06/18, 1:23pm
QNAP 6-Bay NAS cut to $752
Currently, Newegg.com has the QNAP high performance six-bay NAS server for the reduced price of $852. That's $78 off the list price of $930, and until June 30, use coupon code 'QNAPNAS030' at checkout to drop the price further to $752 with free US delivery. That's the best deal we've seen by $77. The QNAP NAS system features a 2.13GHz Intel Atom dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, six SATA ports, two eSATA ports, two USB 3.0 ports, five USB 2.0 ports and two Gigabit Ethernet ports. A one-year warranty on parts and labor is included from QNAP.
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06/17, 6:45pm
New cards support up to 32 drives with port multipliers
HighPoint, an industry leading Storage HBA and solutions manufacturer, has launched a new selection of cost-effective hardware RAID HBAs for PC and Mac platforms -- the RocketRAID 362x series. The new line of PCI-E RAID cards are ideal for large-scale configurations of 6Gb per second SATA hard drives, and were designed specifically for I/O intensive business and media applications that require data redundancy coupled with consistent transfer rates.
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06/14, 2:15pm
OS X Mavericks debates, SD card woes and more
Today in the MacNN forums, members continue to talk about, as well as debate the usefulness of, the new features in OS X Mavericks. Yesterday Senior User "And.reg" was looking for a way to sync the play position of a podcast on iTunes with their iPod.
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06/14, 2:11pm
VIZIO E-Series Razor 3D smart HDTV, only $780
Today's deal of the day from BestBuy.com is on the VIZIO E-Series Razor 55-inch LED HDTV which was $900, but has been reduced to $780, a savings of $120. That's also the lowest price we have seen on this HDTV by the same price margin. Free shipping is included, though sales tax applies for residents of most states. The VIZIO E-Series features built-in Netflix, Pandora, Facebook YouTube and Twitter along with 3D playback, LED backlighting and virtual surround sound. A one-year warranty on parts and labor is included from VIZIO.
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06/14, 1:46pm
Digital Anarchy's video editing software gets an update
Digital Anarchy released their latest updated photo re-touching software Beauty Box Video 3.0. The latest edition of the plug-in accommodates Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, and Apple Final Cut Pro 7 and X, with support for Assimilate Scratch, Sony Vegas, Nuke, and Avid currently available in beta upon request.
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06/12, 2:02am
Beta supports models up to six years old, bucking trend
Apple generally is a company that likes to look forward more than back, and in recent years this has led to an ever-shortening gap between buying a new Mac and watching it become unsupported by the newest OS release, particularly as the company has gone to a yearly refresh cycle for OS X. In something of a surprise move, however, Apple has (at least thus far) made OS X Mavericks (10.9)'s system requirements all but identical to those of Mountain Lion -- meaning Macs as old as mid-2007 may be able to run it.
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06/11, 9:01pm
Discoveries leaking as betas are seeded to developers, testers
A handful of new information nuggets are coming to light about both the OS X Mavericks and iOS 7 betas given to developers and testers beginning yesterday after the WWDC keynote. Two examples of significant changes being found in the betas includes a new networking default in OS X, accompanied by a change in iOS 7 that will someday make Wi-Fi connections in public hotspots completely automatic. More minor tweaks include the addition of LinkedIn system-wide integration, and a new "active" icon for the clock app in iOS 7.
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06/11, 8:55pm
Iomega brand restricted to entry-level consumer devices
LenovoEMC, a joint venture between industry-leaders Lenovo and EMC that includes the Iomega network storage product business, today announced the rebranding of Iomega products and programs worldwide. Effective immediately, the former Iomega-branded network storage products are available worldwide with a new logo that reflects the LenovoEMC business while continuing to utilize the Iomega mark on entry-level consumer network storage products.
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06/11, 6:30pm
Speech mentions 4K-compatible update for FCP X in progress
Apple has released a downloadable version of yesterday's WWDC keynote, headed by CEO Tim Cook and featuring many other Apple executives, as a standard-definition and HD (separate 720p and 1080p editions) podcast. The presentation, which featured a bit more humor than was recently seen following the death of former CEO Steve Jobs, also mentioned in passing a forthcoming update of Final Cut Pro X designed to work with next-gen 4K displays.
