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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.

Seagate’s 3TB GoFlex Desk hard drive reviewed: hot, in more ways than one originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 09:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

Continue reading ioSafe SoloPRO takes rugged external storage to USB 3.0 heights

ioSafe SoloPRO takes rugged external storage to USB 3.0 heights originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 06:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

Continue reading WD tosses out high-fashion 500GB My Passport Essential drives, props to the LBC

WD tosses out high-fashion 500GB My Passport Essential drives, props to the LBC originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 02:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

Continue reading Toshiba’s Canvio for Mac external HDD family makes OS X backup a cinch

Toshiba’s Canvio for Mac external HDD family makes OS X backup a cinch originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If we said Hitachi’s got a new line of external hard drives, you’d probably walk away — but what if they were the smartest bricks of magnetic memory you’d ever seen? That’s how Hitachi is billing the new LifeStudio array of drives, which feature not only the standard rotating disks, but also dockable USB keys, software that auto-organizes your media, and several gigabytes of cloud storage. At $80 for a basic 250GB 2.5-inch disk and $220 for the premium 2TB desktop unit, they’re not the cheapest external storage on the block, but they claim to do so much more than store that we just had to give them a try. Read our full impressions after the break.

Continue reading Hitachi unveils LifeStudio content-aware external hard drives, we go hands-on

Hitachi unveils LifeStudio content-aware external hard drives, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 03:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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).

Iomega’s eGo drives accelerate to USB 3.0, should soon make the jump to plaid originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jun 2010 10:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While LaCie has certainly created some fanciful product designs over the years, its product naming is often quite succinct. Take the Rugged series, the drop-proof external storage solution, which is now welcoming the Rugged Safe model into the family. This version adds a fingerprint scanner recessed into its armor-plated case, which encapsulates either 500GB or 1TB of storage that is now also cloaked in 128-bit AES encryption. Up to 10 registered users can be added, who can access files via USB or FireWire, but sadly neither USB 3.0 nor eSATA are on offer. Despite the limited connectivity you’ll naturally be paying a more for the added security, with the 500GB model costing $189 and the 1TB version jumping to $299. Compare that to $119 and $159 for the biometric-free versions and you can see just how much that little fingerprint of yours can cost you.

Continue reading LaCie’s Rugged Safe external HDD is rugged, safe

LaCie’s Rugged Safe external HDD is rugged, safe originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 May 2010 09:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looks like that iPad Camera Connection Kit isn’t as overpriced as we thought; not only does it have USB headset and keyboard support, but one enterprising user has hooked up an external hard drive using the dongle as well. Max Shay has an exhaustive walkthrough at his personal website, but the gist of the matter is that you’ll need a jailbroken iPad, a split-USB cable to give that drive some extra juice, and a terminal of some sort (Max used his MacBook) to trick the iPad into mounting your external storage, after you use SSH to tunnel through. The result is an unwieldy wired assembly we wouldn’t be caught dead with in public, but perhaps useful in a pinch — or as the latest proof of what the iPad could do if only Apple would let it. Video after the break.

Continue reading iPad Spirit jailbreak + Camera Connection Kit = external HDD support

iPad Spirit jailbreak + Camera Connection Kit = external HDD support originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 May 2010 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

Continue reading Switched On: A new spin on external hard drives, part one

Switched On: A new spin on external hard drives, part one originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 May 2010 18:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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.

Continue reading Seagate introduces new GoFlex range: multi-port HDDs, media players, etc.

Seagate introduces new GoFlex range: multi-port HDDs, media players, etc. originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 May 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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