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eSATA posts

MSI GT640 houses Core i7, claims to be 'world's most powerful gaming notebook'

by Vladislav Savov posted Oct 3rd 2009 at 1:41AM

Man, Core i7 laptops just keep coming and coming (kinda like Arnold). The latest in what's sure to be a torrent of companies upgrading their premier products to Intel's finest quad-core battery killer is MSI, with the GT640. Though MSI hasn't yet specified which of the trifecta of Clarksfield chips it has inside the machine, we do know there's a 1GB NVIDIA Geforce GTS 250 taking care of graphics, as well as options for up to 4GB of DDR3 RAM, half a terabyte of storage and a Blu-ray burner. Other notables include a two megapixel webcam, HDMI, 7.1 channel audio output and an eSATA input. While we don't yet know the wallet damage for that red-striped aluminum alloy body, its Windows 7 installation would indicate a release some time around, oh, October 22 perhaps? One more shot of the keyboard and screen after the break.

[Via Laptoping]

Update: The German announcement for this machine has been more forthcoming with the details. There's a 1680 x 1050 resolution, 4,800mAh battery and a two-year warranty among the things we didn't know about before, and the most important thing, the CPU model, is now revealed as a 1.6GHz Core i7 720QM. [Thanks, Johannes]

Continue reading MSI GT640 houses Core i7, claims to be 'world's most powerful gaming notebook'

Kanguru takes eSATA + USB e-Flash drive to 64GB

by Darren Murph posted Sep 2nd 2009 at 8:54PM

We'd be stretching things ever-so-slightly if we said Kanguru's newest e-Flash drive was just a wee bit behind schedule, but at least the unit -- which was originally slated for a January release -- is finally real. If you'll recall from last year, this dual-sided drive includes a USB 2.0 connector for mass compatibility and a powered eSATA port for blazing performance. Until now, however, you've had to deal with capacities of 32GB and smaller, but the new 64GB iteration changes all that for good. Too bad there's nary a mention of this thing's MSRP, but we'd go ahead and brace for the worst if we were you.

[Via HotHardware]

Brando churns out new HDD dock, all is well with the world

by Vladislav Savov posted Aug 13th 2009 at 3:01PM

We've decided to start using Brando's tireless refreshes as a sort of economic barometer -- if an entire calendar month passes without a brand spanking new HDD dock, we'll know we are in trouble. Seemingly content with its high-end offering, Brando has gone back to basics with the SATA Dual HDD Docking Station, which has space for a pair of 2.5- or 3.5-inch drives, but eschews the usual multicard reader. You get an eSATA extension kit in the package for suckling power and data from your computer, but that's pretty much it. Is it convenient? Sure. But at $63 we'd expect a little bit more -- like maybe bundling the hard drives for free.

Neuros OSD 3 in development, makers want your input

by Vladislav Savov posted Jul 29th 2009 at 11:22AM

Neuros has earned significant kudos with techies for its hackable OSD media player / recorder and its commitment to open source software. It's no surprise then to see the company reaching out to its loyal community for input on what should be found in the third generation of the device. Yes, technically the OSD 2 isn't even out of the developer kit stage yet, but Neuros is planning well ahead of time, with the 3.0 model unlikely to be seen for another 18 months. Founder Joe Born has confirmed a continuing partnership with Texas Instruments on an ARM-based unit, which should be able to play and record at 1080p / 60 with support for all the relevant formats and containers. There'll be a minimum of 2GB DDR3 RAM, as well as a HTML5- and Flash-compliant browser, but the rest of the specs are up to you -- if there's some killer feature you simply must have, hit the read link and let Neuros know.

[Via Slashgear]

Seagate unleashes three new BlackArmor storage devices for small business, road warriors, mercenaries

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Jun 22nd 2009 at 12:46PM

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.

