If you've wished you could connect your external hard drive to your computer without having to use the USB cable, now you can.
Imation announced Thursday the availability of the first wireless USB external hard drive, the Pro WX. The hard drive works just like any other USB hard drive, with one exception: it doesn't require a USB cable.
The Pro WX wireless USB external hard drive.
(Credit: Imation)Wireless USB has been under development for about five years, and some of the first products were demoed at CES 2009. This technology allows you to connect USB 2.0 devices to a computer wirelessly from up to 30 feet away with a throughput speed of up to 480Mbps.
According to Imation, the Pro WX wireless USB external hard drive offers less than that, with speeds of up to only 120Mbps or 15MBps; this is about three times slower than regular USB 2.0 hard drives. At this speed it can finish copying the entire content of a CD-ROM (roughly 800MB) in about 50 seconds. Other than that, this drive is based on the 3.5-inch desktop hard drive and offers 1.5TB of storage.
The Imation Pro WX features a sleep-mode feature to conserve energy and a one-touch, backup sync button for you to manually start a backup when needed. The device is compatible with both PC and Mac operating systems
In order to take advantage of the wireless USB, your computer needs to support this. As most computers don't have built-in wireless USB, there are adapters that you can add to the machine. It's unclear if an adapter is included with the Pro WX.
What's clear, however, is the fact that this is going to be one of the most expensive external hard drives you can find. At the estimated price of $500, about three times the price of regular external USB hard drives of the same storage capacity, I am not sure if it's worth it when the only benefit is losing the USB cable.
If you're into high-class fashion, LaCie has something for you. The company has come out with two new external hard drives by famed French designer Philippe Starck, who makes everything from furniture to clothes to luggage.
The front surface of the new LaCie desktop external hard drive responds to a finger's touch.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)Other than the fact that they offer extra storage, the LaCie Starck Desktop Hard Drive and the LaCie Starck Mobile Hard Drive come with a bit of fashion flair. Both are housed in a distinctive-looking, sturdy aluminum case that protects the internal drives from shocks.
While the LaCie Starck Mobile Hard Drive seems to be just a plain yet good-looking compact USB external hard drive, the LaCie Starck Desktop Hard Drive features a curvy front that responds to the touch of a finger. It also has a status LED light that shines an orange plus sign--Starck's signature symbol--on the surface.
There's not much you can do with the drive's novelty touch-sensitive surface, unfortunately. It can be programmed to launch an application, such as Firefox or Word, when you touch the front of the drive. But to do this, you will need to install LaCie Destkop Manager software, which runs all the time in the background. I found this sort of a waste for a function that's not really useful or necessary. But obviously fashion isn't always about necessity and functionality.
The LaCie Destkop Manager software will also help format the hard drive to work with a Windows, Mac, or Linux platform. The drives also come with LaCie Backup Assistant software, which can automatically back up the computer's data onto the drive.
Other than that, the LaCie Starck Desktop Hard Drive is very much like a brick. It also generates some sort of vibration during operation, reducing its suitability for sitting on top of your desk. It only comes with a USB port, which is rather disappointing as this is the slowest connection. Other desktop external hard drives often come with FireWire and eSATA connections.
LaCie's two new external hard drives are available now. The LaCie Starck Desktop Hard Drive costs $130 for the 1TB version and $250 for the 2TB version. The LaCie Starck Mobile Hard Drive comes in 320GB and 500GB versions, which cost $100 and $140, respectively.
WD debuts new e-labels
(Credit: Western Digital)Western Digital just announced their newly redesigned line of external desktop and mobile storage drives, all flaunting a customizable "e-label" that gives users a clear description of their contents. The new My Book Studio, My Passport Elite, and My Book Elite also deliver continuous backup solutions right out of the box with WD's SMartWare software.
1. First up to the plate is the new My Book Studios. Designed with the Mac user in mind, the new external drives feature a FireWire 800 interface that make quick work of larger videos and photos. Since the majority of My Book owners are creative, digital professionals, Western Digital developed e-paper technology similar that shows the owner a customizable display. The e-label also works when the drive is unplugged and also shows how much space is left and security status as well. The new My Book Studio drives come with a three-year warranty and are available now in 500GB ($150), 1TB, 1.5TB, and 2TB ($300) capacities.
