The eSATA Mercury is equipped with a Hitachi internal hard drive that spins at 7200rpm.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET Networks)I asked for it a few blogs ago and now I've got it: the first pocket-size external hard drive that features an eSATA connection, the eSATA OWC Mercury On-The-Go. eSATA is the external interface for SATA, currently the most popular interface for internal hard drives.
A while ago, OWC introduced the world's largest small external had drive and has now become the first vendor to put eSATA on a compact external hard drive. The eSATA OWC Mercury On-The-Go also supports USB 2.0 and features a 320GB internal hard drive from Hitachi that spins at 7200rpm (as opposed to the 5400rpms in most external hard drives of this physical size). It is also the largest in capacity among high-speed, compact external hard drives.
The new OWC comes with an eSATA and a USB 2.0 connection.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET Networks)The drive is bus-powered when used with the USB 2.0 connection and requires the included adapter for the eSATA connection. This is because by nature, the eSATA connection doesn't (yet) support drawing juice from the computer to feed the external drive.
The eSATA OWC Mercury costs $250. You can get a USB 2.0-only version for less, or the triple FireWire 800, FireWire 400, and USB2.0 version if you're willing to pay little more money.
The new Drobo has the same physical design and functionality as the original Drobo that came out a year ago but is faster, cooler, and more quiet.
(Credit: Drobo Robotics)One year after the first release of the first Drobo that won our Editors' Choice award, and a few days after the release of the beta SDK, Drobo Robotics today announced its second revision of the product.
For those of you who don't know, Drobo is the world's first, and for now still the only, solution for external storage that automatically and intelligently takes care of your data with minimal input from you. All you have to do is install the hard drives, which is as easy as inserting a CD into the CD-ROM drive. The Drobo protects your data with Drobo Robotics' proprietary technology that guarantees the integrity of your data, as long as no more than one hard drive needs to be replaced at a time. It can also predict when you should replace a hard drive before the drive actually fails.
Out of the box, the new Drobo has the same shape and design as the first-generation Drobo featuring four drive bays--each can take an SATA hard drive of any capacity from any vendor; a storage gauge that tells how much storage space has been used; and an array of big, bright LED lights that tell the status of each hard drive. However, on the inside, the new Drobo has some major improvements.
The Drobo FireWire Edition comes with two FireWire ports in addition to the USB 2.0 port.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET Networks)First and foremost, in addition to the USB 2.0 connection, it now also comes with FireWire connections. For this reason, the new Drobo's unofficial name is "Drobo FireWire Edition." The device works with both FireWire 400 and FireWire 800; however, it comes with only the FireWire 800 cable. If you want to use it with a FireWire 400, you will need a separate cable that links the Drobo's FireWire 800 port to the computer's FireWire 400 port. The addition of these ports make the device even more Mac-friendly and work much better with bandwidth intensive applications such as Final Cut Pro, Photoshop, and Logic Studio.
Secondly, the Drobo FireWire Edition comes with a processor that allows faster throughput speed, especially when using the FireWire 800 connection. The faster processor also makes it less time-consuming when the drive needs to rebuild one of its hard drives in case of hard drive failure.
Lastly, the new Drobo has a better ventilation system that helps it work cooler and quietly. Nonetheless, I tried out the product and its fan does produce relatively noticeable noise to those who stand nearby.
Other than that, the Drobo FireWire Edition functions exactly the same as the original Drobo and, still, it's not cheap. With no hard drive included, the new Drobo is priced at the same as that of the original a year ago. It also comes in 2TB (2x1TB drives) and 4TB (4x1TB drives) versions that cost $899 and $1,299 respectively. Make sure you check back at CNET.com for the in-depth review before making a purchase. In the meantime, the original USB 2.0-only Drobo, will still be available for a limited time at the discounted price of $349, with no hard drive included.
More and more vendors have been joining the bandwagon of pocket-size portable external hard drives and it's interesting to see how each of them manages to make their product unique in its own right. The G-Drive mini Triple from G-Technology is one example of this.
The drive sports a very rugged, metallic look with its aluminum casing that also works as the cooling solution. Despite having metal all over, the drive is still very light, weighing only around 9 ounces. Designwise, the G-Drive is compact, however, if the Signature Mini appeals to the ladies, the G-Drive definitely screams masculine.
The G-Drive supports all USB 2.0, FireWire 400, FireWire 800 data connections.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET Networks)The version I have in my hands on today is the first drive I've run into that not only operates at a fast 7,200rpm (as opposed to 5,400rpm of other drives), but also backs that up with a high 200GB capacity. Whether this translates into higher throughput remains to be seen and CNET Labs will figure this out soon. The G-Drive mini Triple also comes in other sizes ranging from 160GB to 250GB. However, the high-speed version is only available in 200GB. (While the 5,400rpm 2.5-inch hard drives hit the 500GB mark a while ago, the top space for 7,200rpm version still remains at 200GB for now).
The "Triple" in its name refers to the fact that the drive features all available connection types for compact external hard drives: USB 2.0, FireWire 400, and FireWire 800. I reviewed the OWC Mercury recently that offers the same flexibility in data connection, but the Mercury is noticeably larger than the G-drive. Like the Mercury, the G-Drive also offers bus-powered capability with any of those connections and still comes with an external power port for older computers, of which the USB/FireWire ports may not have enough juice to power the drive. Most of the time, you will not need that adapter and it's only available as an accessory that you can order from G-Technology's website.
The G-Drive mini Triple works with both Mac and PC, though it's preformatted for Mac. It is available now for $279 for the 7,200rpm version or $259 for the 5,400rpm version. You can also get smaller sizes for cheaper prices accordingly.
(Credit:
LaCie)
LaCie announced yesterday its new Big Disk Extreme+ desktop hard drive, a fairly standard external drive whose standout feature is the massive capacity. It's available in 1-terabyte, 1.5-terabyte, and 2-terabyte capacities, starting at $350 ($850 for the 2TB drive). The design is LaCie's classic Neil Poulton d2 look: brushed gray body with a blue programmable one-touch button mounted on the front. Connection options include two FireWire 800 ports, one FireWire 400 port, and one USB 2.0 port. It comes bundled with LaCie's 1-Click Backup software, Silverkeeper (backup software for Macs), and two versions of EMC Retrospect Express software for Windows and Mac PCs. As usual, LaCie is targeting the drive at video pros who need fast transfer speeds and huge capacities. Check back soon for a review at CNET.com.
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