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The CF-to-SATA hard drive adapter
While we've already seen that a four-barrel SD-to-SSD adapter will run you a stiff $258.50 sans flash cards, users who can't seem to find a good use for those CompactFlash cards that used to rule to roost in your recently replaced Nikon D70 finally have a solution. The much more reasonable CF-to-SATA hard drive adapter simply takes any CompactFlash I/II card and snaps it into the 2.5-inch SATA HDD slot on the bottom of most lappies. The device then allows the CF card to be recognized as an "ordinary hard drive" which can even be "configured as a boot device" without any additional drivers. Moreover, it supports DMA and Ultra DMA modes, and is said play nice with just about every flavor of Windows dating back to 3.1, Linux, and OS X operating systems. The best bit, however, is the attainable price, as we could certainly see ourselves forking over $35.99 just to see how a CF boot drive would really effect performance.
The skinny on the Drobo storage array device
While not quite a robot as we here at Engadget typically think of them, there's no doubt that Data Robotics's Drobo storage array / external enclosure is making some interesting propositions with this new storage device. Here's everything the storage-minded need to know about the company and its forthcoming product: The device will come drive-free, and cost $700. It will launch in the summer. It does not use RAID of any kind. Instead, it uses pooled virtualized storage. Unlike RAID 5, which requires 3+ drives of the same size, users can add disparate SATA (I or II) drives of any size. The storage pooling impact is estimated as the size of the largest drive. So if your largest drive is 500GB, that will be the maximum amount of space lost from the storage pool for redundancy. With four 1TB drives you would get 3TB addressable storage, and ~2.7TB after formatting. The device can address an infinite amount of storage, limited only by file systems and drive capacities. All drives are hot swappable; new drives are instantaneously available. The device is block-aware and makes use of a "virtual hot spare", meaning that if a drive is pulled or lost and there's enough free space on the drives, data will be double-copied and made redundant again. Data has corruption protection as well; if data is corrupt on one drive, the device will intelligently find another copy of the data which is not corrupt. For lack of necessity, the device does not support FireWire 400 / 800 or eSATA; its internal data speeds are not fast enough that those interfaces would benefit performance. The device will only format NTFS and HFS (PC and Mac); it may be updated to support other file systems. It features NVRAM and a battery backup so even non-journaled file systems will be protected against corruption during loss of power. It will monitor drive health by its own system of metrics, and pre-emptively predict drive failures. Data Robotics plans to launch higher capacity Drobos with more drive bays. There will also be an open API for interfacing with the Drobo. Hopefully that should answer a few questions about this thing -- got any more? We'll and find out. So, kinda high price aside, you as stoked about this thing as we are?%Gallery-2507%
Apple bumps its Xserve RAID to 10.5TB, SATA where art thou?
Being the torrent junkies we are -- you know, those GPL'd Linux ISOs, somebody's gotta download 'em -- we were kind of stoked about that rumored SATA-based Xserve RAID we spied last week and the supa-cheep storage it would provide. Unfortunately, it looks like Apple is going to stick with Ultra ATA for the moment, though at least you can squeeze a bit more storage out of the unit now: Apple is including support for 750GB drives, allowing for a whoppin' 10.5TB of storage for under $1.31 per gigabyte. That's great and all Apple, and those dual or quad-channel 2Gb fibre-channel PCI cards are swell too, but when are we going to see the real deal with six built-in fibre-channels and that SATA sweetness?[Via TUAW]
SATA-based Xserve RAID coming
Ruh roh, Stevie J isn't gonna like this. Looks like AppleInsider landed some rare and much coveted pre-release Apple product pics; no, it's not of the iPhone sans phone or ultraportable MacBook Pro, it's of the long overdue Xserve upgrade to the Xserve RAID, which finally puts cheap and plentiful enterprise SATA drives in the enterprise enclosure. Other improvements AI claims Apple have made to the above "Q57" prototype include an additional four fibre-channel ports, although the fibre-channel controller has apparently yet to be made redundant. We're sure there are more than a few enterprise Mac users hoping they won't have to wait until WWDC 2007 to check this thing out, but we don't have any timeline for release, so we'll all be keeping an eye out for release.
PQI's 64GB SSD with SATA connector: a world's first, twice
PQI just announced the availability of their 64GB, 2.5-inch drive -- doubling the size of current SSDs packed in either 1.8-inch or 2.5-inch IDE enclosures. That's news, big news in and of itself. But these drives are also the world's first to sport SATA. That's right, thick juicy SATA which should make it possible to do a one-for-one swap with your existing laptop's spinner. So check it DV editors, before the end of the month you too will have access to ultra-fast flash for your video. No word on pricing yet, but 64GB of NAND on a SATA interface will likely buck the trend of falling SSD prices. Temporarily anyway.
