PortableStorage
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Toshiba outs Canvio Slim portable drive: 500GB, $115 and just 9mm thick
It turns out that if you take an Ultrabook-style 7mm hard drive and put it in a sleek enclosure, you end up with a portable HDD that's barely any bigger, thicker or heavier than a smartphone. Toshiba guessed this might happen, and so it came up with a new addition to its Canvio range: the Canvio Slim, which sports 500GB of PC- and Mac-compatible luggage room, uses a single USB 3.0 connection for data and power, and is encased in either "graphite-black" or silver brushed aluminum. Look for it in stores from October priced around $115, including a three-year warranty.
SanDisk announces Extreme Pro microSD cards for smartphones and tablets, quick speeds starting at $60
Touting the "world's fastest mobile memory card" moniker, SanDisk has unveiled the Extreme Pro microSDHC line of storage add-ons for your smartphone or tablet. The outfit is advertising 95MB/s read and 90MB/s write speeds for the UHS Class 1 memory cards -- clocking in a bit faster than Samsung's Ultra High Speed offerings for LTE devices. The cards are now available in either 8GB or 16GB capacities and will hit your wallet for $59.99 or $99.99, depending on your preference. Naturally, you'll want to make sure that your device is compatible with the duo before pulling the trigger, which can be done via the source link below.
SanDisk outs Extreme USB 3.0 flash drive alongside a trio of Cruzers
If diminutive USB-friendly storage is a hobby of yours, SanDisk is looking to add to your collection. The company has announced its USB 3.0-weilding Extreme flash drive and added a handful of new siblings to the Cruzer line. First, the Extreme accessory touts transfer speeds of up to 190MB/s while offering storage capacities ranging from 16GB on up to 64GB. This portable storage device is now shipping and will set you back somewhere between $65 and $160. If you're looking to carry a truckload of photos, videos, music or whatever else on a USB flash drive, the company has also unveiled the Cruzer Glide. While only 4GB to 64GB options are available now starting at $19.99, a 128GB model is slated to arrive in Q3 for $250. Not looking for super-sized capacity at your fingertips? Perhaps the Cruzer Facet or Pop will better suit your sensibilities -- both carry 8GB up to 32GB worth of storage with a price range of $32.99 to $84.99. For a few brief details on the four, hit that PR button below to read on.
Verbatim's Store 'n Go Plus thumbdrives get rugged, sport a one-piece suit
Still carry around thumb drives? No worries, we do too from time to time. If you're in the market for a new compact, portable storage device, Verbatim has just revealed their Store 'n' Go Plus. With capacities ranging from 4GB on up to 32 GB, you're sure to find a suitable USB 2.0 option for your workload. The System in Package design doesn't force you keep up with an end cap and sports a ruggedized design that should withstand lengthy stays in your messenger bag. Available later in Q1, the family starts at $19.99 and heads north. We have to admit, though, these aren't nearly as awesome as the Swiss Army variety.
Kingston HyperX is an SSD soul stuck in a flash drive's body (video)
Every time we get a free USB key, we wince at the memory of spending $70 on a measly four gigs back in '06. That's why a company like Kingston has to up its game with kit like the new Data Traveler HyperX 3.0. Far from your average thumb drive, this little monster is powered by the same HyperX technology that you find inside the company's premium SSD line. The performance is pretty impressive, getting 225MB/s read and 135MB/s write -- making it Kingston's fastest ever flash drive (and a tempting shot at expanding the solid state storage on a laptop). The setup is capped off with a sturdy rubber cover and keyring hook, although we wouldn't fancy putting gear this expensive at the mercy of our car keys. Kingston isn't saying when the devices are coming out, but expect the 64GB model to set you back $193, with 128GB running up a tab to the tune of $377. Rather ominously, 256GB has no price -- presumably, if you have to ask how much it costs, you clearly can't afford it.
mLogic mDock extends your MacBook ports, steals your Thunder(bolt)
If you're trying to make a name for yourself in the incredibly crowded portable storage space, you can innovate and create something totally awesome, or you can do this. The mDock from mLogic is an external hard drive, port extender and port blocker all rolled into one pricey coffin-like chamber of fail. $219 will net you an eternal resting place for 500 gigs of data, while $299 ups the ante to an entire terabyte. Plus, with a pair of front-facing USB ports, you can add a third-party portable storage yokel for the less-than-princely sum of 50 bucks. If you haven't already gathered, the mDock is designed for mMacbook Pros, but there's also the iMac-mountable mBack (curiously not the iBack), designed with Apple's familiar desktop flavor in mind. That variant is slightly more affordable, with pricing ranging from $169 for 1TB to $349 for 3TB, but you'll forgo the dock-like USB hub and headphone jack. There's no word on when to expect these life-changing devices in stores, but it's never too early to dust off the mChair iChair and park yourself on 5th Ave. Update: As pointed out by many in the comments most ports that are blocked by the mDock are replicated on the silver brick, including the Magsafe. The only restriction appears to be a lack of pass-through for Thunderbolt, but you do get a mini DisplayPort for hooking up external monitors. We've added one more pic after the break.
