Freecom gets slim with Mobile Drive Mg portable hard drive, supports USB 3.0 and FireWire 800

Been awhile, hasn’t it Freecom? The same company responsible for serving up the world’s first portable USB 3.0 hard drive is now responsible for cranking out the world’s slimmest portable HDD. At just ten millimeters thick, the Mobile Drive Mg is likely thinner than your average ink pen, touting a magnesium enclosure and a USB 3.0 port, enabling it to shoot data back and forth at rates as high as 130MB/sec. Oddly enough, the drive will only be made available through Apple Premium Resellers, despite the fact that no existing Mac ships with native USB 3.0 support. At any rate, it’ll be on sale within the week for $69.95 (320GB) or $109.95 (750GB), with a high-end 750GB model offering both USB 3.0 and FireWire 800 for $119.95.

Continue reading Freecom gets slim with Mobile Drive Mg portable hard drive, supports USB 3.0 and FireWire 800

Freecom gets slim with Mobile Drive Mg portable hard drive, supports USB 3.0 and FireWire 800 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 10:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OCZ quits DRAM business to focus on super-speedy SSDs

OCZ, a company that started life a decade ago by churning out DRAM modules for enthusiasts to throw into their towering rigs, has now announced it’s abandoning that market entirely. As PC Perspective points out, it’s grown increasingly difficult for companies to differentiate their products when it comes to memory — most of it just works and most of it is pretty fast — and continually declining prices have apparently forced OCZ’s hand. The San Jose-based company’s new primary breadwinner will be solid state drives, which already account for a substantial proportion of revenues and look set to grow exponentially as their own prices dip a little further into the range of the affordable. It’s a shame we’ll no longer have that bold Z to look at when picking out memory sticks for our next self-built machine, but maybe it’s all for the best. Check out an interview with an OCZ VP at the source link below.

Continue reading OCZ quits DRAM business to focus on super-speedy SSDs

OCZ quits DRAM business to focus on super-speedy SSDs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 01:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Victorinox Secure SSD, the 512GB Swiss Army ‘Knife’

Who carries a pocket knife anymore? If you travel by plane with any regularity, then probably not you. Victorinox, the makers of one of the world most famous pocket knives, knows this and has decided to put something a little more TSA-friendly into the skin of its legendary Swiss Army Knife.

CES 2011It’s not a pen-drive: It’s an SDD. The world’s smallest, according to Victorinox, despite managing to pack in up to 512GB storage. It can hook up to a computer via USB 2.0, but that makes for transfer speeds that make molasses look like plain water, so Victorinox have also added a plug to hook into an eSATA II port, giving native internal SSD speeds.

The drives are encrypted, and have a tiny e-ink display with the owners name and also the amount of space remaining. The case also contains a few blades, but they’re tiny enough to make it onto a plane (and therefore also to small to be useful). The Secure SSD, as it is called, was a CES demo and doesn’t yet have a price. Don’t expect it to be cheap, though.

Victorinox’s SSD flashdrive with e-Paper display [Official Victorinox blog]

Photo: Skattertech

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Back Up iPhone Data With the Superhero

iomega iphone.jpg

Here’s a cool little product that’s new for CES. Iomega’s new Superhero stand charges your iPhone and backs important data like contacts and photos to an SD card. The upright docking station is compatible with the iPhone 4, 3G, 3Gs, and the fourth generation iPod touch.
You can actually pick the device up now for a suggested $69.99. The Superhero ships with a 4GB SD card, to get you started.

Kingston launches USB 3.0 roadmap, SDHC UHS-I UltimateXX card

The SD Association took the opportunity to introduce the UHS-II standard here at CES, but Kingston’s doing its best to just make the most of the protocols that are available in the here and now. The outfit has just introduced its latest range of SDHC cards, the USH-I UltimateXX, which is set to ship later this month and be perfectly backwards compatible with Class 4, 6 and 10 equipment. We’re told that it’ll hit read rates of 60MB/sec and write rates of 35MB/sec, with pricing set for $69.99 (8GB), $179.99 (16GB) and $349.99 (32GB). In related news, the outfit’s also launching its DataTraveler HyperX 3.0 USB flash drive, and it has plans to launch an entry-level flash drive in “late Q2 / early Q3.” Head on past the break for the full skinny.

Continue reading Kingston launches USB 3.0 roadmap, SDHC UHS-I UltimateXX card

Kingston launches USB 3.0 roadmap, SDHC UHS-I UltimateXX card originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 09:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HyperDrive: The “World’s First” iPad Hard Drive

hyper drive.JPG

This is the HyperDrive, an external hard drive designed specifically for the iPad. The drive features 750GB of storage and is designed specially with Apple’s tablet in mind. HyperMac’s drive (a name that got the company in legal hot water with Cupertino, recently) has a 3.2 screen, and a rechargeable battery that can back up 250GB in a charge.
It connects to the iPad via mini USB (included) and the Apple Camera Connection Kit (not included). The drive comes in capacities ranging from 120- to 750GB ($299 and $599, respectively). You can also just buy the casing for $249.
The HyperDrive also reads SD cards.

