Hasta La Gadget!

Western Digital, Seagate and Hitachi square off in 3TB hard drive roundup originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 14:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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That tangled mess of a backup solution feeling a little cramped? Yeah, join the crowd. Seagate’s looking to give you a dash of capaciousness — a dash that you could desperately used — with its newest desktop HDD. The GoFlex Desk line is about as sleek as it gets for a non-mobile drive, with 1/2/3/4TB options being made available. The stock model ships with USB 2.0 / 3.0 support, a required AC power adapter (blah) and support for OS X and Windows platforms. The entire unit weighs but 2.38 pounds and checks in at 6.22- x 4.88- x 1.73-inches; true to the GoFlex name, the lower base can actually be swapped out for those who’d prefer a different interface (you know, like FireWire or Thunderbolt), and there’s a four-LED capacity gauge on there as well. In our limited testing, we consistently saw USB 3.0 burst rates top 100MB/sec, while sustained transfers hovered closer to 60MB/sec. When used on a USB 2.0 rig, we saw reads and writes hover between 30MB/sec and 40MB/sec. As for pricing and availability? The 4TB flagship can be found right now at Seagate’s site for $249.99, while the GoFlex Desk for Mac — which touts both Firewire 800 and USB 2.0 — will be available in Apple stores by the end of the month. We’re told that Thunderbolt will be supported once that GoFlex adapter is let loose, but an ETA isn’t quite ready for public eyes.

Continue reading Seagate plays the 4TB card with its GoFlex Desk external HDD, shipping now for $250

Seagate plays the 4TB card with its GoFlex Desk external HDD, shipping now for $250 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Quantum computing has a long way to go before becoming truly mainstream, but that certainly hasn’t stopped us from indulging in dreams of a qubit-based existence. The latest bit of fantasy fodder comes from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where researchers have become the first to combine a quantum processor with memory mechanisms on a single chip. To do this, Matteo Mariantoni and his team of scientists connected two qubits with a quantum bus and linked each of them to a memory element, capable of storing their current values in the same way that RAM stores data on conventional computers. These qubit-memory links also contained arrays of resonators — jagged, yet easily controlled circuits that can store values for shorter periods of time. The qubits, meanwhile, were constructed using superconducting circuits, allowing the UCSB team to nestle their qubits even closer together, in accordance with the von Neumann architecture that governs most commercial computers. Once everything was in place, the researchers used their system to run complex algorithms and operations that could be eventually used to decode data encryption. The next step, of course, is to scale up the design, though Mariantoni says that shouldn’t be too much of a problem, thanks to his system’s resonators — which, according to him, “represent the future of quantum computing with integrated circuits.”

Researchers wed quantum processor with quantum memory, quaziness ensues originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 22:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome to Engadget’s Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we’re here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we’ve got a slew of accessories — and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back — at the end of the month we’ll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides — and hit up the hub page right here!

Fall’s slowly, but surely creeping back in, and we bet you’ve already started to gather up the necessary gear for your return to the residence hall. Sure, you’ve got the basics covered, with a computer, smartphone, MP3 player and even a tablet at the ready. But wouldn’t it be nice to start the school year off in style with some handy accoutrements to trick out those digital crutches? Let’s face it, you’re going to need a lapdesk buffer zone between you and your laptop’s scorching heat for those countless hours spent churning out term papers. Or, an external hard drive, so you can store those full seasons of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and bring the late night funny to your stressed-out friends. However you manage to make it through the year and snag that 4.0 GPA, we’ve got a selection of accessorized aids to match your collegiate budget. Oh, and don’t forget, we’re giving away $3,000 worth of essential back to school gear to 15 readers, and you can be among the chosen few simply by dropping a comment below! Click on past the break to start browsing.

Continue reading Engadget’s back to school guide 2011: accessories

Engadget’s back to school guide 2011: accessories originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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 inquiry is coming to us from Tim, who’s looking to take his living room (and digital life, by the sound of it) into the future. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“A while back I was looking at getting the HP Media Smart Home Server, but some time has gone by and I’m wondering if that is still the best solution going around. I want something that is ideally priced at a max of $1000; it has to be something small, not noisy or too power-hungry, and it has to be something that I can hide away. I’ll use it for network storage, backup, streaming and remote access. I was also wondering if it’s worth getting a good universal remote to dim lights, turn on the TV, amp, PS3 and maybe even some home server control — or have the iPhone / Android apps become so good that they are now the best option? Thanks!”

Great Qs, Sir Tim. We’re of the belief that most everything from a home automation standpoint can be done on Android or iPhone, particularly if you’re starting from scratch (and aren’t looking for enterprise-class services). As for Windows Home Server? You’ve still got a few options, but has anything come along to trump up? If you’ve got a say in all this, sound off in comments below!

Ask Engadget: best (Windows) Home Server and universal remote solution? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Aug 2011 22:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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