Christmas is coming up fast, and Chanukah will be here in just a night. And you’ve been putting off on getting presents for your friends, family and everyone else. Well, we’ve got you covered at Gadget Review with quick gifts that won’t kill your bank account and still provide a memorable holiday experience for the whole family. Or, gifts for those you really love, really cherish, or for those who you know won’t really use them so it’s like a gift for you. Take a look!

Stocking Stuffers

ArcadeFreek Controller Tips

ArcadeFreek has been making controller tips for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 for a few years now, and after gaming on both consoles since they first released six and five years respectively, my original and new controllers are all completely worn out from use. The ArcadeFreek controller tips have not only saved my day; the different types of controller tips are great for different things, such as arcade games, 3rd person vs first person shooters, and even specific types of play (like sniping vs standard running and gunning). And at $10-$15 a piece, they’ll fit in the stocking, keep your wallet safe, and improve gameplay exponentially. Especially if your analog sticks are as worn down as mine.

Plantronics Marque M155

There are only a few bluetooth headsets that are worth ever looking at, let alone buying. Or giving. The Marque is one such headset. It’s lightweight, has a long battery life, and has multiple options for how to wear and use it. Plus you can answer calls just by saying “answer” when calls come through, or ignore them by saying “ignore”. And it’s so light you’ll forget you’re wearing it, even after a few hours. Just don’t lose it in the stocking!

iTwin

Data security may not be interesting to most of us, but if you have to keep your data secure, or know someone who does and who’s been struggling to do so, iTwin is a simple and easy solution. Data is stored only on your computer or the computer you’re using with the iTwin USB connector. So plug one into your home or work computer, and the other into any other computer, and it’ll instantly upload (and download) whatever data you want onto that computer. That data can only be accessed with the USB connected on both ends, so it’s secure unless you lose it. Thankfully, all data has to go through iTwin’s servers, so if you lose one end it’s easy to fix: just unplug the other end, or report it to iTwin and they’ll cut it off in case you can’t unplug it.

Alesis TwoTrack

Recording your voice or a conversation shouldn’t be so hard. But frankly, it is, and most smartphones today still don’t cut it. Especially if you’re in a noisy environment or just have too much background noise. The Alesis TwoTrack solves this by using two microphones close up to keep the unwanted sounds out and the conversation you want crisp, loud, and clear. Plus it’s very lightweight, has a long battery life, and has expandable data.

AViiQ Portable Charger

Have multiple USB-enabled devices? I know I do, with multiple phones, media players, and tablets always running through my hands for review. But even if you don’t, and just have multiple devices that need to be charged, there’s no reason to use 3/4 wall outlets. The AViiQ Portable Charger powers 3 USB devices using just one power cable, and will connect a fourth to your laptop for powering the device and transferring data. Cables can be neatly tucked away, every piece of the setup has it’s own little pocket, and it’s just a neat way to keep your cables clean. There’s no better electronics companion for the road warrior with too many devices.

Pivot Power

I can’t say how many times I’ve had to use one of those standard, stiff power extenders. They’re great, but they are a solid piece. If more than one of your power cables are big boxes, then some of those spaces will be blocked and half of the value gets flushed down the toilet immediately. Not with the Pivot Power, which has five rotating outlets so every one can turn, giving each enough space for even massive power bricks. Closing up into a circle, the Pivot Power may not seem like a great gift, but if you know someone who complains way too much about their cabling system, they may think you’re crazy for such a gift, but they’ll be thanking you five minutes after opening it.

Apple iPod Nano

The iPod Nano is great, in case you didn’t already know. We looked at it this year and last, and it’s still excellent. Several storage and color options, FM radio, decent battery life, and now the option to use it as a watch? Sounds like a winning gift every time.

Hitachi G-Drive Slim

When it comes to the Macbook Air, one thing you don’t want is to pack along hardware with it that looks like crap. Hitachi’s G-Drive Slim is not only one of the thinnest external hard drives you can purchase, it’s the best looking one by far. Using a USB 2.0 connector, it’ll work with any Mac immediately, no reformatting required (though with Windows-based PCs you’ll need to tinker a bit). But it really doesn’t matter what computer you use the G-Drive Slim with, because the size and design are just so great that you can throw it in your pocket when on the go, but then you wouldn’t be able to show it off.

Under the tree

OnLive Microconsole + Wireless Controller

OnLive, the streaming game service, is not only available on computers, built directly into TVs, and as a microconsole. It now works on Android smartphones and tablets (and soon will work on iOS devices too). So however you want to play, either on the road, at home, at the office or wherever, you can. Throw their new wireless controller into the mix, which can connect to most devices via Bluetooth or to a computer or microconsole with the included USB dongle, and now that experience comes with a gamepad so you can kick back and enjoy. No need for a high-end or $300+ console.

Samsung Series 7 Chromebook

The Samsung Chromebook may not have looked like it was gift-worthy, but if you think so then you read my review wrong. The Chromebook is great for one very specific audience: non-computer savvy people. It has all the bells and whistles anyone could need, all the simple functionality and cutesy features that make computing fun, and all the basic requirements to do just about anything a new user could want. Plus it’s cheap, is updated regularly by Google, and has a very good build and design. Tech-savvy users may not appreciate it, but its a great alternative to buying a Mac for 2-3X the price.

Kobo Touch

The Kobo Touch isn’t just your typical eReader. It’s a fun and superbly designed piece of hardware that stores all the books you’ll ever need, for a low price of $100. The contoured back is easy to grip, the touch screen is perfectly sensitive, the software is impeccable, and the design is as minimalist and beautiful as has ever been seen on an eReader. But it’s also the little things, like how putting the Kobo in sleep mode has a cartoonish face sleeping. The Kobo Touch is the greatest reminder that reading is about fun, enjoyment, excitement, and shouldn’t be dulled on an electronic device.

Philips Fidelio AS111

When it comes to speaker docks, the Philips Fidelio AS111 reigns supreme in the reasonably-priced range. With a clock, alarm function, special app for Android, Bluetooth, and a solid speaker, for $99 the Fidelio AS111 is the perfect bedside companion. It’ll charge your phone, play music, tell time, be your personalized alarm, and do it all looking sleek.

