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Seagate: Momentus XT hybrid SSD-HDD drive is 70% faster
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: PC / Laptop, Storage,
Seagate began shipping its next-generation hybrid drive on Tuesday, the Momentus XT, which Seagate claims is three times faster than a "traditional" hard disk.
The drive, which combines solid-state storage with a traditional rotating hard disk, holds 750GB of data and caches 8GB of data on the built-in SSD. It builds on the original Momentus XT, which was awarded with an Editors' Choice, adding the 6 Gbps SATA interface that was one of the original's weak points.
Seagate claimed that the new Momentus XT drive is nearly 70 percent faster than the prior Momentus drive version. It uses adaptive memory—moving frequently used data to the SSD cache—and a related technology that Seagate calls FAST Factor.
Consumers can buy the 2.5-inch drive for $102 at Amazon, Canada Computers, CDW, Memory Express, NCIX, Newegg, and TigerDirect, or buy an OEM notebook with a built-in drive. Seagate said it had six OEM partners, but didn't name them. It's also difficult to say whether the drive's availability and price will be affected by the Thai floods, which has caused evidence of price gouging, even as Seagate's outlook has slightly improved.
Click to continue reading Seagate: Momentus XT hybrid SSD-HDD drive is 70% faster
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Google Music brings MP3 store, free cloud storage for your tracks
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Google, Music, Storage,
Google on Wednesday officially unveiled its music product, dubbed Google Music, which will let users store songs in the cloud for free and buy tracks directly from the Android Market.
Google's Jamie Rosenberg, director of digital content for Android, said Google Music is an expansion of Google Music Beta, introduced earlier this year, making it a "full end-to-end service."
"It's about the cloud, about the Web and about mobile," he said.
Google Music, accessible via music.google.com, is open to everyone in the U.S. now on the Web and will roll out to mobile users in the coming days. Users can store and stream up to 20,000 songs in the Google cloud for free, and add any selections they don't have by buying them from the Google Music store.
Google Music will allow users to share songs with friends, who will be able to play that song in its entirety once.
Google said it has sealed deals with more than 1,000 music labels, including Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and EMI, as well as indie labels, like those from Merlin. In all, Google promised access to 13 million tracks, 8 million of which are available now.
Click to continue reading Google Music brings MP3 store, free cloud storage for your tracks
Carbonite 5.0 brings new backup plans, introduces local backups
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, PC / Laptop, Storage,
Online backup provider Carbonite today announced the release of version 5.0 of its eponymous software, along with two new premium-level plans.
The new plans are HomePlus, which will run $99 per year, and HomePremier for $149. Both add local backup capability, for faster, full-system restoring from external drives connected to your PC. On top of that, the HomePremier edition adds a Courier service, which means Carbonite will ship a recovery disk in case of data loss. Carbonite continues to sell the Home version for $59 a year for one computer with unlimited storage.
Two brands get most of the mindshare when it comes to online backup: Mozy and Carbonite. For a long time, these were also the two major providers of "unlimited" storage backup, meaning no matter how much data your PC held, it would be stored and protected on the service's remote servers. Since Mozy discontinued its unlimited storage plan, Carbonite is the biggest name in this game, though there are other unlimited plays, such as the newer Backblaze.
Click to continue reading Carbonite 5.0 brings new backup plans, introduces local backups
320 GB Xbox 360 hard drive now available for pre-order
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Hardware, Microsoft, Xbox 360,
If you've got one of the newer Xbox 360 S consoles and are starting to feel the squeeze of having a lack of hard drive space, perk up! Microsoft is getting ready to release a 320 GB hard drive for the console, a 70 GB improvement over the 250 GB drive that ships with the console. You can pre-order the new drive from Amazon now for $126.
Bitcasa promises infinite file storage for cheap
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Internet, Storage, Videos,
We've been intrigued by a Bitcasa since we learned about the service a little over a week ago. The promise of the company is that they offer "infinite storate on your desktop" - a one-stop shop for storing all of your data, regardless of how much data you have. We've heard similar claims in the past from other companies, but they quickly renegged and changed terms to a tiered model. We're used to hearing terms like "unlimited" thrown around by wireless carriers, but even they will start throttling your data (or shutting it off) if you use too much of your unlimited allotment. That's actually why Bitcasa uses the term "infinite" instead of "unlimited" - they really want you to know that they mean what they say. The company was founded by a crew from companies like Mastercard, VeriSign, and Mozy, so it's easy to imagine that things like security and data protection would be taken seriously.
