Engadget’s back to school guide 2011: bags and cases

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’re walking around with new bags in tow — 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!


Cutting a bag free from an oversized cardboard container isn’t nearly as exciting as unboxing the latest, well, anything else — but you’re probably gonna need one, unless you don’t mind biking around campus with a laptop under your arm. We’ve rounded up some of our perennial favorites that are sure to keep your gadgets safe on any budget. And see that messenger bag up above? It’s stuffed full of some of this season’s hottest gadgets — and we’re giving one away to 15 of you. Simply leave a comment below and at each of our other back to school guides to be entered to win, and check out our giveaway page for more details.

Continue reading Engadget’s back to school guide 2011: bags and cases

Engadget’s back to school guide 2011: bags and cases originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Corsair adds 90GB SSDs to Force 3 / GT lines

Been thinking Corsair’s Force SSD lineup was too small at 60GB, but too darn capacious at 120GB? Well Goldilocks, we’ve got good news, as the company’s unveiled two middling models that might be just right. We begin with the 90GB Force 3, which wields 550MB/s reads and 500MB/s writes at a $159 price point. For an additional $40, you can bump speeds up by 5MB/s on both counts with the identically sized Force GT. Just like their smaller and larger brethren, the two additions tote SandForce SF-228x controllers as they haul bits over SATA 6Gbps. They’re supposedly available “immediately,” but, like AnandTech, we couldn’t find either in stock. If middle of the road is your thing, then Godspeed, but we’ll stick with the big one.

Continue reading Corsair adds 90GB SSDs to Force 3 / GT lines

Corsair adds 90GB SSDs to Force 3 / GT lines originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Aug 2011 08:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung SSDs Sport 6Gb/s of Speedy SATA Storage

830 Series SSD Drive

For an internal drive, Samsung’s new 830-series SSDs are pretty hot looking

Samsung’s new 830-series SSDs are blisteringly fast and also offer curiously redundant good looks. The solid state disks don’t speed themselves up with any radically new internals. Instead, they are using the SATA 3 interface to talk to the computer in which they sit, which is itself enough to potentially double the data throughput.

I say potentially, as SATA 3 is essentially just a fatter pipe, offering up to 600 MB/sec (6Gbit/sec) speeds. To actually exploit that bandwidth, the drives themselves will have to pump the data through pretty fast. Still, some SSDs have already saturated SATA 2’s bandwidth, so this is great news.

The sleek brushed finish of these drives is odd, though. The 830-series is designed to work as an internal drive and so you’ll only see it when you open up your computer to swap one in or out. Still, we love this kind of obsessive attention to detail. The drives will be officially launched in October, when we shall find out just how much Samsung wants for its 64, 128, 256 and 512GB boxes.

Samsung SSD 830 Series to Deliver SATA 6Gb/s Speeds to Consumers [Business Wire press release]

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ADATA’s SH14 hard drive packs a stylish yet rugged punch

Always thought ruggedized storage had to look tough and utilitarian? Think again, because ADATA’s latest looks more like a fashionable disco-futon than the outwardly brawny externals we’re used to. Buried somewhere under all that style is a 2.5-inch, 5400RPM drive that’s IPX4 water-resistant and “military grade shockproof.” It’ll come in red or black and in 500GB, 750GB or 1TB capacities, which’ll set you back €59.90, €71.90 or €92.90, respectively. The chic but virile drives also tote USB 3.0, equating to a relatively speedy 90MB/s transfer rate. No word on pricing for yanks yet, but they’ll probably show up before long at the “select agents and distributors” at the source below.

Continue reading ADATA’s SH14 hard drive packs a stylish yet rugged punch

ADATA’s SH14 hard drive packs a stylish yet rugged punch originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Aug 2011 21:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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USB-Powered Vibrator With 8GB Storage

Duet vibrator

Business and pleasure: The Duet vibrator comes with 8GB or 16GB storage

The Duet is a tiny, thumb-sized vibrator. That alone probably wouldn’t be worth writing about, but this vibrator is also USB-powered, and can be bought with up to 16GB storage.

The toy plugs into any free USB port to charge, and when full can give a terrifying four hours of pleasure. It has four different patterns of vibration, five power levels, and runs almost silently. This discretion extends to the design, which doesn’t really look like a sex toy at all.

In fact, the feature list is pretty good even before we get to the vibrating part. The silicone and metal body is completely waterproof. You can drop it into water up to three meters (10 feet) deep, and of course you can use the thing in the bath.

But the oddest part is the flash memory option. I can see the sense of putting a few gigs of storage into something that will be plugged into a USB port anyway, but what on earth would you keep on there? Porn is the obvious answer, but what’s the point if you can’t look at it and use the vibrator at the same time?

