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PS3's Genji uses HDD to quarter load times
Before jumping into Genji to deal some massive damage to historically accurate giant crabs (nyuk nyuk) during Sony's Gamer's Day event on Thursday, MTV News' Stephen Totilo noticed a curious menu option: INSTALL What's this all about? Totilo writes, "Also unexpected was a feature in Genji to install the game, committing 4GB of data from the game's Blu-ray disc to the PS3's hard drive -- a three-minute one-time-only procedure available from the game's start menu that a Sony rep said cuts down in-game load times from about 15 seconds to four seconds."So, regardless of the debate about the relative read speeds of 2x Blu-ray drives and 12x DVD drives, we can all recognize the obvious benefits of having a hard drive included by default. Why Genji appears to be the only title sporting this option is another question. Did excessive load times in the PS3's first finished title necessitate extraordinary measures, or will most games offer this time-saving option, à la PC games.
Microsoft sez 100GB Xbox 360 HDD is "not official"
Ok, so we did mention that the oh-so-thrilling "100GB" overlay supposedly seen in the mysterious PowerPoint slide at Korea's X06 seemed a bit out of place, and now we're hearing from Microsoft itself that it's probably too good to be true. Correspondence with the console's creator has elicited comments dubbing the announcement "misleading" and "not reflective of an official announcement of any kind," but it curiously failed to give an outright proclamation citing the photo as burlesquely. Nevertheless, the company claims it has "nothing to announce with regard to a larger hard drive" at this precise moment in time, but it certainly didn't go out of its way to slam this proverbial door shut.
Two redesigned PSPs coming next Spring, say analysts
It's that time of the year again. Yep. Another analyst is talking about a PSP redesign, but this one's a bit more ambitious than the other ones: Paul-Jon McNealy of American Technical Research has predicted the appearance of two new models, one below $199 and one above. "Sony will likely introduce a refresh of the PSP hardware line, including a hard-disk drive PSP and a second PSP with no hard drive but with a significant amount of flash memory on board." Sounds a lot like the other rumor about a redesign.Considering how frequently these redesign reports pop up, I'm going to place my bet that a redesign will come out... eventually (no matter how often Sony denies it). Will it be next Spring, as predicted?[Via International Business Times]
Microsoft announces 100GB 360 HDD at X06 Korea!
If you've been hankerin' for a bit more room to stash pr0n Xbox Live downloads and other various medias on your 360, and you're not so keen on squeezing in a backup solution or dealing with a frumpy external drive, it looks like you're in luck. Microsoft just announced a 100GB hard drive for the Xbox 360 at their little X06 shindig in Korea, and the drive should be making its way to shelves -- at least in Korea -- by March of '07. There's no info on price yet, or really much info at all, but when has a PowerPoint slide full of Korean characters and lame-fonted "100 GB" overlays ever steered you wrong?[Thanks, Michael R]
Maxtor expands options in Shared Storage, OneTouch lineup
It looks like Western Digital isn't the only hard drive firm broadening the horizons of its oh-so-popular external lineup, as Maxtor has announced today a trio of revamped devices sporting the same technologies (and less-than-sexy enclosures) we've come to expect, but also gain welcome upgrades in the file space department. The company's flagship unit, the OneTouch III Turbo Edition, now tips the scales at 1.5TB, and still touts the same "user-configurable RAID," automatic backup scheduling, "System Rollback," USB 2.0 connectivity, and DriveLock software to protect your precious information (or priceless game saves) from the grimey hands of data thieves; meanwhile, the non-Turbo edition now comes in a 750GB single-drive flavor, while the Mini tops out at 160GB. Rather than cramming more space into its Shared Storage II drives, Maxtor now offers single-drive versions in 320GB and half-terabyte sizes, and includes software to facilitate "easy backup scheduling between networked computers," detailed storage status to all connected users, and a pair of USB 2.0 ports. If you're just too occupied to schedule your own backups, or just need a less expensive alternative to an in-home NAS, Maxtor's refreshed offerings will have you covered later this month.[Via eHomeUpgrade]
Buffalo DriveStation Duo stores files, can't grate cheese
Although fashionably late to the party, Buffalo's new DriveStation Duo does stack up nicely against Fantom Drives' recent cheese grater-style storage device, and comes in a more understated traditional black instead of that brushed metal-look that all the kids are going for these days. The DriveStation Duo sports USB 2.0 and FireWire interfaces and ranges from 500GB to 1.5TB in capacity, and the 7,200RPM SATA drives that it's packin' can be set up in a RAID-1 configuration-- for either mirroring or full capactiy modes, depending on your persuasion. Oh, and you'll take a $250 to $1,000 hit sometime later this month for the pleasure of taking 'em for a spin.
