ExternalHardDrives
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Toshiba updates STOR.E external hard drives for PCs and TVs
Toshiba's STOR.E line of hard drives just got a bit of a refresh, and a dash of color, at IFA. It's CANVIO models come in sizes up to 1TB and sport one those spiffy USB 3.0 connectors, while weighing in at under half a pound in your choice of black, green or red. The BASICS line sports all the same features and options, except the pre-installed backup software, but only comes in black. The STOR.E PARTNER is another basic external drive with a USB 3.0 connection, but it's designed to match Toshiba's NB500 series of netbooks and has the color options to match (black, blue, lime green and orange). Much more interesting are the STOR.E TV 2 and STOR.E TV PRO -- a pair of devices with HDMI ports and a GUI all their own that will blend in with most home theater setups. While the TV 2 sticks with a traditional hard drive in sizes up to 2TB, the PRO opts for 8GB of flash storage. Both sport SD card readers, USB 2.0 and support for a broad range of codecs, but the PRO adds a Bluetooth remote with a QWERTY keyboard and full fledged web browsing capabilities. The STOR.E TV 2 and TV PRO will land in Europe during Q4 alongside the PARTNER, BASICS, and CANVIO lines. Check out the pile of PR after the break.
I-O Data's HDCA-UT3.0K drive offers USB 3.0 and 3TB of storage
If you've been on the hunt for the biggest, fastest hard drive around, it seems your options are expanding. I-O Data just introduced the HDCA-UT3.0K external hard drive, which offers USB 3.0 support and 3TB of storage, which, as the company notes, makes it an ideal companion for TVs with a USB recording mode. Struggling to resist the charm of its blue LED and the possibility of owning more storage than you'll ever need? Look for it in mid-May with a price of ¥26,400 ($324).
Rogue modder rips off stingy consumer, puzzles repairmen... all with a USB thumb drive
Welcome to today's episode of "You Get What You Pay For," starring some poor sap in Russia who bought an external hard drive in China for a "very, very low price." It seemed like a bargain, until the schmo noticed that video files were picking up from the tail end, as if the preceding footage had vanished. When the folks at a local repair shop tore the disk apart they found a dinky 128MB thumb drive running in a loop, emptying itself when full only to start saving more data. Laugh all you want, but the repair guys (and us, frankly) are still scratching their heads as to how those scam artists pulled off this mod in the first place. [Thanks, David S.]