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06/10, 2:50pm
UK's Yo! Sushi uses iPad quadracopters as drone servers
Daily Mail reports that London's sushi chain, Yo! Sushi, has employed a new, unorthodox method of food service. Yo! Sushi now delivers its patrons' meals to their tables by way of iPad-controlled quadracopters, aptly named iTrays. The devices are made of light-weight carbon fibre, and fly trays of food to tables up to 50 yards away from the kitchen at up to 25 mile an hour. The chain's Soho branch in central London is trialling the high-tech service style, and if proved successful, it could be carried out to all 64 of Yo! Sushi's UK restaurants next year. The drones join the chain's other novelty tech services offered, such as conveyor belt service, and speaking robot drink carts.
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06/07, 2:24pm
discount prices on PCs, SSDs and printers
Currently at eCost.com, save 40 percent on the refurbished 17.3-inch HP Envy notebook computer in midnight black. It was $1,000, but has been reduced by $400 to $600 with free delivery. That discount makes it about $160 less than the lowest price we have seen anywhere else. This notebook features a 2.4GHz Intel quad-core i7 processor, 12GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive. A 90-day warranty on parts and labor is included from HP.
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06/05, 7:47pm
Dell, Lenovo, others using drive in new products
Storage manufacturer Seagate has launched a new line of ultra-slim 2.5-inch form factor hard disk drives. The new Seagate Laptop Ultrathin line of drives are 5.1mm thick, 3.3 ounces, and come in a maximum capacity of 500GB. Manufacturers Dell and Lenovo have confirmed that some of the Computex-revealed line of slim notebooks and ultrabooks will use this drive.
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06/03, 5:33pm
Drive thinnest 1TB drive currently available
Western Digital, today announced it is shipping the its thinnest 1TB hard drive with its new 2.5-inch WD Blue 7 mm hard drive. The drive, aimed at thin and light systems and slimmer notebooks, as well as compatibility with the industry-standard 9.5 mm drive slots of mainstream notebooks, is shipping in capacities from 320 GB to 1TB in the new 7mm height.
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05/31, 2:19pm
Mac mini with OS X Server for $935 and more
Currently, JR.com has the Mac mini with OS X Server priced at $935. That's $64 off the list price of $999, and about $5 less than the lowest price offered on this Mac anywhere else. Free shipping is included, but sales tax applies for residents of New York. The Mac mini features a 2.3GHz Intel quad-core i7 processor, 4GB of RAM and dual 1TB hard drives. A one-year warranty on parts and labor is also included from Apple.
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05/28, 6:15pm
Drive first in industry to boast dual core controller
Storage manufacturer WD today announced availability of its WD Se line of hard drives designed for scale-out datacenter deployments. Built on an enterprise-grade platform for 24x7x365 datacenter operation, WD Se is tailored to deliver performance and reliability for large-scale replicated environments, mid-sized network attached storage (NAS) deployment, and backup/archiving applications.
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05/28, 4:03pm
Pair of companies share similar devices, founders
Kickstarted provider of network attached storage devices Connected Data and similar manufacturing and design company Drobo today announced they have entered into a merger agreement. Terms of the deal were not announced, and the pair have 30 days to finalize the merger.
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05/24, 11:20am
Refurbished iPod nano, only $90
Currently WalMart.com has the refurbished 7th generation 16GB iPod nano for only $89.99 with $3.97 for shipping. That's $50 less than the MSRP, and $35 less than the lowest price we've seen on this iPod anywhere else. Sales tax applies for residents of most states. The iPod nano features 16GB of storage space, 2.5-inch Multi-Touch display, Bluetooth, built-in Nike+ support, and built-in battery that provides up to 30 hours of music playback.
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05/22, 1:54pm
Google adds voice search to home page in Chrome update
Google has updated Chrome to enable voice search, among other additions. Chrome version 27 enables conversational search through the Google homepage, providing a clickable microphone to start it off, and then switching to a larger Google Now-style mic logo. The update, spotted by Searchengineland, also provides a new API for Chrome Store developers, 14 security fixes, and a 5-percent speed boost to page loads.
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05/21, 9:32pm
New drive line available in up to 4TB, 64MB cache capacities
Seagate Technology has announced the new Seagate Video 3.5 HDD -- the industry’s first 4TB, 3.5-inch hard disk drive engineered specifically for use in video applications such as digital video recorders, set-top boxes, and surveillance systems. Purpose-built for video solutions, the Video 3.5 HDD can store up to 480 hours of high-definition (HD) content. The drive supports up to 16 simultaneous HD streams or 20 standard-definition streams as well as 24-hour operation capabilities optimizing it for video content applications.