For your favorite person ever

Playstation 3D Display + Extra Glasses

It’s the gift I wouldn’t expect to see, and you probably wouldn’t either. A 3DTV that’s specifically made for gaming, for the PS3, and works with two people looking at one screen and seeing two different images…the Playstation 3D Display is 3D tech at it’s finest.

Xbox 360 Limited Edition Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Console

It’s the gift that keeps on giving. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is already the biggest game this year, and every one of your friends is playing it. Up the ante with the full MW3 Xbox 360, which features a 320GB hard drive, two custom-painted new (with the improved D-pad) wireless controllers, and of course the game. The stunning paint job worked wonders for the photoshoot, and it looks just as good in real life. Whether it’s for yourself or a friend, a big hard drive and an awesome-looking Xbox is the way to go. This bundle does not disappoint.

Sonos Play: 3

It’s rare when someone tells me what products are good. But a few weeks back I had a contractor say that he installs the Sonos Play: 3 in nearly ever house he works on. People cannot get enough of the incredible sound system. Not only does it boast some of the highest-quality sound you can get on a speaker system, it features over-the-air music controls through your phone. Plus you can set up multiple Play: 3′s around the house and they’ll all work together, giving you a housewide sound system. You may think one’s enough, but after you get it, you might just change your mind about that.

Macbook Air + Thunderbolt Display

I can think of no better gift than the most expensive one on the list: a Macbook Air combined with a Thunderbolt Display. The MBA is a kickass machine, and the Thunderbolt Display practically turns the laptop into a desktop with a giant screen, high-speed data transfer over Thunderbolt, and enough connectors to make you forget that yes, it’s a laptop dock. And when you’re ready to go, just unplug two cables and be on your way. There is no more impressive display of proper computing solely on a laptop than Apple’s latest Macbooks combined with the Thunderbolt Display, and the MBA line is just the best you can get for it’s price.

There are a number of different portable hard drives on the market today, and we here at GadgetReview are certainly no strangers to them or their usefulness.  I recently reviewed a model that made its own WiFi network to transmit data to your mobile devices, and while it was a nice feature, the drive was ultimately hampered by it because it would kill your ability to use any internet, and the transfer speeds left much to be desired.  Hitachi’s offering into the world of ultra portable hard drives has no WiFi feature, and ends up not missing anything because of it.

The Touro external hard drives are pretty nice to look at – while Seagate drives have sharp corners, and angles to draw attention to them, the Hitachi Touro brand seems more focused on rounded edges to make it look as though the drive is flowing better.  It might seem something silly to comment on, but on a desk full of hard corners, the round edges really stood out as something different.  While that doesn’t affect performance, it does affect your ability to just drop this drive in your pocket and go.  I’ve tried to do that exact thing with some other so called portable drives, and have ended up jabbing my upper leg more times than I can count.  Not so with the Touro Mobile Pro.

In fact, the Touro Mobile Pro really looks like a large iPhone 4 – black plastic on the top and bottom, with a band of metal around the center (no lens for a camera though, or home button…. or touch screen….. okay, maybe it’s not completely like an iPhone 4, but it is damn well close).  One think about the Touro’s case (and really any gloss black case) is that it sucks up your fingerprints.  I resorted to only grabbing it by the metal band, because I got tired of having to clean my own smudges off of it – I’m a little OCD like that.

Fortunately, this drive isn’t all just eye candy.  Sporting a platter that spins at 7,200 rpms, the Hitachi Touro Mobile Pro is a zippy little thing with good performance.  Couple that with the fact that it connects via USB 3.0, and you have a drive ready to transfer things to and from itself at speeds bordering ridiculous.  The drive is noticeably missing both FireWire and eSATA connections however, and while you can get special “bottom” pieces for those connectors on the Seagate model I reviewed, you can’t do that on the Touro Mobile Pro.  While thise connections aren’t super important to most people, the ones that do want to use them must turn elsewhere.

Another issue is that the Touro Mobile Pro only comes with a max of 750 GB of storage (there is a 500 GB model available as well).  I think Hitachi realized that this is a relatively small amount (I remember when I thought 1 GB was huge – how times have changed), and included 3 GB of cloud storage free with every drive.  While it may not be the absolute best solution to the issue, it’s at least something extra on top – and who doesn’t like getting extra when they buy something?  The drive can also be used on a Windows based PC, or on a Mac – however you’ll need to reformat it for a Mac as it is already set up for the NTFS system.  The drive also comes with a pre-loaded backup software that works well enough, but I think every other external hard drive I’ve reviewed comes with some sort of backup software – although to be fair “Hitachi Backup” does work better than some others.

Editor’s Rating:

4 out of 5 stars

Great

The Bottom Line:  The Touro Mobile Pro external hard drive from Hitachi is a fine solution if you need to take some files with you from place to place, and while it has less connection options than its competitors it also has a lessened price tag, which makes it a good trade off.

Pros:

• Rounded edges mean that you won’t hurt yourself leaving it in your pocket
• 7,200 RPM platter is nice and fast for a drive of this kind
• The included backup software really works nicely, and could become your backup planner of choice

Cons:

• The distinct lack of a FireWire or eSATA connector is very noticeable when you’re used to them being there
• A maximum of 750 GB of storage isn’t super small, but it is smaller than the competition
• I would honestly have preferred a matte finish because I’m so OCD about fingerprints on my stuff

You can pick up the 500 GB version of the Touro Mobile Pro from Amazon for $89.99 or the 750 GB model from Amazon for $99.99

Seagate’s wireless hard drive has only been around for a few months, and the rug has already been pulled out from under them.  What are we talking about?  Seagate’s GoFlex Wireless hard drive is targeted at iPad and iPhone users who are challenged with capacity caps on their devices.  This hard drive provides up to 500GB of data storage and allows anyone with a WiFi enabled device to connect to it wirelessly and playback movies, music and access the usual vareity of other documents and files.  However, some caveats of the device include the price ($200) and that you can’t daisy chain other USB storage devices to it.