Flash-based MacBooks next year?
Buzz has been flying for a while now around the hard drive's belated evolution into flash-based drives, much like the solid-state memory found in the iPod nano. Engadget has of course been covering this NAND flash memory for some time, while manufacturers have been demoing real-world notebooks that use them as early as March 2006. The advantages of these drives are far better power usage (meaning: much longer battery lives), faster seek times (meaning: stuff works faster), vastly improved durability (no moving parts) and even some claim "instantaneous" OS booting.This all gets interesting when considering Apple's position, as they have one of the largest reputations with NAND flash memory manufacturers among PC makers, due to the success of the iPod. Sure, Samsung has been showing off their own flash-based notebook prototypes, but that's because they're cheating - they're one of the largest manufacturers of NAND memory. Apple's close relationship with these manufacturers is leading many to speculate that they could be one of the first manufacturers with a flash-based notebook, even as early as 2007, especially since Samsung is already selling commercial models with at least 32GB NAND drives baked in.This is, of course, speculation, and when speculation comes from the rumor gurus, you'd darn well better take it with at least one, if not two, grains of salt. Besides, back in March, a 32GB NAND flash drive cost $900 alone at $30/GB. With the way things move in this industry, prices should undoubtedly be at least a little better by now, but the question of when they become appealing enough for manufacturers like Apple to start including them as standard parts is anyone's guess. If anything, I'll bet that we'll start seeing rumors of NAND-based MacBooks at Macworld San Francisco 07 once the season kicks in. Stay tuned.
How To: keep your iTunes library on an external hard drive
For more helpful how-to guides, check out the TUAW Tips, iPhone 101 and Mac 101 topics. After discussing how my iTunes library is set up with a few readers in the comments on my First Impressions/2G iPod nano post, I figured this might be a handy tip for readers who find themselves running out of room to store an expanding iTunes library. My only machine is a MacBook Pro with a 120GB hard drive, but after installing ~ 40GB of the entire Final Cut Studio suite and other various software and projects, I don't have room for my ~ 35GB iTunes library. I decided to do some experimenting a couple weeks back with moving and keeping my library on an external hard drive. There are obvious initial disadvantages to this, but after some tinkering and getting comfortable with iTunes' baked-in library management genius, this can be a pretty useful setup for those who, like me, are cramped for space but aren't willing to trash those albums you're too embarrassed use in a Party Shuffle playlist. This setup also has the inherent, and obvious, advantage of keeping your library on an external hard drive, so it's more or less already backed up - though I, with my paranoid data habits, keep a backup of my library on a second hard drive, and I now also use Scott's iTunes 7 backup tip (instead of a previous Smart Playlist system) to burn my library to DVDs (the lesson from someone who knows: your data can never be too backed up - ever). Getting back on topic: read on for a walkthrough (from a very mobile notebook user) of how to move your iTunes library to an external hard drive. I'll include some tips on how iTunes is already one step ahead of this setup, as well as a few habits you might need to adopt when living la vida external-iTunes-library.
