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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.
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.
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.
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%
LaCie Rikiki Go external HDD features 1TB storage, new and improved monkey
How do you differentiate one portable HDD from the next? Well, let's see: You can bump the storage capacity up to 1TB. Or you can give the monkey a mohawk. Yep, that's pretty much it! The Rikiki Go supports USB 2.0, sports an aluminum case, and is available now (with 1TB capacity) for $150. There is also a 500GB version that's not yet in stock, but will be at some point for $90. PR after the break.
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.
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.
Samsung ships 1TB Spinpoint MT2 2.5-inch hard drive, but it won't fit in your laptop
So, we've good news and bad news. Given that we aren't accepting votes for which you'll be fed first, we'll go ahead and extol the virtues of cramming a full terabyte of space into a 2.5-inch form factor. Not that this feat hasn't been accomplished before, but the 2.5-inch 1TB HDD realm could certainly use the competition. Now, the rough part -- Samsung's Spinpoint MT2 boasts a 12.5mm height, which is 3mm too high for your existing laptop. Unless, of course, you're rocking one of those otherworldly Clevo machines with enough space for a Karmann Ghia in there. There's also the fact that it's humming along at just 5,400RPM and rocks just 8MB of buffer memory, meaning that this one's entirely more likely to find a home within a portable HDD case than inside of Apple's next MacBook Air. Oh, and there's no price being made public, but honestly, we're sort of glad Sammy didn't bother teasing us. Update: We're hearing that 12.5mm drives fit just find in Apple's newer unibody MacBook Pro machines.
Toshiba's Canvio for Mac external HDD family makes OS X backup a cinch
Not taking another chance on that Time Capsule, even after it's repaired? Can't say we blame you, and neither will Toshiba. Following up on the debut of the Canvio hard drive line in March, Tosh has just outed a Canvio for Mac family that's aimed at making OS X backups a lesson in simplicity. Available now in 500GB, 750GB and 1TB sizes, the new trio ships with pre-loaded Mac-customized backup software, and they'll be doused in either Radiant Silver or Infinite White. Internally, there's a shock sensor for keeping things safe from minor bumps and bruises, and as you'd expect, USB 2.0 provides all of the power and connectivity you need. Check 'em right now for $99.99, $119.99 and $139.99 in order of mention.
Iomega's 500GB 'Skin' external HDDs boast designs your mom wouldn't approve of
For better or worse, these ain't your grandmother's hard drives. Iomega has teamed up with Skin Industries in order to debut some of the wildest, zaniest looking 2.5-inch portable HDDs this planet has ever seen, with a trio of designs shipping today. When speaking with the company, we were told that these three were sort of a trial run to see if consumers were actually into such exotic pieces, but we got the impression that we may end up seeing more if this does indeed spark a new craze. The Iomega Skin drives -- outside of the exterior -- aren't that radical within; you'll find USB 2.0 connectivity and a single 500GB option to choose from. For now, $119.99 gets you a Knock Out, Red Hot or Radical (shown above and throughout) skinned hard drive, and while we didn't exactly expect these to be crafted with precision, we were thrilled to find that our own unit had the logos baked into the plastic -- no stickers or decals here. If you're into the graphics, the drive itself looks pretty sharp, but we can't help but wish there was an option to slap our own Photoshop creations onto this thing. In related news, SIIG managed to push out the world's first 4- and 7-port USB 3.0 hubs, which handled a multi-drive transfer with poise and precision during our brief testing; of course, we couldn't push the new Iomega drive to SuperSpeed or anything, but if you're in need of a product to help you simultaneously connect all seven of the USB 3.0 devices in existence today, they're available in the US for $59.99 a pop.%Gallery-96060% %Gallery-96061%
Iomega's eGo drives accelerate to USB 3.0, should soon make the jump to plaid
Yes, another manufacturer is throwing its weight behind the little, blue, but mostly the same USB 3.0 plug. Iomega has released a refreshed version of its eGo line of drives, with two models that support the new standard: the $129 500GB eGo Portable, and the $149 1TB or $229 2TB (and rather less portable) eGo Desktop. If you're not quite so forward-looking, USB 2.0 models of the Portable line are available in 320GB, 500GB, and 1TB sizes, and there are Mac-specific, FireWire 800 editions of the Portable and Desktop drives available in 1 and 2TB sizes. All, we must say, look rather dashing in their matte black finishes, and all are available now (for rather less than those MSRPs if you look around).
