A
Ablang
Versatile Hard Drives
New tiny storage devices, MP3 players, and replacement drives for
laptops are now available.
Agam Shah, IDG News Service
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
SAN FRANCISCO -- The unfettered rise of flash storage hasn't prevented
the hard drive from remaining a mainstay in many devices. Providing
ultimate portability is Edge Tech's DiskGo 1" Mini Portable Hard
Drive, a 1.9-by-1.9-by-0.6-inch portable hard drive that fits in the
palm of your hand. Meanwhile, Archos's new 104, an entry-level MP3
player, ships with a 4GB hard drive; it's the company's smallest
portable media player yet.
Hard drives are a commonly upgraded, and this task is made easier--at
least for laptops--by Apricorn's EZ Upgrade Serial ATA, a kit that
lets you effortlessly transfer data from one Serial ATA notebook hard
drive to another. And look for D&M Holdings' ReplayTV PC Edition
software, which transforms a PC into a DVR (digital video recorder).
Archos's Smallest MP3 Player
Archos recently canned its popular Gmini XS 100 portable music player,
replacing it with the smaller, sleeker Archos 104 MP3 player. It has a
4GB hard drive, matching the maximum storage capacity of Apple
Computer's popular iPod Nano. The Archos 104 weighs 2.8 ounces and
measures 3.6 by 1.7 by 0.5 inches, making it the company's smallest
MP3 player yet. It plays MP3, WMA (Windows Media Audio), and WAV
files.
The Archos 104 sports a 1.5-inch OLED (organic light-emitting diode)
color screen that also displays JPEG2 image files. A lithium-ion
battery runs the device for 14 hours, after which you can recharge it
from a PC via a USB 2.0 port. A wall charger is available separately,
in silver, black, or pink.
The $159 music player targets entry-level users who don't want to
invest in an expensive MP3 player, according to Archos spokesperson
Jen Roberts. It began shipping July 1 and is available through
Archos's distributors.
Honey, I Shrunk the Disk
Edge Tech's DiskGo 1" Mini Portable Hard Drive is so small that you
could turn it on its side and hide it under a Post-it Note. A USB port
pops out of the box to connect it to a PC, and minimal wires make it
convenient to carry. Launched in June, DiskGo comes in capacities of
4GB to 8GB, at prices between $100 and $150. Even the 8GB model seems
a bit cramped for today's storage needs, but you can't expect such a
tiny device to offer Mammoth Cave capacity.
The Magical Drive Upgrade
Upgrading and transferring data from a notebook's internal hard drive
to a second drive is child's play with Apricorn's EZ Upgrade SATA, a
Serial ATA hard-drive upgrade kit. The kit ships with all the tools
you need to successfully install a notebook hard drive: a USB 2.0
enclosure, a USB cable, a PS/2 auxiliary power cable for backup power,
and proprietary upgrade and recovery software.
The kit lets you upgrade a notebook hard drive in three steps,
according to Apricorn spokesperson Jennifer Olson. First, slide the
new hard drive into an EZ Upgrade enclosure, and connect the cable to
the notebook's USB port (which accommodates the old hard drive). Then
boot the machine with Apricorn's EZ Gig II Upgrade and Disaster
Recovery Software, which begins the drive-cloning process. Finally,
remove the old drive from the notebook and replace it with the new,
cloned drive. Voila--the fresh drive is installed and ready to work.
Afterward you can use the old drive as a backup device.
The kit shipped in June and is available for the reasonable price of
$49. It works only with Windows 2000 and Windows XP systems.
ReplayTV's Redefinition
After going underground for a while, ReplayTV is back, this time as a
digital video recorder for PCs. D&M Holdings, maker of ReplayTV, now
offers ReplayTV PC Edition--DVR PC software that seemingly offers
better channel navigation and program search capabilities than its
set-top box. With certain Hauppauge Digital WinTV PVR TV tuner cards,
the software turns a PC into a DVR.
The PC Edition's biggest draw seems to be its program search tools.
Features like "Surprise Me" and "Find More" automatically record or
discover programs based on a specific actor, director, or genre. The
software displays programs in groups, making it easier to find and
select programs for recording. Another cool feature is "Useful
Searches," which digs out series premieres or finales to record.
Channels can be listed in the order you prefer.
Multiple PCs on a network with the software can share programs, the
company says.
ReplayTV PC Edition works in conjunction with only two models of
Hauppauge tuner cards: WinTV-PVR-150 (model 1045) and WinTV-PVR USB2
(model 941). Some future Hauppauge cards will bundle the software, the
company says. In addition, ReplayTV will be available as a download
for $100 starting in September, which includes the cost of the
electronic program guide. Thereafter, users will pay $20 a year,
according to the company.
Logitech's Saving the Power
Logitech has added the power-saving V450 Laser Cordless Mouse for
Notebooks to its line of portable mice. Users won't have to worry
about changing batteries often, as the company estimates that two AA
batteries will operate the mouse for a year. A USB receiver fits into
the mouse's storage slot and powers it down. The V450's rubber grip
makes it easy to hold, says Kate Brinks, a Logitech spokeswoman. The
$50 mouse is available in the United States and Europe.
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,126442,tk,nl_dnxnws,00.asp
==
"You have enemies? Good! That means you've stood up for something in your life."
-- Winston Churchill
_________________________________________
Usenet Zone Free Binaries Usenet Server
More than 140,000 groups
Unlimited download
http://www.usenetzone.com to open account
New tiny storage devices, MP3 players, and replacement drives for
laptops are now available.
