HP has announced a program that will provide free Box cloud storage for customers who purchase select Compaq pro-level desktop machines. The computer maker appears to be expanding its collaboration with the cloud service provider, following a similar promotion that brought 50GB in free storage for the TouchPad tablet.
Seagate has reported a significant drop in profits, which slid by 72 percent in the recent quarter. The lackluster performance was blamed on weaker-than-expected demand in the consumer computer segment. The rising popularity of flash-based storage is also said to be a minor factor contributing to the slump in HDD sales.
A selection of storage and memory deals are currently being featured at DealNN. The Transcend JetFlash 4GB USB flash drive has been reduced from $19.99 to $6.99, an instant savings of $13 at TigerDirect.com. Buy.com is offering the Western Digital 1TB My Book Essential external hard drive for $139.99, that's $110 off the list price of $249.99. Until 11/30/08 Neweegg.com is offering the OCZ Core Series V2 30GB SSD (model no. OCZSSD2-2C30G) for $69.99. That's $25 off the original price of $94.99 and use this mail in rebate offer to drop the price down to $49.99. BestBuy.com is offering the PNY 2GB flash drive for $18.49. On November 28th only the price is dropped by $10.50 for a final price of $7.99.
Micron Technologies announced the latest additions to their line of "e-MMC" high-density embedded memory devices. Storage capacities from 1GB to 32GB are offered and feature an extended range of operating temperatures (-40C to +85C) for automotive or industrial use. Micron claims the devices can read data at speeds up to 52 megabytes per second. e-MMC memory is found in cell phones, PDAs, hand-held electronics, digital video cameras, gaming devices and more.
Apple's .Mac service, once a promising method for sharing media, performing online backups and more, has paled in the presence of free alternatives and represents an untapped opportunity for Apple according to a recent report from CNET. The articles posits "$99 a year is hard to justify for the .Mac service. 10GBs of storage? I can get that for $20 from Google, and I can get much more if I want it. Photo sharing? I can do that for free on Flickr, and upload as many photos and videos as I want for $24.95 a year. Build my own Web site? Lots of services offer that capability for free."
Mvix on Thursday launched an ultra-compact HDD-based, portable media player: the new high-definition Mvix MV-2500U media decoder supports the small 2.5-inch hard drive, while including key features of its predecessors like MX-780HD or MX-760. The black device, which can support HDDs as large as 250GB, measures under 5x3x0.5 inches; it uses a 2.5-inch PATA / IDE HDD and when connected to the PC, it works like a standard external USB 2.0 hard drive; however, it ships with an IR remote control to allow playback of standard or high definition digital video (480p, 720p, 1080i) in over a dozen file formats, including MPEG-1, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4, DVD (VOB, IFO), DivX (3/4/5/6), Xvid, BivX, VCD (DAT) for both PAL and NTSC systems.
Small Tree Communications recently unveiled the EasyAoE, a new software product that allows users to efficiently use a Serial ATA drive over an Ethernet network for backup and storage purposes. The application reportedly simplifies the backup process, allowing less experienced to effectively ensure their data is safe. Small Tree Communications is selling EasyAoE for $150, with a five user license available for $500.
CalDigit has announced HDElement, a new compact 4 bay storage device that works in conjunction with the CalDigit RAID card offering full hardware RAID capabilities. Users can connect up to 3 HDElements to the CalDigit RAID card. The HDElement is also bootable. CalDigit's RAID Shield GUI allows users to manage drives, run performance checks and monitor system settings are a snap. In the event of any errors, alerts or changes to the RAID array can send an email notification. The CalDigit RAID card offers dedicated Intel processor, and 256MB of built-in cache memory. This gives true hardware RAID capabilities via PCI-e expansion slot.
Eye-Fi recently unveiled Eye-Fi Manager 1.2.5.0, an update to its device management software for the Eye-Fi wireless storage card. The update brings with it iPhoto integration, and increased stability for both Mac and PC users. Users also receive a firmware update, which improves the card's performance when it is in less-than-optimal broadcasting conditions, and enhanced compatibility with Kodak's Easy Share cameras. Existing users are able to upgrade for no additional charge.
FirmTek has unveiled the SeriTek/5PM SATA enclosure with Port Multiplier technology. The storage device houses up to five hot-swappable drives, each with transfer rates as high as 3Gbps for total aggregate performance beyond 220MB/sec with one cable. When configured with three additional SeriTek/5PM enclosures -- for a total of 20 drives -- RAID 0 performance can exceed 700MB/sec. FirmTek's new SeriTek/5PM SATA enclosure is already shipping for $550, with optional host adapter bundles available from $610-$700.
FileMaker on Tuesday announced the immediate availability of Bento, its easy-to-use personal database application. Designed exclusively for Mac OS X Leopard, Bento leverages a single-window interface and FileMaker database technology to help users organize contacts, calendars, projects, events, and more. Users can easily create databases to manage information with dynamic 'smart' collections as well as expand around Apple's own Address Book and iCal storage engines. Bento is priced at $50, or $100 for a family pack of five licenses. The personal database requires Mac OS X 10.5 or later.
