Tag Archives: FlashDrive

LaCie PetiteKey USB flash drive: slim and discreet, for files of the private variety

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LaCie PetiteKey USB flash drive slim and discrete, for files of the private variety

What if the key to your home continued to get smaller and smaller? Would that be something you'd cheer or loathe? Thankfully, that's not the question we're posing today -- instead, we're wondering if you'd enjoy a key-like flash drive that's smaller than its predecessor. LaCie's new PetiteKey sort of gives itself away right in the title, being even tinier than the iamaKey that shipped in March of 2009. In fact, it's some 30 percent smaller, and ships with a Wuala Secure Cloud Storage account as well. The unit itself is waterproof up to 100 meters, and LaCie claims that your sultry love letters will be protected "even if dropped in a mud puddle or put through the washing machine." Sadly, the unit only transfers at USB 2.0 speeds, but can be had soon in 8/16/32GB capacities starting at $14.99. Mildly related video can be found after the break.

Gallery: LaCie PetiteKey USB flash drive press photos

Continue reading LaCie PetiteKey USB flash drive: slim and discreet, for files of the private variety

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LaCie PetiteKey USB flash drive: slim and discreet, for files of the private variety originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Nov 2012 12:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LaCie PetiteKey USB flash drive: slim and discreet, for files of the private variety

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LaCie PetiteKey USB flash drive slim and discrete, for files of the private variety

What if the key to your home continued to get smaller and smaller? Would that be something you'd cheer or loathe? Thankfully, that's not the question we're posing today -- instead, we're wondering if you'd enjoy a key-like flash drive that's smaller than its predecessor. LaCie's new PetiteKey sort of gives itself away right in the title, being even tinier than the iamaKey that shipped in March of 2009. In fact, it's some 30 percent smaller, and ships with a Wuala Secure Cloud Storage account as well. The unit itself is waterproof up to 100 meters, and LaCie claims that your sultry love letters will be protected "even if dropped in a mud puddle or put through the washing machine." Sadly, the unit only transfers at USB 2.0 speeds, but can be had soon in 8/16/32GB capacities starting at $14.99. Mildly related video can be found after the break.

Gallery: LaCie PetiteKey USB flash drive press photos

Continue reading LaCie PetiteKey USB flash drive: slim and discreet, for files of the private variety

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LaCie PetiteKey USB flash drive: slim and discreet, for files of the private variety originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Nov 2012 12:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung SSD 840 Pro caters to speed seekers with faster random access

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Samsung SSD 840 Pro caters to speed seekers with 100,000IOPS, faster writes

It's difficult to thrive in the solid-state drive world. Unless you've got just the right controller and flash memory, most performance-minded PC users will rarely give you a second glance. Samsung muscled its way into that narrow view with the SSD 830 last year; it intends to lock our attention with the new SSD 840 and SSD 840 Pro. The Pro's 520MB/s and 450MB/s sequential read and write speeds are only modest bumps over the 830, but they don't tell the whole story of just how fast it gets. The upgraded MDX controller boosts the random read access to a nicely rounded 100,000IOPS, and random writes have more than doubled to 78,000IOPS or 90,000IOPS, depending on who you ask and what drive you use. The improved performance in either direction is a useful boost to on-the-ground performance, as both AnandTech and Storage Review will tell you. We're waiting on details of the ordinary triple level cell-based 840 model beyond its 120GB, 250GB and 500GB capacities, although there won't be an enormous premium for the multi-level cell 840 Pro over existing drives when it arrives in mid-October -- the flagship line should start at $100 for a basic 64GB drive, and peak at $600 for the ultimate 512GB version.

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Samsung SSD 840 Pro caters to speed seekers with faster random access originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Sep 2012 21:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink AnandTech, Storage Review  |  sourceSamsung Tomorrow  | Email this | Comments

Western Digital builds 5mm-thick hybrid hard drive, Ultrabook makers sign on early

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Western Digital builds 5mmthick hybrid hard drive, Ultrabook makers sign on early

Those 7mm-thick hard drives you've seen in some Ultrabooks are already looking a tad on the chunky side. Western Digital has started producing sample versions of a hybrid hard drive (you're not yet looking at it here) that measures just 5mm (0.2in) tall, even as it crams in both flash and a 500GB main disk. If you think the slimmer drive is just the ticket for a best-of-all-worlds laptop that's both fast and capacious, you're not alone: Acer and ASUS have mentioned their collaboration in the same breath, which may be a strong clue as to where future Aspires and Zenbooks are going. The remaining question is when they arrive. Sampling isn't the same as mass production, which could leave us with months to go before the 5mm drive lands in future extra-skinny PCs.

Continue reading Western Digital builds 5mm-thick hybrid hard drive, Ultrabook makers sign on early

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Western Digital builds 5mm-thick hybrid hard drive, Ultrabook makers sign on early originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Sep 2012 14:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Victorinox offers refunds for secure USB drives in light of discontinued software updates

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Victorinox offers refunds for secure USB drives in light of discontinued software updates

Software support and security certificates are coming to an end for Victorinox's line of secure USB drives, but the firm announced on Facebook that it's offering customers full refunds until December 31 if they'd like to return their products in light of the developments. In order to avoid losing data, owners of the flash drives should perform a backup before the encryption application meets its untimely end on September 15th. However, files stored on non-encrypted areas of the device will remain accessible without further action. The Slim, Secure and Presentation Master storage sticks can still be used as run-of-the-mill thumb drives after the cut-off date, but the Swiss Army Knife maker's application will no longer be able to scramble or unscramble their contents.