Enter the CloudFTP.  Yup, it’s another Kickstarter project, but this one already has legs, over 100,000 of them.  In a nutshell, this tiny box allows you to convert any USB storage devices into a wireless USB storage device.  Just plug in a USB flash drive or a hard drive, connect to the box on your computer or portable device by selecting it from your list of available WiFi network, navigate to the appropriate page and you can play movies, music and more.

For those who are attuned to a more advanced setup, you can add the CloudFTP to your wireless network, which should allow anyone whose joined the network to access the attached drive’s contents.  With this featured enabled, you can also set the CloudFTP to automatically back up its contents to DropBox, iCloud or pretty much any cloud service out there.

Inside the tiny black, plastic box is an LCD screen to keep you up to date on its activity, a low power ARM Cortex A8 microprocessor to keep things humming along smoothly and a 2600mAh li-ion rechargeable battery that can power any attached USB device for up to 5 hours.  It’s capable of connecting with up to 3 WiFi devices simultaneously, which is 2 less than Seagate’s offering, but at intro price of $69.99, $130 less than the competitor, who cares.

As we’ve already inferred, this project has already received over $100,000 in funding, exceeding their goal.  We’d expect more funds to flow in over the next 32 days, where upon the project will be officially funded and the CloudFTP will go into production.

LaCie isn’t known for releasing knew an innovative products, but let’s be honest, they’re a hard drive manufacturer.  We’ve seen a variety of Internet connected hard drives from the company before, but most of those cost a pretty penny. Now the company has released the LaPlug.  It’s a NAS (Network Area Storage device), but instead of including built-in storage you’ll need to bring your own.

So in effect, the LaPlug isn’t anything more than a sleeker looking PoGo Plug.  You can plug any USB device into one of the 4 USB ports and share whatever media or data you have stored.  It’s compatible with iTunes and DLNA device, so streaming movies from the LaPlug to your Xbox 360, PS3 or DLNA compatible TV should be a sinch. It’s also Time Machine compatible, so Mac users should probably take a close look at this $75 box if they don’t wanna to splurge for Apple’s wireless Time Machine drives.  Lacie has outfitted the front of the device to accommodate USB sticks, while the back features 3 USB 2.0 ports for USB drives you want to leave plugged in for the long term.

Accessing the drive is as simple as dialing up a web URL and Lacie has built an interface that allows you to share links with friends so you don’t have to email pics, music or any files.  Simple, clean and efficient.

While the LaPlug can be accessed via WiFi, you’ll need to plug it into your home’s router using an Ethernet plug.  A small caveat but a normal one for a NAS.

The Lacie LaPlug is available now.

 3.5 out of 5 stars

Hard drives, while a necessity, aren’t exactly a product that warrants much fervored discussion.  However, Segate’s latest GoFlex Satellite hard drive is a new breed of storage thanks to built-in WiFi and a battery, and it’s, well, kind of exciting.

The Seagate GoFlex Satellite Mobile Wireless Storage, model STBF500101, can store up to 500GB of data, and while it is geared largely towards iPad users, it can be used by any tablet, laptop or computer with a built-in WiFi or USB connection.

Design

Recessed power button adds a nice touch – click to enlarge

The enclosure of the drive is all plastic, so it’s not the sleekest or most svelte of drives that I’ve seen from Seagate, but that’s a caveat I’m willing to accept given the unique feature set.

Two small LED lights adorn the face of the drive indicating wireless status and remaining battery power.  A recessed power button is embedded on the edge of the drive and sits adjacent to the LED lights.  On the opposite side is a 5V DC port, which unfortunately is not mini or micro-USB.  Nonetheless, Seagate has provide not only a USB wall wart for charging the internal battery, but an unusually handy and small car adapter that isn’t any larger than a mini Bic lighter.

Much like all of Seagate GoFlex line of hard drives, there is a proprietary port that is covered by a small plastic flap.  Remove it and you can plug in the included USB 3.0 cable.  The cover is small and black, so I could see myself easily losing it in the depths of my bag.

Battery and connectivity status LED lights – click to enlarge

The internals of the drive have been designed to be extra rugged.  Drop it or give the drive a sudden jolt while the spindle is rotating and it will automatically lock into place to prevent any damage to your data. However, I’m not sure I can say the same for the plastic casing.

Accessing the drive takes about 45-60 seconds, but once connected it is as simple as opening your web browser and punching in any URL; by default your browser will redirect to the drive’s built-in menu system.  If you’re accessing the drive from an iOS device, you can use the aforementioned method or download the accompanying app from the iTunes store.  Both are a mirror images of one and other, though the app is useful since in theory it speeds things up a bit for an iOS device since it doesn’t have to waste seconds downloading additional data.  On the other hand you can upload a file to the drive when accessing it from a computer, something not available in the iOS app.  Simply navigate to “folder view” where upon an upload button will appear.

A variety of tabs divide up the drive’s content by type.  So if it’s an MP3 files it will be listed under “music”, if a MOV file then under “videos” and so forth.    Unfortunately, the drive’s firmware hasn’t been designed to catalogue files and more importantly music using the embeded MP3 ID3 tags. As a result you’ll have to manually search and painstakingly crawl through you library to locate a track, though there is a search feature.  In other words, you can’t sort by artist, song title, time or any other info, which is what makes iTunes so useful.  Furthermore, this storage device, when connected wirelessly, doesn’t behave like a ‘host USB’ device, so you won’t be able to access the stored files from the iTunes application. Ultimately, this seriously diminishes the drive’s usability for the sake of taking your music on the go.  But Seagate’s intention is market this drive to those who are looking to the watch movies while in the car or on a plane.  So by the very nature of the movie files, which are generally speaking large in size, there will be less of them, so sorting and finding what you’re looking for shouldn’t be such an endeavor.  So to summarize the drive’s UI and app, while intuitive, is anything BUT analogous to that of the native iTunes apps for the iPhone or iPad.

Update: Seagate reached out and said they’re planning to launch a new firmware update on 10/16 which will address some of the sorting and UI concerns that I’ve stated above.  Expect an update around this time.

