The new Victorinox SSD drives boast USB 2.0, USB 3.0 and eSATA compatibility. The company will release 64 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB and a whopping 1 TB versions of its Swiss Army USB thumb drives.

“The Victorinox Swiss Army brand is synonymous with everyday ‘survival’ tools and we continue to evolve our product offerings in the electronics division to provide solutions for living in a technology-focused world,” said Victorinox Head of Electronics Andrea Huder. “The addition of the Victorinox SSD and Slim 3.0 to the flash USB line provides consumers with a quick and reliable way to store, transport and protect their personal and professional documents.”

The Victorinox Swiss Army SSD comes with a Bi-Stable LCD display with 96 x 48 resolution. The display remains active even when the device is not plugged in.

The company will also be showing off their Victorinox Slim 3.0 line of USB drives. These drives will feature USB 3.0 support and will be available in 16 GB to 128 GB capacities.

The solid-state storage devices will use knife bodies to protect the thumb drive. The Victorinox Swiss Army SSD will be sold for $470 and can go up to $2000 for the 1 TB version. The device will be launched in April 2012.

via: Engadget

Victorinox unveils its 1 TB Swiss Army SSD drives is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

Peter Lorraine, manager of the Optical Research Unit at GE, said, “The disc is a polycarbonate material with millions of the micro-holograms stamped onto the disc. When the light source — whose beam is the same wavelength as that of a Blu-ray drive — hits the disc, it erases the necessary amount of holograms to represent the data it is recording. Theoretically, consumer drives in the future could be backwards compatible with the Blu-ray format.”

Since the use of physical mediums has been decreasing as we are moving towards a cloud-based era, discs are now being designed for archiving purposes. The 500 GB disc is said to be able to keep data intact for one hundred years, which is pretty long.

It will take at least a whole day to fill up a whole 500 GB disc at 4 to 5 MBps writing speed, but Lorraine said that there could be specialized drives that features multiple write heads that will enable it to write date at a faster rate.

GE has not made any announcements when these discs will be available commercially, and we’re sure that we won’t be seeing it anytime soon as Blu-ray drives haven’t reached its peak yet.

via: Tech Radar

GE develops 500 GB micro-holographic DVD-sized discs is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

The Store ‘n’ Stay USB Drive is a flash storage device that packs speed and reliability, unlike other flash drives close to its size.

“The low-profile, snag-free design makes it the optimal USB flash drive choice for laptop users who want the ability to transfer, store and share their favorite files on impulse,” said Verbatim Flash Memory Product Manager Mark Rogers. “It’s meant to be left in the USB port for always-ready storage, and can be easily removed to share videos, photos, and music whenever the occasion arises!”

The Store ‘n’ Stay drive is so small, it is no bigger than a dime (that’s about the size of a 5p). The cool thing about it is, it’s so small, you can leave it plugged in your USB port without it protruding out.

The flash drive is available in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacities. The Verbatim Store ‘n’ Stay is a must have for all notebook or netbook users. Verbatim designed it to be left in the USB port, its design makes sliding laptops or netbooks out of their sleeves, bags or cases a breeze.

The flash drive is compatible with most Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows 7 computers, as well as Mac OS 9 systems or higher.

Verbatim’s Store ‘n’ Stay flash drives are now available at VerbatimStore.com. The product is priced at £13 (4GB), £19 (8GB), and £38 (16GB).

Verbatim releases tiny Store ‘n’ Stay USB Drive is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

Connectivity

Not only is it the thinnest but also one of the first to support USB 3.0 making it up to ten times faster than a USB 2.0 hard drive, if your machine doesn’t have USB 3.0 ports then you can still use the Mg in a standard USB 2.0 port. Thankfully Freecom include a USB cable which is compatible with both ports so you are good to go right out of the box.

Design

There are three things that strike you when you first open the box, the size, weight and looks are all very impressive. First off its only 1cm thick, 12cm long and 8.1cm wide which makes it slightly wider than an iPhone 4 but no deeper or longer (give or take a few mm).

It is made of a magnesium alloy, similar to that of a formula 1 racing car wheel which makes it very light, strong and an excellent dissipator of heat. All of which are important factors for an external storage drive. The magnesium not only serves as a perfect shell for the hard drive but also looks clean, fresh and dare we say it, very Apple.

The whole thing (including cable) weighs in at 170 grams, which is about the same as an aerobe frisbee, don’t ask me how I know that but it illustrates just how light the device is.

