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Seagate's GoFlex Satellite portable hard drive streams content over WiFi (review)
Seagate just took the wraps off what's likely the niftiest portable HDD to cross our path in a long, long while. The GoFlex Satellite is part storage device, part wireless media streamer, and it manages to wear both hats with little compromise on either end. For all intents and purposes, this is a standard 500GB GoFlex HDD with a bit of extra girth, an AC input, an 802.11b/g/n WiFi module and a built-in web server. The reason for those extras? A simple depression of the on / off button starts the streamer up, and it's ready for a connection in around 30 to 40 seconds. Once fired up you can stream data to just about anything -- even iOS devices. That's an impressive feat, not quite a "first" moment as Seagate would like you to believe (we'll give that crown to AirStash), but still a rarity. Our unit shipped with a GoFlex USB 3.0 adapter and a car charger, with the latter enabling users to entertain their children on long road trips -- a nice addition, we have to say. Installation is a cinch; just fire up a media sync application that resides on the drive (for OS X users, anyway), and you're ready to drag and drop files as if it's any 'ole HDD. No media management software or anything of the sort, thankfully. The purpose of having your media onboard is to stream videos, photos, documents and music to your iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, or any other tablet, phone or laptop with WiFi. You heard right -- while there's only a dedicated app for the iOS family, any WiFi-enabled device with a web browser can tap into this. Care to hear our take on this $200 do-it-all hard drive? Have a look at our review video just after the break. %Gallery-123635%
FCC reveals Seagate GoFlex Satellite, a WiFi-capable battery-powered external hard drive
For a purportedly doomed manufacturer of magnetic storage, Seagate sure is spinning some interesting ideas these days -- last year, we got modular, upgradable cables, and now the company's testing external hard drives that don't need pesky wires to function. According to filings, the Seagate GoFlex Satellite not only plays the network-attached-storage card with built-in 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, it's also got a 3.7V battery inside its case... making the product's name somewhat apt, don't you think? According to a leaked description, Seagate's also planning a companion iOS app called "GoFlex Media" to let your iDevices stream content directly from the device. Mind you, none of that means you won't be able to dock with your Satellite the old-fashioned way -- FCC docs also mention a USB 3.0 cable that delivers data and power simultaneously.
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).
Verizon FiOS TV 1.9 software update adds an HD guide, DVR enhancements
Originally projected to launch in Q4 of 2010, Verizon has finally started pushing out version 1.9 of its Media Guide software to set-top boxes in Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany and Harrisburg. Other regions can expect to be upgraded over the next couple of months, but just in case you've forgotten what's coming here's a few of the new features: a widescreen HD guide as shown above replacing the old 4x3 SD one, support for switching 3DTVs into the correct mode automatically, native passthrough, 1080p, external hard drives, DVD-style chaptering on DVR recordings, an all new search function and access to DVR recordings from other boxes in the house. Those are just some of the features included in this massive upgrade (not all of the boxes support all of the new features, doublecheck to see if yours is supported first -- this could be a good time for an upgrade), check out the release notes on Verizon's forums for more details, or check out the press release and a trailer for the new software included after the break.
G-Technology crashes NAB with portable, Thunderbolt-equipped RAID arrays
The Thunderbolt goodness just keeps on rolling out at NAB. G-Technology just announced it will be adding support for the high-speed connection to its line of RAID devices for those who spend their days chopping up HD video. The first batch of products will hit in either Q3 or Q4 and start with the company's smaller arrays in the four to eight-disc size. A prototype of a four-drive model can be seen in the photo above, which rep Pete Schlatter described to us as "the sweet spot" in terms of portability and storage. Sure, calling an eight drive array "portable" sounds like a stretch, but don't forget: these are designed to be paired with laptops and carried by people editing video on the go -- you know, guys with giant cases of equipment and biceps to match.
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.]
