Buffalo HDS-PH500U2 gives you 500GB of rugged, encrypted storage

Buffalo’s MiniStation DataVault series of drives is focused on data protection, from hackers and clumsy owners alike, with features like automatic full disk encryption and ruggedized shock-resistant design. The latest model, identified in Japan by the dry alphanumeric title you see above, sticks to the security-centric formula but bumps the storage to a sweet 500GB. ¥23,200 ($244) will be enough to snag the USB-powered 5,400RPM device in mid-August, and a prompt US / European release also seems highly likely. Judging by what’s already available in the US, you can expect a three year warranty plus preloaded auto-backup software and mobile versions of Firefox and Thunderbird for avoiding the scourge of IE wherever you may roam.

[Via PC Watch]

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Buffalo HDS-PH500U2 gives you 500GB of rugged, encrypted storage originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Aug 2009 05:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba’s inaugural 3.5-inch external HDD is exactly what you think it is

Good old Tosh is putting a little more heft on its drives, unveiling what the company cites as its first ever 3.5-inch external hard drive. It spins at 5400RPM, features USB 2.0 and eSATA output, and an aesthetic that’s easy on the eyes. Not much else to say about this space saver, but you can be sure it’s just the first of many that are in the pipeline. The presser says it’s available now, but we’ve been looking and have yet to find it on Toshiba’s retail site or other online retailers like Amazon. When it does show its face, expect it to cost $130 for the 640GB model and $160 for a cool 1TB.

[Via Testfreaks; thanks, Nickolas R]

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Toshiba’s inaugural 3.5-inch external HDD is exactly what you think it is originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget’s recession antidote: win a 500GB ioSafe Solo!

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 to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today we’ve got a 500GB ioSafe Solo on offer, ideal for protecting even your most intimate interoffice love letters from hell and high water. Read the rules below (no skimming — we’re omniscient and can tell when you’ve skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff!

Big thanks to ioSafe 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) 500GB ioSafe Solo external hard drive. Approximate retail value is $199.98.
  • 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 Monday, July 27th, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
  • Full rules can be found here.

Continue reading Engadget’s recession antidote: win a 500GB ioSafe Solo!

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Engadget’s recession antidote: win a 500GB ioSafe Solo! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Freecom’s Hard Drive Secure for the businessman paranoid

It might be a butchering of English grammar — the adjective typically goes before the noun — but the Hard Drive Secure does have a pretty unique selling point to offer. The USB 2.0 drive’s security is handled by AES-encrypted RFID keycards — swiping the card once unlocks the drive, swiping it again locks it back up. Using similar technology to London’s Oyster Card, we trust Freecom has made sure their new device is not susceptible to the Mifare hack that exposed vulnerabilities in previous RFID systems. Though not yet available to purchase, the aluminum-enclosed HDD will retail for between $119 for the 500GB version and $409 for the 2TB behemoth, while in Euroland prices will range between €99 and €349.

[Via Bit Tech]

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Freecom’s Hard Drive Secure for the businessman paranoid originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask Engadget: Best dual-drive external enclosure?

We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Robert, who is sick and tired of using two power supplies, two I/O cables and too much time to accomplish what should be a simple task.

“I commonly need to boot a system from an external disc and take a snapshot of the host system. I also then need to burn a copy of the image to a DVD. While I can do it with two separate external devices, and two power supplies, and two I/O cables, it’d be nice to find a small dual-drive enclosure. It would need to have USB, eSATA, and FireWire. Either slim-line or half-height bay for the optical burner would be fine, and space for either a 2.5- or 3.5-inch hard disc. Any ideas?”

Robert here is outfitting an entire school for a 1:1 laptop program, so needless to say this request is urgent. Any storage junkies out there know of the perfect solution? No short-changin’, alright?

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Ask Engadget: Best dual-drive external enclosure? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jul 2009 21:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verbatim’s SureFire FireWire 800 external HDD does all it can to cater to new MacBook Pro owners

There’s no question in our minds that Verbatim had brand new Macbook Pro owners in mind when it developed this addition to the SureFire external hard drive lineup. Let’s run through the features: it comes HFS+ formatted for OS X, it’s got touted support for Time Machine, and it features a FireWire 800 port, which is once again useful for Apple consumers, along with USB 2.0. It’s even got a fingerprint resistant matte finish, which might just make you a bit envious given your own lack of matte options at present. Just a little bit larger and heavier than your iPhone, it comes with a leather case, all the necessary cables, and 250GB / 320GB / 500GB capacities, all 5400RPM, with prices ranging from $110 to $180.

