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Seagate Backup Plus brings USB 3.0 speed, sociability to new Macbooks
When Seagate launched its PC/Mac Backup Plus offering that could safeguard not only your folders but your Facebook or Twitter content, too, it seemed like a nice idea. But conspicuously missing from the Mac side of that equation was a USB 3.0 port to hustle transfers along at a much less pedestrian 5 Gbps -- likely because until recently, no Macs directly supported it. Now, Seagate has launched a USB 3.0 version of the device for those shiny new Macbook Pro Retina and Air models that pack it, while offering the option to upgrade to Thunderbolt or FireWire 800 "as the need presents itself." Prices go from $110 for the 500GB model up to $180 for the 3TB version -- check the PR after the break to see the entire range.
Seagate Backup Plus hard drive: one-click backup with a social twist
Quick: what's more important? Your entire My Documents directory, or your Facebook / Flickr galleries? The answer seems fairly obvious, but for those too proud to admit it, Seagate's got a new hard drive that'll delicately handle both. The outfit's latest line of 2.5-inch mobile HDDs goes by the name Backup Plus, aiming to give consumers one-click backup and the ability to save and share your content on Facebook and Flickr. They'll work interchangeably with both Windows and Mac platforms, and they ship with a new Seagate Dashboard interface that makes all of that "one-click magic" possible. The company's proclaiming that these guys are the world's first external drives to "provide backup for content on social networks, such as Facebook and Flickr," with a single-click path to Save (download) and Share (upload) personal videos and photos. Backup Plus drives can be snagged in the US starting today, with Amazon, Best Buy and other reputable dealers offering 'em in 500GB, 750GB and 1TB capacities for portable drives and 1TB to 4TB for Backup Plus Desk drives. Pricing and color details are spelled out in the presser just after the break. %Gallery-157730%
Rocstor outs Amphibious hard drive, keeps top-secret docs safe from wandering peepers
If you're a fan of keeping all of those precious work files locked down tight on your portable storage device, Rocstor has a rugged new option for you. The company has announced the launch of Amphibious at CES 2012, a portable hard drive that sports real time encryption and offers not one, but two-factor authentication via Smart Card and keypad -- keeping those top-secret merger plans shrouded in mystery. Incorporating a SATA HDD (up to 1TB) or SSD, the device connects via USB 2.0 or Firewire 800 and protects data behind AES-256 bit key strength and a FIPS 140-2 validated crypto module. In terms of durability, the pocket-sized Amphibious is housed in an aircraft grade aluminum alloy case. You can take a look at the full list of specs in the PR after the break and get ready to snag one for yourself during Q1 of 2012.
Freecom gets slim with Mobile Drive Mg portable hard drive, supports USB 3.0 and FireWire 800
Been awhile, hasn't it Freecom? The same company responsible for serving up the world's first portable USB 3.0 hard drive is now responsible for cranking out the world's slimmest portable HDD. At just ten millimeters thick, the Mobile Drive Mg is likely thinner than your average ink pen, touting a magnesium enclosure and a USB 3.0 port, enabling it to shoot data back and forth at rates as high as 130MB/sec. Oddly enough, the drive will only be made available through Apple Premium Resellers, despite the fact that no existing Mac ships with native USB 3.0 support. At any rate, it'll be on sale within the week for $69.95 (320GB) or $109.95 (750GB), with a high-end 750GB model offering both USB 3.0 and FireWire 800 for $119.95.
LaCie speeds up Philippe Starck mobile hard drive with USB 3.0
We've always been fans of LaCie's Starck Mobile Drives, designed by the inimitable Phillip Starck, and now they're getting a little speed boost, courtesy of USB 3.0. The 500GB drive is still housed in the same "liquid metal trapped in a box" enclosure as the previous editions, and it comes bundled with 10GB of online storage at Wuala Online for $109 in the US and £89 in the UK. Looks like it's out of stock just at the moment, but we'd imagine it'll arrive soon. Shot of the back and PR after the break.
