Friday, September 19, 2008
Portable USB Hard Drive for MacBook Air
Because of the fact that the MacBook Air has only 80GB P-ATA 4,200rpm hard disk drive storage capacity, with optional 64GB Solid State Drive, Iomega comes with a great solution for the world’s thinnest laptop, in a ultra-thin and ultra-light form factor measuring just 0.63 inches thick at 7 ounces. It is called the Iomega eGo Helium and is a portable hard drive matching Apple’s MacBook Air from all points of view, starting with the design and ending with its functionality.
In it you can store all your media and carry it with you wherever you go, while to use it you have to connect the external hard drive to the laptop’s USB port.
The 2.5-inch Iomega eGo Helium has 320GB space and comes with the Mozy online backup service starting October.
The company is known for its data protection and security solutions, and by adding this new product to its line it delivers both a portable storage solution and the online possibility via the Mozy service, which allows you to securely store your media online, like 850,000 users and 23,000 business customers do it currently.
The portable device is an anodized aluminum shell looking stylish and elegant, but with string elements for protecting the data. These include Drop Guard formatted with Apple's HFS+ file system and meant to keep the information safe even in case of drops of up to 51 inches height. It powers via your laptop’s USB port and can store up to 1,280,000 photos, 5,920 hours of music, or 480 hours of video.
Iomega delivers the eGo Helium with 2 Mac OS X backup software applications - EMC Retrospect Express for Macintosh 6.1 software and MozyHome online backup software with 2GB free storage or unlimited online storage for $4.95/month.
"Iomega's eGo portable hard drives have garnered tremendous attention
in the beige world of external storage by offering consumers a choice of several different vibrant colors as well as a camouflage print and genuine leather," said Peter Wharton, vice president of marketing, Iomega Corporation. "The eGo Helium extends that strong commitment to delivering style with substance. What makes eGo Helium such an effective piece of industrial design is the way it dresses up a highly functional 320GB hard drive device into a durable and sleek package with plenty of storage
capability, making it an easy-to-use 'eye-catcher' that's small enough to go anywhere."
The portable hard drive comes at a retail price of $149.99
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Review: Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave Pro
Conclusion
Once again, all of Logitech's promises have lived up to the marketing hype with their latest Wave keyboard and mouse. As I said previously, two of our editorial staff members (including yours truly) have been using Logitech Wave keyboards since last year and I'm a big believer in this ergonomic design. While the keyboard itself hasn't really changed in the last year, everything works as it should. The new MX 1100 cordless laser mouse is the main reason the new Cordless Desktop Wave Pro is so appealing over last year's model. Again, the new mouse is exceptional and nearly perfect ... as long as you're willing to install SetPoint and you aren't a southpaw.
Overall, I doubt there's a more comfortable cordless keyboard and mouse set on the market. However, for the full MSRP of $129, this wireless bundle might give you sticker shock since it costs $50 more than last year's Wave keyboard and mouse set.
Pros:
- Ergonomic keyboard design is etremely comfortable and easy to use
- Great mouse (for right-handed users)
- Fantastic advertised battery life
Cons:
- "Stealth" thumb button completely useless without installing bloated SetPoint software
- USB receiver is a little large, but not too bad
- Palm rest shows wear almost instantly
- More expensive than last year's model
Pricing and availability
The Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave Pro keyboard and mouse set will be available soon in retail stores everywhere and has an MSRP of $129. Visit the Logitech website for more information about features and availability.