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05/15, 10:32pm
New drives ship with Dropbox integration, hardware encryption
Western Digital today announced the availability of the My Passport Ultra line of portable hard drives, which combine additional layers of data protection with USB 3.0 connectivity, a slim design, and four color choices to offer mobile consumers a safe way to protect digital content while traveling.
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05/10, 2:23pm
Discounts on iPad mini, Lightning cables, TB drives, more
Currently, Walmart.com has the 16GB iPad mini with Wi-Fi for the rollback price of $299. That's $30 less than the MSRP and the lowest price available on this iPad brand new anywhere. In fact, it costs the same as a refurbished model from Apple's online store. The iPad mini features 16GB of storage space, Wi-Fi, an A5 chip, FaceTime camera with 1080p HD video recording, and it comes with iOS 6 pre-installed. A one-year warranty on parts and labor is included from Apple.
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05/09, 3:54pm
New model supplements dual PCI-E slot model
Sonnet today introduced a significant upgrade of its popular xMac mini Server, a Thunderbolt-to-PCI Express expansion system and 1U rackmount enclosure for a Thunderbolt-equipped Mac mini with a Thunderbolt port. The updated xMac mini Server now supports a double-width PCIe card's daughter card and includes BNC connector mounting holes on the enclosure's rear panel. In addition, the length of the xMac mini Server is now just 15.8 inches, optimizing it for a wider range of popular mobile racks, carts, and rack bags.
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05/09, 8:06am
External storage adds options without Blu-ray drive
Newer Technology has updated its MiniStack Max external storage device to include another option for optical media. The revised version of the compact four-in-one device is now available with CD and DVD read-only and writable drives, adding to the already-available Blu-ray versions customers can purchase.
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05/07, 3:25pm
Dead pixels, blown usb ports and more
Yesterday in the MacNN forums, members tried to help one concerned Fresh-Faced Recruit figure out reasons why white and black lines might show up across the screen of their iPhone 3GS. Also yesterday, one Forum Regular was having some trouble with a flickering external monitor attached to their 15-inch rMBP with a mini-display port cable, and they turned to the forums for some advice.
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05/07, 11:34am
Uses iSSD to cache data for faster transfers
Western Digital has revealed it is working with SanDisk for its 5mm (0.2-inches) thick solid state hybrid drives (SSHD) that it revealed last month. The WD Black SSHD storage, aimed at notebook manufacturers aiming to create thinner devices, uses SanDisk's flash memory technology for the solid-state portion, which works alongside the WD-created hard disk.
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05/06, 4:45pm
MaxUpgrades ships adapter for 27-inch 2012 iMac, allows use of 2.5 SATA drives
Upgrade vendor MaxUpgrades has announced the availability of the SSD SATA module for iMac 2012 models, adapting the "blade" SSD slot to a normal SATA plug. The adapter and optional mount allows 2012 iMac users to use either a dual 2.5-inch SSD configuration, or a 2.5 SSD alongside the existing hard drive. The dual-SSD kit and bracket retails for $120. The package for a single 2.5-inch drive sells for $100.
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05/02, 7:00pm
No details on changes, version now set to 2.3
On Thursday, Apple released updated printer drivers for its supported Xerox printers for users of OS X Snow Leopard (10.6), Lion (10.7) and Mountain Lion (10.8). Unusually for such a release, there is not yet a list of the specific changed or added models supported by the built-in software. All three versions of OS X support a wide and expanding list of Xerox products, including standalone, all-in-one and wireless printer models, as well as some standalone scanners.
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05/02, 10:46am
Offers alternative to Fusion Drive, larger SSDs
Apple has added 256GB and 512GB SSD options for build-to-order iMac customers at its online store. Picking 256GB adds $300 to the cost of a system, while choosing 512GB adds $600. Stock iMac configurations are priced between $1,299 and $1,999.
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04/30, 5:52pm
Two capacities available, 240 and 480GB
Other World Computing announced today the OWC Envoy Pro EX ultra-portable Solid State Drive solution. Clad in anodized aluminum to match modern Macs and PCs, the Envoy Pro EX fits easily into a coat pocket, backpack, or briefcase for rugged mobile high-performance storage or backup capacity.
