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LaCie slams 3TB drives into d2 USB 3.0 and LaCie 2big USB 3.0, ups performance numbers
Do you have The Need? For Speed? Yeah, so do we, and it just so happens that LaCie does as well. Just weeks after the company properly introduced the "now shipping" status on its d2 USB 3.0 and 2big USB 3.0 drives, it has now expanded the options with a 6TB model. So far as we can tell, it looks as if the outfit placed a rather sizable order for those 3TB HDDs that were just unleashed by Western Digital, and it has tuned up the performance all the while. The 2big has reached 306MB/sec in the lab, representing a 20 percent speed boost over the prior models while making it "the fastest 2-bay RAID solution on the market." As for the d2? It can hum along at 156MB/sec with the inclusion of a 3TB hard drive. Both units are slated to hit retail next month, but asking prices are being kept under wraps for now.
Western Digital debuts My Book Live NAS / media streamer, revamped My Photos app
The My Book Live definitely doesn't mark Western Digital's first foray into the world of connected storage, but the devil's in the details on this one. The company's newly released network drive falls into the budget-friendly My Book line, but promises access to files at up 100Mbps, or triple the speed of standard USB 2.0 units. Additionally, Apple Time Machine support comes baked in from the factory, and there's also an integrated DLNA-compatible media server that can stream photos, videos and audio through any number of devices (WD TV Live Plus HD, Xbox 360, your Blu-ray player, a PlayStation 3, etc.). It'll also double (triple?) as an iTunes music server, and when paired with the company's refreshed WD Photos app -- which is now optimized for iPad and iPhone 4 -- users can flip through their photo albums remotely. The My Book Live is now available for $169.99 (1TB) / $229.99 (2TB), and the aforementioned app can be sucked down as we speak from the action-packed App Store.%Gallery-104521%
Verbatim's USB 3.0 Store 'n' Go external drives play nice with magnets, your data
We're guessing from the photo up there that Verbatim is saying your data is safe even if you happen to drop a magnetic paperclip dispenser on it. That's cool, because we happen to have one of those sitting right here on the desk, and for too long we've lived in fear of the thing toppling over and wiping the bits right off of our drives. But, the real talking point here is the interface: Verbatim's first USB 3.0 external storage. It'll be available in your choice of three sizes, with 500 and 750GB models shipping later this month and a 1TB monster coming in November. Naturally they're also backwards compatible with last-gen USB but will surely cost well more than those drives who are exclusively down with 2.0. How much more? That we just don't know right now.
WD announces 3TB single-drive My Book Essential, two USB 3.0 Passport drives
You may or may not have noticed, but Western Digital just followed up on Seagate's earlier efforts by breaking out a 3TB external drive of its own -- one that has just a single HDD within. The newest My Book Essential not only houses a 3TB drive, but also packs a USB 3.0 port on the rear and the same rounded black shell that you've come to know and love / hate. If that's far too much for you to swallow (or simply too large to haul around), the My Passport Essential and My Passport Essential SE lines are also being bumped to USB 3.0, with the former shipping in a 500GB version and the latter in 750GB / 1TB. Both of those guys are powered entirely over USB and ship in a variety of mind-bending hues, with pricing starting at $99.99 for the 500 gigger and running up to $249.99 for more space than you'll ever need. %Gallery-104276%
Toshiba takes Canvio portable hard drive line to SuperSpeed heights
How does one make a Canvio hard drive better, you ask? By adding USB 3.0 support, of course! Toshiba has just unveiled the latest rendition of its stylish pocket drive, the Canvio 3.0. As with practically every other HDD on the market, this one is also making the SuperSpeed leap in order to provide transfer rates around ten times higher than those of prior generation units. Naturally, it'll play nice with your USB 2.0 machine (albeit at USB 2.0 speeds), and will ship in capacities of 500GB, 750GB and 1TB. For the Windows users in attendance, Tosh is tossing in NTI BackupNow EZ software for free, and if you're tired of the standard black motif, you'll be thrilled to know that it'll ship in high gloss black with red, green, blue, white, or silver graphical accents. Check 'em right about now in North America for $119.99, $129.99 and $179.99 in order of mention.
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%
NewerTech's Guardian MAXimus mini RAIDs your data in real time, armed to the teeth with tiny drives
To think it's been three years since the NewerTech Guardian MAXimus debuted. How time flies. But also too the pace of technology, which is why it's time to upgrade. The new Guardian MAXimus mini claims to do everything its ancestor did but with a pair of far smaller drives, making for a 1.5 pound package of RAID storage little bigger than a single 3.5-inch hard disk standing all by its lonesome. The brushed aluminum fanless unit connects via eSATA, USB 2.0 and both FireWire 800 and 400 in sizes up to 1.5TB, starting at $250 for a pair of 500GB, 5400RPM drives, but if you're the go-big-or-go-home type you'll also find a wallet-obliterating $3,300 package with two 400GB SSDs to make your files fly by. Strangely though, there's no USB 3.0 to be had even for that price. Perhaps next time? PR after the break.