When in use the only things to note is the USB port on the end and neat rubber feet on the bottom to keep things in place and an air cushion underneath the drive. A minuscule amount of branding has been stamped onto one end of the drive which you can only see when handling.

Stats and Usage

Using the drive couldn’t be simpler, literally plug it in and you are ready to go. You can use it as an everyday drive and can even set up Time Machine in just a few clicks. The packaging blurb states speeds of 480MBit/S which seems a little high, we managed an average of 84MB/s which is still very good for an external hard disk with no additional power supply, this figure would be even higher over USB 3.0.

Living with the device at home and on the move is a breeze, its light, small, quiet and omits less heat than other hard drives we have tested. Literally throw it in your bag and away you go. Alternatively you could even use it as a standalone Time Machine Drive on an iMac as it certainly looks the part.

If you do get stuck Freecom provides unlimited help desk support, we didn’t require this but its great to know you can speak to someone if needs be. At the time of writing the Freecom mobile drive mg was retailing at £59.99 to £75 for the 320GB version we tested. So not the cheapest around but certainly one of the best looking around.

Verdict

A great performer with some useful built in features packaged in a small, attractive case.

Freecom Mobile Drive Mg Review is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

What this involves is a 3D transmitter and receiver, each containing 4 HDMI inputs, an HDMI and USB output and a VGA and USB input. This means that up to 6 different home theatre machines can be connected and tucked away out of sight. USB keyboard and mouse input add to your connectivity and remote control options.

The keyboard will also let you check out your saved music, photos and videos with absolutely no hassle, as well as managing your online content for work or for your social media activity.

What this package gives you is something which will stream 1080p 60Hz High Definition video, 5.1 audio and 3D content through a Wi-Fi connection up to a distance of 100 feet. The company spokesmen claim that there will be little or no problems with latency or wireless interference.

So why would you want this wireless streamer? It has really been designed for people who love to use their home cinema but who want to keep all their gadgets down to a minimum and humming away out of sight. It also gives you the exciting possibility of multi room viewing without heaving things about or spending a lot of time planning how to do it.

We can expect to see this product come out in the next couple of months, and while there is no official word on the price some CES rumours are fixing it at $500. There is no driver or software installation needed so you can get started and begin to enjoy great home movie flexibility straight away.

Obviously the price is going to be a stumbling block for some people who have already splashed out big time on the rest of their home theatre equipment. How much do you think this kind of flexibility is worth?

Iogear Home Theatre Wireless Streaming is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

This tiny and extremely light memory card comes in various sizes according to your storage needs; 4BG, 8GB and 16GB, to be exact. It also comes in very bright colours which really make it stand out from most other memory cards on the market.

Design

The Pico Mini A 4GB memory card weights in at under a couple of grams and is so small and light that the little keychain which it comes attached will come in very handy in order for you avoid losing it or seeing it blown away on a strong gust of wind. It is shock proof and water resistant, so if you can avoid losing it then it should solve your portable storage needs for some time to come

Notable Specifications

It reads at speeds up to 30MB per second and while it is principally a USB 2.0 drive it also have compatibility with 1.1 inputs.

Summary

This is a memory card which provides good storage capability with a pretty nifty speed and all the compatibility you would expect. The areas in which the Pico Mini A 4GN memory card comes into its own are size, design and price. It is surely the easiest memory card to carry about with you and quite possibly the most interestingly coloured as well. Online prices for all three capacities are excellent. This would most likely appeal to some who uses their memory card unexpectedly and often at short notice. I can imagine someone out jogging with this little storage device or perhaps tucking it discreetly into a pocket while going on a romantic dinner in which they promised that there would be no work interruptions. It could be a good “just in case something pops up” option.

The different models are available at memory card zoo with the 4gb version costing a very reasonable £9.45.

Supertalent Pico Mini Memory Card Review is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

If you think back a few years you would probably remember USB storage as a new fangled technology that was fairly expensive that provided a limited amount of storage. Thankfully those days are dead and buried and affordable mass USB storage is now readily available. The problem you have now though is that the variety of USB memory to choose from is vast, which is why you can get quality at an amazing price and sometimes a few added extras.

Yuuwaa description

The YuuWaa Go and Plus USB flash drive is a memory stick with a difference; it offers data storage, efficient backup, online space for files and a way to share your files. YuuWaa combines a password protected USB stick with online storage; this comes in a number of options. The Yuuwaa Go comes with a 4 GB memory stick with 20 GB of free storage and the plus version offers double of both. The online storage solution is free for six months and then if you like the product can be upgraded to another six months, a year or even longer (the longer you opt for the smaller the annual fee).

