http://www.ecoustics.com/latest/links Latest links, updated every five minutes http://www.ecoustics.com/hemag/reviews/20574 Throwing down the HD DVR gauntlet, TiVo?s top HD XL model ups the storage ante by including a comparatively huge one terabyte hard drive, making the typical cable HD DVR?s 160 GB capacity look downright puny. Thu, 04 Dec 2008 04:20:25 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/18563 Storage and peripheral maker LaCie has rolled out another of its storage solutions with a high-concept design. This time, the idea comes from 5.5 Designers, and transforms the plain, small, simple, boring USB flash drive into…coinage. Users just twist the coin's edge and out pops a USB connector. The bronze CurrenKeys offer 4 GB of storage, while the silver version can hold up to 8 GB of data.According to LaCie, the CurrenKeys are designed to be shock-proof, and offer a die-cast metal shell for prRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:15:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/18562 Storage giant Hitachi and chipmaker Intel have announced plans to develop enterprise-class solid-state drives for use in servers and workstations, using high-performance Serial-Attached SCSI and Fiber Channel interfaces. The companies expect to ship their first products in early 2010…and, if nothing else, the announcement signals both that SSDs are getting closer to the mainstream in storage technology, and hint at what may be coming down the pike for consumer-oriented systems in a year or two."The new solid-state drives for the enterprise include a number of architectural breakthroughs and improve performance and energy usage models that wiRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/18560 Storage vendor Iomega has rolled out two new portable hard drives designed to appeal to road warriors who need a little something extra besides raw storage capacity and a USB port. Iomega's eGo Encrypt Portable Hard Drive offers hardware-based encryption to make sure all data on the drive is protected from unauthorized access, while the eGo BlackBelt Portable Hard Drive offers extra resistance to the bumps and shocks of portable computing with Iomega's Drop Guard Xtreme."Adding two exciting models to our eGo Portable Hard Drive lineup is an embarrassment of riches when itRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:50:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/18556 Opening with a bang in Barcelona today, Finland's Nokia announced its forthcoming Nokia N97 "personal Internet device"—we understand it will also make phone calls—in a bid to take on BlackBerry and Apple for the top position in the consumer-friendly smartphone market. Designed to appeal to Internet- and media-savvy consumers, the N97 features a 3.5-inch touchscreen display, a complete slide-out QWERTY keyboard (a virtual keyboard is also available), 32 GB of built-in storage, a five megapixel camera, and interface innovations designed to appeal to serious mobile users…like an "always open" window to keep tabs on social neRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:45:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/18555 Inverness, in the North of Scotland, is definitely going to be part of 21st century computing. IT firm Alchemy Plus is partnering with Microsoft to build a cloud computing complex in the city’s harbor area.Why Inverness? Basically, because it never gets too warm there, which means less energy will be needed to cool the huge number of computers, cutting down on the need for refrigeration. As it stands, the 20,000 square foot building will generate plenty of heat, and waste energy will be used to heat nearby buildings.The BBC reports that the complex, which will be used for data storage, wRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Tue, 02 Dec 2008 10:00:00 -0500 http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/8301-13924_3-10110921-64.html?part=ecoustics-cnet Intel and Hitachi Global Storage Technologies announce plans to jointly develop and deliver solid-state drives for servers, workstations, and storage systems. Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:35:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/howto/154348 Kathy Anton wants access to faster, eSATA external hard drives. But her PC, like most of them, lacks an eSATA port. Mon, 24 Nov 2008 11:23:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/18472 Remember back in May when Samsung announced it would be launching 256 GB solid state drives? Samsung had originally planning to launch the drives in September, but today Samsung made good on the promise, announcing it has started production on the units, meaning they should start appearing as options for both notebook and desktop PCs in the near future—although we don't think they'll be cheap."While SSD's have always been touted for their performance, Samsung is turning the storage industry upside down now with an SSD that delivers truly disruptive performance," said Samsung Semiconductor VP for memory marketing Jim Elliott,Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:10:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/18471 Storage manufacturer Seagate is getting into the holiday spirit by introducing new colors for its FreeAgent Go line of external hard drives. Initially available in royal blue, red, black, and silver, new drives' new color options include pink, orange, spring green, forest green, sky blue, and gold. And, Seagate is throwing in some extras: through January 31, 2009, folks who register a new FreeAgent Go drive will receive a multimedia package, including 50 free songs from eMusic annd half-off a one-year subscription to SmugMug.Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/18470 Memory and storage manufacturer Kingston has has introduced a new 64 GB edition of its DT150 DataTraveler USB drive, offering a new capacious storage option for folks like digital photographers and videographers who need to carry significant amounts of data with them. The DT150 works with Windows 2000/XP/Vista as well as Mac OS 10.3+ and Linux 2.6+, and just pops into any available USB port."The new 64GB DataTraveler 150 takes transportable storage to the next level with big capacity in a small package," said Kingston flash business development manager Jaja Lin, in a statement. "As file sizes increase with digital media cRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:30:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/18428 Computer maker Dell has introduced its first systems based on Intel's new Core i7 "Nahalem" processor…and, surprising no one, the souped-up desktop systems target gamers and multimedia enthusiasts.First up, Dell's Studio XPS Desktop feature Core i7 processors running at 2.66 or 2.93 GHz, from 2 to 6 GB of DDR3 RAM (with support for up to 12 GB), and 64-bit editions of Windows Vista. The Studio XPS Desktop supports two internal drives for up to 1 TB of storage, has Blu-ray and DVD±RW options, gigabit Ethernet, a 19-in-1 memory card reader, and support for 7.1 audio. The system also boasts four USB 2.0 ports, IEEE 1394 and eSATA conRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:40:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/18412 Computer and software maker Sun Microsystems has announced it is shifting its business to align with the global economic climate…and that's going to mean cutting between 5,000 and 6,000 jobs, some 15 to 18 percent of its workforce. The company is also reorganizing its software division into three business groups and intends to focus on open source—like MySQL and its new Open Storage offering—to grow new market segments."Today, we have taken decisive actions to align Sun's business with global economic realities and accelerate our delivery of key open source platform innovations," said Sun CEO JRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:30:00 -0500 http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/Iomega_eGo_Helium/4505-3186_7-33311406.html?part=ecoustics-cnet The Iomega eGo Helium is a cost effective solution for MacBook Air users that need additional data storage and don't want to sacrifice form for function. Fri, 14 Nov 2008 04:56:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/guide/157 With processor, graphics and storage technologies rushing ahead at breakneck speed, this year’s holiday shoppers will have more tech on tap for less money than they could have dreamed a year ago. Ultra-premium hardware that used to be reserved for dream systems, like solid-state drives, has plummeted in price, and computers that started as inexpensive toys, like netbooks, have sprouted more and more features, turning into real, viable PCs. Here are a few unique systems to make sure to check out on store shelves. Asus G50Vt, $1,100...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Fri, 14 Nov 2008 03:00:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/lm/reviews/22221 With its zippy application load times and aggressive price, the Patriot Warp is one of the better value-price solid state drives. Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:50:07 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/lm/reviews/22209 Fast write speeds, an environmentally friendly design, and power-saving features make the (re)drive a good choice for green-minded shoppers. Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:52:54 -0500 http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/8301-11128_3-10096214-54.html?part=ecoustics-cnet An Obama energy advisor predicts quick changes on energy policy, Al Gore not interested in government work, SoFocus boosts solar efficiency, PC power drain, a look at vehicle to grid, a visit to carbon capture and storage testing, FlipSwap joins ranks of Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:27:52 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/lm/reviews/22059 The Seagate FreeAgent Go is an excellent portable hard drive for users looking to protect their most cherished photos, music, video, and documents. Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:37:59 -0500 http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/8301-1001_3-10092406-92.html?part=ecoustics-cnet The open-source appliances in the Sun Storage 7000 Unified Storage Systems line are intended to lure price-sensitive customers. Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:07:00 -0500 http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/8301-13505_3-10092362-16.html?part=ecoustics-cnet Sun is growing its open-storage business, but will it be enough to stave off declines elsewhere? Mon, 10 Nov 2008 09:07:00 -0500 http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/Iomega_StorCenter_ix2_2TB/4505-3382_7-33351640.html?part=ecoustics-cnet The Iomega StorCenter ix2 is a two-drive NAS device that offers Bluetooth support but no remote access via the Web. We don't like the fact that you can't access its two hard drives, but it still holds appeal for novice users looking for a dead simple NAS drive. Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:41:00 -0500 http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/Iomega_StorCenter_ix2_1TB/4505-3382_7-33332905.html?part=ecoustics-cnet The Iomega StorCenter ix2 is a two-drive NAS device that offers Bluetooth support but no remote access via the Web. We don't like the fact that you can't access its two hard drives, but it still holds appeal for novice users looking for a dead simple NAS drive. Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:41:00 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/tl/23997/ Like many people, I've really gotten addicted to having a big music collection. Recently, though, I've gotten into other things, like video podcasts and recording LiveTV on my Mac. My pitiful 120GB external drive, unfortunately, just wasn't packing the kinda space I needed. So, I began the journey of finding the right drive for my system. Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:18:16 -0500 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/18267 Microsoft is planning to launch its New Xbox Experience November 19, bringing a complete overall to the Xbox 360 gaming console's Dashboard and adding a swath of new features to the console. Although the update will leave some users out in the cold—like Xbox 360s that lack at least 128 MB of storage—new features will more than make up for it in most gamers' eyes, including social features, personalized avatars, and a "Live Party" mode. And now, word comes down that Xbox Live Gold members will be able to tap into high-definition streaming video from Netflix—as long as they're already Netflix streaming subscribers and have the banRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Wed, 29 Oct 2008 11:30:00 -0400