Seagate issues industry's first 1.5TB external 2.5-inch HDD: FreeAgent GoFlex USB 3.0
Look out, world -- Seagate's got a new portable hard drive comin' your way, and it's as capacious as ever. If you'll recall, Western Digital broke the 1TB mark in the diminutive 2.5-inch drive sector back in July of last year, and now we're seeing a 50 percent boost with the 1.5TB FreeAgent GoFlex ultra-portable drive. The company's claims that this is a first of its kind, and we certainly aren't in the mood to argue. It's designed to play nice with both Macs and PCs (it's formatted as NTFS), and better still, it's all set up to take advantage of that shiny new USB 3.0 port on your shiny new laptop. As with the other GoFlex gear, this one also has a removable dongle on the bottom for docking (with an optional GoFlex Net or GoFlex TV HD, naturally), and as with some of the company's past drives, you'll also find an assortment of 20 Paramount Pictures movies that can be unlocked via license key online. She's available in every color you could imagine so long as it's black, and it can be yours for the tidy sum of $249.99. %Gallery-102591%
I-O Data's HDPN-U500/V portable hard drive pulls video from your camcorder, plays it on your TV
Looking for a quick and easy way to bridge the gap between your camcorder and your TV? Then you might want to consider I-O Data's new 500GB HDPN-U500/V portable hard drive, which packs a USB port to pull video directly off a compatible Sanyo Xacti, JVC Everio, or Sony Handycam camcorder, and an HDMI port to let you play that video on your TV straight from the hard drive. Of course, it'll also function just fine as a regular external hard drive for your computer, and it boasts a shock-resistant design that should let you toss it around a bit without too much worry. No word on a release over here just yet, but folks in Japan should be able to pick this one up next month for ¥15,330, or about $180.
Iomega pushes ahead with USB 3.0 transition, promises to keep drives at USB 2.0 prices
Iomega's already begun its transition to SuperSpeed USB 3.0 hard drives, but it's making a bit more news on that front today -- it's announced that it plans to keep all its USB 3.0 hard drives at USB 2.0 prices. As expected, that transition begins with its eGo line of portable hard drives, which are officially set to be available this October in 500GB and 1TB capacities, each of which will include Iomega's Drop Guard Xtreme to guard against drops of up to seven feet. Those will be followed by Iomega's Prestige line of portable hard drives, which will begin their transition to USB 3.0 sometime in the first quarter of 2011. We should note, however, that plenty of retailers are already selling USB 3.0 eGo drives now, but it seems that it'll take until early October for the full line to make the jump and receive the aforementioned price-match. Head on past the break for the complete press release.
LG's XG1 Chic external hard drive looks just dainty
It's true: there's nothing particularly extraordinary about LG's newest external hard drive, but it's the design here that has managed to catch our eyes. Available in black or white and with 1TB, 1.5TB or 2TB of storage within, these stylish 3.5-inch USB drives are slated to ship next month in South Korea. There's nary a mention of a stateside release nor of any USB 3.0 editions, but we're sure that'll come in due time. Patience leads to great things, or so we hear. %Gallery-81120%
PogoPlug makes all your external USB HDDs network accessible
Look out Addonics -- PogoPlug is looking to steal your thunder here at CES by introducing a USB-to-NAS adapter of its own. Put as simply as possible, the device connects your USB hard drive to your internet router, and after a "simple" software setup, the files within said drive can be accessed from any internet-connected PC. As for pricing? Try $99 MSRP, or $79 if you buy in early. Full release, as usual, is after the break.
Addonics' USB-to-NAS adapter: all your external HDDs, now network accessible
Storage junkies, your dreams have just been made into reality. Addonics has just introduced a marvelous new piece of kit, the simple-yet-useful Network Attached Storage Adapter. This little box enables any USB hard drive to be placed onto a network for network access, essentially turning your stale USB HDDs into NAS drives. The device supports both SMB (Server Message Block) and the open source Samba network protocols, which allows for cross-platform access of shared data for most versions of OS X, Windows and Linux. For users not directly connected over the LAN, the adapter provides FTP access for up to eight simultaneous users anywhere in the world, and it can even be used as "a print server or as a BitTorrent file downloading appliance." Best of all? It's available right now for $55. Like we said, dream come true.
Iomega intros Media Xporter hard drive aimed at gamers
It's not the first time we've seen a generic product repackaged and re-targeted specifically for use with game consoles, and it certainly won't be the last, but Iomega is apparently hoping that won't stop you from giving its new Media Xporter USB hard drive some consideration, which is says goes along just perfectly with your Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. That, of course, means it's a standard 2.5-inch USB hard drive, which amazingly "natively supports PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 compatible formats such as MP3, MPEG-4 and JPEG." Somewhat helpfully, you'll also get some software with the drive to convert video into console-compatible formats, and the drive thankfully doesn't require an external power adapter so you can keep the clutter down a bit. If that's enough to put it above your run of the mill USB drive, you can snag one now in a 160GB model only for $120.