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04/29, 6:30pm
Speedy OSX and Windows USB 3.0 RAID implementation tested
Apple was one of the first -- if not the first -- major computer manufacturers to provide then-fledgling USB support at the expense of legacy ports on its iMac line some 15 ago. Since then, the Mac maker hasn't always been the fastest at adding new USB protocols to machines, generally lagging six months or more behind, depending on the product line. The Mac Pro is languishing these days, awaiting a revamp -- but still has no USB 3.0 ports, despite an incremental update last summer boosting the speed of the computer somewhat. Highpoint Technologies has had strong support for the Macintosh and OS X despite only one current line of hardware having PCI-E slots. The latest offering from the company is the quad-channel Rocket-U 1144CM 4x PCI-E USB 3.0 card for the Mac Pro, and MacNN got a chance to test one out.
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04/27, 5:27pm
Android 4.3 appears to still be Jelly Bean
Google appears to be hard at work on the next update for its Android operating system, and that version would appear to be Android 4.3 Jelly Bean. Devices apparently running Android 4.3 have shown up in the server logs of tech blog Android Police recently, indicating that Google may be on the verge of releasing an update. The retention of the Jelly Bean moniker may indicate that the next update of Android will not mark a significant departure from the current versions.
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04/25, 6:20pm
Win a Kanex meDrive File Server
Cloud storage has proven to be extremely useful; however, web-based services can get to be a bit pricey if more capacity is needed. The new Kanex meDrive Filer Server provides a cost-effective way to set up a local cloud storage system in a home or office. MacNN has teamed up with Kanex to give away one of these handy little devices to our readers.
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04/24, 9:00am
Tips to stop juggling gigabytes and start using the cloud
We live in a world positively soaked in data nowadays. Fortunately, the capacity to store that data has gotten bigger in volume, smaller in physical size, and cheaper per gigabyte as time progresses. Gone are the days where you'd have to lug a Zip disk around (remember those?) or stick your iPod into disk mode. At worst, you're carrying a USB drive with you -- though really, you should be relying on the cloud for by now. The issue is figuring out just what you're going to be keeping up there.
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04/23, 9:08pm
New model supplements original with 128GB
Storage solutions manufacturer Akitio today announced the release of the company’s new 256GB one-bay, bus-powered "Neutrino" Thunderbolt storage solution. Akitio’s new larger-capacity device is a follow-up to the company’s successful 120GB SSD solution, which was previously launched in 2012.
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04/23, 3:45pm
62 percent off refurbished LaCie 1TB Little Big Disk and more
This week, eCost.com has reduced the price on the refurbished LaCie 1TB Little Big Disk external hard drive with Thunderbolt from $450 down to $170, a savings of $280. That's about $180 less than buying this hard drive brand new anywhere else. This hard drive features 1TB of storage space in a compact, lightweight form factor with Thunderbolt connectivity that can be used to play, edit and acquire multiple uncompressed A/V streams directly from the drive regardless of the resolution of the content. A limited warranty is included from LaCie.
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04/23, 10:30am
Thinner drives use single edge connector to save space
Building on from its 7mm release last year, Western Digital has started shipping its first hard drives and solid state hybrid drives (SSHD) that measure 5mm (0.2-inches) thick. The new WD Blue and WD Black 2.5-inch drives are made to allow for even thinner notebook and ultrabook designs, while still providing a sizable amount of storage for the end user.
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04/16, 1:01pm
15.4-inch MBP now $2,099
Today's deal of the day from MacMall.com is on the 15.4-inch MacBook Pro which has been reduced by $449 -- lowering the cost from $2,549 down to $2,099. This MBP features a 2.7GHz Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive along with Intel HD Graphics 4000, NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, a FaceTime Camera and OS X Mountain Lion pre-installed. A one-year warranty on parts and labor is included from Apple.
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04/16, 3:00am
Better 'HDR' photography, low-light photos, aperture
A new report from Vietnam claims that a Saigon company will be making the new camera module for the "iPhone 5S" rumored to appear sometime this summer, and that it will be much improved from the well-regarded 8MP module found in the iPhone 4S and 5. The new camera is said by the site -- which has proven itself accurate in the past -- to boost the resolution to 12 megapixels, and feature a large f/2.4 fixed aperture and backside illuminated sensor for better low-light shooting.
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04/14, 5:10pm
Android camera gets 180MB update, effect unclear
Owners of Samsung's Android-powered Galaxy Camera should be receiving a software update today if their devices run on Verizon's network. The new update, picked up by Droid Life, looks to be considerable, as it measures 180MB in size. What exactly the software update contains, though, is as yet unknown.