In the box

The Yuu Waa Go is an attractive blue and the Plus comes in aluminium colour. You get a variety of things in the box including a lanyard to secure your Yuuwaa from getting lost. You also get a start up guide and a registration card for your stick and your online storage. The first thing you will encounter when you plug in your Yuuwaa USB stick for the first time is a simple sign up form where you have to enter your preferred email address, a password and your registration number.

Yuuwaa in action

On subsequent connections a small icon will appear in your system tray.  This can be used to backup your memory stick to your online storage space, to access files on the move or to restore lost files if you lose your Yuuwaa. You can also schedule a handy backup to run at an interval of your choosing (either 1, 5, 15, 30 or 60 minutes) which means your files are safe should your computer or memory stick crashes or fails. Another nifty feature is that you can choose to share files or selected folders with approved friends or family by adding them to a simple to use contacts list. You can choose to add a personalised message before files are shared too – ideal for work, life or play.

The Yuuwaa flash drive will work on any computer running windows XP (with service pack2) onwards so long as it has a USB  2.0 port free. They have also launched a beta service for Mac’s with OS X or newer.

Summary

If you want an inexpensive way to keep your files safe both on your USB stick and backed up online then the YuuWaa is a pretty good product. It looks nice, works well and is pretty robust. Keep an eye on the lid though as this does not attach to the lanyard. The Yuuwaa go retails at £19.99 and the plus at £29.99. Both are available from pc world with free delivery.

Yuuwaa demo video

Yuuwaa USB Flash Drive Review is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

Victorinox proved that it was not joking about the security systems in place within the Knife/Drive by hiring a team of alleged computer hackers to attempt to break into the device during a promotional demonstration. The firm was offering £100,000 of its own money to the team if they could succeed. They didn’t and the reputation of the device remained intact.

According to Victorinox, the USB memory Knife relies on multiple layers of security to keep hackers out, including fingerprinting and advanced encryption. The device will also self-destruct if anyone attempts to illicitly access its storage, rendering it inoperable as the processing chip and the memory is fried.

As well as a USB memory stick, the knife has a nail file and a small pair of retractable scissors and it can be attached to a key ring to make sure that it stays with you at all times. All of the knife’s functions flip out in the standard manner and the whole thing is finished in a pleasingly see-through red.

Victorinox has released the ultimate gadget-lovers Swiss army knife in the UK with a variety of storage capacities. The 8GB drive will set you back about £50, but if you want the top of the line 32GB drive, you will need to find £180.

Swiss Army USB drive is hack-proof is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

Styled like a wallet the Western Digital My Passport external hard drive looks good, as well, and is available in a choice of black, red, blue, or white to match your mood (or, indeed, your computer room interior design).

Compatible with both PC and Mac computers, the 320GB of storage is enough to hold around 100,000 photos, 80,000 mp3 music files, 320 hours of digital video, 53 hours of DVD, of 13 hours of HD footage. Whatever your multimedia poison there’s a lot of room to fill up before you need another.

128 bit encryption ensures it’s perfectly safe to take your drive with you and it has synchronisation software so that you can make changes to its contents on any computer and then synchronise those changes with your home or office based computer.

• 320GB of storage capacity
• 2.5″ Form Factor External hard drive
• Stores up to 80,000 MP3 songs
• or up to 455 movies
• Smart and energy efficient
• PC and Mac compatible
• Backup all your important files
• 480 mbits/sec Internal Transfer Rate

Western Digital My Passport 320GB 2.5″ External Hard Drive Review is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos

Roughly one and a half inches long, they are minute and you’ll have to be careful not to lose it in the USB plug on your computer never mind in your pocket. They’re available in 2GB and 4GB models for around £5 and £8 respectively. Colour choices are pink, blue, and black

It can’t feasibly be possible to make flash drives very much smaller than this, although I know that marginally smaller devices do exist, because if they were any smaller they would be useless. If you’re into modding everything you ever put near your PC then you’re pretty much guaranteed to be able to slip this into any object and make your very own unique USB flash drive.

With up to 4GB of storage and surprisingly good prices, though, they do represent excellent value even without making them into a fish finger styled USB drive. They’re also a great way for Kingston to make money as people will undoubtedly need replacements regularly.

Kingston DataTraveler Mini Slim Flash Drive is a post from: Gadgets and gizmos