SanDisk turns your SD card into notebook backup

It's ironic how people start thinking about data backup only when their PC crashes, together with all the important files on it. If you are one of those backup laggards, here's something that can significantly lessen the pain the next time your notebook starts acting up and, worse, heads for that great computer junkyard in the sky.

The SanDisk FlashBack Adapter, unveiled recently at the CeBIT tradeshow in Hannover, Germany, is an ExpressCard backup solution for notebooks that automatically stores and encrypts critical data from the computer's hard drive onto SD/SDHC cards (sold separately). This backup process is continuously running in the background while the laptop is in use, so there's no need for additional user intervention once the folders/files/file types have been specified.

In the event of computer failure, the SD card can be inserted into the card reader of any PC running Windows 2000, XP or Vista, and the encrypted data can then be extracted when the user logs into the software application.
Read more »

Samsung: HDD and SSD will continue to coexist

Samsung will immediately begin shipping two new high-capacity hard drives Tuesday, but it also is betting heavily on solid-state drives.

The company gave details regarding its storage business at a press event here, and also gave a good indication of how it sees its fortunes unfolding over the next few years. Samsung shipped 13,052,200 hard drives in the fourth quarter of 2007, which puts it in fourth place behind industry leader Seagate, which shipped 49,595,000 last quarter, according to IDC.

The first new drive is a 2.5-inch, 500GB--or half a terabyte--harddisk drive (HDD) for notebook PCs. That is achieved with three separate platters, or discs where information is stored, that fit 167GB each. It has what has become regarded as a mainstream spin speed of 5,400 revolutions per minute. Fujitsu announced its own 500GB drive last week, but it has a slower spin speed of 4,200rpm.
Read more »

X-mini Max: Capsule speaker goes stereo

Generation two of the popular X-mini Capsule Speaker has an official name. Singapore-based company XMI informed us that it will be branded the X-mini Max when it rolls out this month. "Minimum size, maximum sound," is how its international business development manager Jerry Lam explains this latest iteration.

For those who've been anticipating the stereo edition for close to a year, the X-mini Max will be retailing for S$69 (US$48); not a princely sum when one considers the overall package--portability, stereo, and a bombastic bass for its size. But considering that the 1GB iPod shuffle now retails for just S$78, the X-mini Max may just be a mite above most people's price threshold. Alternatively, you can wait out a price drop if you have your eye on this device.
Read more »

Jobs hid cancer diagnosis for nine months

If the CEO is sick, do the shareholders have a right to know?

That's the question raised, but not exactly answered, by a Fortune profile of Apple CEO Steve Jobs released Tuesday, the day of Apple's annual shareholder meeting. The story reveals that after learning he had a rare form of pancreatic cancer in October 2003, Jobs kept his diagnosis secret for nine months--outside a small group of confidantes--while he attempted to seek alternative methods of treatment for a tumor.

Fortune says Jobs and Apple's inner circle debated whether they had to reveal news of his diagnosis to shareholders, but decided they were not obligated to do so after consulting with outside lawyers. Jobs eventually decided to undergo surgery to remove the tumor, and Apple released an email from Jobs to employees announcing he had received treatment the next day, August 1, 2004.

Did Jobs and Apple mislead shareholders by failing to disclose his diagnosis for so long? There's no hard-and-fast rule for this situation--some companies decide to disclose an executive's illness as soon as they learn of it; others decide to wait so long as the executive remains in day-to-day control of the company. Still, two corporate governance experts interviewed for the article say Apple should have disclosed Jobs was about to undergo surgery: "How would the shareholders have felt if they said he died on the operating table?" wondered Ralph Whitworth, a former director of Waste Management who was chairman of the board when its CEO was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
Read more »

Sony demos 5x boost in hard drive storage

Imagine a 2.5-inch notebook hard drive that can store up to 2.5TB of data. Well, according to Sony, this is actually possible with its new hybrid hard drive technology. Using a combination of magnetic and optical techologies (rather than the current magnetic data recording), the Japanese electronics giant claims the storage density can be significantly increased. (1TB = 1,000GB)

Sony estimates that 125GB of data can be stored on one square inch. This means the recently launched 500GB 2.5-inch hard drives can theoretically store as much as 2.5TB using Sony's new technology. Just think of the exponential space increase you'll be getting out of your 3.5-inch hard drives.

Unfortunately, Sony has not released any plans on when it will introduce the new technology commercially, so we are not expecting to see the new capacity-enhanced hard drives anytime soon.

Crave is...

The name says it all. Crave is our blog about cool gadgets and other crushworthy stuff.

Drop us an email if you have tips or suggestions.

Crave for...

» Mobile Phones (2242)

» Digital Cameras (988)

» Notebooks (1242)

» PC & Peripherals (1312)

» Handhelds (585)

» Printers (83)

» Home AV (1147)

» Music & Play (897)

» Gadgets (1488)

» Future Tech (396)

» Green Tech (172)

» Lifestyle (158)

» Luxury (22)

» Home Appliances (58)

» Cars (99)

» Games and Gear (248)

» Software (96)

» Web (119)

Previously...

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

Hot Topics

Subscribe to
Crave

What's Hot

apple apple inc. apple iphone apple ipod asia battery camera game google inc. iphone microsoft corp. microsoft windows mobile phone photograph singapore smart phone software sony corp. video

Today on CNET |  Reviews |  Crave |  Blogs |  CNET TV |  Digital Living |  Downloads