[Via Yahoo! Tech]

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Verbatim’s SureFire FireWire 800 external HDD does all it can to cater to new MacBook Pro owners originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hitachi intros two new portable HDDs, SimpleNET NAS adapter

If you’ll recall, Hitachi GST snapped up Fabrik in February, and with that acquisition came the latter company’s highly-regarded SimpleTech line. Today, Hitachi is introducing its first consumer products since the pickup, and while you’ll notice a hint of ‘Simple’ in the titles, the branding is all Hitachi. First up is the water-resistant and shock-proof SimpleTOUGH portable USB drive (250/320/500GB for $99.99/$119.99/$149.99), which can survive a 3-meter fall and boasts a twistable USB cable that’s permanently affixed to the enclosure.

Next, there’s the SimpleDRIVE Mini, which is a stylish, colorful portable HDD that is now shipping in red wine (250GB; $89.99), blue dusk (320GB; $109.99) and carbon fiber black (500GB; $139.99). Finally, there’s Hitachi’s alternative to the Pogoplug: the SimpleNET USB/NAS adapter. Put simply, this $79 device enables up to two USB HDDs to be placed on a network, though Hitachi makes clear that this is a convenience device, not a performance device. The 10/100 Ethernet jack is evidence of that, but hey, if you need a quick-and-dirty way to get your hard drive (regardless of format, by the way) on the web, this will certainly do it. Full release is after the break.

Continue reading Hitachi intros two new portable HDDs, SimpleNET NAS adapter

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Hitachi intros two new portable HDDs, SimpleNET NAS adapter originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Buffalo adds Ministation Metro to its external HDD lineup

The Ministation Metro, coming in a variety of tastefully named colors, such as Black Crystal, represents a continuation of Buffalo’s recent efforts to beautify its portable hard drive offerings. The drive’s design is highlighted by a handily integrated USB cable that sits flush with the Metro’s externals when not in use. It’s also noteworthy that this latest entry in Buffalo’s Ministation series looks remarkably similar (i.e. identical) to the recently announced HD-PXU2 in Japan. We can only surmise that the company believes the term Metro carries more positive connotations with Western consumers than the otherwise catchy jumble of letters and digits. Capacity choices range all the way up to 500GB, and the new drives are expected to reach American and British shores in August, with a US price somewhere in the vicinity of $200 for the most capacious models.

[Via



Pocket-lint]

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Buffalo adds Ministation Metro to its external HDD lineup originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Jun 2009 04:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Western Digital rolls out new dual-drive My Book World Edition II

Western Digital has already dialed things up to 4TB with its My Book Studio Edition II hard drive, and it’s now done the same with its new My Book World Edition II dual-drive storage system. One of the big advantages with this one is that the dual drives are shipped in a mirrored RAID 1 configuration for an extra level of protection, although you can of course reconfigure ’em yourself if you’d prefer twice the space instead. Otherwise, you can expect all the usual NAS-related features, a “cooler, quieter, eco-friendly design,” a USB port to add on an extra USB drive, and a nifty capacity gauge to let you see how much space is available at a glance. Expectedly, the top-end 4TB demands a rather hefty $700, but you can also pick up a 2TB drive for a more reasonable $400 if you have less demanding needs.

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Western Digital rolls out new dual-drive My Book World Edition II originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Mini S2 portable HDD graced with colors that perfectly match your tacky beach gear

Sammy’s done it again. The company, known to have a penchant for pink products, has unveiled two new eye-catching colors for its Mini S2 portable HDD series. Joining the already available Snow White are Ocean Blue and Sweet Pink, pictured — and yep, if you look closely enough, that’s a sea of hearts lining the case on the right. All other options appear to be the same as when Samsung first unveiled the 2.5-inch drive, with capacity options ranging from 160GB all the way up to 500GB, and it’s current status is “coming soon” in Korea, with options to import likely to follow shortly after. Catering / pandering to the female audience? You betcha, and if this pic’s not proof enough, hit up the break for an image that’s decidedly more in line with the device’s initial inspiration / concept art.

[Via Engadget Spanish]

Continue reading Samsung Mini S2 portable HDD graced with colors that perfectly match your tacky beach gear

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Samsung Mini S2 portable HDD graced with colors that perfectly match your tacky beach gear originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 21 Jun 2009 14:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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