air, the gas reduces internal drag, in turn boosting performance. More »
Sep 12
Western Digital brings wafer thin 5mm hard drives to IDF, we go hands-on (video)
Posted in: Today's Chili 
We’re a jaded bunch here at Engadget sometimes, and with most of us using SSD-based systems these days it’s hard to get too excited about good old spinny disks. Still we’re also suckers for impressive technology, so our interest was piqued when Western Digital announced its 5mm thin 2.5-inch hard drives the other day. Luckily, the company saw fit to bring samples of its skinny new WD Black hybrid drive and WD Blue HDD to IDF 2012 and let us handle both briefly. The verdict? These are impossibly thin — perfect for all those nice Ultrabooks we’re expecting to see hit the market in the next few months. Details on performance, availability and pricing are scarce since these drives are intended for OEMs. Take a look at our gallery below, which includes thickness comparisons with WD’s upcoming 1TB 7mm thin HDD and a standard-sized loyalty card — then peek past the break for our hands-on video.
Update: yes, the loyalty card was demagnetized in the making of this video, and you now owe us all coffee.
Continue reading Western Digital brings wafer thin 5mm hard drives to IDF, we go hands-on (video)
Filed under: Storage
Western Digital brings wafer thin 5mm hard drives to IDF, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 20:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sep 10
Western Digital builds 5mm-thick hybrid hard drive, Ultrabook makers sign on early
Posted in: Today's Chili 
Those 7mm-thick hard drives you’ve seen in some Ultrabooks are already looking a tad on the chunky side. Western Digital has started producing sample versions of a hybrid hard drive (you’re not yet looking at it here) that measures just 5mm (0.2in) tall, even as it crams in both flash and a 500GB main disk. If you think the slimmer drive is just the ticket for a best-of-all-worlds laptop that’s both fast and capacious, you’re not alone: Acer and ASUS have mentioned their collaboration in the same breath, which may be a strong clue as to where future Aspires and Zenbooks are going. The remaining question is when they arrive. Sampling isn’t the same as mass production, which could leave us with months to go before the 5mm drive lands in future extra-skinny PCs.
Continue reading Western Digital builds 5mm-thick hybrid hard drive, Ultrabook makers sign on early
Western Digital builds 5mm-thick hybrid hard drive, Ultrabook makers sign on early originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Sep 2012 14:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sep 07
LaCie 2big, 4big Quadra drives hop the USB 3.0 bandwagon, give Macs 12TB of speedy storage
Posted in: Today's Chili 
LaCie has been sprucing up its smaller drives to handle a new crop of Macs that support USB 3.0. It’s now turn for the big boys to play. Updated versions of the 2big Quadra and 4big Quadra (not yet shown here) use the faster port to reach the potential of their high-capacity RAID arrays, peaking at either 210MB/s for the dual-drive 2big and 245MB/s for its quad-drive cousin. We’re not seeing a fundamental shakeup of the design apart from the higher speeds, although that’s not necessarily a problem given the FireWire 800 to catch legacy users and hot-swappable bays for future upgrades. Video editors and other storage mavens should just prepare themselves to pony up. The upgraded Quadra models will start at respective $499 (4TB) and $1,099 (8TB) prices when they ship in October, and they’re only poised to get more expensive when LaCie sets the costs for the higher-end 6TB and 12TB models.
Filed under: Storage
LaCie 2big, 4big Quadra drives hop the USB 3.0 bandwagon, give Macs 12TB of speedy storage originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Sep 2012 15:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sep 07
When it comes to the world of hard drives (portable or otherwise), you can be sure that the name Western Digital is bound to pop up. How could it not? They are continuously on the cutting edge of hard drive and storage technology, and cater to the masses with reliable products at decent prices (according to my experience with their devices to date, of course, different people might have something else to say). In order to remain ahead of the pack, Western Digital has introduced a new My Passport Edge family of portable hard drives that will work on both the PC and Mac platforms. Let us take a closer look at just what the My Passport Edge delivers right after the jump.
For starters, the My Passport Edge and My Passport Edge for Mac (so that is how you tell the difference when it comes to the kind of platform it works on) will boast 500GB of storage space which frankly, is not too much these days as we are more into terabyte territory now. At least it is capable of lightning fast transfer with a USB 3.0 interface, allowing you to effectively manage, share and enjoy digital content everywhere you go. Sporting a sleek, ultra-slim design, both My Passport Edge portable hard drives are a snap to tote around, while you can rest easy knowing that different security features incorporated within will protect the drive’s content from unauthorized access.
Mac users tend to be more particular about industrial design, which is why the My Passport Edge for Mac portable hard drive will not look out of place when you plug it into MacBook computers and MacBook Air notebooks, thanks to its all-aluminum exterior which also has another function – to protect the drive and its contents from everyday bumps. Compatible with Apple Time Machine as well, you know that the My Passport Edge for Mac is ready to rock and roll right out of the box with your Mac.
As for the PC flavor of My Passport Edge, this portable hard drive incorporates WD SmartWare continuous and automatic backup software which can create a copy of users’ computers’ content so that your personal digital files are backed-up and protected just in case you lose your computer by accident or via theft. A premium finish gives it that sleek look for sure.
Both models will come with a 3-year limited warranty, where the My Passport Edge and My Passport Edge for Mac will retail for $109.99 and $119.99, respectively.