NEC launches new 1 / 2TB NS50 desktop NAS
Another day, another NAS. This time it's NEC bringing the goods, with a relatively small 8.66-inch tall enclosure and a lockable front door. The forthcoming NS50 packs a 600MHz Intel XScale processor, 256MB of RAM, dual LAN ports, and twin USB 2.0 connectors, and plays nice with a slew of Windows and Linux-based operating environments. Per usual, the box connects via gigabit Ethernet and can be managed through a secure web connection as well as remotely, and touts support for Microsoft's Active Directory as well. NEC claims the unit can integrate seamlessly as an FTP server or as a "soon to be announced" print server, and can run things in RAID 0/1/5 or JBOD, whichever you please. NEC's perfectly average NS50 should hit shops next month for £949 ($1,845) if you're digging the 1TB (4 x 250GB) version, while the 2TB (4 x 500GB) flavor will set you back a whopping £1589 ($3,088).
Samsung crashes the perpendicular party with bevy of laptop drives
While Toshiba's sittin' pretty with its 200GB perpendicular laptop drive, Samsung is finally deciding to join Hitachi, Seagate, and Western Digital (just to name a few) in the perpendicular byte stacking game. The newly-unveiled 2.5-inch M80 / M80 SATA series features a trio of drives each, with capacities in 80GB, 120GB, and 160GB, 8MB of onboard cache, and a 5400RPM spindle speed. While the swifter SATA drives will likely benchmark a bit better than the PATA counterparts, both versions sport perpendicular magnetic recording to prevent data corruption, as well as "industry leading free-fall sensors" that pack 700G of operating shock tolerance. Furthermore, Samsung equipped these newfangled drives with a fluid dynamic bearing motor and its own Hybrid Latch System, which reportedly "eliminates unpleasant rattling noises and significantly reduces the clicking noise generated when a drive moves its heads on and off the disk." Although Samsung left us in the dark regarding pricing and availability, we don't envision the firm keeping these behind closed doors much longer than they already have.[Via TG Daily]
Princeton unveils PNS01S NAS in compact, aluminum enclosure
Apparently Princeton's taking a breather from pumping out those LCD monitors and external battery packs, as its latest introduction comes in the form of a (relatively) compact NAS. The PNS01S sports a sleek, aluminum enclosure measuring just 2.36- x 8.27- x 7.17-inches, and comes in both 400GB and half-terabyte flavors. Each device boasts a fanless design, houses a SATA drive touting 16MB of cache, and offers up eSATA, USB 2.0, and gigabit Ethernet ports on the rear. Aside from playing nice with both Macs and PCs, it includes NetBak Replicator software to simplify those scheduled backups, and should be available later this month for a currently undisclosed price.[Via Akihabara News]
Datel Xport vs. XSATA?
Reader Hot Zizzy spotted the Datel Xport 360 at Best Buy for $39:99. Here's the feature list: Transfer data between your Xbox 360 hard drive, memory cards and PC quickly and easily Bonus Xbox memory card adapter lets you transfer original Xbox game saves to your Xbox 360 High-speed USB 2.0 transfer rate won't keep you waiting for data to transfer Docking station plugs into your PC for fast, flawless data transfers Simply drag and drop files while you're connected to your PC Is this the same device as the Datel XSATA (pictured at right) under a different name? They are both the same price. Note that the description is also nearly identical to the Datel Transfer Kit, making things even more confusing when comes to this company usually interesting products.
Novac's SATA HDD Kit Mini: hooks up disks over USB
If you've every wanted to connect a SATA disk on the quick, then look no further for that fix than the SATA HDD Kit Mini from Novac of Japan. While it'll get you connected via accompanying cables to either SATA or eSATA disks just fine, don't expect this pup to be pumping data across the USB 2.0 bus anywhere near eSATA's 2.4Gbps transfer rate after that stick deals with the USB 2.0 step-down and protocol translation. If you really need that kind of speed but lack a native eSATA connector on your motherboard, then you'd better be looking the way of Ratoc's ExpressCard. Still, for just ¥3,980 or right around $34, this'll probably get you by in a pinch.[Via Impress]
Buffalo's IFC-CB2ES dual eSATA PCMCIA card
Although PCMCIA inputs may be waning in popularity (just don't tell Mercedes owners) while making way for those snazzy ExpressCard slots, we're sure quite a few laptop owners are still looking for a worthwhile component to shove in that unutilized port, and Buffalo's IFC-CB2ES just might be the ticket. This eSATA (external serial ATA) card doubles up on Ratoc's REX-EX30S by sporting two hot-swappable inputs for those moments when one external drive just won't cut it -- the device also includes Acronis' MigrateEasy software, which makes for easy system backups in case your notebook drive craps out, and Buffalo touts the card's ability to boot directly from an external drive in case of such emergencies. If you're running short on USB / IEEE 1394 ports and desperately need the spacious relief that only external storage can provide, you can dust off that PCMCIA slot and snag the IFC-CB2ES later this month for ¥4,700 ($40 US).[Via Akihabara News]
Iomega launches 320GB eSATA drive
Just a warning that peeps looking out for eSATA (external serial ATA) gear shouldn't have to wait too terribly much longer -- you know it's hitting critical mass when Iomega starts launching retail gear sporting the interface. Their new 320GB eSATA drive even comes bundled with an eSATA PCI card as well as Firewire 800 and USB 2.0 interfaces, should the eSATA thing not actually be your bag (or the machine you're temporarily using not have eSATA). It'll cost you $239, but at least you can get it precisely now, availability pending.[Via The Reg]
USB to SATA/IDE Universal Kit with One Touch Backup
Just get a shiny new hard drive and need to transfer your files over? Or maybe you're just doing your duty and backing up information on a regular basis; whatever the reasons, and we're sure there's more, getting files onto your bare drive gets simple with this driver-less USB to SATA/IDE Universal Kit with One Touch Backup. This kit works its magic by providing the best of both worlds: portability and one-touch simplicity are wrapped into one marvel of functionality. You'll get support for 3.5-inch SATA/SATA II drives up to 750GB and all IDE/EIDE drives up to 500GB -- a fancy "bisynchronous mode" copies data onto two drives simultaneously. Just plug it in, give the button a press, and you're set -- and although time is money, be aware that this modern-day convenience will run you $42.