On a separate note, the iOS app will open files stored in an iTunes folder in the iOS browser, while other files, located I suppose else where, are opened directly in the app.  I’m not sure what the logic is here, but I can only presume that this has something to do with an Apple stipulation.

Connectivity

Seagate GoFlex interface – click to enlarge

Plug the Seagate GoFlex Satellite Mobile Wireless Storage in via USB and it behaves like a standard hard drive.  However, it is formatted for PCs, so you’ll need to install the included Paragon software to make it Mac compatible for writing contents to its memory.  Seagate was quick to point out that this is a $50 piece of software that they’re including for “free”.

Connecting to the drive wirelessly, although not entirely unorthodox might take a bit more patience than you’re generally accustom to.  First you must find the drive’s SSID in your WiFi menu.  Once you’ve forged a connection you won’t be able to access the drive’s contents and surf the net simultaneously; it’s one or the other, though Seagate says they’re working on a firmware update that might negate this shortcoming.  If you’d like, you can add a WEP security pass code to the drive, much like a router, so your neighbor can’t login and steal your data.

I did have a few issues connecting directly with the drive wirelessly. However, I should point out that you need to be patient.  The drive takes about 30 seconds to appears in your computer or iPad’s WiFi list and another 30-45 seconds to form a connection.  In terms of connectivity, the drive froze on me a few times requiring me to power cycle it.  When the LED battery light glowed red this issue seemed to be a more prevalent, but perhaps the battery was almost dead and didn’t have enough juice to stream a movie or form a connection, despite emitting a wireless signal and SSID.

When testing the drive at my local Starbucks, I was able to make an initial connection, but after a few minutes, once my iPhone locked and the display turned off, the connection to the drive was lost requiring me to return to my iPhone’s settings menu, reinput the WEP code, and relaunch (as in close the background process) the Seagate accompanying app.  So fair to say that making and maintaining a connection, especially after adding a WEP security code, is a laborious task.  This is complete conjecture on my behalf, but the connectivity issues largely erose after adding the WEP security code.

Update: A recently issued Firmware update seems to have improved the drive’s overall connectivity. It now connects faster and maintains a connection with my iPhone or iPad despite it locking.

Connecting to the drive using a laptop or computer is a slightly different experience than an iOS device.  While you can stream movies directly from the wireless hard drive on an iOS handset, I was forced to download them to my computer’s local storage before I could use them.  Unfortunately, mid way through my testing, I was unable to access the drive using my laptop’s browser despite connecting to the drive’s WiFi signal.

Update: I managed to find a work around, which is to punch in the “router’s” IP address: 192.168.0.1.  Unfortunately, using this method I wasn’t able to view or download .m4v files, although .mov files played in the browser.  I’m still trying to figure out a better resolve, if any exists.

Performance

5V DC port – click to enlarge

The battery on the GoFlex Satellite Mobile Wireless Storage is designed to last for up to 5 hours.  Expect to get about 25 hours on standby mode, which means the drive won’t be spinning, but will be available if you decide to connect to it.  If the battery status LED light glows green it is fully charged or has more than 50 minutes of juice left. Once it glows red the drive’s battery needs to be recharged.  I would have preferred if Seagate added another LED color to indicate a wider range of charge remaining as 5 hours and 51 minutes is a pretty large gray area.  During my testing I can say that this battery life isn’t quite on par and it seems to be questionable as to when the drive enters standby mode.  During one day of testing, after a full over night charge, the red LED light turned on after little to no use of the drive, although it had been in “standby mode” for 6 hours.

In terms of playback performance and usability I had a few issues when initially testing the drive.  Playback was a bit spotty when streaming my first movie, “True Legend,” but has ceased to be a problem since.  The drive’s refresh between menus aren’t exactly what I’d call speedy and you’ll need to be a bit patient when accessing content compared to the speed of natively stored files on the iPhone, iPad or laptop.  Despite my initial streaming issues I was able to “scrub” through a movie’s time line with little to no delay with image and audio appearing almost instantly.

Up to 3 devices can access the drive simultaneously.  That, in my opinion, is a feat in and upon itself.  But the buck doesn’t stop there.  Those same devices can stream an HD movie simultaneously.  And not just the same movie, different movies. I tested this feature on two iOS devices and the speed and quality at which the content played back was seamless, almost to the point where anyone none the wiser wouldn’t believe it was being drawn from the same wireless source.

Conclusion

We’ll probably never see a day when the iPad and iPhone can store 500GB of data.  Not because it isn’t plausible, but because the storage landscape is rapidly shifting to the cloud, negating the need for large amounts of local storage.  Pair that with 4G networks which can deliver theoretical download speed of up to 50mbps, and mass local storage for portable devices is all but needed.  Netflix is a perfect example of this shift as is Spotify (amongst others). But nonetheless, all of the aforementioned technologies have yet to to mature to the point where it negates a device such as Seagate’s wireless hard drive.

As a result Seagate’s GoFlex Satellite Mobile Wireless Storage solution is a excellent product for families and friends that are traveling together and want to be able to share their media.  However, the firmware or software leaves something to be desired, at least for now.  They’ve been listening to their customers and have plans to continue to issue updates that will improve and streamline its UI.  In fact, Seagate will launch the next Firmware update 10/16 which will address many of the shortcomings I unearthed during my testing.

Bottom line: It’s a stellar wired hard drive that happens to boast a wireless connection when you need it. So the way I see it, it’s all gravy, though you’ll pay a premium for that sauce.

The Seagate GoFlex Satellite Mobile Wireless Storage can be purchased from Amazon and a variety of retails for starting at $179.

Pros:

• Wirelessly streams up to 3 HD movies simultaneously
• Can be used as a normal 500GB hard drive to store contents
• Rechargeable battery includes a tiny car adapter

Cons:

• Cannot simultaneously connect to the net and the hard drive
• Can’t access stored content wirelessly from a native iOS apps such as iTunes; won’t behave like a USB host device
• Battery life is questionable

123►

4 out of 5 stars

With everyone and their mother having smartphones and tablets now-a-days, portable storage is a big thing.  Normally you would facilitate extra storage for your device by slapping a memory card into it, however unless your device can handle an SDXC card (and no tablets or smartphones can yet), then you’re limited to 32GB.  What if you wanted something more – something more substantial?  Enter the Seagate GoFlex Satellite 500GB ultra portable hard drive.

