Data Storage

With a lack of USB ports or SD card reader there's no easy way to expand the storage capacity of an iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. With the iPad and iPod touch topping out at 64GB and many opting for the cheaper, lower capacity models, many users are either faced with the task of picking and choosing and switching and swapping the media files and documents they think they'll be wanting to enjoy, or looking for an app to stream media over the Internet to their device. With this latter option leaving users at the mercy of increasingly congested Wi-Fi hotspots or chewing through data over 3G or 4G networks, Seagate has just announced another solution in the form of the GoFlex Satellite that combines a 500GB portable HDD with a built in wireless streamer to let users take their entire media library with them.  Read More

Russian-based design studio Art. Lebedev of Optimus keyboard fame has turned its hand to data storage with the disposable, recyclable "Flashkus" USB stick concept.  Read More

Seagate has set a new commercial benchmark for HDD storage by breaking the 1 TB areal density barrier. The company has announced it will bring the world's first 3.5-inch hard drive with 1TB of storage capacity per disk platter to market in its GoFlex Desk product line, with the 3 TB Barracuda XT desktop hard drive (3 x 1 TB platters) expected to hit shelves in mid-2011.  Read More

As our use of mobile technology increases, so does our demand for more built-in device storage capacity in smaller and smaller form factors. Only a few weeks have passed since Intel began using its 25 nanometer (nm) NAND flash memory in its 320 series SSD storage solutions and just days since the company joined with Micron Technology to announce the breakthrough 20nm process technology. Now SanDisk and Toshiba have developed and fabricated NAND flash memory modules with 19nm process technology.  Read More

With most households yet to make the move to biometric lock systems, most of us are still carrying around jangly keychains. And with keychains also attracting non-key items such as USB flash drives, mini-torches and the all-important bottle opener, they can quickly reach pocket bulging, Kramer-esque proportions. The Keyport is a pocket friendly, Swiss Army knife-like solution that can consolidate all these aforementioned items in one streamlined device and provides access to them with a flick of a thumb.  Read More

With so many of our pictures, videos and documents now stored in digital format, the prospect of precious data disappearing forever in the misstep of a HDD read/write head or infection from a nasty virus is even more catastrophic. About a week ago it was proposed on social networking site Reddit that a World Back-up Day would be a good idea to remind everyone of the importance of backing up irreplaceable data. The date of March 31st was chosen and, although that didn’t leave much time to spread the word, the idea quickly gained traction.  Read More

Californian SSD manufacturer Foremay has announced a new addition to its OC177 storage family. Despite being smaller than a U.S. quarter coin, the company's first disk-on-chip (DOC) solution will be available in capacities up to 64GB, supporting both standard IDE or SATA host interface, in addition to complying with ATA-7 specifications. The new DOC drive is mounted directly onto a motherboard which, the company says, negates the need for a separate storage drive while offering devices some rugged credentials.  Read More

A lot of us have one "mothership" desktop computer, along with a laptop or notebook that we take on the road. Many of us also use one computer at work, and another at home. Inevitably, there are occasions where we're using one computer, but wishing we could access a file on the other. While there is remote access software that allows you to do so, the iTwin system offers what seems to be a much simpler solution – two flash drive-like sticks that plug into either computer, and let them communicate for free over a secure internet connection.  Read More

Western Digital has announced the immediate availability of a new 6TB Mac-formatted storage solution. Created with digital artists, graphic designers, photographers, legal and medical workers in mind, the dual-drive My Book Studio Edition II system is fully compatible with Apple Time Machine, supports RAID configurations, and benefits from four connectivity options. The drive bays are user-accessible for upgrades or maintenance, and there's a capacity gauge to keep you informed of how much space remains.  Read More