Xias today unveiled several new products that it will display at CES 2008, including two digital photo frames, two cameras, USB memory sticks, and an MP3 player with an accompanying digital download service. The PF-821WF and PF-1021WF are an eight- and 10-inch digital frame, respectively; both models feature a display resolution of 800 by 600. Up to 12 images can be displayed simultaneously, and images sit in a floating, swiveling base. Seven digital media formats are supported, which can be uploaded to the frames from either of the two bult-in memory card slots. Four different play modes are supported – full-screen browse, slideshow, thumbnail browse, and zoom in/out – while viewing time can be adjusted in both browse and slideshow modes. While pricing was not announced, Xias will ship the frames during the second quarter of 2008.
Pinnacle Systems today debuted Pinnacle Video Transfer (site not updated), a device that record analog video onto any USB 2.0 storage device without the need for a computer. With the touch of a button the company says users with little or no technical expertise can record from a TV, DVD player, iPod, or other device to a USB flash drive or USB hard drive. Users can select three different recording levels for each device, opting for varying video qualities and sizes. Pinnacle Video Transfer will ship January 15th for $130, and includes three RCA audio/video cables as well as a power supply and a quick start guide.
Network-attached storage has often been the reserve of businesses, and is only now catching on with home users wanting to share a common pool of files between their computers or with others online. But what about as the hub for a media center? With some help from Axentra's HipServ software, LaCie is hoping that its Ethernet Disk mini Home Edition is simple enough that it can stand as storage for iTunes or even a game console. We put the 500GB drive through its paces in our review to see whether it can stand in both for work and play.
Enhance Technology has unveiled the new EnhanceBOX E4 MS and E8 MS series external host card (HBA) dependent desktop SAS/SATA storage arrays. The new storage devices offer support for high capacity SAS and SATA I/II 3Gbps hard drives using the latest Mini-SAS SFF-8088 connectivity, and depending on the host cards are configurable as JBOD (Just a Bunch of Disks) or RAID to sustain data transfer rates of up to 500MB/sec. The EnhanceBOX E4 MS is priced at $375, while the EnhanceBOX E8 MS is available for $650.
Enhance Technology has unveiled its next generation UltraStor RS16 IP-4, a rack-mount 3U 16-drive Quad Gigabit iSCSI independent RAID storage system. The new RS16 IP-4 is the latest addition to Enhance's UltraStor RS series family with a built-in 64-bit RAID controller for mission critical applications. Key UltraStor RS16 IP-4 features include Snapshot, N-way Mirror, RAID-6 data protection, automatic background data regeneration, dynamic online volume expansion, and Multi-Path I/O support for Windows workstations & servers (pricing was unavailable).
FastMac today unveiled a 4x Dual Layer Blu-Ray optical drive upgrade (site not updated) for Apple's Mac Pro and Power Mac G5 workstations. The 5.25-inch tray loading drive uses one of the fastest Mac-compatible Blu-ray mechanisms, according to the company, providing up to 50GB of storage on one dual or dual or double layer disc without sacrificing compatibility with standard DVD or CD media. Utilizing SATA connectivity, the drive's BD-R DL feature allows Mac users to burn a complete 50GB disc in under 50 minutes. The drive is already available for an introductory price of $600, and comes with a 1-year warranty.
NewerTech today announced new lower pricing on its Guardian MAXimus FireWire and USB2 external RAID 1 storage device. The Guardian MAXimus received a Five Star Rating in the December 2007 issue of Photoshop User magazine, according to the company, and serves as a plug-and-play "live activity" backup solution. Writing the same information in real-time to two separate drives produces a mirrored copy of all data, protecting up to 1TB of data on dual SATA drives with transfer rates of up to 100MB/sec. The Guardian MAXimus comes in seven different configurations ranging in price from $320 to $900.
LaCie today unveiled a new external hard drive designed by Neil Poulton. The latest storage device is sleek and compact, accommodating a 3.5-inch hard drive with a bright blue line underneath that creates an ambient glow. Ranging in capacities from 320GB to 1TB, the drive features natural heat dissipation via a sturdy casing with bottom plate holes for natural airflow that allows fanless operation. LaCie's new hard drive is priced from $120, and comes preloaded with LaCie's 1-Click Backup Software for both Mac and PC systems.
Looking to grow the market for in-car computers, Toshiba today introduced the largest-ever hard drive built specifically for vehicles. The MK8050 series stores just 80GB but includes the shock tolerance to handle engine vibration or the jolts from the road underneath. These new 2.5-inch drives are 50 percent more resilient than past models despite the size increase, Toshiba boasts. The company also creates a cushion of air around the read head that prevents it from scratching the platters during a car trip, even at altitudes as high as 3.4 miles above sea level where the pressure would otherwise not be enough to prevent an accident.
