Hasta La Gadget!

Sure, iTwin’s USB filesharing drive has had Mac OS X (Lion and Snow Leopard) support in beta for some time now, but things just got official. If you’ll recall, the iTwin’s a double-sided splittable USB plug that allows you to play James Bond and remotely access files over the web under AES encryption of the 256-bit variety. Whether you’re moving files between two Windows rigs, OS X devices or Mac to PC while globe-trotting, the iTwin promises to easily let you get your secure share on. As it stands, the iTwin remains priced at $99, and if you need a refresher on how it works, check out the video and PR just past the break.

Continue reading iTwin’s filesharing USB gets official OS X compatibility, still plays nice with Windows too

iTwin’s filesharing USB gets official OS X compatibility, still plays nice with Windows too originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 07:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This article was written on May 28, 2010 by CyberNet.

Windows only
Most people carry a USB drive around for storing files on-the-go, but that’s not all they are good for. A free (for non-commercial use) program called Predator will actually let you use a USB drive as a key for your computer. Basically, when you remove the drive the computer will lock itself, and it will be unlocked the next time you insert the drive.

How it works is simple:

1. You insert the USB drive
2. You run PREDATOR (autostart with Windows is possible)
3. You do your work
4. When you’re away from your PC, you simply remove the USB drive – once it is removed, the keyboard and mouse are disabled and the screen darkens
5. When you return back to your PC, you put the USB flash drive in place – keyboard and mouse are immediately released, and the display is restored.

There are some things you might naturally be concerned about, such as what happens if you lend out your drive to someone and they copy everything on it? Well, you can set up the app to require a password in order to unlock your computer, but that may not be necessary. Predator will update your key from time-to-time so that any copies are invalidated. If you’re worried about losing your USB drive you can always designate a secondary drive, that uses its own key, that can be used in an emergency.

The free version of Predator is only for personal, non-commercial use. If you do buy the app you’ll also get some advanced features such as Twitter or SMS notifications in the event that someone tries to “break into” your computer. For most home users I’m guessing the logging options really aren’t necessary.

Predator Homepage (Windows only; Free for non-commercial use)

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Apple clearly considers its new App Store-based distribution model one of the biggest advances in Lion, and to the company’s credit, we found the whole thing to be quite painless. But physical media devotees needn’t worry too much — the company quietly announced at launch that the latest version of OS X will also be available on a USB key, for the lofty price of $69 — which, incidentally, still requires Snow Leopard, unlike what has been previously reported. Word hit today that the company has finally issued the flash drive version of the software, information gleaned from an internal document reportedly leaked by AppleCare. We have it on good authority, however, that the drives mentioned in the document are not, in fact, the aforementioned sticks. Rather, the “recovery media” discussed is actually a restoration tool for AppleCare employees, used to fix faulty systems. We hate to be the burster of bubbles, but it seems that the App Store-impaired will still have to wait until later this month to get their hands on the $70 Apple dongle.

Debunk: Lion USB sticks are not yet available originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 15:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plug Sony’s new 180g portable drive into your PC and you’ll get decent USB 3.0 storage plus some preloaded software that claims to accelerate transfers over USB 2.0. Underwhelmed? Us too. But wait — hook this baby up to some of that other Sony bric-a-brac you’ve got lying around and it’ll unlock a bunch of extra features. It can record broadcasts straight off a Bravia TV, for example, so you can watch them back later on another device. It’ll also hoover up footage directly from a new HandyCam (such as the DCR-SX21E or DCR-SR21), removing the need for a PC. And, when you’re done, you can connect the HD-PG5U to your PS3 and watch all your AVCHD videos back via the Filmy app — again, no PC required. Now, if Sony had done something similar with the MemoryStick, we might have turned down the hate. Full details in the PR.

Continue reading Sony HD-PG5U USB 3.0 drive puts family first, works best with other Sonys

Sony HD-PG5U USB 3.0 drive puts family first, works best with other Sonys originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Beware, malware. The Windows AutoRun updates for Vista and XP SP3 that Microsoft released in February have so far proven successful in thwarting your file corrupting ways. Although Windows 7 was updated to disable AutoPlay within AutoRun for USB drives — freezing the ability for a virus to exploit it — the aforementioned versions had remained vulnerable up until right after January. Fast-forward to the period between February and May of this year, and the updates have reduced the number of incidents by 1.3 million compared to the three months prior for the supported Vista and XP builds. Amazingly, when stacked against May of last year, there was also a 68 percent decline in the amount of incidents reported across all builds of Windows using Microsoft’s Malicious Software Remove Tool. There’s another fancy graph after the break to help illustrate, and you’ll find two more along with a full breakdown by hitting the source link down under.

Continue reading Microsoft to malware: your AutoRunning days on Windows are numbered

Microsoft to malware: your AutoRunning days on Windows are numbered originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 18 Jun 2011 21:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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