Western Digital rolls out colorful new My Passport Elite USB hard drives
Western Digital has never been one to skimp on color choices for its portable hard drives, and it now busted out the crayons yet again for its new batch of My Passport Elite USB drives. Available in bronze, titanium, westminster blue and cherry red, the drives each boast a "soft-touch finish" to keep 'em from slipping out of your hands, and weigh in at a mere 5 ounces. You'll also get a built-in capacity gauge to let you know how much space you have left, as well as the usual back-up software and security measures. If that sounds like the drive you've been looking for, you can grab a 250GB model now for $170, or move on up to a 320GB drive for an even $200.[Via Register Hardware]
Fabrik intros colorful new SimpleTech Signature Mini USB drives
Those looking for something that'll stand out a little more than your run-of-the-mill external hard drive now have a slew of new options to consider from Fabrik, which has once again teamed with Italian design firm Pininfarina on some of its SimpleTech-branded drives. Dubbed the Signature Mini, the drives are available in your choice of seven different colors and 120GB, 160GB, 250GB or 320GB capacities, although each color is not available in each size. Taking things one step further, each drive comes with 2GB of free online backup space, and optional unlimited online backup for $5 a month, each options of which employ 448-bit Blowfish encrypted servers to keep your data safe. Look for the whole lot to be available sometime next month for between $110 and $230, although Mac users will have to wait until later in Q1 in order to take advantage of the online backup options.
TrekStor intros 1TB external hard drive
Looks like TrekStor is the latest to join the increasingly less-exclusive terabyte club, with it recently introducing its 1TB DataStation duo w.u external USB hard drive. As you might be able to tell from its size, this one actually boasts two 500GB hard drives stacked on top of each other, although they'll apparently show up as a single 1TB drive on your computer. Otherwise, this one looks to be a pretty standard deal, boasting backup capabilities courtesy of the included Nero BackItUp2 Essentials software, and an aluminum housing that supposedly dissipates heat without the need for a fan. If that'll do, you can grab one of these now for a list price of $430.
Western Digital intros 250GB Passport hard drive
Western Digital has given a boost to its Passport line of external USB hard drives, today introducing a new 250GB model that makes the previous top-end 160GB drive look positively paltry in comparison. While the exact type of hard drive crammed in there isn't clear, like other Passport drives, it's most definitely of the 2.5-inch variety, with the entire enclosure measuring just 5.11 x 3.14 x 0.59 inches. You'll also get the usual complement of pre-loaded software, including Western Digital's WD Sync software and Google Desktop -- no Mac software here, although the drive itself will work just fine. If that'll do, you can get your drive now for an even $200.
Toshiba intros line of portable hard drives
While Toshiba's certainly no stranger to hard drives, the company hasn't exactly been quick to jump on the crowded portable storage bandwagon. It now looks to be doing its best to make up for lost time, however, introducing a new line of external USB hard drives boasting capacities all the way up to 200GB -- apparently a first at the 2.5-inch form factor. Descriptively dubbed the Toshiba USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive, the drives also appear to be at least somewhat ruggedized, with a "special patent-pending" shock mount system and a "scratch-resistant" housing. Look for the drive to roll out in 100, 120, 160, and 200GB varieties this week, with 'em running $130, $150, $180, and $230, respectively.[Via AP/Yahoo News]
TEAC intros multifunction portable hard drive
TEAC has introduced a new multifunction portable hard drive, although if by "multifunction" you're expecting TEAC to provide many functions, you may be somewhat disappointed. The primary function here is, of course, storage, with 40GB, 80GB, and 120GB options available to suit daily data diet. The multitude of other functions begins and ends with how you get all that data onto the drive, with not only a regular USB 2.0 interface at your disposal, but a built-in memory card reader to accommodate all your standard memory card formats as well. The idea being to reduce the number of memory cards you need to carry around with you to one, which you can offload directly onto the TEAC drive whenever it gets stuffed. What it won't let you do is view the photos or listen to the music you've got stored on it directly from the drive, a la other multi multifunction devices, but you can view the drive's status on its "large" LCD screen. It's not clear how much it'll cost yet, but TEAC says the the 40GB model will be available December 1st, with the 80GB and 120GB drives to follow at a later, unspecified date.
