Delkin Devices, Inc. has just announced the release of the company’s latest device - a 4x external disc drive capable of reading and writing to Blu-ray media. Right on the heels of the company’s release of its Archival Gold® Blu-ray discs, this new drive will make it much easier for photographers to make the transition to Blu-ray technology. Though Delkin’s new drive is backward compatible with all CD and DVD recordable media, using the drive with Archival Gold BD-R discs lets photographers quickly and easily preserve large quantities of data for over 200 years.
“Though we were first to market with truly archival grade BD-R discs, we noticed that there was a lack of drives available, especially drives capable of writing BD-Rs at 4x,” said Kathleen Finlayson, Delkin’s New Product Specialist. “With our new drive and our Archival Gold® BD-R media, photographers will finally be able to take advantage of Blu-ray technology in archiving their images.”
Delkin’s new external drive, which is compatible with the latest BD-R technology, matches the company’s Archival Gold® BD-R 4x write speed providing users with the fastest method of archiving their images. The drive easily attaches to desktop or laptop computers through Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and comes with recording software, a free Archival Gold® BD-R disc and a padded carrying case. Mac users with OS 10.5.4+ do not need any software to read or write BD-R media.
“As a professional photographer, archiving your images is key,” said Martin Wood, Delkin’s CEO. “With our Archival Gold® BD-R discs, we provide photographers with a means of storing data safely for over 200 years. Now, with our new external drive, photographers can easily take advantage of the archival lifespan and large storage capacity of our media.”
Delkin Archival Gold® Blu-ray discs feature an unprecedented 200 year longevity rating, as well as a market-leading 4x write speed. Proprietary ScratchArmor™ scratch-proof coating protects the discs over fifty times better than typical coatings found on other optical discs, making Delkin Blu-ray the most durable on the market.
Go to http://www.delkin.com for more information or to purchase Delkin’s 4x Blu-ray drive or Archival Gold® BD-R media. Delkin’s 4x Blu-ray drive is also available at most camera stores worldwide. MSRP for the drive is $549.99. For MSRP on Archival Gold® Media, visit http://www.delkin.com/products/
archivalgold/archival-blue-ray-delkin.html.
PNY Technologies and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment announce the launch of a new 2GB USB preloaded with Sony Pictures’ 80’s comedy classic, GHOSTBUSTERS starring Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd. This marks the first time for the release of a full length movie via a USB flash drive and will enable consumers to watch the film with one simple click on their PC or Laptop. The PNY GHOSTBUSTERS USB will be available from Argos stores nationwide from now, just ahead of the 25th anniversary year of Ghostbusters in 2009.
Stefanie Summerfield - UK & Nordic Sales and Marketing Director for PNY Technologies said “As a market leader in the USB market, PNY’s focus is to offer consumers added value by providing enjoyable blockbuster content on their USB. Standard features of a PNY 2GB USB stick include 12 hours of video play, 33 hours of music and 1080 pictures. This is all in addition to getting a preloaded movie on the USB flash drive.”
Andy Armstrong, UK, Managing Director for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment stated, “Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is delighted to partner with PNY to offer the first full length movie preloaded on a USB flash drive and ready to play on your PC/Laptop. We are committed to giving the consumer more choice in how to experience their movies either at home or on the go.”
The PNY 2 GB USB with Ghostbusters will be available in stores from now. For more information please visit www.pny.eu
It seems I’ve been throwing a lot of difficult problems toward Apple Care to become baffled on. I wrote about my odd iCal problem back in December of last year that neither Apple Care nor Microsoft could figure out (to which I later solved on my own genius bar) and now I have another one to add to the list.
I purchased one smokin’ Mac Pro last July and it was pretty much at the top end when all the features where added. Even with a 10% discount, the baby was a tad under 5k. So when after a month I started experiencing some really annoying slow downs due to constant hard drive spinning, I got on the phone and gave Apple Care a holler. After getting over the hurdle of what “swap” space was, I attempted to explain to the customer care representative that my hard drive was spinning more than an old 78 rpm record. After not getting anywhere with the first tech, I was sent to the second level. I defeated Level 2 as well. No answers. No wait, reformat and install was a suggestion which I had already tried prior to the call. So I lived with the spin for nine months.
Yesterday I added two more drives to my Mac Pro filling up all available slots. I now had the original drive and three added drives. I like cleaning out the inside of my computers every so often, so I pulled out the two already installed SATA hard drives and got a can of air and sprayed until it was exhausted. I secured back the two hard drives as well as added the two new ones. I closed up the Mac Pro and booted up. Guess what? No more hard drive dance floor spins!
So what could have caused the constant hard drive spinning is hard to say. It could have been a number of things such as dirty contacts on the SATA interface, not a fully seated hard drive, or the hard drive controller freaking out on just having two hard drives plugged in. I doubt it was that later and most likely just a hard drive not fully seated. Dirt could be it, but I really think it was the hard drive not being fully secured.
