Kanex’s DualRole is a USB 3.0 hub and Ethernet adapter for modern MacBooks

Posted on 31/01/2013 by Daniel Cooper

The glitzy sheen of that Retina Display MacBook Pro or MacBook Air probably tarnished a little when you realized you'd need to sacrifice a USB or Thunderbolt if you wanted Ethernet connectivity. Just in time for Macworld, Kanex is shuttling out DualRole, a three-port USB 3.0 hub and Ethernet adapter that'll swell your connectivity options while on the road. Bus-powered, you can also add a 5v power adapter to juice your gadgets at the same time. It'll set you back $69 and is available from right about now.

Filed under: Peripherals, Networking, Apple

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Toshiba unveils 2TB Canvio Basics and Special Edition portable drives

Posted on 28/01/2013 by Jon Fingas

It's still not all that easy to track down a 2TB portable drive. Thankfully, Toshiba is making that extra-large capacity more ubiquitous by shipping an upgrade to its Canvio line of USB 3.0 disks. Both the no-frills Canvio Basics 3.0 and a Canvio Special Edition with a backup software bundle now carry 2TB inside, up from 1.5TB half a year ago. Not satisfied with just the storage boost? You might be with the price: the 2TB Canvio Basics' $190 starting point is lower than what its WD competition reached when new, and the $220 official price for a Special Edition (we're already seeing $190 at Best Buy) isn't that much of a stretch.

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Toshiba Expands Canvio Basics 3.0 Line And Introduces Canvio Special Edition Portable Hard Drive

Canvio Basics 3.0 Portable Hard Drives Now Offer Up to 2TB of Storage; Canvio Special Edition Portable Hard Drive Now Available

IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Toshiba's Digital Products Division (DPD), a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced the addition of new two terabyte offerings to its Canvio storage lineup, including a 2TB Canvio(R) Basics 3.0 portable hard drive and a 2TB Canvio Special Edition portable hard drive.

"We understand that consumers have varying capacity needs and we strive to provide solutions that match differing requirements," said Maciek Brzeski , vice president of product marketing and development of branded storage products, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division. "Our new 2TB solutions now provide our customers that are looking for basic functionality with an increased storage capacity, as the most basic users are continuing to grow an expansive digital library."

Canvio Basics 3.0: Storage in a Box

Toshiba's simplest storage solution, the Canvio Basics 3.0, is now available in a 2TB capacity, which can store up to 571,000 digital photos, 526,000 digital music files or 1,640 downloaded digital movies. As with the rest of the offerings within the Canvio Basics 3.0 line, software setup is not necessary.

Consumers are able to use this solution right out of the box and begin saving their digital files by simply connecting it to their PC. The Canvio Basics 3.0 supports USB 3.0 for rapid transfer speeds, is backwards compatible with USB 2.0 and is also equipped with a special internal shock sensor and ramp loading technology to keep consumers' digital files safe against accidental drops.

Canvio Special Edition Portable Hard Drive

Toshiba's Canvio Special Edition Portable Hard Drive provides users with spacious storage capacity and a complete, yet simple-to-use backup solution. The included NTI(R) Backup Now EZ[TM] software makes backing up systems fast and simple, and provides users with the option of backing up their digital files to the cloud, backing up their files and folders to their Canvio portable hard drive, backing up everything saved on their PC, or doing all three for the most comprehensive coverage.
Pricing and Availability

The 2TB Toshiba Canvio Basics 3.0 portable hard drive is available for purchase for $189.99 MSRP[4] in select retail locations and on ToshibaDirect.com.

The 2TB Toshiba Canvio Special Edition portable hard drive is available for $219.99 MSRP exclusively at Best Buy and BestBuy.com.

Filed under: Storage

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Source: Toshiba, Best Buy

LaCie Blade Runner drive now available, offers stand-out storage for $300

Posted on 25/01/2013 by Jon Fingas

LaCie teased us at CES with the prospect of a rare high-concept hard drive design in the Blade Runner, but it left out the rather important matter of when we could buy the Philippe Starck-designed storage. As we've discovered, we didn't have to wait long -- the Blade Runner has just become available. Plunk down $300 and you'll get a 4TB, USB 3.0-based external drive that melds a blob-like disk shell with aluminum blades that both cool the main body and create a (minor) conversation piece. Just be sure to hurry if you're looking for a dash of art with your extra drive space, as it's doubtful that the Blade Runner's 9,999-unit production run will last.

Filed under: Storage

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Source: LaCie

ASUS announces USB stick-sized wireless router, available next month

Posted on 18/01/2013 by Mat Smith

ASUS apparently revealed this adorable wireless router in the middle of CES, but it's understandable, given the size of the thing, how it might have got lost in the cracks. Thankfully, the WL-330NUL USB pocket router has now resurfaced at Expansys and while it doesn't have a price, you can now register your preorder for the first batch. The router houses a single ethernet port and support for both USB 3.0 and 2.0. Powered by the aforementioned port, the router supports 802.11 b/g/n 2.4 GHz WiFi and measures a meager 65mm in length. The release date is pegged for February 14th, just in time for that special someone -- and their unforgivingly snug laptop bag.