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04/11, 8:23am
Name change accompanied by new language options
Dropbox has rebranded its group-based offering, in order to pull in more corporate business. The change from 'Dropbox for Teams' to 'Dropbox for Business' comes at the same time as the cloud-based storage provider introduces a single sign-on feature, as well as overall support for five new languages.
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04/10, 11:25pm
Device duplicates to two USB 2.0 target volumes simultaneously
Computer connectivity specialist StarTech has announced the release of a portable USB Flash Duplicator, which enables users to simultaneously clone a single flash drive onto two individual flash drives, or erase two flash drives to US Department of Defense specification without having to connect the duplicator or the drives to a computer. In addition to just USB flash drives, the unit supports hard drives, SD, SDHC, Micro SD, MMC, Mini SD, and CF media through USB 2.0 enclosures or multimedia card readers.
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04/10, 12:00am
New Crucial drive line noted for speed, capacity, price
Memory and storage purveyor Crucial today announced the availability of the Crucial M500 series of solid state drives (SSD). Featuring terabyte-class capacity, increased response times over previous models, and an advanced feature set, the Crucial M500 2.5-inch SSD is available in 120GB, 240GB, 480GB, and 960GB capacities.
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04/09, 12:08am
Removable cartridge drive capable of RAID 0, 1 or JBOD
Storage technology provider G-Technology announced the premiere device in its Evolution series -- the G-Dock ev with Thunderbolt, coupled with the G-Drive ev and G-Drive ev Plus external hard drive modules. The G-DOCK ev with Thunderbolt is the only two-bay solution with interchangeable storage modules, allowing them to be taken into the field and used as true standalone external drives on a USB 3.0 interface.
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04/08, 8:50pm
Up to 7.68PB addressable with new device
High-performance RAID storage solution developer Promise Technology unveiled a low-cost turnkey storage area network (SAN) solution in the new VTrak A-Class. Aimed at creative professionals in the media and entertainment market, the 4U VTrak A-Class is built for the storage-intensive workflows of post-production, data asset management and archiving. Promise's new storage solution enables multiple clients running Windows, Mac OS X or Linux to access a shared SAN filesystem over Fiber Channel.
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04/08, 6:17pm
Pair of new models allow for one 16x, two 8x card installations
Sonnet today announced the Echo Express III-D desktop and Echo Express III-R rackmount Thunderbolt-to-PCI Express Expansion Chassis, the newest members of the company's Echo family of Thunderbolt expansion chassis for PCI-E cards. Featuring three PCI-E slots, a 300W power supply, and 75W auxiliary power connector, both new devices enable the use of a wide variety of high-performance PCI Express cards originally designed for use in desktop computers, now available to use with any OS X computer with a Thunderbolt port.
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04/08, 3:47pm
1,600 individual servers can fit in a standard rack
HP today unveiled the world’s first commercially-available Moonshot system, which the company claims uses up to 89 percent less energy, occupies 80 percent less space, and costs 77 percent less compared to traditional X86 servers with the same processing power. The 4.3-unit high system is tailored for "social, cloud, mobile, and big-data" uses.
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04/05, 3:19pm
$100 off Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro and more
JR.com this week has reduced the price on the Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro 11.6-inch Touchscreen Windows Tablet from $1,199.99 down to $1,099.99. The Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro features a 1.7GHz Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM and 128GB of solid state storage along with a MicroSD card slot, HDMI port, and detachable keyboard/docking station. A one year warranty is included from Samsung.
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04/05, 9:42am
Per-app storage mimics functionality found in iCloud
Google has updated its cloud-based storage service and Drive SDK to help developers protect data used in apps, similar to functions used in iCloud. The new app data folders are hidden folders within the Google Drive itself, helping to protect app-specific data from unwanted interference through malicious programs, or even the owner of the drive themselves.
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04/04, 8:18pm
New drive features same capacity, smaller footprint than previous model
Computer product designer and manufacturer Mushkin today announced the worldwide availability of its new line of 1.8-inch Chronos GO SATA 3 (6Gbps) solid-state drives (SSD), now shipping in 120GB, 240GB and 480GB capacities.
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04/03, 10:00pm
New platter technology reduces heat, energy use, cost
Seagate has announced the availability of a new 4TB 3.5-inch desktop form-factor drive for consumers. While 4TB capacities have been available previously either through striped dual-drive configurations or single-drive options, the newly named STBD4000400 "Desktop HDD.15" (formerly Barracuda) SATA 3 (6Gbps) drive is the first to use 1TB platters.
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