Aug 31

MusicSkins slathers Seagate HDDs with famous musicians, Hasselhoff feeling ‘left out’

Posted in: HardDrive, storage, Today's Chili

A couple of notes for MusicSkins, LLC. First, Never use the word “bling” in your PR. Ever. Second, if David Hasselhoff hears that you’re licensing images from legendary recording artists to “custom-bling” Seagate hard drives and you leave him out of it, you’ll soon find your office deluged with phone calls, faxes, and emails from the man, desperate to get in on the action. (And we know all about his tenacity: we’ve been involved in at least one hot Hollywood project that he’s tried to shoe-horn his way into.) Anyways, if you’re inexplicably interested, check it out: MusicSkins (known for vinyl covers for laptops and iPods, among other things) has licensed a “vast range” of images from either artists or their crypt-keepers and will sell you one for your favorite Free Agent To Go HDD. Prices range from $15 to $30, although for a limited time one can receive 20 percent off any cover and 35 free songs from eMusic when registering your FreeAgent Go with Seagate. And the best news? The cover is removable, so if you ever move out of the dorms (or stop living like you’re in a dorm) you can hide it somewhere.

Continue reading MusicSkins slathers Seagate HDDs with famous musicians, Hasselhoff feeling ‘left out’

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MusicSkins slathers Seagate HDDs with famous musicians, Hasselhoff feeling ‘left out’ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 20

Apricorn launches Aegis Padlock Secure portable USB drive for paranoia on the go

Posted in: hard drive, HardDrive, security, storage, Today's Chili, usb, usb drive, UsbDrive
We’re fairly certain a lot of you out there have plenty of data that needs… securing. Apricorn’s just announced its Aegis Padlock Secure USB drive with keyboard for keeping your data safe via PIN. Sure, it’s not as good looking as Lenovo’s ThinkPad Portable hard drive, but it should get the job done, right? The drive comes in AES-128 or 256 bit hardware encryption flavors, and up to 500GB capacity. Prices start at $99 and $119 for the 250GB models in 128 and 256 bit, respectively, and they’re available right now. Go ahead — indulge yourself in the idea that someone is after your Mr T. JPEG collection.

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Apricorn launches Aegis Padlock Secure portable USB drive for paranoia on the go originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 19

Apple releases MacBook Pro firmware to silence those 7200 RPM HDDs

Posted in: Apple, firmware, hard drive, HardDrive, Mac, macbook, MacbookPro, memory, Today's Chili, update

That new MacBook Pro’s 7200 RPM HDD singing you too many ballads lately? As promised, Apple today released a new firmware update to silence that troublemaker. If it doesn’t come up through automatic system update, you can obtain Hard Drive Firmware Update 2.0 (catchy name, eh?) via the read link. Admit it, you’re gonna feel just a teensy bit lonelier once your laptop stops chirping so much.

Update: Apple today also released Bluetooth Firmware Update 2.0.1, which alongside various bug fixes improves compatibility with the company’s wireless mouse and keyboards on all machines with the Broadcom chipset — that includes all unibody laptops and any Mac released in 2009.

[Via TUAW]

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Apple releases MacBook Pro firmware to silence those 7200 RPM HDDs originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 08

ioSafe Solo 500GB rugged external HDD reviewed, tortured and drowned

Posted in: external hard drive, ExternalHardDrive, hard drive, HardDrive, storage, Today's Chili

Look, ioSafe said when it was announced that the Solo external HDD was rugged enough to withstand both fire and submersion in water, so really, it was only a matter of time before at least one of those things happened, right? The hardy woodsmen over at TestFreaks have taken ioSafe at its word and run a 500GB version through the paces. Running it through the benchmarks, they found that the Solo holds up very well when compared with similar makes with regards to speed and performance — it gets the job done, if you will. Transfer rates were a bit slower when put up against a Seagate BlackArmor WS110 — but not enough to be terribly disappointing. The real fun, of course, comes with the drowning of the poor little hard drive. Now, we don’t want to give anything away, but we’ll say this: watch the video (which is after the break) all the way to the end when the protector of Camp Crystal Lake makes a stunning, shocking performance. Hit the read link for the full review, a ton of photos, and even more video.