Atomos Ninja and Samurai HD video recorder / monitors bring compression jutsu to pro filmmaking
We all drool over the hi-res video shot by cameras like the RED EPIC, but for indie-film types, processing the massive files produced takes a lot of time (and therefore money) and not everyone has an ARRI ALEXA to do native recording compression. Enter the Atomos Ninja and Samurai HD recorder / monitor / playback devices that take your 10-bit video and compress it in Apple's 1080p ProRes QuickTime format to make your post-production life a little easier. The Ninja pulls video through HDMI and deposits it on your choice of 2.5-inch HDD or SDD storage, does playback via a 4.3-inch 480 x 270 touchscreen, and has continuous power thanks to dual hot-swappable batteries (available in 2600, 5200, and 7800 mAh varieties). Meanwhile, the Samurai matches the Ninja's specs, but swaps out the HDMI connection for HD-SDI ports and adds SDI Loop-Through to connect an external monitor, a larger 5-inch 800 x 400 display, and 3D support (if you get two Samurais genlocked together). Both units have FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 and 3.0 connections for offloading your vids. Those with Spielbergian aspirations can pony up $995 for the Ninja right now, or pay $1,495 for the Samurai upon its release this summer.
Samsung spices up the USB 3.0 hard drive party with three new models
It's not the first time that Samsung's pimped up their hard drives with some USB 3.0 goodness, but come April, the Korean giant will be delivering three new product lines that are yet to be named. The first one is a basic portable model that goes up to 1TB, and comes encased in a smudge-resistant matte housing with a choice of four colors. The next one up is simply a premium version of the portable drive that not only looks prettier (as pictured above), but also beefed up with auto backup software and 256-bit Full Disk Encryption. A USB dock will be available for both portable lines. Last but not least, those looking for more storage space (and presumably faster spinning speeds) can turn to the desktop version, which will be available in three flavors: 1TB, 1.5TB, and 2TB. Press release after the break. %Gallery-112514%
Kingston unveils HyperX Max 3.0, a SuperSpeed SSD for your pocket, we tear it down (video)
USB 3.0 and SSDs, they were just made for each other, don't you think? Kingston certainly seems to agree, as it's now rolled out its first SuperSpeed portable solid state drive, giving it the catchy title of HyperX Max 3.0. It fits within the dimensions of a conventional 2.5-inch hard drive, but differs in being able to pump 195MB of data per second when reading or 160MBps when writing. Although pricing and availability details aren't yet available, we can expect 64GB, 128GB and 256GB varieties to crop up some time soonish. Until then, can we interest you in some unboxing and teardown action, courtesy of our brethren over at Engadget Spanish? You'll find it on video just past the break.
WD unveils new My Books with e-paper, while My Passport shrinks even further
Good news for hardcore portable storage buffs: looks like Western Digital is taking a hint from Verbatim and putting an e-paper display on its My Book Elite and My Book Studio portable hard drives, offering the device's label and free space up-front, perfect for those of us juggling multiple portable storage devices. In addition, both offer WD SmartWare, 256-bit hardware-based encryption, and are available in capacities ranging from 500GB to 2TB. My Book Studio (formatted for Mac and sportin' a FireWire 800 interface) ranges from $149.99 to $299.99 depending on size, while My Book Elite (with a USB 2.0 interface and NTFS formatting) will run you anywhere from $169.99 to $279.99.If what you're looking for however, is the company's "smallest drive to date," check out My Passport Elite. Featuring a USB dock, illuminated capacity gauge, a secure "drive lock" indicator, and that 256-bit hardware-based encryption, this bad boy is sports up to 640GB storage (which will run you $169.99). This one is available in one of three "metallic" colors -- Metallic Red, Metallic Blue, or Charcoal Metallic. Sadly, the company hasn't yet teamed up with MusicSkins for a Metallica skin -- but our fingers are crossed.Read - My Book StudioRead - My Book EliteRead - My Passport Elite
OWC Mercury On-The-Go Pro takes longer to say than to boot
One of these days, SSDs will hit a price point that doesn't require a second mortgage to buy one. Until then, we can just gawk at things like OWC's latest, which is a portable version of Crucial's still relatively new line of affordable SSDs, built around the familiar Indilinx controller and Samsung NAND flash. Coming in sizes from 64GB ($280) to 256GB ($730), the new Pro devices can transfer data and get their power from either a Firewire or USB port. Alas, that means you'll be limited to 100MBps read rates -- as opposed to the 250MBps you could get from an eSATA connection -- but that's a small sacrifice to make if you care about losing the moving parts in your portable storage. [Via Electronista]
Seagate unleashes three new BlackArmor storage devices for small business, road warriors, mercenaries
Looks like the storage freaks at Seagate are back on the scene with yet another array of BlackArmor devices for securing all that precious data of yours. First up: for the small business types, the NAS 220 storage server sports 4TB of shared storage capacity for up to 20 PCs. If that's not your cup of tea, the WS 110 is an external (USB 2.0 or eSATA) drive available in capacities up to 2TB. Lastly (but not leastly) the PS 110 is a 500GB portable drive perfect for road warriors and the like, sporting a thin form factor (12.5mm). All devices include automated full-system backup, SafetyDrill+, and AES 256-bit government-grade encryption. Both the BlackArmor WS 110 ($159.99 for 1TB or $309.99 for 2TB) and the BlackArmor PS 110 ($159.99 for 500GB) are available now. The BlackArmor NAS 220 will hit the shelves in late July ($449.99 for 2TB or $699.99 for 4TB). Full PR after the break.
Xs-Drive Vision 2500 stores your stuff, won't get you dates
Looking for storage you can take with you? How about ugly storage? Well, prepare to be semi-covered on all ends with the fancy new Xs-Drive Vision 2500. The mysterious box rocks all kinds of funky options, like a 60GB or 160GB internal hard drive, a 320 x 240 LCD display, support for CF type I and II, Memory Stick, SD, miniSD, microSD, MMC, and xD cards, video in / out player and recorder, MP3 playback, ADPCM voice recording, plus JPEG viewer, TXT reader, and USB 2.0 connectivity. No word on a street date, but the whole fantastic fantasy starts with the price tag of £139 (around $285) for the 60GB version.