We can't vouch for the service just yet, but we will be getting access soon and will report back with our thoughts. In the meantime, check out the video above, and register for the Bitcasa beta yourself if you want to give the service a try.
Read More 
| Bitcasa
Top 10 Tech Deals of the Day
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, Displays, Hot Deals, PC / Laptop, Portable Audio / Video, Storage, Video Games,
We've got your latest list of items that fall under the best tech Deals of the Day for you, separated out into laptops, desktops, monitors, gaming, and home entertainment. The laptop deals are right here, but be sure to click through to get a look at all the rest of what we determined to be today's top 10 deals in tech, including that Dell UltraSharp monitor up there!
Laptops
- 17.3" HP Pavilion dv7t Quad Edition Core i7-2630QM 2GHz Quad-core Laptop w/8GB RAM, 750GB HDD & Blu-ray for $840 with free shipping (normally $1,049 - use coupon code NBCR9933)
- 15.6" HP Pavilion dv6t Select Edition Core i5-2410M 2.3GHz Dual-core Laptop w/8GB RAM, 640GB HDD for $625 with free shipping (normally $850 - use coupon code NBCT8588)
Don’t forget, if you’re looking for other deals, be sure to check out our Newegg Promo Code thread. Oh, and if you're on Twitter, be sure to follow @TechPromos for the latest deals, or you can Like TechPromos on Facebook.
Click to continue reading Top 10 Tech Deals of the Day
Pogoplug Mobile lets you create your own cloud storage solution
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, PC / Laptop, Storage,
Cloud Engines on Thursday announced Pogoplug Mobile, the first mobile-focused hardware product.
Pogoplug Mobile is a small, black box onto which you can attach a USB drive or SD memory card. Once you do, you can see all the files and media stored on the devices and access them remotely or share them by activating an account at my.pogoplug.com.
Users can stream unlimited amounts of multimedia files—including photos, music, and videos—from their home network to their iPhones and Android-based smartphones, as well as the iPad. Apple iOS users receive the benefit of instant streaming of media libraries. For Android users, Pogoplug Mobile provides a unified streaming and sharing service and enables automatic backup of all multimedia files and other content. Cloud Engines said this was a "kind of iCloud for Android users, but in your home."
Click to continue reading Pogoplug Mobile lets you create your own cloud storage solution
Seagate announces GoFlex Turbo external drive
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, USB, Peripherals, Storage,
Seagate on Monday announced the availability of the new GoFlex Turbo hard drive, with a speedy 7200 rpm drive speed as well as SafteyNet data recovery.
The GoFlex Turbo gets its speedy moniker by first using a 7,200 rpm hard drive mechanism, faster than the usual 5,400 rpm mechanisms found in portable hard drives. It extends the speed with an included USB 3.0 interface, which is also compatible with older USB 2.0 ports (at a slower speed). Last, but not least, the drive has "Turbo" lettering on the side of the hard drive's case, which of course lets you know that this drive is the fast one.
Click to continue reading Seagate announces GoFlex Turbo external drive
Apple iCloud storage upgrade pricing revealed
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Internet, Storage,
Apple offers 5 GB of storage for free with any iCloud account, which they say should be fine for most users. However, if you've got more storage needs than that paltry 5 GB can handle, Apple has a few extra options on the table:
- 10 GB for $20 per year
- 20 GB for $40 per year
- 100 GB for $100 per year
Do note that these are in addition to your free 5GB of storage. In other words, if you opt to pay for 10 GB a year, you will actually have 15 GB total--the 10 GB that you are paying for, plus the original 5 GB that's included. If you're a developer with an iCloud account, you can purchase your additional space starting now.
SanDisk Ultra SSD now available, ready to replace your aging hard drive
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: PC / Laptop, Storage,
When SSD drives first hit the scene, they were obscenely expensive, making just about everyone wait for prices to come down. Now, it seems, we are at a point where SSD manufacturers are hoping to convince you that a simple swap of the old HDD for a new SSD will be a much better financial decision than replacing the entire computer, and in many situations, we think that's a valid argument. SanDisk is one such company, and its new Ultra SSD is now shipping to retailers. You get 280 MB per second read speeds and 270 MB per second write speeds, and the drives are available in three size capacities. You can grab a 60 GB model for $129, a 120 GB version for $219, and lastly, you can score a full 240 GB for $449. You can grab e'm now over at Newegg.
Read More | SanDisk Ultra SSD
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