The concept behind the Seagate GoFlex Satellite hard drive is an interesting one – make a pocket-sized hard drive that can easily be accessed from any mobile device at any time.  Think about the possibilities here – you can store whole movies or a load of music without having to worry about running out of room, and just stream them when you need them.  You can even download things from the hard drive straight to your device – just in case you would ever need to (in case you didn’t feel like carrying it but needed something off of it).  It does all of this by creating it’s own WiFi network which you then connect to from your various devices.  In concept it’s a really great idea, in practice though it does fall short at times.

One of the ways that it falls short, is that you can forget about using the internet while you’re connected to it.  It would have been great if it would have worked as a “pass through” – I understand that it couldn’t be done for 3G or what have you (because of different service providers), but if I’m connected to another WiFi network, why can’t I just set the GoFlex to connect to that same network?  For someone like me who’s job requires them to be constantly connected to the net in order to answer emails and look ad product data, the down time can be a killer.

Also, if you’re using an iOS device, the Seagate GoFlex Satellite doesn’t work nearly as well as if you were using an Android based device.  While most of the features work the same, downloading from the GoFlex becomes an issue.  It’s not because of any fault of the drive, but rather because of the way that Apple stores it’s files.  With any of the Android tablets I have, I was able to download music from the drive straight to the tablet, disconnect, and then easily play said music.  On my iPhone however, the second I disconnected, the things I downloaded were no longer accessible.  It’s not just that they didn’t transfer into the iPod file list; even when I opened the GoFlex app and went to local content, the files would be visible for all of two seconds, then would disappear.  No matter what I tried, this was the result – it showed me the files long enough for me to know they were on my iPhone taking up space, but I couldn’t access them until I re-connected to the GoFlex.

For my Android devices though, the GoFlex proved a very valuable tool – I was able to put a few kid’s movies on it so that for once I had some peace and quiet on the road (it even comes with a car charger for just such purposes), and I was still able to store a large library of music for myself.  I’ve taken to just leaving it in the car anymore, because that’s where I most use it, and it’s so small it fits pretty much anywhere I have space.

Right out of the box it works with USB 2.0, where it gets decent transfer speeds, however you can upgrade to USB 3.0, or eSATA though by just buying a cable kit.  I transferred close to 400 GB of music, pictures, documents and two movies to this, and it took about five and a half hours – pretty much what I was expecting from the USB 2.0 connection ( Windows showed an average transfer speed of 17 MB/second).  Normally I wouldn’t be transferring so much at once though, so that’s not really an issue – besides, anyone who’s archived drives before knows how long it takes.

Despite the few issue I had with it, the Seagate GoFlex Satellite 500GB hard drive is a decent little product.  It’s a lot of space for a price that’s not too bad.  I’m not sure if an update to the app or a firmware update will fix the issues on iOS devices, but again I don’t fault Seagate for the stupid ways Apple handles files.  While I still wish that I could connect the GoFlex to another WiFi network so I didn’t lose all internet access while connected to it, that’s not really a deal breaker either, as you just have to remember to disconnect from it when done.  All in all, I’d recommend this to anyone who owns an Android device, and to iOS users as long as they know the limitations.

Final score?  Four stars out of five.

Pros:

• Extremely small and lightweight – you can keep it in your pocket and forget it’s there
• Nice large capacity means you can store a LOT and access it whenever you need to
• Included car charger is a welcome bonus

Cons:

• Some issues with transferring files to an iOS device for use when not connected to the GoFlex
• The glossy black finish is a magnet for fingerprints
• No way to access the internet on whatever device is connected to it

You can pick up a 500GB GoFlex Satellite drive from Amazon for $179.99

Western Digital has just launched a new hard drive that they’re gearing towards Macbook Pro and Macbook Air owners.  How so?

First off the My Passport Studio sports the same durable, anodized aluminum enclosure as Apple’s laptops, which resists scratching and fingerprints. Sexy, but it’s performance and compatibility that really counts. So that’s why they’ve preformatted it for Mac computers and made it Time Machine ready right out of the box.

While Western Digital hasn’t pitched us on the internals (no word on spindle speed) and their durablity, this hard drive does rock dual Firewire 800 ports, which allows you to connect to your computer at blazing fast speeds and daisy chain another compatible hard drive if need be.

And for those of you with a Firewire 800 port, there is USB 2.0.  Which is a shame, because if they were really targeting the in crowd (by in crowd we mean Apple owners), they would have outfitted this storage device with a Thunderbolt port.  But alas, no such interface exists.

The My Passport Studio is available in 3 capacities (500GB, 700GB and 1TB) and weighs no more than .68lbs.   It starts at $129.99.

Hard drive enclosures, as in the box surrounding the spindle, are often black, boxy and sure as hell don’t complement your svelte Macbook Air, or even Pro.

The iHdd 2 Slim External Hard Drive Enclosure does just that, though we’re wondering if they’ve officially licensed the Apple logo.  Intuition says no, but does it matter?

It’s an enclosure, which means you’ll need to add your own SATA/2 2.5-inch hard drive, which shouldn’t be too tough since the seller says no screws or tools required.

The case is USB 1.1/2.0 compatible, which is a bit of a shame, since the new Macbook Airs sports Thunderbolt.  Capacity caps out at 500GB, more than enough especially with Apple’s iCloud service launching in a few days.  And the Apple logo, it glows.  Boooya!

You can grab one for $99.99.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Seagate has been a name synonymous with computer storage since 1979 (they were Shugart Technology in 1978).  Throughout their history, they’ve had a number of “firsts” – they made the first 7200 rpm hard drive, the first hard drive with the Fibre Channel interface, the first 15,000 rpm hard drive; and the list goes on and on.  Along with the amount of innovation they’ve brought to the table, they’ve also had some of the highest quality drives as well – consistently ranking higher than comparative drives, and constantly winning various awards from different sources.  So when the Seagate rep contacted me and asked if I wanted to review their new 4TB GoFlex drive – the first drive to break the capacity barrier – well, how could I possibly resist?

