Hasta La Gadget!

There are apparently an awful, awful lot of people out there with shoe boxes full of spare SATA drives. Somebody is buying all these new HDD docks, and while most surpass the previous editions by adding support for another obscure format of memory card, Brando’s latest seems like an actually useful update, adding HDMI and component ports through which it can output video at either 1080i or the always popular 576p. Standard resolutions may not be its strong point, and sadly there’s no mention of which video codecs it can unravel, but it does at least support the major flavors of audio files (MP3, WMA, AAC, etc.) and of course will read memory cards and thumb drives to boot. No, a bare drive may not look particularly appealing while rattling away on your entertainment center, and at $69 you’re not far from the price of a Windows Media extender or the like, but don’t let such practical concerns dissuade you from adding this unique focal point to your home theater.

Filed under: Storage

Brando’s latest HDD dock adds HDMI into the mix originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 12:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s funny, really. Years back, we figured this SATA HDD dock was a one-off device that would get swept under the rug as quickly as it reached prominence. And yet, here we are in May of 2009 looking at the latest iteration of a product that won’t ever stop reinventing itself. Brando‘s Dual SATA HDD Multi-Function Dock with One Touch Backup (yeah, seriously) doubles up on elder models by holding two 2.5- or 3.5-inch hard drives, and it also accepts a litany of flash cards. Lastly, this adds an eSATA connector to the traditional USB 2.0 socket for a bit more flexibility, but we still can’t justify the $89 price if you already own a predecessor (or three).

Filed under: Peripherals, Storage

Multicard-lovin’ dual SATA HDD dock keeps the dream alive originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 May 2009 20:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looking to add some color to your extensive NAS collection? Well, you find it here, save for the company’s characteristic blue button. If you’re willing to look past that cold, aluminum exterior, however, LaCie’s Big Disk and d2 Network storage solutions should serve you well. The former sports up to 1.5TB capacity with eSATA port for expansion, while the latter goes up to 3TB by concactenating two drives in RAID 0. Both support the usual array of backup software, including Apple’s Time Machine, and work with all DLNA-compliant devices. LaCie says they’re on sale now, $190 for d2 Network and $380 for Big Disk Network.

Filed under: Storage

LaCie adds to NAS catalog with Big Disk, d2 Network originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 May 2009 00:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While we’ve seen plenty of 500GB hard disks for laptops but Samsung’s SpinPoint M7 is the first with the guts to call itself “rugged.” The dual-platter, 2.5-inch drive spins at 5400rpm and features a 400G operational shock tolerance — that’s about 50G better than the claimed tolerances of other 500GB drives and 75G better than Sammy’s own Spinpoint M6. Expect to see the M7 ship sometime this month.

Filed under: Storage

Samsung’s M7 500GB laptop drive can take a licking originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 04:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn’t want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back — so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We’ll be handing out a new gadget every day (except for weekends) to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today we’ve got a 120GB Samsung S1 Mini portable hard drive (USB 2.0) ready to carry all sorts of love letters, Third Eye Blind jams and old skateboarding vids from high school. Read the rules below (no skimming — we’re omniscient and can tell when you’ve skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff!

Major thanks to Samsung for providing the gear!

The rules:

• Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for “fixing” the world economy, that’d be sweet too.
• You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you’ll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.)
• If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you’ll be fine.
  
• Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don’t make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
• Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) 120GB Samsung S1 Mini portable HDD, model number HXSU012BA. Approximate retail value is $137.99.
• If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
• Entries can be submitted until Wednesday, April 15th, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
• Full rules can be found here.

Filed under: Announcements, Storage

Engadget’s recession antidote: win a 120GB Samsung S1 Mini HDD! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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