2. The new My Book Elite drives appeal to the user who simply needs more external storage on their desk space. Like the My Book Studio, these drives also come with the custom e-label as well as two levels of data security: 256-bit hardware encryption and password protection, and WD's SmartWare software. The unique back up software puts your data right in front of you with a visual interface that shows you exactly what is stored on your computer and on the drive. As you create back ups or restore data, the gauges will change color in real-time to show progress, and once you finish the process the first time, you'll never have to perform a complete backup again--the software will backup automatically every time the contents change. The My Book Elite drives come in 1TB ($170), 1.5TB, and 2TB ($280) capacities.
3. The last addition to the new WD offering is an upgrade to their My Passport Elite portables. Again, they come with all the same features, but you also get a convenient USB dock that can stay plugged into a USB port for quick docking. The drives are protected by WD's three-year warranty and will come in three colors: anodized red, anodized blue, and charcoal metallic. Retail prices for the My Passport Elites include the 320GB for $119.99 USD, $159.99 USD for the 500GB, and $169.99 for the 640GB.
Check out the slideshow for more in-depth pictures of the new WD offering, and look for full reviews on CNET.com coming soon!
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Seagate)
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 course, the drives will continue to be supported by Seagate's comprehensive five-year warranty and are fully compatible with all of Seagate's external accessories, including the FreeAgent Theater Dock.
The new FreeAgents are available for order now on the Seagate Web site.
Another day, another external hard drive. I thought by now, storage vendors had exhausted ideas for new external hard drives. I was wrong.
Western Digital announced on Thursday its new and refreshed lines of My Book external hard dives, including the My Book Essential and My Book for Mac. Both hard drives are for desktops, and most importantly, they come with the new WD SmartWare software that's designed to ease the job of backing up your data.
The new My Book Essential external hard drive from Western Digital.
(Credit: Wetern Digital)Both new external hard drives are available in capacities ranging from 500GB to 2TB and feature user-selected password protection combined with military-grade 256-bit hardware encryption, which scrambles files before they're stored. Prior to these drives, these security technologies have been available mostly in much more expensive storage systems.
The two new drives also use WD's GreenPower Technology that helps lower the power consumption of the internal drive, according to WD, by up to 30 percent. They both sport an illuminated capacity gauge that gives you a quick glance of how much space is available on the drive.
The My Book Essential drive is a budget product and comes with only one USB 2.0 connection and is preformatted for Windows. The WD SmartWare software will launch by itself the first time the drive is plugged in and offers a real-time visual interface of the backup process. After the first backup, users' files are backed up automatically every time they change or add a file. This is similar to how HP's SimpleSave external hard drive works, with the exception that it requires a bit more user interaction than HP's solution.
The My Book for Mac is essentially the same as the My Book Essential with the exception that it's preformatted for Macs and comes with the Mac version of the WD SmartWare software. It also is compatible with OS X's built-in Time Machine backup solution.
The two new external hard drives are available immediately and are estimated to cost between $100 and $250, depending on the model and capacity.
Hitachi SimpleDRIVE Mini Family
(Credit: Hitachi)I had a chance on Friday to chat with reps from Hitachi, who told me about some new products in conjunction with the SimpleTech acquisition earlier this year. We've reviewed SimpleTech hard drives in the past, with positive results, so we're anxious to see how these two new drives compare to their predecessors.
Hitachi SimpleTOUGH HDD
(Credit: Hitachi)Up to bat first is the SimpleTOUGH portable hard drive, a tough guy that claims to be one of the most rugged drives for an excessively abusive environment. The Hitachi reps claimed the drive can withstand a 10-foot drop, more than 5 feet more than the Iomega eGo Camo that boasted a 4.25-inch drop protection.
They also told me someone at Hitachi actually ran over one of the drives with a 1-ton commercial-class truck that belonged to one of their neighbors, and it lived to write another day! I'm sure Hitachi doesn't recommend running over the SimpleTOUGH yourself, but it sure as heck should be able to withstand the daily rigors of the average consumer.
It also has a built-in USB cord in its all-in-one design. Pricing for the SimpleTOUGH starts at $99 for the 250GB version, $120 for the 320GB, and $150 for to the 500GB. All drives are shipping now.
If you don't want to pay the slight premium for the SimpleTOUGH, Hitachi's got your back with the SimpleDRIVE Mini Portable, a more stylish and stripped down version of the SimpleTOUGH. It comes in multiple colors and offers local as well as online backup (2GB free for life on Mozy).
The SimpleDRIVE is available now in 250GB (red) for $90, 320GB (blue) for $110, and 500GB (textured carbon fiber) for $140. Click through the slideshow below for more images of both offerings.
The FreeAgent Go Pro for Mac external hard drive.