To look at the drive on the outside, you might never guess what it’s hiding underneath.  There’s no loud or flashy (and unnecessary) labeling on it to scream “Hey look at me, I’m bigger than the competition!”  They’ve gone with a beautifully minimalistic design on this drive – you really wouldn’t be able to tell it from any other GoFlex drive.  Jet black, with one little Seagate company logo on the front, it easily fits next to any PC or laptop.  The GoFlex drives I’ve seen before have always had a manageable footprint, but somehow Seagate was able to shrink it down even further in this model (it measures 6.22 x 4.88 x 1.73 inches).

One feature of this GoFlex drive, is that straight out of the box it can be used on either a PC or a Mac.  No messing around with different drivers and what not – it’s truly plug and play on both systems (i.e., no need to format).  The 4TB GoFlex is USB 3.0, which means the transfer rates are wonderfully fast – however there are a number of adapters out there that will allow you to hook it up to FireWire, eSATA, or even USB 2.0 (if you either don’t have any USB 3.0 slots, or don’t feel like using them).  The included USB 3.0 adapter is pretty cool, as it has four white LEDs on it – each light represents 25% of the storage space on the drive, so you instantly have a rough idea of how much you’ve used.

Memo Backup (a normal bloatware product) is pre-installed on the drive in order for you to backup your system (Mac users need not fear – it is fully compatible with Time Machine).  Honestly, Memo is pretty much junk – there’s a LOT of better options out there.  Memo Backup lets you do basic things for free, but then wants to charge you for any advanced features.  In any case, no matter if you use backup software or not, the drive really is quite zippy.  When testing it’s write speed, it ran at an average of 88 MBps, and it’s reading speed is a nice 100 MBps.  It might not be the fastest drive I’ve used, but it’s damn well close.

The only real problem I had with the drive is that it had a tendency to tip over when it was on my desk, but moving it next to my tower solved that issue.  The drawback that most consumers will see however, is the price point.  With the previous 3TB model being almost half the price, unless you’re an early adopter (or really need that extra space), it might just be better for you to wait for the price to come down a bit.

The drive itself is grade A material – I do with the base was a bit wider though in order to handle the tipping issue I mentioned, however it’s not a deal breaker.  The bottom line is that if you want a 4TB external drive, if you want a great drive you can move from system to system, or if you just want to show off to your friends that “mine is bigger than yours”, then the Seagate 4TB GoFlex is most definitely the way to go.

Final score is four and a half stars out of five.

Pros:

• You can hook it up to a PC or a Mac with no formatting
• It is running 4TB of space – there is nothing bigger that’s commercially available right now
• The read and write speed is pretty fast on it
• Oh, did I forget to mention?  IT’S 4 TERABYTES!

Cons:

• The price is absurdly high, as is the price on all new tech
• There’s a slight stability issue because of the shrunken footprint
• Only 7200 rpms – not a true negative, but you know faster ones will be coming soon

For now, you can only get the Seagate 4TB GoFlex drive from the Seagate website (but next month it’ll be available everywhere) for the price of $249.99

Coming this fall, Apple will offer a cloud storage system for all your files.  However, the Cupertino company will require a monthly or yearly subscription to access the service, that is assuming 5GB isn’t enough to satiate your ever expanding library of photos, documents, email and more.  It’s ideal in many aspects, especially if you’re an iPhone owner since the integration should be seamless and as we already alluded to, 5GB is free to all users.   However, a major caveat is that there is a reoccuring fee if you exceed the allotted amount of space and your files are stored on a server located in the nether regions of the webosphere.

Pogoplug, one of the first entrants into consumer based cloud storage, is now pitching a new version of their device, and unlike previous iterations this one ditches the yearly fee.  It’s called the Pogoplug Mobile and despite the name, it’s designed to remain at home, wired to your router via an Ethernet connection.  Truth be told, the Mobile part really refers to their target audience – in other words smartphone users.

Much like Apple’s iCloud service, Pogoplug is promising to automatically back up all of your photos, music and more.  They say this action happens in the background, but since we haven’t got a hands on and our skeptical sensor is tingling, something tells us it won’t be as seamless as they promise.  Our skepticism is largely derived from that fact that Apple doesn’t allow apps, such as iTunes or the camera, to interact with 3rd party devices, so we’re really not sure how the backup can happen automatically if you snap a new photo or download a song on your handset. Unless of course their smartphone app can some how suck these from your device’s storage. We reread the press release more thoroughly, and the auto backup feature seems to be only compatible with Android handsets.  Sorry iPhone users.

Backup concerns aside, the hardware is a small black box that installs in a few minutes time.  Just connect it to your router via Ethernet cord, head to a designated web address and you can access any content (docs, music, movies, etc) connected to it.  There is a built-in SD card slot, which is a nice feature for those who want to share their photos with friends, and a USB port for adding a hard drive.  With a USB hub you could add additional USB devices, though it’s a bit difficult to tell how well it will play with the Pogoplug Mobile, but our assumptions are it should be a none issue.

At the end of the day the PogoPlug Mobile isn’t a massive evolutionary step over their previous products.  Clearly the winners here are Android users since they can automatically backup all of their content acquired on their smartphone, while iPhone users are better off waiting for Apple’s iCloud service to release later this fall.

You can preorder the PogoPlug Mobile for $79.99.

Hard Drives are a dime, if not a nickel a dozen.  However, if aesthetically appeal – we’re talking to you Apple owners – is a biggie on your list, then you’ll probably spend sometime looking for the right drive to match the lines, curves and sheen of say, oh, a new iMac.  Well my techie friends, search no further.  For Iomega believes they’ve got the solution.