AirStash wireless flash drive with media streaming and WebDAV update hands-on (video)

Remember our good friends from AirStash at last year’s CES? Well, this year they’re back with the same wireless storage dongle, but now bolstered with a new firmware and smarter ways of transferring files to and from your mobile devices. As before, the AirStash is essentially an SD card reader that can be accessed as an ordinary USB storage device, or a basic read-only file server via WiFi tethering, meaning the host device doesn’t require a card reader or a USB host. Upon requests from many users, AirStash is now finalising an HTML5-based web app and a free native iOS app, both of which offer in-app image browsing and media streaming, including HD videos and Apple DRM content on iOS (associated with the appropriate Apple ID, of course).

What really surprised us was the claim that the AirStash’s minuscule 600mAh cell can do streaming for around five hours, regardless of the media type. That said, we were only given a demo with a standard-definition video clip, and even that took about 25 seconds to buffer over 802.11g WiFi, so you can imagine how many sunsets you might see while waiting for an HD clip to load. With about a full month away from release, AirStash thinks it can push the loading speed up in time for launch, so we shall see. Read on to see the other new features.

Continue reading AirStash wireless flash drive with media streaming and WebDAV update hands-on (video)

AirStash wireless flash drive with media streaming and WebDAV update hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 10:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Maxell debuts SSD family, Acoustabar soundbars, accessories galore at CES

If you come all this way to the Consumer Electronics Show, why introduce just a single product? You wouldn’t, as evidenced by Maxell’s smorgasbord here in Las Vegas. Kicking things off is the outfit’s new Acoustabar soundbar lineup, which boast integrated subwoofers and hardwood enclosures. The 32-inch Eht model includes ten speaker drivers, while the SD320 delivers 430 watts of audio through five drivers. Moreover, that guy touts a built-in iPod dock, and it allows for connectivity with any TV, DVD player and game console. The 32-inch SD-400 simply steps up to 520 watts of audio.

Once you’re done dreaming of ways to enhance your own home cinema, the outfit has one to consider for the kids. The KDP-1 projector includes an inbuilt DVD player and provides a plug-and-play experience that’ll shoot up an image as large as 45-inches. You’ll also get built-in speakers, a microphone input for karaoke and an undisclosed native resolution. We’ll confess that not knowing the latter scares us a bit, but those who couldn’t care less can find it nowish for $129.99. As you’d expect, Maxell’s also dishing out a slew of new storage products. It’ll be pushing out 1.8- and 2.5-inch SSDs (64GB, 256GB and 512GB models) in late 2011, SDXC cards and readers sooner than that, a number of USB 3.0 flash drives / HDDs and a non-networked. MP-100 media player. There’s plenty of details on earbuds, iPod cases and other accessories after the break, too.

Continue reading Maxell debuts SSD family, Acoustabar soundbars, accessories galore at CES

Maxell debuts SSD family, Acoustabar soundbars, accessories galore at CES originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Buffalo launches an HDD into the PogoPlug clouds, outfits external storage lineup with USB 3.0

Buffalo’s toyed with that newfangled idea of sharing files over the internet once or twice, but today it’s stepping up to the plate, picking up a PogoPlug bat, and sending a hard drive coursing into the upper stratosphere fueled by good intent. Well, perhaps the reality isn’t quite as exciting as that analogy, but Buffalo is indeed launching the first PogoPlug with internal storage today, which works just like your run-of-the-mill NAS in everyday use, but can also share files of your choosing with awkward acquaintances around the world through an online web portal. $170 buys you 1TB of storage, $270 doubles that capacity to 2TB, and the end of friends and relatives nagging you to upload Facebook photos is (hopefully) included free with every purchase.

If all you’re looking for in an external hard drive is improved transfer speeds, Buffalo’s got plenty of options there too, as it’s revamped four tried-and-true units with USB 3.0. You can nab the blue SuperSpeed connector in a four-drive, 4TB or 8TB DriveStation Quad with up-to-225MB transfer rates starting at $630, a two-drive, 2TB or 4TB DriveStation Duo starting at $280, a single-drive DriveStation Axis with 1TB or 2TB starting at $100, or a more portable MiniStation Stealth in 500GB and 1TB capacities starting at $90. Speedy rotating magnetic platters, anyone? PR after the break.

Continue reading Buffalo launches an HDD into the PogoPlug clouds, outfits external storage lineup with USB 3.0

Buffalo launches an HDD into the PogoPlug clouds, outfits external storage lineup with USB 3.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 22:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Iomega ‘SuperHero’ Dock Backs Up iPhone as it Charges

LAS VEGAS — Iomega’s SuperHero dock backs up your iPhone as it charges. It sounds like an ideal, portable alternative to backing up when traveling, or for those who hardly ever hook up their iPhone to a computer. And it is, kinda.

CES 2011The SuperHero looks like a slightly oversized Apple Universal Dock, and charges the phone as normal. The backup comes courtesy of a 4GB SD-card. Your iPhone has way more than 4GB of data on it, so the SuperHero only backs up your contacts and photos. And it isn’t automatic, either. You need to download a (free) companion app and use that to do the business. You can also swap in bigger SD cards should you need to. To restore to a new phone, you use the same application.

It’s a fine solution as far as it goes, and takes care of the most valuable data on the phone: the photos. It’s better to sync your phone and computer daily, but let’s be honest. How many people do that? $70.

SuperHero product page [Iomega]

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