(Credit: Seagate)Mac users have had many options for external storage lately. Two weeks ago, Western Digital unveiled its new My Book Studio II for Mac, and Seagate just now released a few of its own.
The company announced Wednesday a new lineup of portable and desktop FreeAgent external hard drives designed specifically for Macs. This includes two portable external hard drives, a regular-size external hard drive, and a docking station.
... Read more
The Iomega eGo Portable Mac Edition in Ruby Red is a looker.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)I'm very proud to announce CNET's most recent Editors' Choice product, the Iomega eGo Portable Mac Edition. Iomega has always registered excellent marks in our throughput and cost-per-gigabyte ratings, but this particular HDD uniquely combines three different ways to connect the drive to a computer: USB 2.0, FireWire 400, and FireWire 800.
The drive comes in three versions: a 500GB in ruby red, a 320GB in a cobalt blue, and a 250GB in alpine white. All of the drives come formatted to work with Macs out of the box, but you can easily format the drive back to Fat32 using the Mac Disk Utility to make it work with Windows.
In addition, all of Iomega's drives come with Iomega's "Drop Guard" feature that protects the drive from up to a 52-inch drop. We don't recommend testing that claim, but you should watch the video above for a little impromptu test.
Also, be sure to check out our full review of the Iomega eGo Portable Mac Edition for speed test results and a more detailed analysis.
On Sale Now: $119.99 - $149.99
View the latest prices for Iomega eGo Portable Mac Edition (500GB, USB 2.0, FireWire, cherry red)
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View the latest prices for Iomega eGo Portable Mac Edition (320GB, USB 2.0, FireWire, blue)
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View the latest prices for Iomega eGo Portable Mac Edition (250GB, USB 2.0, FireWire, white)
The My Book Studio II.
(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)A while ago, Western Digital announced new lines of My Book single volume external hard drives that offer 2TB of storage. It was only a matter of time before the company introduced its new dual-drive My Book Studio Edition II external hard drive with 4TB of storage.
The new drive, like its previous versions, is designed to work with Mac computers and comes with most connection options found in an external hard drive. The My Book Studio Edition II comes with USB 2.0, FireWire, and eSATA and is preformatted for Macs and compatible with Time Machine, the automatic backup solution of OS 10.5 or later.
The My Book Studio Edition II's internal hard drives are configured in RAID 0, which offers high performance and a large amount of storage. There's a catch though, with this configuration: if one of the hard drives fails, you'll also lose data on the other drive. WD is, however, very sure about its product and back the My Book Studio Edition II with a generous five-year warranty. The warranty, of course, only covers the hardware, not the data stored on it.
For this reason, the external drive works better as a backup drive or a drive that contains data backed up somewhere else. According to Western Digital, thanks to its performance, the My Book Studio Edition II is best used for video and photo-editing work.
The two internal hard drives (2TB each) used in the My Book Studio Edition II are the WD's GreenPower drives that use less energy than other hard drives and offer quiet performance. The My Book design includes a nice storage gauge to show how much storage space has been occupied. The chassis can be opened in a snap, making servicing or replacing the internal hard drives an easy job. You can only use WD's GreenPower hard drives with the My Book Studio Edition II.
The My Book Studio Edition II is available now for an estimated $650.
The new midnight blue eGo portable hard drive from Iomega.
(Credit: Iomega)If you're impressed by the previous generation of Iomega's eGo external hard drive, you'll probably like this one better.
Iomega announced Monday the worldwide availability of its new generation of eGo portable hard drives that feature a new look, up to 500GB of storage, and multiple colors including ruby red, sparkling silver, midnight blue, and black.
All of the models have USB 2.0 and are bus-powered, meaning you only need to carry a single cable that works as both the data and power cord. The included cable is a Y-shape USB cable that lets you use two USB ports at a time for machines that can't power the drive from a single USB port.
These hard drives come in an anodized aluminum case that's a little more than half an inch thick and weighs less than 7 ounces. They sport Iomega's Drop Guard feature that protects data on the drives from drops of up to 51 inches, according to Iomega.
The Iomega eGo BlackBelt has even more impressive drop protection and comes with a black eGo Power grip belt and Drop Guard Xtreme that protects against drops from up to 7 feet.
All of these drives also come with backup software for Windows and Macs and have three-year warranties. Apart from the Iomega BlackBelt that's available in June, the rest of the new eGo portable hard drives are available immediately.
Prices vary depending on the capacity. The drives start at $85 for a 250GB version, and the 500GB BlackBelt model is $149.