So, if you’re having a similar problem and Apple Care along with its forms offer no help, then give this a try. It may help.
Other World Computing (OWC), a leading Mac and PC technology company, today announced the introduction and immediate availability of its new OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro FireWire+USB 2.0 Combo storage drives featuring SATA technology with a starting price of only $107.99 and capacities up to 1.0TB for Plug ‘N Play, hot swappable storage.
The latest in the OWC Mercury Elite-AL storage line, the Mercury Elite-AL Pro FireWire+USB 2.0 Combo storage drives feature the latest Oxford 934 performance chipset, the best SATA mechanisms available, two FireWire 400 1394A 6 Pin, and one USB 2.0 port. Drives may be stacked or stood vertically (stand included) and measure only 9.3” (length) x 1.4” (height) x 5.6″ (width) or 237mm x 36mm x 142mm.
The drive’s two FireWire ports allow it to be daisy-chained to any additional FireWire devices. Its Oxford chipset allows Plug ‘N Play compatibility with virtually any Mac, PC, and Linux-based computer that supports either a FireWire or USB 2.0 Interface. Data may be accessed/read/written interchangeably between any of the FireWire and USB 2.0 ports allowing the seamless use of the drives between multiple systems or for upgrading corresponding computer systems.
OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro FireWire+USB 2.0 Combo Drives Pricing:
80GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache - $107.99
160GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache - $117.99
250GB 7200RPM 8MB Cache - $137.99
320GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache - $147.99
400GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache - $159.99
500GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache - $175.99
750GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache - $239.99
1.0TB 7200RPM 32MB Cache - $369.99 ($339.99 after limited time Rebate*)
*Through 3/19/2008, purchase of the drive includes a $30 Hitachi-sponsored Mail-In Rebate. Rebate details at: http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/MAU4S7H1TB32/
All OWC Mercury Elite-AL drives are tested and certified for demanding audio/video, backup, movies, graphics, music, photography, data, and more. The drive’s sleek aluminum design optimizes function with fanless heat dissipation while aesthetically enhancing the desktop, and is specifically built to safely endure the rigorous demands of portability.
OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro storage drive solutions are available from Other World Computing with everything needed for immediate Plug ‘N Play operation: FireWire and USB 2.0 cables; Intech HD Speedtools utility suite; Prosoft Data Backup for Mac OS X®; NovaStor NovaBackup for Windows; and a full 2-year warranty.
OWC’s full line of award winning Mercury Elite-AL storage solutions can be found at http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/1394/USB/EliteAL .
For additional information contact www.MacSales.com or call toll free (800) 275-4576.
So you’ve got a Mac or a Windows box with disk encryption and you’re feeling pretty good about your data’s safety. Bitlocker on Vista and File Vault (developed for the Depart of Defense even) on OS X put you at ease with its promises of using some super hard encryption scheme to defeat. The only way anyone’s getting in is via a key. Guess what? Hackers now can get that key.
A video on YouTube demonstrates just how easy it is to retrieve the very key that unlocks your hard drive. From start to finish, the video shows the retrieval of a laptop, the sniffing of a key, and then the opening of all the “protected” files. Just like that.
Now granted, the hacker will need physical contact with your computer in order to grab your key; however, this isn’t that reassuring if you think about it. In recent months, there has been a slew of reports of lost laptops from not just business professionals, but from government agencies such as the FBI, CIA, and of those in Congress. These laptops are in danger of losing very important and highly classified data. If enemies of the state are able to obtain such a nugget, it’s no telling what could result from the breach.
Again, the video does demonstrate a small window of opportunity in data retrevial; however, in our busy lives, it is easy to lose track of our laptops for a few minutes. That’s just enough time for someone to simply walk by and grab it without you even knowing.
The easiest and best way to protect yourself is to insure your laptop is OFF and not in standby when in public. Make sure it has been off for at least 30 minutes prior to placing yourself in a vulnerable situation. These two measures alone will greatly reduce the chance of the key residing in your memory and thus keep your data safe.
Hey, are you peeved at Apple for yanking that external drive thingy from your iPhone that you came to love on your iPod? Wishing you could just some way — an easy way — gain access to your 4, 8, or 16 GB of storage on your device? Whelp, we took a look at a software application that does that just that and we think you’re going to like it.
Ecamm’s iPhoneDrive lets you grab files of any sort on and off your iPhone and iPod touch with drag and drop ease. It also throws in some nice extras like being able to play music right off the device on your Mac. Makes nice for playing music at work if your IT dude doesn’t want you putting iTunes on your Mac, huh?
iPhoneDrive doesn’t just stop there, either, you can now backup your SMS and Phone Log and even edit your notes with a stinking real keyboard for once! If you’re sensing we liked this, then have sense enough to read the full review and see why we did.