Agam Shah, IDG News Service
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
SAN FRANCISCO -- The unfettered rise of flash storage hasn't prevented
the hard drive from remaining a mainstay in many devices. Providing
ultimate portability is Edge Tech's DiskGo 1" Mini Portable Hard
Drive, a 1.9-by-1.9-by-0.6-inch portable hard drive that fits in the
palm of your hand. Meanwhile, Archos's new 104, an entry-level MP3
player, ships with a 4GB hard drive; it's the company's smallest
portable media player yet.
Hard drives are a commonly upgraded, and this task is made easier--at
least for laptops--by Apricorn's EZ Upgrade Serial ATA, a kit that
lets you effortlessly transfer data from one Serial ATA notebook hard
drive to another. And look for D&M Holdings' ReplayTV PC Edition
software, which transforms a PC into a DVR (digital video recorder).
Archos's Smallest MP3 Player
Archos recently canned its popular Gmini XS 100 portable music player,
replacing it with the smaller, sleeker Archos 104 MP3 player. It has a
4GB hard drive, matching the maximum storage capacity of Apple
Computer's popular iPod Nano. The Archos 104 weighs 2.8 ounces and
measures 3.6 by 1.7 by 0.5 inches, making it the company's smallest
MP3 player yet. It plays MP3, WMA (Windows Media Audio), and WAV
files.
The Archos 104 sports a 1.5-inch OLED (organic light-emitting diode)
color screen that also displays JPEG2 image files. A lithium-ion
battery runs the device for 14 hours, after which you can recharge it
from a PC via a USB 2.0 port. A wall charger is available separately,
in silver, black, or pink.
The $159 music player targets entry-level users who don't want to
invest in an expensive MP3 player, according to Archos spokesperson
Jen Roberts. It began shipping July 1 and is available through
Archos's distributors.
Honey, I Shrunk the Disk
Edge Tech's DiskGo 1" Mini Portable Hard Drive is so small that you
could turn it on its side and hide it under a Post-it Note. A USB port
pops out of the box to connect it to a PC, and minimal wires make it
convenient to carry. Launched in June, DiskGo comes in capacities of
4GB to 8GB, at prices between $100 and $150. Even the 8GB model seems
a bit cramped for today's storage needs, but you can't expect such a
tiny device to offer Mammoth Cave capacity.
The Magical Drive Upgrade
Upgrading and transferring data from a notebook's internal hard drive
to a second drive is child's play with Apricorn's EZ Upgrade SATA, a
Serial ATA hard-drive upgrade kit. The kit ships with all the tools
you need to successfully install a notebook hard drive: a USB 2.0
enclosure, a USB cable, a PS/2 auxiliary power cable for backup power,
and proprietary upgrade and recovery software.
The kit lets you upgrade a notebook hard drive in three steps,
according to Apricorn spokesperson Jennifer Olson. First, slide the
new hard drive into an EZ Upgrade enclosure, and connect the cable to
the notebook's USB port (which accommodates the old hard drive). Then
boot the machine with Apricorn's EZ Gig II Upgrade and Disaster
Recovery Software, which begins the drive-cloning process. Finally,
remove the old drive from the notebook and replace it with the new,
cloned drive. Voila--the fresh drive is installed and ready to work.
Afterward you can use the old drive as a backup device.
The kit shipped in June and is available for the reasonable price of
$49. It works only with Windows 2000 and Windows XP systems.
ReplayTV's Redefinition
After going underground for a while, ReplayTV is back, this time as a
digital video recorder for PCs. D&M Holdings, maker of ReplayTV, now
offers ReplayTV PC Edition--DVR PC software that seemingly offers
better channel navigation and program search capabilities than its
set-top box. With certain Hauppauge Digital WinTV PVR TV tuner cards,
the software turns a PC into a DVR.
The PC Edition's biggest draw seems to be its program search tools.
Features like "Surprise Me" and "Find More" automatically record or
discover programs based on a specific actor, director, or genre. The
software displays programs in groups, making it easier to find and
select programs for recording. Another cool feature is "Useful
Searches," which digs out series premieres or finales to record.
Channels can be listed in the order you prefer.
Multiple PCs on a network with the software can share programs, the
company says.
ReplayTV PC Edition works in conjunction with only two models of
Hauppauge tuner cards: WinTV-PVR-150 (model 1045) and WinTV-PVR USB2
(model 941). Some future Hauppauge cards will bundle the software, the
company says. In addition, ReplayTV will be available as a download
for $100 starting in September, which includes the cost of the
electronic program guide. Thereafter, users will pay $20 a year,
according to the company.
Logitech's Saving the Power
Logitech has added the power-saving V450 Laser Cordless Mouse for
Notebooks to its line of portable mice. Users won't have to worry
about changing batteries often, as the company estimates that two AA
batteries will operate the mouse for a year. A USB receiver fits into
the mouse's storage slot and powers it down. The V450's rubber grip
makes it easy to hold, says Kate Brinks, a Logitech spokeswoman. The
$50 mouse is available in the United States and Europe.
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,126442,tk,nl_dnxnws,00.asp
==
"You have enemies? Good! That means you've stood up for something in your life."
-- Winston Churchill
_________________________________________
Usenet Zone Free Binaries Usenet Server
More than 140,000 groups
Unlimited download
http://www.usenetzone.com to open account