The Mac Companion Hard Drives are designed to fit at the base of your iMac or Apple monitor.  But that’s not the only party that makes them Apple friendly.  Included, in addition to two USB ports for adding a printer or other peripherals, is a third high powered USB port, ripe for charging your iPad or any other power demanding portable device.  But don’t get us wrong, the Mac Companion Hard Drives aren’t a one trick pony.  Under the hood is a 7200rpm spindle, with your choices of 2TB or 3TB of storage.  There is also two Firewire 800 ports, a conversion kit for 400 drivess and a four LED lights on its face to indicate its remaining capacity (4 LEDs lit white: less than 20% capacity in use3 LEDs white: 20-40% capacity in use2 LEDs white: 40-60% capacity in use1 LED white: 60-80% capacity in use1 LED red: more than 80% capacity in use).

The Mac Companion Hard Drives are exclusively available at Apple stores and their website.  They’ll arrive at other retailers later this month.  The 2TB costs $195, while the 3TB is $295.

Iomega Introduces New Mac Companion Hard Drive With First of its Kind High Powered Charging Port for your iPad and Other Apple Devices

omega, an EMC company (NYSE: EMC) and a global leader in data protection, today announced the new Iomega® Mac Companion Hard Drive, a speedy, large capacity desktop hard drive styled to match the latest Mac computers with a first-of-its-kind convenient high-powered port to charge your iPad, iPhone and iPod, as well as selection of computer interfaces for connecting peripherals like a printer or other external storage device.

“With the new Iomega Mac Companion Hard Drive, Mac users now have a convenient and stylish way to quickly charge their iPads with the bonus of plenty of new storage capacity for their Mac computer,” said Jonathan Huberman, president of Iomega Corporation. “With more than nine million iPads sold in the last quarter alone, the new Mac Companion Hard Drive is the perfect complement for all those iPad owners. This futuristic drive blends effortlessly with the latest Mac computers and the Apple ecosystem of mobile devices. Together, form and function rarely looks as good or works as well as the new Iomega Mac Companion Drive.”

Who wouldn’t want the ultimate desktop hard drive for Mac computers?

Available in 2TB* and 3TB capacities, the new Iomega Mac Companion Hard Drive utilizes a fast 7200 RPM 3.5-inch hard drive formatted HFS+ for compatibility with Mac computers right out of the box. Rather than sitting off to the side and being in the way, the space-saving design of the Mac Companion Hard Drive allows it to fit perfectly on the base of your Apple iMac or your Apple monitor.

Of the many features included with the Mac Companion Hard Drive, Mac users may most appreciate the first-of-its-kind high powered USB charging port for their iPad, iPhone or iPod. (Apple portable products sold separately.) The charging port is a high-powered 2.1 Amp hookup that makes it easy and convenient to charge your iPad and other portable Apple devices so they’re ready to go when you are. **

Adding peripheral devices to your Apple iMac computer is no problem with the new Iomega Mac Companion Hard Drive. The stylish drive includes two FireWire 800 ports, one USB 2.0 port and a two port integrated USB 2.0 hub that lets you connect multiple devices such as a printer or other external storage device. The Mac Companion Hard Drive doesn’t require the user to buy extra cables – the drive comes complete with one FireWire 800, one conversion FireWire 400-800, and one USB 2.0 cable.

The new Iomega Mac Companion Hard Drive is the only major branded external HFS+ Mac desktop hard drive on the market today that incorporates a high powered Apple device charging port and a two-port USB 2.0 hub.

How much storage space is available on my desktop hard drive?

Users of the Iomega Mac Companion Hard Drive never have to ask that question because a handy capacity indicator gauge*** lets them know approximately how much space is available to store their data. Four LEDs on the front of the Mac Companion Hard Drive tell you the total capacity of the data volume that is being used to store files:

4 LEDs lit white: less than 20% capacity in use
3 LEDs white: 20-40% capacity in use
2 LEDs white: 40-60% capacity in use
1 LED white: 60-80% capacity in use
1 LED red: more than 80% capacity in use

Iomega Protection Suite, Mac Edition, included

Owners of the new Iomega Mac Companion Hard Drive also receive a powerful suite of software solutions bundled with their drive:

Iomega® QuikProtect for simple scheduled file-level backup
MozyHome® Online Backup for convenient online backup of up to 2GB free
A free 12-month subscription of Trend Smart Surfing for Mac allows users to shop, bank and surf online while staying safe from attacks to your identity and confidential information

Availability and Warranty

The new Iomega® Mac Companion Hard Drive is available worldwide in two capacities: the 2TB model is $195.00, and the 3TB model is $295.00. (Pricing is U.S. suggested retail.) The Mac Companion Hard Drive will initially be available exclusively at Apple retail stores and the Apple online store. Later this month, the product will be available from additional retailers, etailers and at www.iomega.com.

Both models of the Iomega Mac Companion Hard Drive include a three-year warranty with registration.

For more information about Iomega storage products, please go to www.iomega.com.

You probably thought that those Star Wars flash drives from MIMOBOT couldn’t get any better, right?  Well, you’re not gonna believe it, but they just did, at least in terms of the Hans Solo version. They’ve reissued the storage device in a new version that now includes a Carbonite carrying case.  Off the freaking chain if you ask us!  It’s still available in three capacities (4GB, 8GB and 16GB) and sells for $29.95, $44.95 and $52.95 respectively.

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We don’t exactly get excited by flash storage.  But, for Victorinox’s latest USB flash drives we’re willing to make an exception.  They come in two flavors, Slim and Slim Duo, and store a varying capacity that ranges from 4GB to 128GB – the latter is for the Duo, which we believe features two 64GB drives.  What makes these multipurpose like knife tools different from the run of the mills USB flash drives is their durability and level of protection.  Victorinox says that they are password protected and are unhackable.  Apparently, they haven’t seen the powers of Anonymous in action.  Nonetheless, we’ll take their claims for face value, at least for now. Both models are waterproof, shock resistant, TSA-approved and come in a variety of stylish colors (silver, blue, orange, pink and green).

If you wanna scoop one up now, you can grab it at Amazon starting at $42.99.

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“Cloud” is quickly shaping up to be one of the hottest tech words of 2011.  Apple is set to roll out their Cloud sync service later this year, Google has launched their own Cloud music service as has Amazon.  Now, Lacie is jumping on the band wagon, albeit in the hardware space.

