hdd

Basic defrag

For whatever reason--maybe just nostalgia--people are hooked on the old Windows defragmenter cluster map, with the little colored squares rearranging themselves into their unfragmented positions. Ultra Defragmenter brings this interface back, and although it definitely kicks it old school as far as the visuals are concerned, we're not sure it works much better than the built-in Windows defragmenter.

The program's interface is plain, displaying the list of volumes, the cluster map, a progress bar, and a handful of buttons. We had the program analyze our hard drive and then started defragmenting. The program seemed to take about as … Read more

'Jersey Shore' aesthetic meets portable storage

Iomega is partnering with "sports fashion" brand Skin Industries to bring consumers a new line of graphically enhanced external hard drives that kind of look like they belong on the set of "Jersey Shore."

You get your choice of three styles (Radical, Knock Out, and Red Hot), and the 500GB drives are cut from the same Iomega eGo design cloth that earned our CNET Editors' Choice award for fast transfer speeds. They also come with a generous three-year warranty and Drop Guard technology that protects the drive from up to 4 feet in the air.

You … Read more

Roundup: External hard drives for less than $150

Before you start furiously deleting precious music, photos, and movies from your computer, why not free up space and archive your library at the same time with an external hard drive?

Storage vendors like Seagate, Samsung, and LaCie are competing to offer the lowest cost-per-gigabyte on the market, which means generous cost savings for the end consumer.

And you don't just get a slab of hardware, either--most drives come preinstalled with automatic backup software that let you specify data profiles and exactly which folders on your system drive to sync with the external, so in the unfortunate event of … Read more

Toshiba introduces 200GB hard-drive for automotive applications

Solid-state memory-based systems like the one we saw in the 2010 Hyundai Sonata may be the future of in-car navigation and infotainment technology, but there's still a lot of life left in the trusty spinning platter hard-disk drive. To this point, Toshiba has just announced a new 200GB hard drive for automotive uses.

Storage geeks and techies will no doubt be interested in the high-density, single-platter design and the rugged, automotive-grade construction that can withstand operating temperatures of -30 to 85 degrees C (-22 to 185 degrees F) and delivers high levels of operating shock resistance and enhanced vibration … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1179: The guy who makes OK Go go (podcast)

On today's show, a special interview with Adam Sadowsky, president of Syynlabs, the OK Go video, "This Too Shall Pass." Turns out making that video was as hard to make as you might imagine. Also, we discuss the pending smellpocalypse coming out of Siberia.

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) Episode 1179

Interview with Adam Sadowsky, president, Syynlabs OK Go – This Too Shall Pass – RGM version http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w

iPad coming on April 3, preorders on March 12 http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10464361-37.html… Read more

250GB HDD for Xbox in the wild

Are you still using a first-generation Xbox 360 with a measly 20GB storage? We have good news for you. Microsoft Japan has just announced the latest range of accessories for its game console, including a 250GB upgrade kit for 15,540 yen ($172). Though the price is on the high side for a comparable hard disc drive (HDD), this add-on is the only legitimate Xbox 360 HDD enhancement that will not void the console's warranty. This is unlike the rival Sony PlayStation 3 Slim, which can be user-upgraded with most, if not all, 2.5-inch laptop drives off the … Read more

Amazon.com has the Panasonic SDR-H80 HDD Camcorder for $306.15, after $93.80 savings.

Save $93.80 on the Panasonic SDR-H80 HDD Camcorder from Amazon.com >> Regular price is $399.95 >> Sale price is $306.15 >> Savings $93.80 (23.45%) >> Click here for deal

Sleek system maintenance

Ashampoo HDD Control is a multifeatured set of utilities that helps users maintain their hard drives and ensure optimal performance.

The program's interface is sleek and intuitive, with its features organized in tabs. With both monitoring features and maintenance utilities, Ashampoo HDD Control gives users ways to both keep an eye on and improve system performance. Although some of the information that the program provides is geared toward more advanced users, anyone can understand its basics, and the built-in Help file does a good job of explaining all of the features. The program's monitor tab gives users information … Read more

Seagate bumps up external HDD capacity to 1TB

We gave an Editors' Choice award to the first round of Seagate's FreeAgent Go external hard drives, but as with all things related to storage (and storage only), bigger is better, so we're very anxious to get our hands on these new FreeAgents with up to 1TB of space.

Just announced Wednesday, the new line will look almost exactly the same as the original, but as expected, the 1TB version is a little chunkier than the rest. In addition to the original catalog, Seagate now offers 750GB ($200), 880GB ($210), and the 1TB ($250) version as well. Of … Read more