Hasta La Gadget!

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)

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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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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.

Press Release

[ Western Digital rolls out latest My Passport portable hard drives copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Western Digital has proudly introduced the new My Book VelociRaptor Duo dual-drive storage system that supports the Mac OS X operating system. The device is powered by two 1TB 10,000 RPM WD VelociRaptor drives and two Thunderbolt ports. The Western Digital My Book VelociRaptor Duo has the ability to transfer 22GB full-length HD movies in less than 65 seconds, 2000 5MB pictures in less than 33 seconds and over 500 5MB songs in less than 8 seconds. The Western Digital My Book VelociRaptor Duo dual-drive storage system is currently available in the U.S. market for $899.99. [Engadget]

Available in 500GB only these new HDPX-UT USB 3.0 external HDDs comes in a new super slim body of just 9mm thick thin! Expect from this new slim design the HDPX-UT series is available in three different colors and weight just 260g.

Logitec Japan has announced the availability of the LHR-8BREU3. It is a USB 3.0 and eSATA external enclosure that can hold up to 8 SATA HDDs. The Logitec LHR-8BREU3 supports RAID 0/5/10/50 with auto-rebuild. Folks in Japan are able to buy the Logitec LHR-8BREU3 USB 3.0 and eSATA external enclosure for 39,800 Yen ($505). [Akihabara]