Gallery: Seagate unleashes three new BlackArmor storage devices for small business, road warriors, mercenaries

Continue reading Seagate unleashes three new BlackArmor storage devices for small business, road warriors, mercenaries

ASUS to introduce O!Play media player at Computex

by Darren Murph posted May 30th 2009 at 5:41PM

Wait, what's this? ASUS diving head first into the HD media streamer game? Based on images and details acquired by Hardware, we'd say chances are looking pretty good. Reportedly, the aforementioned outfit will showcase its very own media player at Computex next week in Taiwan, and our expectations are already fairly lofty. The O!Play (codename HDP-R1) is said to be a fair bit quicker than competing models, and the file compatibility list is also worthy of laud. Port wise, this one's packing eSATA, USB, HDMI, stereo audio jacks, optical digital audio, Ethernet and an AC port. If all goes well, we could see this little bugger in European stores by July, with a price tag pegged at €119 ($168). Unfortunately, it doesn't seem as if that price nets you an internal HDD, but we'll find out for sure soon enough.

[Via The Inquirer]

MSI's X-Slim X340 vs. X400 vs. X600 CULV laptops... Fight!

by Thomas Ricker posted May 14th 2009 at 3:19AM

The big Computex show in Taipei is just a few weeks away and that means laptops, tons and tons of laptops. Specifically, CULV thin-and-light laptops that Intel's hoard of dutiful manufacturers have positioned between netbooks and super-expensive, ultra-portables like the MacBook Air or ThinkPad X301. Engadget Chinese is at the unveiling of MSI's full range of X-Slim laptops. We've already seen the X320/X340 up close, but this is the first time we've received official specs on the 14-inch (1366 x 768) X400 and 15.6-inch (1366 x 768) X600. Both feature Core 2 Solo CULV processors, an HDMI jack, hard disks up to 500GB in capacity, up to 4GB of DDR2 memory, and a 2-in-1 card memory reader. The X600 adds eSATA, options for 6 or 9-cell batteries (compared to the X400's 4 or 8-cells), and bumps the graphics from integrated GMA 4500MHD to ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4330. Now we're just waiting for the ship dates and prices which should start at $699 to about $1,100.

Update: Official press release says to expect these before June is through.

Power Over eSATA fans go wild over mobo manufacturer's latest and greatest cable

by Joseph L. Flatley posted May 13th 2009 at 12:46PM

We guess its really a no-brainer, but it looks like quite a few manufacturers are really rather taken with the idea of powering eSATA devices over the connection itself (as opposed to a hackneyed USB power solution?). For further proof that this is something you're likely to see in the future, we submit for your approval the above cable. According to Tweak Town (not actually a legally incorporated town) who received this from "a Taiwanese motherboard manufacturer," the guy is designed to connect a single eSATA port to normal SATA power and data connectors, carrying both data and power over a single standard eSATA cable. That's all the news, for now -- but it will be interesting to see what sort of implementation this initiative sees when Computex Taipei comes 'round next month.

Sonnet's Qio eSATA controller / all-in-one card reader

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Apr 22nd 2009 at 1:37PM

Sonnet's a fun little company -- when not hustling iPod chargers and transmitters, it's providing the world with more sober, serious hardware, such as its RAID storage solutions. Among the company's newest kit is Qio, a media card reader / writer that includes a E4P SATA host controller, four eSATA ports, and the usual array of P2, SxS and CompactFlash slots. If that weren't enough, this device also includes an adapter so that your SD and XF cards don't feel left out. Available for both desktop (PCIe) and laptop owners (ExpressCard), the HDD controller supports port multipliers allowing users to access up to 20 drives. Available sometime next month, pricing to be determined.

Western Digital finally releases the 1TB My DVR Expander, TiVo owners rejoice

by Nilay Patel posted Apr 22nd 2009 at 12:55PM

Finally! We've been waiting for Western Digital to put out the 1TB My DVR Expander for so long we almost thought that Amazon listing a couple weeks ago was a mistake. The external eSATA drive allows any number of HD DVRs to record an extra 120 hours of HD content, but the real noise is that it's certified to work with the TiVo HD and TiVo XL, which have locked-down eSATA ports that prevent you from using just any drive. (The original Series3 doesn't have this restriction.) Stupid, we know, but at $199 list and $167 at Amazon, the markup on this thing doesn't seem overly ridiculous, so we won't complain too loudly. Just ship 'em already, okay?

