Hasta La Gadget!

Yes, another manufacturer is throwing its weight behind the little, blue, but mostly the same USB 3.0 plug. Iomega has released a refreshed version of its eGo line of drives, with two models that support the new standard: the $129 500GB eGo Portable, and the $149 1TB or $229 2TB (and rather less portable) eGo Desktop. If you’re not quite so forward-looking, USB 2.0 models of the Portable line are available in 320GB, 500GB, and 1TB sizes, and there are Mac-specific, FireWire 800 editions of the Portable and Desktop drives available in 1 and 2TB sizes. All, we must say, look rather dashing in their matte black finishes, and all are available now (for rather less than those MSRPs if you look around).

Iomega’s eGo drives accelerate to USB 3.0, should soon make the jump to plaid originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 10:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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And here you were thinking this thing had vanished into the never-ending Lairs of Vaporwareville. Lucky for you, the gents and gals over at FastMac have been hard at work caving to the also never-ending list of demands from the UL and various other safety agencies. That means that the utterly brilliant U-Socket is indeed still on track for mass production, but it’ll be slightly redesigned and stacked with a few bonus features by the time it hits the market. According to an update sent out to loyal pre-orderers (which can be seen in full after the break), the USB sockets have been relocated as a compliance measure, but now, they’re of the SuperSpeed variety. Each one is also capable of 10W power (read: iPad-friendly) and it also smokes the EPA’s Energy Star requirements. The modifications have pushed the expected ship date back to October, and the original $9.95 price has been bumped up to $19.95 — though the company is quick to point out that each one is made in the US of A, and those who got in early will have their orders honored. An extra Hamilton for USB 3.0 and 10W charging? We’re still as sold as ever.

[Thanks, Brian]

Continue reading FastMac U-Socket delayed due to safety redesign, now going for $20

FastMac U-Socket delayed due to safety redesign, now going for $20 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 May 2010 10:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

The system does have advantages. You can pick up a GoFlex drive assured that it will work with most computers via the bundled USB 2.0 connector cable, upgrade to eSATA or FireWire 800 for faster speed today, and then to USB 3.0 as you acquire a computer that uses that connector. Adapters start at about $20, which is what one might spend on a decent new enclosure for upgrading the old-fashioned way, and Seagate claims that separating the drive from the physical interface will enable it to sell less expensive external drives that come without any connector. Still, by the time most people spend between upgrading their PCs, they might want to simply start over with a higher-capacity drive that will be compatible with the latest and greatest connector anyway.

Continue reading Switched On: A new spin on external hard drives, part two

Switched On: A new spin on external hard drives, part two originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 May 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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OCZ actually slipped this one into its CES 2010 reveal lineup, but at the time, no official product name was mentioned. All we knew was that an ultra-sleek external SSD was on tap, and we couldn’t wait to wrap our sickeningly sweaty palms around it. Fast forward to today, and OCZ has finally slapped a certified moniker and even a shipping status onto the Enyo, a downright gorgeous portable SSD with a native SuperSpeed USB interface. Encased in aluminum, this beaut will ship in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB flavors, with speeds of up to 260MB/sec (read) and 200MB/sec (write) promised. The company says that these are making their way out today, but mum’s the word so far on pricing. Not like it matters.

Update: We’ve received pricing direct from OCZ for the US market. The 64GB model will run $229.99, while the 128GB demands $409.99 and the 256GB version places a $819.99 dent in your credit limit.

Continue reading OCZ’s Enyo may be the sexiest USB 3.0 external SSD this world has ever seen

OCZ’s Enyo may be the sexiest USB 3.0 external SSD this world has ever seen originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 May 2010 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, USB 3.0 can make external hard drives pretty snappy, but who wants to lug around a rock? We want to know where the SuperSpeed port takes our tiny USB keys, and the fine folks at PC Perspective have the answer to that question. They found the Super Talent SuperCrypt not only a capable performer, but nearly as fast as a modern SSD, with average read and write speeds of 185MB / sec and 50MB / sec respectively. Given that the silver stick costs more than an SSD, too (from $119 for 16GB to $778 for 256GB), that’s not so surprising… but the idea of transferring the full contents of a dual-layer DVD from this sucker in under a minute is positively jaw-dropping. Assuming that — like Cryptkeeper — you still have one to drop.

Super Talent’s USB 3.0 SuperCrypt thumbdrive reviewed, Cryptkeeper approves originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 May 2010 11:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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