Hasta La Gadget!

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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It was inevitable, really. Samsung’s not-so-storied Story hard drive first took the leap to eSATA in November of last year, and for those always in need of the latest and / or greatest, now this very drive has made the logical leap to SuperSpeed. Introduced today as the fastest Story of all time, there’s actually not much else that’s changed besides the addition of a USB 3.0 socket — the enclosure’s the same, the capacity choices are the same (1TB or 2TB), and it’s still unlikely to truly solve all of your problems in one fell swoop. That said, the removal of eSATA here may be a detractor for some, but we’re told that the USB 2.0 + eSATA version will still be around in some parts of the globe. Check this one starting today for an undisclosed amount.

Update: The Samsung Story Station 3.0 comes in 1TB, 1.5TB and 2TB capacities, with suggested retail pricing of $154.99, $194.99 and $269.99, respectively. Also, Storage Review has their review up now.

Samsung’s 1TB / 2TB external Story hard drive goes the USB 3.0 route originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Apr 2010 11:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How do you sell a generation of hardware manufacturers on yet another standard? If you’re Intel, you tell them that it’ll transfer files at 10Gbps and is compatible with every major protocol that came before… and if that doesn’t work, you simply fail to give your competitor hardware support. But PC World reports that while Intel is still dragging its feet regarding USB 3.0, it’s planning to have Light Peak fiber optic devices in the market next year. Intel insists Light Peak isn’t meant to replace USB, in so much as it can use the same ports and protocols (photographic evidence above), but at the same time it’s not shying away from the possibility of obliterating its copper competition with beams of light. “In some sense we’d… like to build the last cable you’ll ever need,” said Intel’s Kevin Kahn. Now, we’re not going to rag on Light Peak, because we honestly love the idea of consolidated fiber optic connectivity. We just want to know now whether we should bother locking ourselves into a USB 3.0 ecosystem if better things are just around the corner.

Intel says Light Peak coming next year, can and will coexist with USB 3.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Apr 2010 01:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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USB 3.0 is slowly but surely popping up on more and more new machines, but finding a rig with SuperSpeed support is still a chore. ASUS is working hard to make sure that finding the good stuff is easy when looking at its wares, and judging by the support it has already shown for the protocol, we actually have reason to believe ’em. The company has just issued a rather gloat-filled press release extolling the virtues of supporting USB 3.0 in every facet of their product line, but it’s the breakdown that really has us interested. We already heard that the Eee Box 1510U and 1210U would support the format, along with the N Series of laptops and Eee PC 1018/1015/1016. There’s also a full slate of mainboards that have joined the party, and we get the impression that every Eee PC from here on out will do the same. Imagine that — the company credited with sparking the netbook revolution, now sparking the USB 3.0 netbook revolution. Fitting, no?

ASUS cramming USB 3.0 into Eee PC line, N Series laptops, loads more originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 01:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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