Verbatim’s Image Storage – Fast & Easy
The 2011 Consumer Electronics Show offered up plenty of options in the area of consumer data storage. From Verbatim comes two brand-new portable hard drives that combine high-style with high-speed – the latter is a big while former is more about personal taste.
The general idea here is to allow consumers to quickly and reliably back-up and transfer files anytime, anywhere. The company showcased its diminutive and durable Titan XS SuperSpeed drive that features the new super fast USB 3.0. This one is billed as the smallest portable hard drive available. They also debuted the attractive and efficient Store ‘n’ Go SuperSpeed USB 3.0/FW 800. This is the first USB 3.0 device created specifically for Mac users.
Titan XS is designed to be both rugged and sporty as it is housed in a shock-resistant rubber enclosure that protects against rough-and-tumble use. The new 3.0 drive features transfer speeds up to ten times faster than USB 2.0 drives and is backwardly compatible. The pocket-sized unit remains big on storage – with 500GB available capacity – and includes Nero BackItUp & Burn software for full system backup and restore.
The aforementioned Store ‘n’ Go SuperSpeed is a sleek portable hard drive that is designed as the perfect companion for Mac users. The glossy black device is compatible with all MacBook models and provides ample storage with, as Verbatim describes, “an eye-catching minimalist design.” The drive is available in 500GB, is HFS+-formatted specifically for the Mac operating system and features both USB 3.0 and Firewire 800 interfaces, providing this rather discerning community of users with an extremely efficient and stylish choice for portable storage. www.verbatim.com
Seagate GoFlex for Mac
We’ve reviewed the Seagate GoFlex products in this space over the last year or so as their GoFlex TV device brings all your still and video files to the flat screen for viewing in HD. The company announced that GoFlex is now officially coming to the Mac platform and Apple stores with the GoFlex Desk for Mac. There are only a few differences between this version and what we reviewed earlier. The color of the chassis is one, as the Mac version has a rather Mac-like silver finish versus the standard black of the older model. The more important difference is the fact drive will come formatted with a HFS+ partition, allowing Mac users to use it with Time Machine.
As we mentioned in our original GoFlex TV review, the deal here is a simple one – drag your video and image folders/files onto a GoFlex external drive that sits neatly in a USB docking station hooked into your Mac. Once the files are copied over, pop the drive out of the dock and then slip into the GoFlex TV unit that you hook up to your HDTV for viewing. The back of the GoFlex (a little bigger than a deck of playing cards) offers a component video connection, HDMI with 1080p output, an Ethernet connection that allows for streaming digital media files over a network and a USB slot for external flash drives. File support, an occasional bugaboo with some systems, is no problem here as there doesn’t appear to a be file the device can’t accept.
We had run across a few issues using the GoFlex TV with our Mac and we can only assume those issues are now taken care of with the GoFlex Desk for Mac. www.seagate.com
Serious Data Protection
If the data your customers are protecting is a bit more serious than just a few goofy images or videos, Imation has upped the ante on the storage front with The Defender collection that includes external hard drives, USB drives and writable media. All come with password protection, 256-bit encryption and an extensive suite of control options. Clearly for those of you with something to hide, Imation has created a storage and data protection line that takes the word secure to new levels. You can set your computers to only accept certain (well protected) types of external storage or prevent anyone from loading any media from certain computers onto external storage. Control is the name of the game here and The Defender line delivers exactly that.
Certain models in the Defender line even include biometric fingerprint scanners, and all of them have an ultra-tough, metal-heavy outer casing so stored data is protected while on the go as well. www.imation.com.
Indestructible Portable Storage
Okay, so you’ve probably got bigger problems going on in your life than digital storage if your portable hard drives are being shot at with a shotgun, but IOSafe’s latest product has you covered in the event you’ve lost some sense of control.
The company debuted their new Rugged Portable drives at CES by firing a few live shotgun rounds at them to prove just how indestructible they actually are. Once plugged in, the data inside was good to go so it would appear your photos and videos should be well protected – even if you plan a hunting trip with former vice president Dick Cheney.
Their drives are available in both hard disk (HDD) and solid state (SSD) versions, and the company adds that the Rugged Portables also offer protection from additional hazards such as physical shock (10-20 feet drops) to total immersion water. The milled aluminum cases are available for both HDD and SSD versions in capacities ranging from 250GB to 1TB, while the titanium-alloy version is available only for SSD, and comes in 256 or 512GB. All versions are equipped with USB 3.0 connectors and are backwards compatible with USB 2.0.
Yes, you’ll pay a bit more than normal for this kind of indestructibility as the aluminum encased HDD drives start at around $149.99 for 250GB, SSD is around $1,299.99 for 256GB, and up to $3,499.99 for the 512GB model with a titanium-alloy. Protection for point blank shotgun fire isn't cheap. www.iosafe.com.