Record more HD on your SA8300HD DVR with a new HDD
Anyone who listens to the HD Beat podcast knows how Ben feels about the Scientific Atlanta SA8300HD DVR cable box, but we're sure even he would like it a little better if it had a lot more hard drive space. Some friendly Canadians have worked out a foolproof method for adding capacity with a standard hard drive to record many more hours of high-def programming. All you need is an SATA HDD, SATA 1 to SATA II HDD cable, an external HDD enclosure, and you will be in ready to go.[Via PVR Wire]
Mac mini with 300 gig SATA drive
Wanna get more gigs into your Mac min, like say 300 of 'em? Why not do what this dude did and replace the Mac mini's internal hard drive with a 300 gig external SATA drive?[via Paul Stamatiou]
Seagate leaks 750GB Barracuda 7200.10
Well, it's been a rather long year or so since 500GB drives came into style as the standard for high end disks, but it looks like perpendicular recording will save the day in stagnant storage. Seagate's inadvertently leaked the Barracuda 7200.10 line of SATA drives with speeds up to 3Gbps (SATA II), 7200rpm, 4.16ms latency, NCQ, 16MB cache, and 750GB of storage. 750 freaking gigs, man. Just another step on the magic road to a 1 terabyte petabyte drive though, you know? [Warning: PDF link][Via DailyTech, thanks, Diego]
Datel's no-muss hard drive adapter
You could spend $20 on a bare PCB that requires you to remove the hard drive if you want to access what's inside, or you could spend $40 and get Datel's XSATA device. It sits between the hard drive and the console, allowing the 360 and your PC to "share" the hard drive using a simple high-speed USB 2.0 port. It's a pretty slick looking solution, but I'd be hot-dogged if I added glowing blue-LEDs to my 360! How about a model that matches the 360's white plastic? [Thanks to everyone that sent this in]
Sata connection for the 360 HD on sale soon
Early next week 360Sata will release a $20 PCB that allows you to connect your Xbox 360 Hard Drive to your PC without opening the hard drive bay and voiding the warranty (no it won't let you upgrade the hd size). The site has an informative FAQ about USB-to-Sata converters, etc.[Thanks, MaxConsole]
Big Fat Hard Drives for your PowerMac G5
If you bought a PowerMac G5, or if you're still going to buy one because you hate all that is Intel and you suspect Apple will switch over their desktops next, be sure to check out some of the SATA hard disk options currently on the market. If you choose, for example, to upgrade your drives from the Apple Store, note that you will pay: 250gig SATA hard drive: $275* 500gig SATA hard drive: $575* Now if you buy 500gig SATA hard drives from, for example, Western Digital, you will pay: 500gig WD Caviar SE16 SATA hard drive: $349.99 (shipping?) Or by looking a bit at pricewatch.com, you will find: 500gig Seagate Barracuda SATA hard drive: $340.00 (free shipping) If you instead fish around at newegg.com you may see: 500gig Hitachi Deskstar SATA hard drive: $395.00 (plus shipping) Remember, if you RAID it up, Mix it up! Try to use different models and makes of hard drives for your RAIDs. If a drive fails in a machine, chances are a similar make and model could** fail soon thereafter.From what I know there is only room for two SATA drives in a PowerMac G5 (without adding any controller cards), so why not put in two 500gig drives yourself? Sell that Wow Original Apple Hard drive !!! 250gig !!! Must L@@K! on eBay to offset your costs.* (Algebraically derived from today's Apple Store prices, if you need to see the math, call me.)** (This of course is up to chaos theory and many other electrical factors. Your second drive may outlive even your favorite parrot. You just can't know.)
Clearing up specifics on the MacBook Pro
Laurie A. Duncan is feeding us a few more details from the Macworld floor on the new MacBook Pros that I thought were quite interesting: Macbook has one FW 400 port, no FW 800. I guess that ZDNet post was at least on to something no pcmcia slot - new ExpressCard/34 slot, whatever that is Hard drive is SATA now, not IDE Magnetic power adapter and port is very very cool! Snaps nice and tight Display now also uses magnetics to close, clasp is gone We'll publish more details as soon as soon as they roll in.