Continue reading ioSafe Solo 500GB rugged external HDD reviewed, tortured and drowned

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ioSafe Solo 500GB rugged external HDD reviewed, tortured and drowned originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Aug 2009 06:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 07

TDK looks to deliver 2.5TB hard drives in early 2010

Posted in: hard drive, HardDrive, Today's Chili

It’s been a little while since TDK has made some news in the neverending race for next big hard drive breakthrough, but it looks like that could be changing fairly soon, with a recently revealed roadmap indicating that the company currently has some 640GB drive platters suitable for a 3.5-inch drive going through qualification tests by its OEMs. While nothing’s obviously official just yet, TDK is reportedly looking to begin mass production of the platters in November of this year, which could pave the way for some four-platter, 2.5TB drives to debut as early as February of next year. As Register Hardware points out, a five-platter, 3.2TB drive would also be possible, though somewhat less likely. We can dream, though.

[Via Electronista]

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TDK looks to deliver 2.5TB hard drives in early 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 06

Hitachi one-ups WD with industry-first 2TB 7200RPM 3.5-inch hard drive

Posted in: hard drive, HardDrive, storage, Today's Chili

Western Digital may have been first to launch a two terabyte 3.5-inch desktop hard drive, but it’s Hitachi snagging the first 7200RPM 2TB crown (WD’s entry hummed along at 5400RPM). Launched today, the 2TB Deskstar 7K2000 also features 32MB of cache and a 3Gbps SATA interface, but unfortunately, few other details are being disclosed. As in, there’s no pricing or release information whatsoever. In related news, the company is also refreshing its 7200RPM Deskstar 7K1000.C line, which is available in sizes ranging from 160GB to 1TB. The full, completely unprovocative press release is just after the break.

Continue reading Hitachi one-ups WD with industry-first 2TB 7200RPM 3.5-inch hard drive

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Hitachi one-ups WD with industry-first 2TB 7200RPM 3.5-inch hard drive originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Aug 2009 03:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aug 03

OCZ’s 1TB Colossus SSD gets a price and launch timeframe

Posted in: hard drive, HardDrive, solid state drive, SolidStateDrive, SSD, Today's Chili

We already got word of the starting price for the entry-level 128GB drive in OCZ’s new Colossus line of SSDs, but details on the standout 1TB model have unfortunately been quite a bit harder to come by. OCZ’s now finally cleared up most of those remaining questions, however, and announced that the drive will be available mid-August for a jaw-dropping $2,500 (give or take a few bucks). The 500GB drive will also apparently be available at the same time, although OCZ doesn’t seem to be saying anything more than that it’ll be “less expensive.”

[Via Electronista]

Update: OCZ just hit us up with the official information. The company is actually “about three weeks” out from release, and it’ll ship the Colossus 120 (128GB), 250 (256GB), 500 (512GB) and 1TB (1024GB) for $300, $650, $1200 and $2200 in order of mention.

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OCZ’s 1TB Colossus SSD gets a price and launch timeframe originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 29

Samsung’s 1TB Spinpoint F3 hard drive serves 500GB per platter

Posted in: hard drive, HardDrive, samsung, storage, Today's Chili

Oh sure, Seagate did it first, but since when have we been ones to kvetch about one-upmanship? Over in South Korea, Samsung has debuted an all new high-density hard drive family for use in “high-end computing environments,” or in more comestible terms, your next desktop / workstation. The Spinpoint F3 hums along at 7,200RPM, uses a 3Gbps SATA interface, packs 16/32MB of buffer memory and will be made available in sizes as large as 1TB by utilizing a pair of 500GB-per-platter disks. The boost in areal density provides up to 30 percent higher performance when compared to a three platter 1TB drive in the same 3.5-inch form factor, and the reduction in mechanical parts also makes it less likely to fail prematurely. Sammy isn’t being too forthright when it comes to MSRPs, but those looking to snag one regardless can find the 500GB model on shelves now and the 1TB edition later next month.

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Samsung’s 1TB Spinpoint F3 hard drive serves 500GB per platter originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 06:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 28

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

Posted in: external hard drive, ExternalHardDrive, hard drive, HardDrive, storage, Today's Chili, Toshiba

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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Jul 27

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

Posted in: external hard drive, ExternalHardDrive, hard drive, HardDrive, recession, Today's Chili

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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