Western Digital intros its first perpendicular drive, the 160GB Scorpio
Better late than never, right? Apparently Western Digital is just fine with this mantra, as it finally got around to releasing its very own perpendicular hard drive, the 2.5-inch SATA Scorpio. This 160GB HDD matches Fujitsu's MHW2160BH, but lacks the space found in Toshiba's offering, though we're certainly not ones to complain about more competition. The specs aren't anything extraordinary, as it sports 8MB of cache, 150 MB/s transfer speeds, and spins along at 5,400RPM. WD does attempt to add an element of distinction by marketing it as the "quietest 2.5-inch hard drive" around, care of its "WhisperDrive" technology, and the "ShockGuard" feature should enable it to handle the bumps of everyday life just fine. While there's nothing definitive concerning pricing or availability, the WD1600BEVS should check in just below competing alternatives, and will likely pop up in notebooks everywhere real soon.
Hard drives turn 50 today!
Fifty years ago, all of us at Engadget weren't even a glimmer in our mothers' eyes -- in fact, now that we think about it probably most of our parents hadn't even met yet. By that logic, it's hard for us to imagine a world without hard drives, which were born 50 years ago today, back on September 13, 1956. On that fateful day IBM created the original -- called the RAMAC 305 -- which held around 5 MB of data at the cost of $10,000 per megabyte, and was the size of two refrigerators. By 1980, Big Blue had one-upped itself with the introduction of the first one gigabyte hard drive, which was half the physical size, weighed 550 pounds, and cost only $40,000. Flash forward to 2006, where the fingernail-size microSD card kicking around in our cell phones and cameras these days (albeit not a hard drive) now costs about $10 per gigabyte -- gotta love the march of technology. By that logic, we should have a new type of terabyte storage device to carry around by about 2056, probably embedded in our bodies and hard-wired to our brains.
LaCie boosts F.A. Porsche-desgined hard drives to 500GB
Still milking that partnership with F.A. Porsche, LaCie has ramped up the capacity in its oh-so-distinguishable Porsche-designed external hard drive to a half a terabyte. Still rocking that sleek, silver case, the company's latest drive sports all the same amenities of its less spacious brethren, but stuffs a 500GB drive inside the fanless enclosure, which rolls along at 7200RPM and sports "at least" 8MB of cache (nail it down, guys!). LaCie also throws in all the cabling needed to get those transfers a-blazing, and encourages you to backup your system via its "1-Click" software -- but we know you're holding out for Time Machine. If you just can't resist pairing a supercar-branded hard drive with your wildly exotic notebook, the USB 2.0 flavor is currently shipping for $249, while the FireWire edition is slated to drop in October for $279.[Via MacMinute]UPDATE: Melissa Logan from LaCie wrote in to say that this drive does actually have a cooling fan, it just shuts off when not in use.
Iomega rolls out OS X-ready UltraMax 640GB RAID drive
Iomega must really like making hard drives aimed at Apple users, or either its MiniMax for the Mac mini and the new UltraMax 640GB drive are completely coincidental. Whatever the case, this new 640GB HDD rocks dual 320GB SATA drives in a RAID 0 or 1 array, and sports an enclosure that any Mac Pro (or PowerMac G5) owner can appreciate. It comes formatted for OS X use (HFS+), but can be reformatted for PC use, and Iomega apparently made cross-platform setup a breeze with the included "FAT32 format tools." (What, no NTFS?) What differentiates this cheese grater drive from those lookalikes is its on-the-fly ability to turn RAID on and off, as well as offering a few more nifty options not typically found on external drives. Aside from the trifecta of USB 2.0, FireWire 400, and FireWire 800 connections, you get a manual RAID switch that allows you to turn off the RAID and use the drives as JBOD (i.e. where each HDD is treated with its own drive letter). If you've been hunting for flexible external storage options, and you're a huge fan of brushed metal, the UltraMax 640GB can get paired up with your Mac (or PC) for $449.95 later this month.