[ Western Digital rolls out latest My Passport portable hard drives copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]
Sep 06
Western Digital outs My Passport Edge portable hard drives, offers both PC and Mac varieties
Posted in: Today's Chili 
New portable storage options from Western Digital are breaking cover once again. This time around, the outfit has announced the My Passport Edge and My Passport Edge for Mac. These external hard drives tout USB 3.0 connectivity and 500GB capacities for packing those work files or carrying that Springsteen collection with you at all times. As the name of the Apple-labeled option suggests, it’s well suited for your MacBook and works alongside Time Machine right out of the box — all from the comforts of an aluminum shell. The premium exterior and Mac-friendly tech will cost you a bit more, though, as this version is priced at $119 while the regular offering will set you back $109. If you’re looking to save a few bones and don’t mind a plastic housing, you can take solace in the fact that the PC unit features an automatic backup function thanks to WD’s SmartWare. The pair is available now, but if you’re looking for a bit more info, consult the full PR below.
Gallery: Western Digital My Passport Edge
Filed under: Storage
Western Digital outs My Passport Edge portable hard drives, offers both PC and Mac varieties originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sep 06
If you like your data local, but crave remote access, you’ve now got options like Synology’s new DiskStation DS413j — a network-attached storage (NAS) server for your own private cloud. The feature-packed box has four drive bays for a total of 16TB storage, and you can mix and match HDDs of different sizes without losing the comfort of RAID. Along with what you’d expect from NAS, its media server will stream content to your console or TV via DLNA or UPnP and push tunes to your stereo, with iOS and Android apps for couch DJing. The server will sync your files across computers if you wish, and give you access to all that data on the move via the internet or mobile apps. And, if you need more files, you can download directly using your favorite protocols — it’ll even automate them if you trust RSS feeds to make recommendations. All this can be yours for around $380, depending on the retailer, but don’t forget to budget for drives to fill those empty bays.
Gallery: Synology DiskStation DS413j
Continue reading Synology launches DiskStation DS413j NAS server for your own private cloud
Filed under: Storage, Networking
Synology launches DiskStation DS413j NAS server for your own private cloud originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 04:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Aug 31
I don’t know why but I always want to have the fastest components in my computer that I can find. It’s not like I can drag race my computer against the guy across the street in some sort of grudge match, but I still have this unnatural desire for the fastest computer hardware around. Western Digital has unveiled a new external hard drive that really speaks to the computer geek in me.
The drive is called the My Book Velociraptor Duo and it packs a pair of 10,000 RPM 1 TB hard drives. That gives you data access speeds similar to what you’d find in an external hard drive with SSDs inside while getting 2 TB of total capacity. The speed isn’t only from the 10000 RPM internal drives either.
Western Digital also fits the external storage device with a pair of Thunderbolt ports. The company says that the external storage device is capable of real-world data transfer rates of up to 400 MB/s. The dual Thunderbolt ports allow you to daisy chain other devices to get even more storage. The system also supports RAID 0 and RAID 1. All this performance isn’t cheap, though – the Velociriraptor Duo lists for a penny less than $900(USD), though it’s likely to retail for a little bit less.
Aug 30
If you’re a fan of Western Digital and their popular VelociRaptor line we might have something for you. All those folks with a spare Thunderbolt port on their Mac might just want to check out this new release from WD. It’s called the Western Digital MyBook VelociRaptor Duo and offers Thunderbolt speeds and 2TB of capacity. Oh and it’ll cost an arm and a leg.
This new MyBook from Western Digital uses two blazing fast 1TB 10,000 RPM VelociRaptor drives in a RAID configuration to bring you some top notch speeds, and tons of storage. I want one already! Toss in the new Thunderbolt standard to help you achieve top read/write and in/out speeds and you’ll be cruising along in no time.
The new WD storage device offers speeds topping 400MB/sec and both RAID 0 and RAID 1 configurations. That is near SSD performance only you’re getting 2TB of space instead of say 512GB. What is the price your wondering? This impressive new MyBook isn’t cheap with those speeds and performance. It will run you a pretty penny of about $900. All that precious HD video now has a fast, safe, and easy to access storage option.
WD details that the new VelociRapter Duo comes with dual Thunderbolt ports so you can daisy chain should you have a spare $1800 to pick up two. Then as you see above the device is user-serviceable and accessible should the unlikely event of a drive failure. You can easily pop her open and replace a drive. You can even boot your Mac right from this external storage drive. If you’ve got the cash to spend or the need for speed head to WD.com to get started today.
[via ZDNet]
Western Digital Announces MyBook VelociRaptor Duo with Thunderbolt and 2TB is written by Cory Gunther & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Aug 16
ASUS Zenbook Prime faces teardown, affords a little expansion in an even smaller space
Posted in: Today's Chili 
We often assume that Ultrabooks scarcely have any room to budge on the inside, and that’s usually true. An iFixit teardown of ASUS’ Zenbook Prime has proven that there’s always an exception to the rule. Looking at a UX32VD with the same base layout as the UX31 we reviewed, the repair outlet finds that the upgraded Zenbook has both embedded and removable RAM: provided owners are still willing to perform some surgery, they can upgrade past the 4GB of included memory on their own terms. The repair team is a bit dismayed that there’s a 5,400RPM hard drive spinning near the mini SSD — how very 2011 — but notes that it’s equally swappable by those who want something faster. Whatever you think of the fully pieced-together ASUS PC, it’s apparent there’s a reward for those willing to take it apart.
Filed under: Laptops
ASUS Zenbook Prime faces teardown, affords a little expansion in an even smaller space originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 15:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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