Memorex intros Mirror for Photos external HDD, dares you to skip a backup
Taking a note from Clickfree, are we Memorex? The company that continually attempts to blow everyone away is back with its latest gust, Mirror for Photos. It's an odd name for an external hard drive, particularly when you realize that it functions nothing like bona fide photo backup drives that are designed to tether to your DSLR. At any rate, this here drive ships with software (PC and Mac compatible, in case you're curious) that instructs the HDD to backup to a host machine as soon as it's plugged in. Sounds great in theory, but we've always found it superbly annoying to try and halt those automated processes when you're just trying to drag and drop a critical meeting file while darting out the door. The unit itself measures in at 3- x 5- x 0.5-inches and gets all the power it needs from a USB connection; it's on sale today at Toys R Us (yeah, seriously) for $79.99 (320GB) / $99.99 (500GB) / $119.99 (640GB).
Imation Apollo D300 pairs 2TB of storage with USB 3.0 connection for $220
Decisions, decisions. The $200 price range tends to be reserved for happy shiny smartphones in our minds nowadays, but spare a thought for the demure hard drive as well. Imation's just announced an overhaul of its Apollo line of external plate spinners, with the headliner being the Expert D300 unit you see above. Accompanied by its very own detachable stand and backup software, this $220 USB 3.0 drive promises oodles of room and a decent turn of speed as well. Set for an October launch, it'll find lower price points for archivists with needs closer to 500GB or 1TB in size, and there's also a selection of classically minded USB 2.0 HDDs for the more frugal among you -- learn more about them in the full press release after the break.
LaCie ships 2big USB 3.0 RAID drive and d2 USB 3.0 external HDD
Talk about taking your sweet time. LaCie actually announced that it would be shipping a USB 3.0 version of its 2big USB 3.0 RAID monster in December of last year, but as you well know, the adoption of SuperSpeed has been less than blisteringly fast. At long last, the storage mainstay has decided to start shipping the aforementioned device, available with a pair of 7200rpm HDDs (up to 4TB total) and a promised maximum transfer rate of 205MB/sec. In case that's too heavy for your soul, the now-available d2 USB 3.0 might be the perfect alternative. The design won't be unfamiliar to LaCie loyalists, but the single-drive unit is making its way out in 1TB ($149.99) and 2TB ($249.99) sizes with a maximum transfer rate of 130MB/sec. So, you in? Or do you still think eSATA may swoop in and destroy USB 3.0, Blu-ray style? %Gallery-102175%
Intel's Light Peak optical interconnect shrinks slightly, LaCie, WD, Compal and Avid begin prototyping
Intel's Light Peak isn't setting any new speed records at IDF 2010 -- it's still rated at 10Gbps for now -- but the optical data transfer system is finally looking like it might appear in some actual products. As you can see immediately above, a Light Peak to HDMI converter has shrunk considerably since May, and a number of optically-infused sample products were on display at Intel's Light Peak booth. Compal's got a laptop with the optical interconnect built in, while Western Digital showed an external hard drive, from which the Compal could pull and edit multimedia in real-time using a Light Peak-enabled Avid rackmount. Meanwhile, LaCie showed off what appeared to be a 4big Quadra RAID array with two Light Peak ports catapulting high-definition video content at 770MB/s to a nearby Samsung TV, though we should warn you that the TV itself was a bit of a hack job, and not a collaboration with Samsung -- note the big, honking EVGA video card sticking out of the back. Though obviously a good bit of work went into these prototypes, Intel reps told us none would necessarily become a reality. Either way, don't expect to see Light Peak products until sometime next year.
1TB hard drive thrown into a toy TARDIS, gives us a proper Time Machine
It's common knowledge that the Doctor's time- and space-bending TARDIS is a lot roomier on the inside than its external dimensions let on, and now we can put a definite number to just how much space there is in there: a terabyte. Yup, that's how much storage Max Shanly managed to cram inside his "toy" TARDIS. It took a bit of elbow grease (plus a screwdriver) to get it all to fit, but most of the credit here is for sheer ingenuity -- who doesn't want to back up his data onto a freaking Time Lord's intertemporal transportation device? Max is currently working on hooking up the flashing light up top to represent hard drive activity and we're calling up our favorite KIRF suppliers to get them cranking these out. [Thanks, Max]%Gallery-101940%
LaCie embraces USB 3.0 with world's smallest hug, 'world's smallest' HDDs
LaCie's bringing its monkey out to play again today, announcing a USB 3.0 version of the Rikiki and a new Minimus portable hard drive. Both come in slick aluminum enclosures, with the Rikiki looking unchanged from its predecessor, but of course inside they pack the extra vroom vroom of the latest USB spec. Unlike Iomega, LaCie isn't shy about price premiums here, as the Rikiki USB 3.0 model costs $100 for 500GB (versus $85 for the 2.0 SKU) and the Minimus offers a terabyte in exchange for $130. Both will have larger options as well, a 1TB Rikiki and a 2TB Minimus -- with correspondingly elevated levies, we're sure.%Gallery-101772%%Gallery-101773%
Engadget's back to school guide: Fun stuff!