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Victorinox offers refunds for secure USB drives in light of discontinued software updates originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Aug 2012 04:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Victorinox nixes software updates for USB drives, security certificate to expire in September

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Victorinox nixes software updates for USB drives, security certificate to expire in September

Victorinox may have offered a hefty bounty to crack its secure USB drives' encryption, but the storage sticks seem to have met their match another way: the end of software support. In an email sent to customers and a pair of Facebook posts, the firm announced that it will halt updates as of next month and that its security program's VeriSign certificate is only valid until September 15th. As a result, customers are urged to backup their data lickity split. According to the outfit, the economics of continuing application development just weren't reasonable and it'll now refer to a third party for all software. However, the Swiss Army Knife maker isn't out of the flash drive business -- it's committed to putting more of the devices on the market. We've reached out to the company for more details on how the thumb drives will be affected and we'll update when we get word. In the meantime, hit the source links for the notice or check out the e-mail below.


[Thanks, Scott]

Continue reading Victorinox nixes software updates for USB drives, security certificate to expire in September

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Victorinox nixes software updates for USB drives, security certificate to expire in September originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 03:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New York artist fashions dead drop from dying hardware, mounts DVD burner in city wall

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New York artist fashions dead drop from dying hardware, mounts DVD burner in city wall

The optical drive may be making its exit in the world of personal computing, but at least it seems to still have a place in artistic architecture. Aram Bartholl -- the man behind New York City's infamous USB dead drops -- has installed a DVD burner into the side of the Museum of the Moving Image to promote HOT, an art exhibition described as "a group show about video that is not video." Passersby who pop in a blank DVD-R will be rewarded with a digital copy of the show and the satisfaction of finally having something to do with their aging stash of unused optical media. Just how do you install PC hardware in a museum wall? Drill an enormous hole, of course -- check out a video of the installation for yourself after the break.

Continue reading New York artist fashions dead drop from dying hardware, mounts DVD burner in city wall

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New York artist fashions dead drop from dying hardware, mounts DVD burner in city wall originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Aug 2012 09:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SanDisk outs Extreme USB 3.0 flash drive alongside a trio of Cruzers

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SanDisk outs Extreme USB 30 flash drive alongside a trio of Cruzers

If diminutive USB-friendly storage is a hobby of yours, SanDisk is looking to add to your collection. The company has announced its USB 3.0-weilding Extreme flash drive and added a handful of new siblings to the Cruzer line. First, the Extreme accessory touts transfer speeds of up to 190MB/s while offering storage capacities ranging from 16GB on up to 64GB. This portable storage device is now shipping and will set you back somewhere between $65 and $160. If you're looking to carry a truckload of photos, videos, music or whatever else on a USB flash drive, the company has also unveiled the Cruzer Glide. While only 4GB to 64GB options are available now starting at $19.99, a 128GB model is slated to arrive in Q3 for $250. Not looking for super-sized capacity at your fingertips? Perhaps the Cruzer Facet or Pop will better suit your sensibilities -- both carry 8GB up to 32GB worth of storage with a price range of $32.99 to $84.99. For a few brief details on the four, hit that PR button below to read on.

Continue reading SanDisk outs Extreme USB 3.0 flash drive alongside a trio of Cruzers

SanDisk outs Extreme USB 3.0 flash drive alongside a trio of Cruzers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 19 Jun 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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RunCore rolls out Pro VI SSD for Ultrabooks in need of a jolt

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RunCore rolls out Pro VI SSD for Ultrabooks in need of a jolt

Not to be left out of the Computex party, RunCore has just unveiled a 7mm-thick Pro VI solid-state drive to give new Ultrabooks a swift kick. The company is aiming squarely at the sunnier side of mid-range SSDs through a speedy JMicron controller that hits 550MB/s in reads, and a less aggressive but still brisk 380MB/s for writes. The SATA 6Gbps drive doesn't have any special tricks up its sleeves, but there's no doubt that it fits just about any ultrabook category: capacities swing from a very modest 32GB to a 512GB drive meant to take over from ho-hum spinning disks. While RunCore's customer list isn't public material, we wouldn't be surprised if a lot of extra-thin notebooks wending their way out of southeast Asia this year carry the Pro VI inside.

Continue reading RunCore rolls out Pro VI SSD for Ultrabooks in need of a jolt

RunCore rolls out Pro VI SSD for Ultrabooks in need of a jolt originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 06 Jun 2012 18:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stuxnet pinned on US and Israel as an out-of-control creation

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Stuxnet pinned on US and Israel as an outofcontrol creation

Ever since Stuxnet was discovered, most of the accusing fingers have been pointed at the US, Israel or both, whether or not there was any evidence; it was hard to ignore malware that seemed tailor-made for wrecking Iranian centrifuges and slowing down the country's nuclear development. As it turns out, Occam's Razor is in full effect. An exposé from the New York Times matter-of-factly claims that the US and Israel coded Stuxnet as part of a cyberwar op, Olympic Games, and snuck it on to a USB thumb drive that infected computers at the Natanz nuclear facility. The reason we know about the infection at all, insiders say, is that it got out of control: someone modified the code or otherwise got it to spread through an infected PC carried outside, pushing Obama to either double down (which he did) or back off. Despite all its connections, the newspaper couldn't confirm whether or not the new Flame malware attack is another US creation. Tipsters did, however, deny that Flame is part of the Olympic Games push -- raising the possibility that there are other agencies at work.

[Image credit: David Holt, Flickr]

Stuxnet pinned on US and Israel as an out-of-control creation originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jun 2012 14:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Ars Technica  |  sourceNew York Times  | Email this | Comments