Universal drive adapters are becoming a must have accessories for not just the IT guy at your work but also for anyone with a PC or Mac. With hard drives becoming larger in capacity and cheaper in price, swapping them out and upgrading to a new drive is easier than ever before. Keeping the old drive around for archive purposes is great but it’s when you need it that becomes a drag. Hooking up all the cables (or the pain of just sliding it into the slot on the Mac Pros…yes, pain 
) can be a hassle for just a quick copy to the new drive. With universal drive adapters, all you have to do is plug the adapter into the old drives IDE or SATA connector, hook up the power and bingo, up comes your drive in My Computer or on your Mac Desktop. Just like that.
NewerTech will be showing off its newest connector with convenient and easy to read status lights at Macworld 2008. This is a nice addition to the other adapters I have used that leave you wondering if you have even a valid USB connection let alone know if your data is streaming though the cables. Working with any 2.5˝, 3.5˝, or 5.25˝ hard drive or optical drive (standard IDE/ATA/ATAPI 40 pin or Serial-ATA), the NewerTech adapter connects to a USB port of any computer working with USB 2.0, 1.1, and 1.0 ports. NewerTech told SvenOnTech that the, “USB 2.0 Universal Drive Adapter has been tested to work with all hard drive brands, including Maxtor, Seagate, IBM, Hitachi, Samsung, Western Digital, and Fujitsu; optical drive brands, including LG, Lite-On, Panasonic, Pioneer, Plextor, Sony, Teac, and Toshiba; and removable media drives, such as Iomega Zip. The adapter provides a USB 2.0 transfer speed of up to 480Mbps and is also backwards compatible with USB 1.1.”
The adapter will be available for $29.95 and more information can be found at NewerTech’s Universal Drive Adapter site.
SvenOnTech will be stopping by the booth and talking to NewerTech’s CEO Grant Dahlke at Macworld. Stay tuned for more from that interview.
Corsair , a worldwide leader in high performance computer and flash memory products, announced today that it is expanding its Flash Voyager and Flash Survivor USB family lines with new 32GB capacity offerings. The new Corsair 32GB Flash Voyager and Flash Survivor USB drives will be debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show 2008 (CES) next week in Las Vegas in the Corsair Suite at the Wynn Hotel and at Showstoppers CES 2008.
Users now have the ultimate solution for storing, transporting and backing up large amounts of personal and professional data. Whether using the Corsair proprietary all-rubber Flash Voyager or the aluminum-encased water-proof Flash Survivor, the large amounts of data on the drive will be safeguarded for users with an active lifestyle. Corsair USB drives provide the added ruggedness and performance not found in other storage drives utilizing rotating media.
Corsair 32GB drives provide the storage capacity necessary to hold over 16 full-length, high-definition movies or even an entire season of your favorite TV series. These large density drives can also be used as portable back-up devices for critical or sensitive information. In addition, Corsair 32GB USB 2.0 drives are bootable, which means users can actually store full versions of operating systems and applications in order to quickly “re-create” the necessary software environments to troubleshoot system problems.
Corsair 32GB USB drives are immediately available:
Flash Voyager 32GB ~ $229.99 USD MSRP
Flash Survivor 32GB ~ $249.99 USD MSRP
“Whether with innovative designs, like the Flash Voyager and Flash Survivor, or industry leading large-density drives in convenient portable form-factors, Corsair is always pushing the limit of what USB portable storage has to offer,” said Jack Peterson, VP of Marketing at Corsair. “Our newest USB additions will allow a whole new set of users – multimedia, technical and data conscious – to take advantage of rugged, high-performance solid-state storage,” added Peterson.
Corsair 32GB USB drives are available through Corsair’s authorized distributors and resellers world-wide. Each drive is bundled with a lanyard, security software/driver preloaded, and USB extension cable. Corsair flash products are backed by a 10-year Limited Warranty. Complete customer support via telephone, email, forum and TS Xpress is also available. For more information on Corsair USB drives, please visit http://www.corsair.com.
No matter how many times you warn computer users to back up their data, more instances than not, you find a boat load of people that don’t and end up losing important data. DriveSavers has made its riches from these people and now it plans to make an industry first announcement in a few weeks at Macworld Expo 2008. SvenOnTech was told in an email that it will be making a “big announcement for Apple users”. The email went on to tease, “DriveSavers is the first data recovery company to offer this service, and will be rolling out the service at MacWorld.”
Possibly offering an insurance-like policy to Mac users, it is conceivable that DriveSavers will offer a program where customers can make monthly payments on their Macs fitted with hard drives that could become faulty. When the drive does become unusable, the user would then simply send in the drive for recovery.
What ever the announcement, we’ll be on the floor to report the news when it hits in January 15th.
Ya, ya, ya. We like SanDisk stuff. We’re not going to hide it. Hey, when you make killer stuff, you make killer stuff. When you make crappy stuff, then you make crappy stuff. Either way, we tell you which way it is.
SanDisk is always making the kill and we think you’ll like its newest and Ferrari-like sleek Contour. But you may be surprised by our recommendation. UFD needing folks, read on…