Hitachi to offer road-ready Endurastar hard drives
Since vehicles of all flavors are rolling out pre-pimped with such flattering amenities as iPod adapters, high-end navigation systems, and rip-n-go CD players, Hitachi apparently figured now would be an opportunistic time to offer up a few road-ready hard drive options. You're probably quite aware that even the most relaxing Sunday drive is never complete without its fair share of jostling, and the two new Endurastar HDDs are built to withstand all the unique tortures a hard drive may face when being driven daily. According to Hitachi, the N4K50 is designed to operate in temperatures from minus 3 degrees to 158 degrees Fahrenheit, and at altitudes "up to 3,000 meters." The slightly more extreme offering, dubbed J4K50, isn't fazed by heights of up to 5,000 meters, and can shake off that frostbite by spinning at negative 22 degrees, or keep its cool while operating at 185 degrees Fahrenheit. Presumably, a good bit of the stability comes from the fluid dynamic bearings used in the motors, a much more adept alternative to the ball bearings that have become commonplace. Hitachi isn't handing out release dates nor pricing as of yet, but they are stating that both factory and aftermarket options will be available in sizes up to 50GB, so we assume you modders won't waste any time in getting those creative wheels a spinning.
The other Logitec releases cooled-down external hard drives
Japanese manufacturer Logitec (the h-less one) looks to be catering to more style-conscious media junkies with its latest external hard drives, available in two different models coming in 250, 300, 400, and 500GB varieties (all 7,200 RPM). The black model sports what Logitec calls an "i-Dial," which appears to be some sort of security mechanism, while the brushed aluminum one's, well, brushed aluminum -- which appears to be enough for Logitec to charge the same price for both of 'em. Look for them to be available in Japan in mid-September for 21,000, 25,100, 36,800, and 50,900 Yen, respectively (or between $180 and $434). All the drives also feature Logitec's "A.S.C SYSTEM" fanless cooling, although it doesn't look like you can just purchase the enclosure, unfortunately.[Via Akihabara News]
Fantom Drives releases roomy new Triple Interface G-Force MegaDisks
It's an all too common dilemma: you've thrown down some serious change for a new Mac Pro and Godot brushed metal DAP, but you've got nowhere to turn for a massive external hard disk that sports that token cheese grater look. Okay, so it's probably not "common" per se, but if it's your reality, Fantom has the solution. The G-Force MegaDisk is the latest lineup of Mac-ish looking external drives; touted as a "heat dissipating aluminum enclosure," the sleek box drive sports USB 2.0, FireWire 400, and FireWire 800. The MDC500 and MDC800 house 7,200RPM SATA II drives with 32MB cache, each with 500GB and 800GB, respectively -- the big boys, also known as the MDC1000 and MCD1500, rock 1TB and 1.5TB of SATA II storage, but "only" manage 16MB of cache. The Fantom Four can be snapped up now for $269.95, $499.95, $599.95, and $999.95, running from smallest to roomiest, and looks to be today's surefire winner in the Mac Pro sidekick contest.[Via MacMinute]
Seagate hoping to get 120GB drives into the iPod?
If you're as burned out about iPhone rumors as we are, maybe rumors of new storage capacities (finally) coming to the iPod can grab your attention. Engadget found some comments in Business Week from Seagate CEO William Watkins on the state of small-format storage, including whether the Flash memory craze has fazed the company and what's coming down the pipeline in 1.8 inch hard drives. Apparently, the company will have a 120GB 1.8 inch hard drive ready for the December quarter, which would be ripe for the iPod - as it's been stuck at 60GB since Fall 2004.This is obviously no indication of whether these drives will actually make it into the iPod, but it's great to know they're available, which means there's a chance. Hold your breath at your own risk.