Seagate starts shipping pencil-thin $99 GoFlex Slim hard drive
Remember that 9mm 2.5-inch GoFlex external HDD that Seagate teased us with back at CES? You're looking at it. The company has just gone official with the newly christened GoFlex Slim, a performance-oriented, multifaceted drive that's slimmer than your mother's last smartphone. The final product will boast USB 3.0 support, a 7200RPM drive (ours was 320GB), a three-year warranty and a price tag that's still being determined. By the numbers, you're looking at a pocketable drive weighing 0.356 pounds and measuring 4.91- x 3.07- x 0.354-inches, but due to the GoFlex attachment on the bottom, you'll need the special SuperSpeed USB cable that Seagate includes in order to make contact. In our testing, it managed to transfer files at upwards of 40MB/sec when attached to a USB 3.0 system, which ain't half bad for a drive that's powered via USB and slimmer than a pencil. It'll hit US retailers on August 5th, and at just $99, you know you'll be picking up two just for kicks and giggles. Update: Seagate just pinged us with a clarification; it'll start shipping today! %Gallery-119855%
Toshiba updates STOR.E external HDDs to USB 3.0, sees no lightning and hears no thunder
Allegiances are being drawn and battle plans laid out as the USB 3.0 vs. Thunderbolt war truly begins. Toshiba is, for the moment at least, staying friendly with the USB side, announcing updated versions of its STOR.E external HDDs, both packing Superspeed tech. On the smaller side is the ALU 2S, packing a 2.5-inch HDD internally that has up to 1TB on platters. If you need a little more you can step up to the Steel S, another external unit containing a 3.5-inch HDD with up to 2TB of storage. That one, unfortunately, will require an external power supply, while the littler ALU 2S will get by with only a USB cable. Both feature metal exteriors, increasing their usability as impromptu bludgeons, and both are slated to start shipping before this first quarter is through -- which should mean any time now.
ASUS Lamborghini external HDD sports beautiful curves, bloated price tag
Hot on the heels of ASUS' underwhelming Lamborghini VX6 netbook comes the equally over-hyped Lamborghini external HDD. Underneath that logo you've got either 500GB or 700GB of storage spinning at 5400RPM in the USB 2.0 model and 7200RPM in the USB 3.0 edition. The only sign of luxury in sight, however, is the price tag -- at $120 for the 500GB and $140 for the 700GB, the USB 2.0 versions are nearly twice as pricey as the non-Lambo competition. We've still no idea when the drives will land Stateside or how much the USB 3.0 iteration will cost, but then again, if you have to ask ...
Sanho announces new HyperDrive line-up, still enough storage for your Frank Zappa discography
Surely you remember Sanho's HyperDrive lineup -- ya know, the only portable HDD that plays nicely with the iPad? Well, if you don't dig the $249 entry level price, you're in luck. The company just announced a bunch of new HDDs for you to take with you and your iPad on that road trip you've had planned for years. As we saw at CES, the new drives no longer sport the QVGA color display or the CF and SD card slots -- instead, the black case has two mini USB ports and a power socket. The HyperDrive doesn't come with the traditional AC adapter but instead a USB-to-DC cable and the user-replaceable battery will allow up to 40GB of transfers on a single charge. And if you're wondering why there's two USB ports, we really couldn't tell you. Perhaps if you choose the right port while connected to your PC and enter the Konami code, unicorns and fairy dust will pop out of your screen -- wishful thinking, we know. The HyperDrives ship in March (pre-ordering is available now) with prices starting at $99 for a bring-your-own-drive housing, 1TB for $349 and various sizes in-between. So, if your photo/video library is worth accessing at all times, well, props to you. Press release is after the break.
Mac Plus reused as a Time Machine server
Showing us that there is, in fact, a much more useful application for an old Mac Plus than a DJ using it as a helmet, Macenstein reader Dean Gray has turned his 1986 Mac Plus 1 MB into a Time Machine Server. By using an Intel Atom motherboard and replacing the screen with a 10" digital picture frame, Gray has taken an important piece of Apple's history and made it into what could be the coolest 2.3 TB-capacity Time Machine server we've seen yet. Sure beats using a run-of-the-mill Mac mini as a server on style points alone! While I do both online backups with Backblaze and local backups using Time Machine, Gray's Mac Plus server would look a lot better in my office than my boring Western Digital drive looks now. But even if you don't have a Mac Plus to call your own, if you aren't yet incorporating backups into your daily life, you may want to read Erica Sadun's piece about why Time Machine holds a special place in her heart, or Steve Sande's Mac 101 on backup basics. The most important thing is that you start backing up your computer today, no matter the method.