LaCie debuts 8TB 4big Quadra, new RAID bundles at NAB

by Darren Murph posted Apr 20th 2009 at 2:35PM

Not sure if you've noticed, but NAB is in full swing over in Las Vegas. Not one to let a spotlight pass it by, LaCie has today introduced a new 8TB model of its 4big Quadra alongside a trio of new storage bundles for professionals who need gobs of free space and loads of speed. The 4big Quadra is a 4-bay RAID solution that handles hot-swappable disks and seven RAID modes, and by hitting up one the outfit's new combos (8TB, 16TB and 32TB), you also get a 4-port eSATA II PCI Express Card 3Gb/s card. Check 'em this May starting at $1,999.

Gallery: LaCie debuts 8TB 4big Quadra, new RAID bundles at NAB

R2E cable adds eSATA transfer abilities to RED camera

by Darren Murph posted Apr 15th 2009 at 7:01PM

With NAB just about to get started in Las Vegas, CoolCameraGear is getting out ahead of the crowd with a newfangled adapter sure to please those who find themselves offloading gobs of RED footage. The R2E LEMO to eSATA cable essentially takes the burden away from your FireWire 800, FireWire 400 or USB 2.0 bus by enabling bits and bytes to flow over eSATA. RED camera users simply plug in their RED-Drive or RED-RAM using the original power adapter, then plug the LEMO end of the R2E cable into the drive and the other end into a standard eSATA port. Boom. Just like that, RED owners have instant access to eSATA transfers. For those unaware, eSATA support on camcorder is still a rarity, though the benefits are obvious for pros shuffling through multiple takes. Interested consumers can check this one out when the CoolCameraGear website goes live on April 20th for $230.

Gallery: R2E cable adds eSATA transfer abilities to RED camera

Western Digital 1TB DVR Expander pre-orders up at Amazon, Apricorn add-ons get a face lift

by Richard Lawler posted Apr 12th 2009 at 10:49PM

We understand, you're not ready to let go of the BSG season finale just yet even though Tiger and Phil are charging up the back nine at Augusta, but keeping a lot of HD on the DVR can fill up space quickly -- which is where these two come in. Amazon is now taking pre-orders of the long-awaited 1TB edition of Western Digital's TiVo compatible (or other eSATA enabled box) DVR Expander, although no ship date is listed, and Apricorn took our advice on its fugly 500GB, 1TB or 1.5TB sized boxes, giving them a sleek new look. It's dual USB 2.0 / eSATA compatible, but not TiVo, so Scientific Atlanta 8300, DirecTV and DISH ViP owners can claim this one at $219 for the 1.5TB, while the WD will set you back $183.

Read - Apricorn Unveils New Look for the DVR Expander
Read - Western Digital WDG1S10000N My DVR Expander 1TB eSATA (Black)

Acer Aspire One mod adds eSATA port, an element of danger

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Mar 10th 2009 at 2:34PM

The blogster known as tnkgrl has just rounded out a delightful series of step-by-step Acer Aspire One hacks covering the gamut from RAM upgrades to installing internal Bluetooth, a 1.8-inch HDD, and HSDPA 3G. For the final part of the series she's salvaged an eSATA socket and placed it just above the venerable netbook's second SD card slot -- and she's provided enough photographic evidence that if this were a crime, she'd go away for a very long time. Of course, this sort of anti-social warranty-voiding business ain't for the timid, but if you're feeling rather Legend Of Billie Jean, here's your opportunity to go wild.

[Via Liliputing]

eSATA HDD Extender may / may not expand PS3 storage

by Darren Murph posted Feb 4th 2009 at 3:02AM

We're not saying the mildly brilliant eSATA HDD Extender wouldn't work in theory, but we're a bit skeptical about the, um, realness of this here product. Unlike Team Xecuter's Hard Drive Xtender, which is definitely shipping to buyers, this device supposedly gives Sony's PlayStation 3 the ability to recognize an external eSATA drive. Furthermore, the device also adds four USB ports for even more connectivity, and given just how sweet this looks beneath the console, we'd say some serious thought went into the design. Sadly, there's no real indication of where the PS3 HD Plus PHE-01 will be sold, and even if you are able to locate one, the installation is a few notches above "drop dead simple."

[Via Joystiq PlayStation]