The LaCie Cloubox is effectively a hard drive.  It stores up to 100GB of data and connects to your computer by Ethernet only; no wireless connectivity.  What makes it unique is that it automatically syncs the stored data to a remote server, otherwise known as the cloud.  Any data passed through the Internet is 128-bit AES data encrypted and up to 10 versions of your files can be stored.  

The data can be accessed by any computer with an Internet connection and the correct login credentials.  The included software allows you to choose which files you’d like to back up to the cloud, meaning that only the most important documents, movies and so forth should probably be chosen for the sake of upload bandwidth and processing.  However, what makes the LaCie Cloudbox useful is that you don’t have to leave your computer on and running to back up your data to the online service.  Convenient?  Yes.  But the price, $200, is steep and only includes 1 year of service.  After that you’ll need to spend $100 a year, which mind you includes 100GB of storage, but nonetheless is a fair bit of cash and considering the LaCie Cloudbox is devoid of wireless connectivity, we’d rather opt for Apple’s wireless backup solution.

The LaCie Cloudbox should be available soon.

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Call us suckers, but we love just about anything finished in an all aluminum body.  And hence why we’re currently getting down on one knee and bowimg to Lacie‘s Porsche designed P’9220 hard drive.  The enclosure is built from solid aluminum, it stores up to 500GB of data and includes a USB 2.0 and 3.0 interface.  If you must know, it measures 2.8 x 0.7 x 5.1 in., weighs 9.5oz and has a single LED light to indicate when the drive is active.

The Porsche P’9220 from Lacie should be available very soon for $104.99.

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It was just a few weeks ago that Seagate released their wireless GoFlex hard drive for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.  Now Kingston is releasing their own version, the Wi-Drive.  It too is designed for the same set of devices, but instead of using a spinning 500GB storage array like Seagate, Kingston has opted for the more rugged and versatile SSD in a 16GB or 32GB capacity.  They too are promising 4 hours of battery life and to add data to the drive you’ll need to plug it into your computer’s USB port.

There is no word on the launch date or price, but we’re gonna guess this summer and $200.

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Apple’s iPad and iPhone are without a doubt a fantastic device.  They provide one of the best touchscreen experiences, but unlike many of their competitor lack an expandable storage slot.

Solution?  Seagate’s GoFlex Satellite Mobile Wireless Storage hard drive (STBF500101).  It’s similar to Seagate’s other portable hard drives, but instead of sporting just a wired interface, it can also connect to your iPad via WiFi and stream to 2 other devices simultaneously.  The feature set rounds out at 500GB of storage, a USB 3.0 interface hotswappable to Firewire 800 or eSATA, and a 5 hour battery life or 25 hour battery standby time.

Seagate has developed an iPad app and for all other devices it is compatible with the standard web browser, making it compatible with Android devices and computers with WiFi.

You can preodrer the Seagate’s GoFlex Satellite Mobile Wireless Storage hard drive from a variety of retailers today for $199.99.  Expect it to ship this July.

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4 out of 5 stars

Backing up the iPhone’s contacts either requires you to plug the handset into your computer or purchase Apple’s MobileMe service. Sure, you could sync everything with Gmail, but in our experience that hardly works perfectly.

Iomega’s SuperHero iPhone Backup dock allows you to safely and securely backup your contacts and photos to an SD card. Included in the box is a 4GB card, so if you’re photo crazy you might want to seek an aftermarket card, but it will most certainly suffice for your contacts and a fair amount of pics.

Dock an unlocked iPhone and the accompanying app automatically launches asking if you want to begin syncing your contacts and photos. If no response is provided it will automatically begin syncing within 30 seconds. Contacts sync within a matter of minutes, while each photo can take up to 30 seconds, using an iPhone 3Gs. It’s a some what cumbersome process, but assuming you’re leaving the phone in place to charge over night it should be a nonissue, at least for the initial sync.

SD card slot and AC power port

I’m a little disappointed that there isn’t an audio out for a set of speakers and syncing photos takes much longer than I anticipated.  And while the dock appears to be backing up photos and contacts, there is no built-in port to transfer the data from the SD card to your computer, unless you’ve got a memory card reader.  However, restoring your contacts and photos simply requires that you place your iPhone back in the dock and choose the restore option.  I didn’t test this function for fear of writing over important data, but I’m assuming it takes just as long to sync in either direction.  The options menu allows you to choose if you want contacts, photos or both synced to the SD card and you can encrypt the data with a password just in case the SD card slips into the wrong hands.

Your contacts and/or photos might mean the difference between success and failure, in which case the $70 price tags could very easily be justified.  I, however would be more willing to drop that kind of loot if there was an audio out port.

30-pin dock with removable stick sync instructions

You can buy the Iomega SuperHero iPhone Backup Dock from Amazon for $60.

Pros:

• Easy to setup
• Charges your iPhone
• Backs up contacts and photos

Cons:

• Only backs up contacts, photos (no video)
• Photos take 30+ seconds to backup

By now you’ve probably amassed a fair number of obsolete microSD cards.  We’re talking about the ones that are included with gadgets and can hold up to 1GB of data.  They’re virtually useless, unless of course someone actually produce this concept, the Collector.

It takes on the form factor of a USB storage flash drive, but instead of shipping with it’s own built-in memory, you insert your left over microSD cards.  In theory the device combines all the cards into giant block of memory, though we’re not sure what the technical hurdles to achieve this feat are.

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Seagate’s GoFlex Slim hard drive is unbelievably slim (9mm) and sleek; just a tad thicker than a pencil.  But that’s not all.  It spins at 7200rpms, which is pretty uncanny for an external hard drive of this size, and it doesn’t require an AC plug.  The anodized finish not only protects the drive from damage, but makes it feel out right opulent in the hand.  The interface, like Seagate’s previous GoFlex hard drives, can be swapped out according to your needs, though we haven’t seen any additional interfaces announced just yet.  By default it ships with a USB 3.0/2.0 interface and should also be compatible with a select number of Seagate’s other GoFlex products.

The 320GB version of the GoFlex Slim drive can be purchased for a suggested retail price of $99.99.

Well have a review up shortly, but until then you can enjoy our unboxing.