Last month Verbatim announced their latest gadgets in portable disk storage the Verbatim Mobile Hard Drive range (320GB and 500GB). I’ve been playing around with it for the last couple of days and I really wish I could keep it for myself – I like its stylish black finish, ease-of-setup and of course portability. Check out it’s size compared to my iPhone 3GS above.

The Turbo USB technology that comes packaged with the Verbatim Mobile Hard Drive is very handy especially when transferring large amounts of data. You’ll notice around a 25% increase compared to normal USB 2.0 transfer speeds which is mainly attributed to Quality Of Service that the software executes on the connection.

Verbatim Mobile Hard Drive 320GB Giveaway Details

* COMPETITION NOW CLOSED. JUDGES WILL CONFIRM WINNER THIS WEEK *

Yes, as promised in the title of this blog post, we’re giving away ONE Verbatim Mobile Hard Drive 320GB to one of our beloved readers. All you have to do is comment below on what you like best about the Verbatim Mobile Hard Drive 320GB and how it would improve your work life. This giveaway is open to all readers across the world (because it’s cheap to ship). We’ll select the best comment and winner at the end of this month (February 2010). Go for it!

Verbatim Mobile Hard Drive (320GB) Press Release
Melbourne, 22 January 2010 – Verbatim are adding to their
Portable Hard Drive line-up with the launch of the Mobile Hard
Drive, a portable 2.5″ Hard Drive in a stylish piano black
casing. The new hard drives are available in 320GB and 500GB
capacities and are Verbatim’s most compact and lightweight 2.5″
drives yet.

External Power: USB Port
Interface: One USB Mini-B port
Data Transfer Rate: USB 2.0: 480 Mbit/s (max)
Software: Turbo Speed 2.0 (Windows only)
System Requirements: USB Port, Windows 2000, XP, Vista or
Windows7, PowerPC G5 or Intel Mac,
Pre-Formatted HDD: FAT 32
Unit Dimensions: 11.5 x 7.6 x 1.2cm
Unit Weight: 140g
Warranty: 2-Year Limited Warranty
Package Includes: Hard Drive, USB 2.0 cable
Capacities: 320GB & 500GB
Part Numbers: 320GB – 62872, 500GB – 62873

The Verbatim Mobile Hard Drive features USB Turbo Speed improving
transfer speeds by up to 25% via the USB 2.0 interface. Palm
sized and lightweight, the Mobile Hard Drive is easy to carry
with you weighing only 140grams and with an ultra compact size of
only 11.5 x 7.6 x 1.2cm making it remarkably smaller than other
2.5″ drives on offer. The Verbatim Mobile Hard Drive is USB 2.0
bus powered (1x USB 2.0 interface) and requires no external power
for operation, simply plug’n'play.

USB turbo software
The increase in data transfer speeds of up to 25%* via “Turbo
USB” is realised by a special filter driver. TurboUSB creates a
QOS (Quality of Service) to let USB devices work more
efficiently. USB protocol is changed from single task to multi
task. Data packet size is increased which reduces the USB
overhead. Therefore, equipped with TurboUSB the Verbatim Mobile
Hard Drive can save more time by shortening the data transfer
time.

The Mobile Hard Drive is compatible with the Windows 7, Vista and
XP operating systems. A reassuring LED light on the front of the
drive is illuminated when data is being transferred.

*Actual performance may vary and will depend upon the hardware /
software specifications / settings of the device in which the
item is used.

Pricing and Availability
The Verbatim Mobile Hard Drive is available now with a
recommended retail price of $119.00 for 320GB and $159.95 for
500GB.

About Verbatim
Since 1969, Verbatim has been shaping the development of data
storage technology – from Floppy Disks and Magneto-Optical
storage media, CD and DVD formats to the latest High Definition
media Blu-ray. Moreover, Verbatim offers high quality products in
the field of Portable USB Drives, Flash Memory Cards, SSD and
External Hard Drives as well as a broad variety of computer
Accessories. Verbatim is a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Chemical
Group and benefits from the outstanding research and development
department. With these innovations Verbatim has played a key role
in shaping the storage media market. Ultra-strict quality
controls during the manufacturing process ensure the high quality
of Verbatim’s products, which have been the winners of numerous
international comparative tests. The company is the worldwide
leader for Optical Media.

Verbatim Mobile Hard Drive Product Page

Not only does the  Iomega Prestige Desktop 1TB Hard Drive USB 2.0 provide a simple and affordable solution for all your storage needs, it also makes a swish gadget addition to one’s desktop.

Ideal for adding capacity to your system, this stylish drive offers a sturdy aluminum construction and included stand. Available in 500GB, 1TB and 1.5TB capacities, the Iomega Prestige Desktop 1TB Hard Drive is the easiest way to save photos, music, videos and more, plus the Prestige Desktop Hard Drive is powered by an Energy Star® qualified adapter for a better environment! EMC® Retrospect HD (PC) software license is included for easy file backup (software via download).

continue reading "Iomega Prestige Desktop 1TB Hard Drive USB 2.0 : Desktop eye candy"

Toshiba have added a 500GB version to their line of 2.5″ portable USB 2.0 External drives. That’s a lot of data storage in a small space!

Colors now available in Frost White, Electric Blue, Hot Rod Red and Carbon Grey.

Toshiba Portable USB External Hard Drive Description
Hassle-free, simple and easy, Toshiba’s external hard drives are the solution to your backup needs. The included NTI Shadow backup software eliminates the need to push a button or click an icon to activate a backup. Plug in the drive, load the software and you’ll have peace of mind in knowing that all of your important digital photos, music, movies and documents are backed up, protected and portable. The software runs in the background capturing updates to files and automatically saving them to the external drive.

Compatible with both Macs and PCs, it’s USB powered and ready to go wherever you need your data.

continue reading "Toshiba 500GB Portable USB External Hard Drive – Tiny but huge"

For anyone looking for a portable hard drive or an add-on storage for your computers, here’s an option: the Maxtor Basics Portable Hard Drive. It’s a 2.5-inch HDD encased in a shell for shock protection with a USB 2.0 connection. With a storage capacity of 160GB (5400 RPM), this thing works with both Macs and PCs and can deliver up to 480 Mb/sec data transfer rate. Weighing a mere 0.22kg, you can carry it anywhere with you from home work or school and vice versa without having to worry about its integrity (as long as you don’t drop it, that is).

You can grab the Maxtor Basics 2.5″ 160GB Ext Portable USB2 here at Mr. Gadget Australia

The reason why Buffalo’s new external hard drive is named Shinobi (Japanese for “ninja”) is probably because with its near-miniscule size, it can hide from you like a ninja. The Buffalo MiniStation Shinobi is an external 1.8-inch hard disk drive that prides itself in being small AND thin.

continue reading "Buffalo MiniStation Shinobi Can Disappear Like a Ninja"