The Duet is currently seeking funding in CKIE, a Kickstarter-like site. You’ll need to pitch $75 to get the base model (it’ll be $140 when it goes on sale), $125 for the 8GB stick ($190 retail) and $250 ($350 retail) for the 16GB “Luxe” model which comes with a shiny gold-plated coat.

Duet product page [CKIE via Yanko]

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IFixit Kit Puts Second Hard Drive Inside DVD-Free Mac Mini

Macminihddkit

With iFixit’s kit, some time and some patience, you can save yourself $400

You won’t be able to add an optical drive to your new Mac Mini (not without some extensive Dremel work at least), but with this kit from iFixit, you can at least add a second hard drive, or even your own SSD.

The $70 Mac Mini Dual Hard Drive Kit contains the parts and tools you’ll need to fill the empty space inside the 2011 Mac Mini with the storage device of your choice. You get a SATA cable, mounting screws and grommets plus a logic board removal tool, 26-piece driver kit and the ever useful spudger. As that list might suggest, taking the Mac Mini apart to get to the hole within is harder than the actual installation. But as this is iFixit, there is a full step-by-step guide on the site. Follow this and even I can’t go wrong.

Why would you do this instead of just buying the pre-configured two-drive model from Apple? Because that sever model costs an extra $400, that’s why.

The Mac Mini Dual Hard Drive Kit is currently out of stock, and will be back soon..

Mac Mini Dual Hard Drive Kit [iFixit]

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M-Disc holds your data ‘forever,’ we go hands-on for a few minutes (video)

It was two years ago when we last wrote about Millenniata and its Millenial Disc for ultra long-term data storage of somewhere between “1,000 years” and “forever.” If you’ll recall, it works using a “synthetic, rock-like” layer that your data is “etched” into, rather than burned onto like other writeable discs so files don’t corrupt over time. Since then, the disc’s been given DoD certification for data retention in extreme conditions and redubbed M-Disc, while Hitachi-LG has signed on to produce drives. We recently got the chance to check out a few of these discs and see whether this tech will fly like a Frisbee or sink like a stone.

Continue reading M-Disc holds your data ‘forever,’ we go hands-on for a few minutes (video)

M-Disc holds your data ‘forever,’ we go hands-on for a few minutes (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 15 Aug 2011 07:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask Engadget: best 1TB+ USB 3.0 external drive on a budget?

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 Patrick, who can’t wait another day to start taking advantage of his newfangled blue USB port. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

“I just got a new laptop with a USB 3.0 port. I currently have a USB 2.0 external hard drive, but I would like to upgrade. First of all, is the speed boost really worth the money? Is there a speed difference between those that need external power and those that are powered through the USB cable? Looking for one that’s 1TB to 2TB, and my price range is about $150, give or take. Thanks!”

It’s certainly harder to come across a SuperSpeed bargain than a USB 2.0 bargain, but we’re sure there’s a few deals to be had. That said, reliability has to come into play here — any well-rounded suggestions for this fellow? Drop ’em in comments below!

Ask Engadget: best 1TB+ USB 3.0 external drive on a budget? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 13 Aug 2011 22:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SandForce demos 24nm flash from Toshiba, cheaper SSDs on the horizon

Toshiba and SandForce

SandForce, the company behind the companies that make some of the best SSDs on the market, is at it again — this time demoing 24nm NAND flash from Toshiba at the Flash Memory Summit in Santa Clara, CA. An SF-2000 processor was matched with the new shrunk-down storage, a 6Gb/sec SATA connection, and jammed inside a 2.5-inch enclosure to deliver 500MB/sec read and write speeds. It’s not the fastest we’ve seen, but the big news here isn’t the data rates — it’s the potential for cheaper SSDs. The smaller manufacturing process means Toshiba will be able to squeeze more storage out of the same wafer of silicon and, hopefully, shrink those still somewhat bloated prices. Check out the full PR after the break.

Continue reading SandForce demos 24nm flash from Toshiba, cheaper SSDs on the horizon

SandForce demos 24nm flash from Toshiba, cheaper SSDs on the horizon originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 06:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SATA-IO outs new SATA Express and Embedded SSD standards, acronyms abound

It’s a big day for SATA-IO, as the organization has just announced not one, but two new SATA standards. The first of these, the SATA Express specification, gets the latter half of its name from the ‘e’ in PCIe, as it will allow current SATA standards to piggyback on the PCIe interface, boosting speeds to 8Gbps and 16Gbps, up from the current 6Gbps. SATA Express is expected to make its official debut later this year. SATA µSSD, on the other hand, is currently ready to go, and already implemented in SanDisk’s iSSD embedded drive. It ditches the module connector from the old interface, allowing OEMs to stack single-chip drives right on the motherboard. A plethora of SATA-related press releases awaits you after the break — if you’re into that sort of thing.

Continue reading SATA-IO outs new SATA Express and Embedded SSD standards, acronyms abound

SATA-IO outs new SATA Express and Embedded SSD standards, acronyms abound originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 03:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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