Seagate hoping to get 60GB and 120GB drives into iPods
If you haven't been paying close attention to the theoretical glass ceiling that the iPod has struck, you may not realize that Apple's darling has been capped at 60GB for quite awhile now. While the iPod with video is, in our humble opinion, very ripe for a refresh, the holdup could be history if Seagate has anything to do with it. The world's "largest hard drive manufacturer" isn't fazed by the recent flash-based memory craze, and feels that even NAND can't oust the tried and true storage platters on its own. William Watkins, the company's CEO, recently stated that he felt quite secure in his operations, and that while flash memory had its place, consumers needing spacious drives for backup and home / vehicle media storage will be skipping over the small stuff and heading straight for the hard drives. Regardless, recent analyst reactions to the less-than-stellar financial performance from the company has sparked questions about how it plans to stage a comeback in a flash-driven world, and the answer just might be the iPod. Watkins noted that Seagate hasn't been competitive in the high-capacity 1.8-inch drive arena, but we latched onto a certain comment regarding his intentions to change that -- in regards to 60GB and 120GB 1.8-inch drives, Watkins claimed that the company "will have one in the December quarter," which is obviously prime fodder for new iPod speculation (you know, since that's the holiday shopping season and all). While we weren't told outright that Seagate was in line to supply Apple with these larger drives, we sure hope somebody hooks it up with more capacity, and besides, there's never a time like the present to crank up the rarely-stagnant Apple rumor mill once again.
Results: What would enhance the PSP the most?
About a week ago, PSP Fanboy asked you what would enhance the PSP system the most. It was a pretty obvious win: the ability to play PSone games on the PSP. For some reason, Sony believes that the number one most-wanted feature for the system is the ability to connect to a PS3, but as can be seen by our not-scientific poll, it's one of the least desirable functions, barely beating out Text Messaging. But in all seriousness, who would really want to use the PSP "keyboard" to text message anyone? People also seem to want a hard drive, but for some reason that's one of the main functions that Sony's not planning to implement... for now, at least. Here are some memorable comments from the Fanboys: "How about if it were made by Nintendo. And oh yeah, games worth buying." - mitch "I would so love to not have to name files with that useless naming convention." - PodMonkeys (wish granted!) "I would really like it if the PSP came with a touch screen. Or a keyboard. It could be like the SideKick." - Hans "What about the ability to pull pornography out of thin air?" - Player1 " A decent way to type, like a Virtual QWERTY keyboard" - MacFanBoy "The greatest enhancement would be the ability to download and play iTunes and Videos from iTunes." - MM "Real Bluetooth (data and A2DP) support would be nice. Then with a few software updates we could use bluetooth keyboards, bluetooth mice, bluetooth GPS devices, bluetooth stereo audio, etc. etc. the list goes on and on." - Ixalon
Hitachi's Wooo DZ-HS303 DVD camcorder with HDD
T'is the season for DVD camcorders: following the 3CCD VDR-D400 from Panasonic and the iVIS DC22 from Canon that we just spotted comes a model from Hitachi called the Wooo DZ-HS303 (yes, you read that right); unlike these other devices, though, the Hitachi -- dropping August 30th -- also lets your capture video to an 8GB MicroDrive. Billed as the world's first camcorder to sport both a DVD and hard drive, the HS303 features a 10x optical zoom, standard 2.7-inch LCD, and three megapixel CCD, all in a 560-gram package. All-in-all a pretty decent feature set for 130,000 yen ($1,132), but as Digital World Tokyo points out, Canon will give you HD capabilities for only a few bucks more. [Via Digital World Tokyo]
Digital Foci's Picture Porter Elite photo viewer / PMP
Hot on the heels of MediaGear's HD2GO is yet another photo viewer / PMP, but with 40GB or 80GB hard drive options, the Picture Porter Elite is more akin to Epson's P-4000 line of capcious convergence devices. Manufactured by Digital Foci, the USB 2.0-enabled PPE-360 features a 3.6-inch screen (only QVGA, though -- Epson gives you VGA on its models), line-in recording, PictBridge printing support, and video out for displaying your pics and vids on a regular TV. Supported memory card formats include Compact Flash I / II, MicroDrive, SD / MMC, and Memory Stick (xD, miniSD, and MS Duo cards work with an adapter), while the compatible file types include JPEG, TIFF, GIF, and RAW (image), MP3, WMA, AAC, and WAV (audio), and MPEG-1/4, AVI, MOV, and WMV9 (video). The Picture Porter Elite will begin shipping on the 7th, starting at $450.[Via Digital Media Thoughts]
