Click to Enlarge Kingston Technology DataTraveler BlackBox
Designed primarily for corporations and government agencies, this serious-looking USB 2.0 flash drive ensures absolute data privacy if it falls into the wrong hands. It uses the latest Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS 140-2 Level 2), which requires the device to run a self-test each time you plug it into a computer. Although no extra software is needed, the DataTraveler's "enforced complex password protection" means you need to follow strict requirements in setting yours. And you must commit that password to memory because the drive locks down and reformats itself after a specified number of failed access attempts. Nevertheless, its "on-the-fly" 256-bit hardware-based encryption/decryption operates transparently when you're moving files (at up to 24MB/second reading and 20MB/second writing) using a Windows-based PC. (Sorry, Macs aren't compatible.) Physically the BlackBox is nearly indestructible, with a titanium-coated stainless steel casing you can drive a car over and waterproofing down to four feet. From $165 (2GB) to $425 (8GB).
LG Electronics GGW-H20L Blu-ray Disc Rewriter
When we were working on last year's Editor's Choice, there were two high-definition video disk formats duking it out for the consumer market. HD-DVD lost the bout, making the higher-capacity Blu-ray format the champ. Fortunately for photographers and videographers who archive their HD video files and high-res stills on disk, Blu-ray computer drives just got a lot faster and cheaper. A prime example is LG's new GGW-H20L internal unit. It's the first to write to Blu-ray at 6X speed (50 percent faster than previous models), which lets you burn a full 25GB BD-R single-layer disk in as little as 16 minutes. It also writes to 50GB dual-layer BD-R disks at 4X; rewritable BD-RE (and -DL) disks at 2X; DVD+R and DVD-R at 16X; and CD-R at 40X. In fact, this versatile machine can read and write virtually all DVD and CD formats and, for film buffs, play back commercial Blu-ray and HD-DVD disks. The H20L connects to your computer with 3Gb/second Serial ATA, uses built-in LightScribe to label disks, and is bundled with CyberLink playback and authoring software. About $320.
SanDisk Extreme III Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo 8GB
Although CompactFlash is the exclusive storage format in all Sony D-SLRs except the Alpha 700, Memory Stick (in several variants) is the mainstay of its Cyber-shot models. It's also an option, or the exclusive storage medium, in nearly twenty Sony HD and standard-definition Handycam camcorders. Given the demand for ever-higher still and video data-transfer speeds, Sony and SanDisk have partnered in creating a much swifter Memory Stick variant, PRO-HG Duo. The latest and biggest of these is SanDisk's 8GB Extreme III card, which both reads and writes at up to 30MB/second, which is three times faster than standard MS PRO Duo cards. It owes that speed to its eight-bit parallel interface, versus the PRO Duo's four-bit interface. (Sony four-bit cameras can support the PRO-HG cards but at a reduced data rate of 13MB/second or less.) The same 30MB/second transfer rate is possible when you connect a PRO-HG, using a Sony or SanDisk adapter, to an ExpressCard-equipped laptop or PC. About $150.
Apple iPod Touch
We first encountered this amazing next-generation iPod at a party. A photographer we met put his hand in his pocket and pulled out the Touch, which is slightly bigger than a deck of cards and less than a third of an inch thick. He proceeded to "flip through" his business portfolio (imported directly from iPhoto) by flicking his fingers across the unit's super-sharp 3.5-inch wide-screen. With this novel gestural control method, called Multi-Touch, the user can navigate and operate the Mac-like, icon-driven virtual interface entirely without physical controls (and there are none). Another iPod first is the Touch's built-in 802.11g Wi-Fi, which powers its Safari browser and separate HTML Mail program (which employ the Touch's virtual keyboard), in which you can view PDF, Word, and Excel attachments. You also get online maps, weather, and stocks; a dedicated YouTube movie player; and a notebook, calendar, and address book. The Touch lets you purchase and download music and videos wirelessly, then transfer them whenever to the iTunes library on your Mac. Necessary, since its modest flash-based storage trades disk space for superior speed and reliability. Price: $299 (8GB), $399 (16GB), $499 (32GB).
Western Digital My Book desktop drive
You know that digital storage devices are as essential as they are unsexy -- by and large just boxes with a few plugs and a light or two. And external hard drives big enough to back up the contents of your computer become all but invisible when attached, doing their own thing with automatic backup software. You hardly know they're there -- until your computer crashes. Western Digital's My Book external desktop hard drives are a different story, pun intended. They are sexy, in the sort of industrial-chic way that Apple has perfected. Upright and, well, booklike in shape -- though with a beautifully rounded spine -- they have an elegant satin-metal finish. In fact the My Book Studio Edition we tested comes in a silver tone that perfectly matches our G5 tower. (Now if only our socks matched.)
The My Book drives have a cool-looking ventilation grill with parallel rows of rounded dots and dashes evocative of our G5's perforations. The grill runs along the top and one side of the unit, where the pages would be in a real book. There's a long LED on the unit's "spine" that glows blue in various patterns to indicate the drive's status. More than any third-party product we can think of, the My Book drives look like they could've been designed by Apple itself.
The My Book Studio Edition comes formatted for Mac, though you can easily reformat it for PC. (Other models come PC-formatted.) We had the 1TB version hooked up for several months to the G5, with which it performed flawlessly behind the scenes using Apple's Time Machine to back up the computer's considerable contents. We connected the drive by FireWire 800, but in addition to a supplied FireWire 400 cable (for backwards compatibility) there are ports for USB 2.0 and super-fast eSATA. With FireWire and USB connections the drive powers on and off with your computer, and goes into standby mode after 10 minutes of inactivity. (The software, including Western Digital's own backup utility, loads directly from the drive when you plug it in, no separate CD required.) Western Digital's robust and varied drive line also includes dual-drive RAID versions for Mac and PC (the My Book Pro Edition II and the My Book Premium Edition II); versions for network storage and DVR expansion; the internal EIDE and SATA drives that are the core of Western Digital's huge OEM business; and portable drives such as the Passport. Most of these, however, are not as sexy. From $165 to $330.
Print
Stumble It 
Comments
Be the first to comment!