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.
HyperMac's external hard drive enclosure for iPad hands-on
HyperMac is known more for its power-extending solutions than its other peripherals, but this still-unannounced iPad external hard drive enclosure we spotted at the company's booth is certainly interesting. Capable of accepting a standard 2.5-inch hard drive, the brushed metal box has two miniUSB ports around back -- one to connect to your computer, and another to connect to your iPad. Unfortunately, unlike other iPad storage solutions like the AirStash, because it interfaces through Apple's USB camera adapter, you're limited to photos and video content only. On top of that, it only works with the iPad because the iPhone and iPod touch don't support that particular accessory. The target price point is around $100 without any physical drive -- yes, it's a BYOHD affair -- which is definitely steeper than we'd like, especially given the limited functionality. Still, if you've got more content than space to spare, you might want to look into picking one of these up when it drops in sometime later this month. %Gallery-113113%
Buffalo launches an HDD into the PogoPlug clouds, outfits external storage lineup with USB 3.0
Buffalo's toyed with that newfangled idea of sharing files over the internet once or twice, but today it's stepping up to the plate, picking up a PogoPlug bat, and sending a hard drive coursing into the upper stratosphere fueled by good intent. Well, perhaps the reality isn't quite as exciting as that analogy, but Buffalo is indeed launching the first PogoPlug with internal storage today, which works just like your run-of-the-mill NAS in everyday use, but can also share files of your choosing with awkward acquaintances around the world through an online web portal. $170 buys you 1TB of storage, $270 doubles that capacity to 2TB, and the end of friends and relatives nagging you to upload Facebook photos is (hopefully) included free with every purchase. If all you're looking for in an external hard drive is improved transfer speeds, Buffalo's got plenty of options there too, as it's revamped four tried-and-true units with USB 3.0. You can nab the blue SuperSpeed connector in a four-drive, 4TB or 8TB DriveStation Quad with up-to-225MB transfer rates starting at $630, a two-drive, 2TB or 4TB DriveStation Duo starting at $280, a single-drive DriveStation Axis with 1TB or 2TB starting at $100, or a more portable MiniStation Stealth in 500GB and 1TB capacities starting at $90. Speedy rotating magnetic platters, anyone? PR after the break.
Seagate reveals 9mm 2.5-inch GoFlex external HDD, third-party GoFlex certification process
CES is just kicking off in earnest tonight in Vegas, and Seagate's wasting no time in dishing out a smattering of new releases. Up first is the outfit's slimmest external drive yet: the new, ultrathin GoFlex HDD, which holds a 2.5-inch drive within, but measures just 9mm thick -- that's 38 percent slimmer than the existing GoFlex drive. At least initially, it'll only be offered in a 320GB model, and the USB 3.0 port ensures that it'll run laps around your older USB 2.0 model. Mum's the word on pricing, but you can expect it to ship out this spring. Moving on, there's a new raft of GoFlex for Mac external drives, which arrive HFS+ formatted and ready to play nice with Time Machine. Each one ships with FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 adapters, but allow for USB 3.0 or eSATA to be used with Windows PCs. The GoFlex for Mac houses a 2.5-inch HDD and will sell for $199.99 (1TB) / $249.99 (1.5TB), while the limited edition of that very product will only be available in a 1TB ($199.99) version. There's also a GoFlex Pro for Mac, housing a 7200RPM 2.5-inch HDD and costing $149.99 (500GB) or $179.99 (750GB). Wrapping up this collection, there's a GoFlex for Mac drive that'll go for $219.99 (2TB) or $279.99 (2TB). Lastly, and potentially more importantly, Seagate is finally opening up the GoFlex standard that it has been pushing so vigorously of late. As of now, the only products that support the GoFlex platform -- which allows various connectors to be attached to your