Filed under: Networking, Internet, ASUS

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Via: SlashGear

Source: Expansys

Mushkin launches ‘next generation’ USB 3.0 drive, promises 300MBs read/write speeds

Posted on 08/01/2013 by Daniel Cooper

While Mushkin tipped its hand early regarding details of its "world's first" 480GB mSATA SSD, it did keep one thing back for CES. It's launching what it promises is a SandForce-packing, "next generation" USB 3.0 drive that will have read and write speeds of over 300 MB per second. The company is keeping the specifics about its performance, its pricing, availability and even its casing a secret for now, but we've gotten in touch and will update this when we learn more.

Continue reading Mushkin launches 'next generation' USB 3.0 drive, promises 300MBs read/write speeds

Filed under: Storage

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Corsair’s Voyager GT Turbo USB 3.0 flash drives put super fast I/O speeds in your pocket

Posted on 08/01/2013 by Michael Gorman

Corsair's best known for its SSD and HDD storage solutions and gaming peripherals, but at CES this year the company has unveiled a trio of new USB 3.0 jump drives. Called the Flash Voyager GT Turbo, it promises to deliver read speeds of up to 260MB/s and writes of up to 235 MB/s. Corsair claims those speeds make it the fastest USB 3.0 flash drive on the planet -- a claim we can neither confirm nor deny -- but we can tell you that pricing starts at $50 for the 32GB version, while the 64 and 128GB models cost $90 and $180, respectively, and can be yours now if you venture over to Corsair's website.

Continue reading Corsair's Voyager GT Turbo USB 3.0 flash drives put super fast I/O speeds in your pocket

Filed under: Storage

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Source: Corsair

USB 3.0 enhancement to bring 10Gbps transfers, backward compatibility in mid-2013

Posted on 07/01/2013 by Darren Murph

Don't call it USB 4.0. Here in Las Vegas, the USB 3.0 Promoter Group announced the development of a SuperSpeed USB (that's USB 3.0, if you're curious) enhancement that will "add a much higher data rate, delivering up to twice the data through-put performance of existing SuperSpeed USB over enhanced, fully backward compatible USB connectors and cables." This supplement to the USB 3.0 specification is anticipated to be completed by the middle of this year, bringing along a new 10Gbps data rate, improved data encoding for more efficient data transfer, and of course, compatibility with existing 5Gbps hubs and devices (and even USB 2.0 products). We've yet to hear of any device makers trotting out new gear that'll handle the new spec, but hopefully we'll hear more at CES really gets rolling.

Continue reading USB 3.0 enhancement to bring 10Gbps transfers, backward compatibility in mid-2013

Filed under: Peripherals

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Source: Marketwatch, USB-IF

LaCie teams up with Philippe Starck on the Blade Runner limited edition hard drive

Posted on 06/01/2013 by Billy Steele

Philippe Starck, the design mind behind various Parrot wares, has teamed up with LaCie once more for a quite dapper external storage device. The duo has just announced the Blade Runner here at CES: a 4TB USB 3.0 hard drive wrapped in heavy-duty aluminum and sporting a LED power button in the shape of Mr. Starck's logo. That's not all. Only 9,999 of these bad boys will be produced so you'll need to have your affairs in order ahead of time if the gadget strikes your design sensibilities. The drive will also include 10GB of Wuala secure cloud storage to lend a hand with the archival process. No word on when the Blade Runner will arrive, but when it does, you can expect to nab it online from LaCie and other retailers after parting with the requisite $299. For a closer look at the goods, hit the galleries below to take a gander at the press shots and our brief hands-on.

Gallery: LaCie + Starck Blade Runner hard drive

Gallery: LaCie + Starck Blade Runner hard drive hands-on

Continue reading LaCie teams up with Philippe Starck on the Blade Runner limited edition hard drive

Filed under: Storage

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Source: LaCie

LaCie d2 upgrade melds Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 in one external desktop drive

Posted on 04/12/2012 by Jon Fingas

We have Thunderbolt drives, and we have USB 3.0 drives. They've usually had to remain separate on full-size drives, however, which could make a refresh of LaCie's d2 something of a milestone -- it's purportedly the first desktop external drive with both Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 interfaces (as well as the matching cables) in the same box. The upgrade should give Mac and Windows users alike the full 180MB/s average transfer rate without having to sweat over port choices. The new dual-interface d2s are available today, but be prepared to pay for absolute flexibility: the aluminum, fanless drives start at a hefty $300 for a 3TB version and scale up to $400 for a 4TB model, roughly $100 or more beyond some of their single-interface brethren.

Continue reading LaCie d2 upgrade melds Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 in one external desktop drive

Filed under: Storage

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Source: LaCie

Mac mini review (2012)

Posted on 09/11/2012 by Joseph Volpe

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October 23rd was mostly the iPad mini's coming out party; an event with one major headliner. But that newborn product didn't enter Apple's ecosystem alone. Amidst the flurry of announcements, there was one other wee hardware relative on hand ready to join in on the launch festivities: a refreshed 2012 Mac mini. Addressing criticisms of last year's model, Apple added USB 3.0 ports, upgraded to third-generation Ivy Bridge Core processors and boosted the standard RAM allotment to 4GB (you can configure it with up to 16 gigs). Perhaps most interestingly, it's now offering a hybrid storage option, the so-called FusionDrive, which combines flash memory with a SATA HDD.

One quirk still remains, though: the product's demographic leanings. Just who is the Mac mini for? Is it the go-anywhere, portable desktop best integrated in yachts, airports, automobiles and living rooms? Or, with a starting price of $599, is it the perfect, low-cost migration assistant (pun intended) for consumers making the switch from a Windows desktop? Follow on to see which hat this not-quite-an-HTPC wears best.

Gallery: Mac mini review (2012)