Welcome to Engadget's Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we're here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. On the menu today are a handful of fun yet practical gadgets, but feel free to check out our Back to School hub for more recommendations in other categories. It's a tough road ahead for aspiring students like yourself (yes, you!), but that doesn't mean one should abstain from any form of entertainment throughout the course. If anything, you'll be needing a few fun gadgets from our Back to School guide to impress your schoolmates -- it's not like your Facebook page will be automagically adding friends any time soon. But as the old saying goes, "work hard, play hard," so we've also thrown in a few picks that'll aid your study. When you're ready, click along for our latest list of awesomeness.
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.
Seagate's 3TB GoFlex Desk hard drive reviewed: hot, in more ways than one
Just under two months ago, Seagate pushed the capacity envelope once more by introducing a $250 3TB hard drive meant to be used by archivists the world over. It all sounds peachy on paper, but AnandTech managed to uncover a dirty little secret about the drive that serious power users should know about. For starters, the crew cracked open the case to find a 3.5-inch, five platter Barracuda XT -- that's a drive that Seagate doesn't intend to sell for internal use until the end of the year, but it's available now if you're willing to spring for its enclosure. Reviewers actually fell for the overall design, but they noticed right away just how little ventilation options there were. Needless to say, that point came back to bite the drive once data had been transferring over for a few hours, as temperatures soared beyond the 140 degree Fahrenheit mark and transfer rates plummeted. Seagate affirmed that those high temperatures were within spec, but critics felt that running it as such for extended periods may harm the longevity; it's obviously a gamble you'll be taking if you need this much space within a single drive, but we'd recommend hitting that source link before making a decision that could burn you down the road.
ioSafe SoloPRO takes rugged external storage to USB 3.0 heights
We made a point to mention last November that USB 3.0 and eSATA were both sorely missing from ioSafe's Solo hard drive, and lo and behold, the company seems to have answered our prayers directly. The SoloPRO -- which purports to be just as outrageously rugged as the original -- is the company's fastest rugged external HDD, offering up USB 3.0 and eSATA / USB 2.0 connections. There's also full support for Windows and Linux servers as well as any desktop OS, and ioSafe will be shipping these in 1TB, 1.5TB and 2TB capacities. Still concerned about toughness? Fret not -- both the USB 3.0 and eSATA versions of the SoloPRO can withstand temperatures up to 1550° F for 30 minutes or being submerged to a depth of 10 feet for up to 3 days, and there's even a heat-resistant paint option for those who prefer to run their server rooms under the Moroccan sun. As for pricing? Expect 'em to run $249.99, $319.99 and $419.99 in order of mention, buster.
WD tosses out high-fashion 500GB My Passport Essential drives, props to the LBC
Sure, 85.3 percent of your best buds are kickin' it in Cozumel right now, but a few bright minds at California State University, Long Beach have been toiling around the clock in those dreaded summer sessions in order to help create the five-pack you see pictured here. In order to give its already colorful My Passport Essential line a long overdue refresh, Western Digital has now added a handful of limited edition 500GB models with rather stylish exteriors. Boom Box, Black Hole, Cityscape, Fuchsia Leaf and Wave are the prints to choose from, and all five can be snapped up for a window of time at Best Buy or via WD directly. As for specs? You know the drill -- USB 2.0 powered, 256-bit hardware encryption and a two-year warranty. Take your pick for $119.99, dude.
Aegis Bio grows to 640GB of fingerprint-protected storage
Apricorn specializes in the fine art of making people believe their data is worth stealing and charging them for the privilege of protecting it. Its Aegis Bio range has now been expanded, both in number and in capacity, as the former ceiling of 250GB has been lifted with the introduction of 320GB, 500GB and 640GB variants. The 2.5-inch external disk validates user identity with that handy fingerprint scanner on top before allowing access to the otherwise 128-bit encrypted precious stuff within it. Prices of the new models top out at $160 for the most voluminous one, making them thrifty enough to buy even if you don't need secret agent-level security -- which, let's face it, you don't. Full PR after the break.