existing HDDs -- are Seagate-branded. But today, Seagate's revealing a Certified GoFlex Storage System that'll enable third-party vendors to make wares that are also welcome in the family. Here at CES, the company is planning to showcase a line of prototype concept devices, and while we've yet to see what exactly those are, we are told that the certification also endorses the soon to be established SATA-IO Universal Storage Module (USM) specification. Better still, a number of other companies (Antec, GIEC, Hi-Sense, Ionics and Thermaltake) are planning to showcase GoFlex-approved gear here at the show, including a TV, a laptop, desktop PC, "plug computer," DVR and docking station. Needless to say, the possibilities here are near-endless, and we're definitely looking forward to see just how many odd places a GoFlex adapter ends up. Update: We just got a look at what the SATA-IO USM modules slots might look built into the likes of a ThermalTake case -- spot them immediately below! %Gallery-112190%%Gallery-112580%
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%
Super Talent intros 500GB USB 3.0 Storage Pod, wants $99 for it
Looking for a little zip in your next portable hard drive? Look no further than Super Talent's latest, the svelte USB 3.0 Storage Pod. As you've likely pieced together by now, that ultraslim black box above contains a 500GB hard drive and the appropriate circuity to transfer files using SuperSpeed USB, or right around ten times faster than USB 2.0. It's completely bus-powered, too, so don't bother packing an AC adapter. The company claims that it'll pass along files at up to 90MB/sec (vid's after the break as proof), and if you're already sold, you can fetch one yourself next month.
Kingston HyperX Max 3.0 USB 3.0 SSD reviewed, hits ludicrous speeds
We've all seen the scene in some movie or another: secret agent infiltrates the enemy stronghold, sneaks into the server room, then fights off bad guy after bad guy while an agonizingly slow progress bar ticks across the screen, super-secret egg salad recipe files taking ages to copy. If only they had a Kingston HyperX Max USB 3.0 external drive they could have escaped without needing that big final fight scene. The drive was recently tested by PC Perspective and found to feature solid construction and performance, offering the highest sequential write speeds the site had ever seen thanks to a Toshiba HG2 controller coupled with 128GB of Toshiba flash and 128MB of DDR cache memory. And, at $280 for a 128GB model, it's even somewhat reasonably priced -- well, for an external USB 3.0 SSD, anyway.
LaCie introduces Philippe Starck designed USB 3.0 portable drive
LaCie has long been associated with producing external hard drives for Macs, having created a wide array of FireWire drives. Now that the old standard is moving toward obsolescence, the accessory maker has now released a fresh USB 3.0 version of its Philippe Stark designed portable drive. Fortunately, LaCie has at least partly addressed the fact that Apple has neglected to install USB 3.0 ports on any of its products. If you have a Mac Pro or older MacBook Pro with PCI Express or ExpressCard slots, you can get an adapter for the new drive. Barring that option, you can still use the new drive with an existing port at USB 2.0 speeds. The drive has backup software preloaded, and LaCie also provides 10GB of cloud storage at Wuala Online for the first year. The 3.0 drive is initially available in a 500GB size that starts at US$109.
Hitachi GST's G-Drive Slim: world's thinnest 2.5-inch external hard drive
Not like we need our 2.5-inch external drives to get that much smaller, but who are we to kvetch about progress? Hitachi GST has just outed what it calls the thinnest 2.5-inch external hard drive in the world. The G-Drive Slim is encased in a 128.6- x 82- x 9.9mm aluminum enclosure, and tucked within is a slimmer-than-usual 7mm Travelstar Z5K320 hard drive. The USB-powered unit comes formatted for use with Macs, but a quick reformat on your Windows machine will have its mind changed in no time flat. For now, it's only available in a 320GB flavor for $99.99, and you'll only find it at your local Apple Store.