Switched On: A new spin on external hard drives, part one
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. Consumer hard disk connectors have been pretty stable for the past few years. Most internal drives use SATA connectors and most external drives connect via USB; there hasn't seemed to be much frustration with this other than the speed of USB 2.0, which is showing its age and is being superseded by the backward-compatible USB 3.0. Seagate, though, is betting big that a new series of breakaway connectors will bring the old usage model of floppy drives into the 21st Century and accommodate complete media libraries, as well as include a few new twists that take into account such modern tasks as media streaming, remote access and networked entertainment.
Seagate introduces new GoFlex range: multi-port HDDs, media players, etc.
We all knew Seagate's FreeAgent line couldn't hang around forever, and tonight the storage mainstay has revealed the next logical step for the line. The GoFlex family is one of the more varied ranges out there from any hard drive maker, with the primary intent on the HDD side being to create drives (ranging from 320GB to 2TB) that are friendly with both Macs and PCs (simultaneously) while also giving users the ability to upgrade their connection or switch it out depending on what workstation they interface with. The new crew supports USB 2.0 out of the box, though upgrading to USB 3.0, FireWire 800 or eSATA can be accomplished via the new GoFlex cable system. Also launched today is the GoFlex TV HD media player, which essentially acts as a liaison between your tele and your media, regardless of whether it's stored locally, on the LAN or on the internet. Moving on, there's the GoFlex Net media sharing device, which transforms any USB mass storage device into one that's happy to pump out content via the 'net -- think Pogoplug, and you've pretty much got the idea. It looks as if the whole crew will be available for purchase starting this week, with the full list of details and prices just beyond the break. %Gallery-92290%
Toshiba introduces Canvio line of portable hard drives
Toshiba hasn't exactly flooded the market with external hard drives since jumping into the game a couple of years back, but it has now expanded its offering a bit further with its new Canvio line of portable drives, which keep things about as simple as can be. Available in 500GB, 640GB, 750GB or 1TB capacities, the less than six ounce drives all come bundled with the Windows-only NTI BackupNow EZ software, which promises a "set-it-and-forget-it" operation, and they're each available in your choice of five different colors. Look for the whole lot to be available from all the usual sources starting today, with prices ranging from $119.99 to $199.99.
Apricorn's Aegis Padlock Secure USB HDD goes Pro, solid state
You gain an immense sense of security when your gadget has a number pad on it, but if last year's Aegis Padlock Secure drives weren't quite sophisticated enough for you, this year's Pro revision might fit into your dashing lifestyle of international mystery and intrigue. The new version from Apricorn comes exclusively with 256-bit AES encryption and, if you don't mind platters, offers up to 640GB worth of storage for $199. But nothing says you've made it quite like solid state storage, and for $419 you can get 128GB of the stuff, or 256GB for $799. Nobody said living dangerously would be cheap!
WD's 320GB My Passport AV external HDD wants to have and hold your media
Western Digital has played this card before with the strategically named My DVR Expander, but for those who don't realize that an external hard drive is an external hard drive, there's the My Passport AV. For all intents and purposes, this 320GB HDD is nothing more than a standard drive with a fancy marketing scheme following it closely. Oh, sure -- it may work "seamlessly" with Sony's Direct Copy feature on the outfit's range of Handycam camcorders, but outside of that, we don't see anything in particular that makes us long to pay more for something that doesn't really do more than any other 320GB HDD on shelves today. If you're in complete opposition (it's cool... really), it's available to order today for $109.99.