Gizmodo
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mystery
How Can a Hard Drive's Platter Shatter, Without Evidence of Impact?
"Another day, another replaced hard drive," Chris Cook thought at his tech support desk while unwrapping the unit, fresh from storage. Until he turned the fixed Dell on and heard the weirdest rattling noise ever. More » -
singing floppies
Floppy Skywalker and Darth Disk Fight to the Death or Something
Second parts are never good, except for the Godfather II and The Empire Strikes Back. This fight between the floppy sides of the Force is also a second part, better than the first one. More »
7,174
By Jesus DiazComment by Hello Mister Walrus: There are some good part 2s: Spiderman 2, Dark Knight, LOTR 2, Aliens (2), Back to the Future 2, Terminator... 4 Responses | Other threads
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usb
The USB Finger Drive Is Real and as Gross as We Imagined
Once again, reality beats fiction: If your name is Jerry Jalava, the USB finger is more than just a concept. It's the real thing embedded in your own hand, carrying a Billix Linux distribution. More »
42,217
By Jesus DiazComment by Is my Avatar inappropriate?: hmmmm, I call BS, prove me wrong...the photo doesn't. Can't really tell. 18 Responses | Other threads
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usb
Tampon Flash Drive Opens Gross Possibilities for Female Spies
Available in 1, 8, and 16GB, these flash drives look exactly like tampons. And for once, I have nothing else to say. [The Bloggess via Geekologie]
22,054
By Jesus DiazComment by Jrsy Devil's Food Cake®: Does it come with a cardboard or plastic applicator for ease of insertion into the USB port? 4 Responses | Other threads
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fail
1TB Seagate Barracudas Collapsing A Gogo, Users Say
It looks like the Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 hard drive series is having serious problems Zune style, with a large number of them failing like crazy, specially the 1TB model. The problem seems to be firmware-based. More »
19,769
By Jesus DiazComment by Log1c: Shit. I just got a Seagate 7200.11 1TB model for xmas. Thing makes some seriously uncool sounding clicking noises. 11 Responses | Other threads
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nintendo
New Wii Disk Drives Render Modchips Useless
In their latest attempt to block homebrew on the Wii, Nintendo has begun using a new revision of the Wii's optical drive—one that prevents any existing mod chip from functioning.
29,331
By Seung LeeComment by Dragonis: You know what would be a great way to fight piracy in Australia, Nintendo? Release the games in reasonable time. 11 Responses | Other threads
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laptops
Laptop Cooler Features Slot-Loading Hard Drive Dock
One look at this conglomeration and you pretty much know it's from Brando. Their latest clunky tech masterpiece is officially named a USB Notebook Cooling Pad + 3-Port Hub + 2.5" HDD. -
government
The Pentagon Bans USB Flash Drives: Will There Be a Floppy Disk Comeback?
AP reports that the Department of Defense has, at least for the time being, banned USB flash drives and is collecting all Pentagon-owned drives from the entire department. The Pentagon hasn't issued an official statement, but a spokesman did say that they are dealing with a "global virus" that affects such external storage. Apparently, Department of Defense lackeys are being told that they may not get their drives back, and no information has been given regarding the length of the ban. A list of items now banned from the Pentagon after the jump. More »
14,979
By Dan NosowitzComment by 92BuickLeSabre: Can someone clarify for me what the advantage (today) of small portable drives (or using say an iPhone App to... 11 Responses | Other threads
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zune
Survey Hints That Zune Could Double as Extra Storage For the Xbox
The most recent installment of the Zune newsletter includes a survey question that hints at the possibility of the Zune being used as additional Xbox 360 storage. After selecting "Yes" to the first question, readers are asked "Have you ever connected your Zune to your Xbox to do any of the following?" The first response to the question is "Use my Zune hard drive for extra Xbox 360 storage." One could interpret this as meaning that Microsoft is considering making the Zune official backup storage for saved games, Marketplace downloads, etc. More »
3,644
By Sean FallonComment by Shodan: That is just sad. You can get a 500GB hard drive for $50 and Microsoft wants you to use your... 8 Responses | Other threads
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diy
Recycle Years of Broken Hard Drives into a Surprisingly Non-Dorky Clock
Instructables has posted a guide to breaking down 3.5" hard drives and creating a wall clock out of the pieces. The guide calls for a bunch of the washers used to separate hard drive platters as well as the innards of a cheapie clock the builder had lying around. It's a pretty easy project, but what's remarkable is how cool it looks by the end. You wouldn't know it's made of hard drives; it just looks like an industrial sort of sculpture that tells time. [Instructables]
13,692
By Dan NosowitzComment by Eruanno: Sooo... how do you actually tell what time this clock is? Or rather, if you turn it upside down by mistake,... 6 Responses | Other threads
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concepts
USB Floppy Drive Concept: Oregon Trail Not Included
Designer Thomas O'Connor has come up with a concept to join the legions of goofy USB flash drives with this charming USB Floppy Drive. Take one of those floppy disks granpappy's always going on about, hollow it out, stuff it with some flash storage and a USB dongle and you've got a "sustainable" and nostalgic USB drive. It looks to be a mere concept right now, but I bet an enterprising modder could whip one of these up in no time. [Core77]
9,397
By Dan NosowitzComment by Overheal: When I heard Oregon Trail wasnt included I imediately screamed NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! =( 5 Responses | Other threads
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existentialism
Beer-Filled USB Drive Raises Disturbing Questions
Gadgets like this Beer-Filled USB Flash Drive really make me question the basics. More than my first-year university philosophy class did, anyway. Existential angst, the downfall of western civilization, and "customizable floaties" after the jump. More »
61,854
By Dan NosowitzComment by dewback51: GIZMODO PRESENTS: REAL MEN OF GENIUS (Reallll men of geeeniussss) Today we salute you, Mr. Beer in a USB Flash... 7 Responses | Other threads
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volvo
Volvo Wind Tunnel Has Road Simulator Minus Annoying Backseat Kids
Here's the new Volvo in-house wind tunnel simulator, a 28 million dollar facility that is the first in its class to have a road simulator. In theory, it will allow the Swedish manufacturer to precisely test the effect of road changes and airflows all around the car to make cars more fuel efficient. Strangely enough, Tim Walker, the aerodynamics expert at Volvo Cars, doesn't mention other possible uses, like drying the hair and bodies of a multitude of lusty valkyries and/or vikings just out of the shower: More »
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By Jesus DiazComment by Karin's being followed by a moonshadow: It's...beautiful. Actually, the first words out of my mouth when I saw that first pic was, "Holy ASS!!!" That's so... 2 Responses | Other threads
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usb
Wooden Animal USB Drives Are Tired of You Inserting Your USB Connector There
These hand-carved wooden animal flash drives are the latest in the tradition of semi- to fully perverse animal USB sticks. While this time the cute definitely outweighs the eww, Japanese designers Monodo just couldn't help themselves when it came time to select the connection point for these 1GB drives. Joining this little schnauzer is an elephant, swan, hippo and little piggy, all sharing the same unfortunate hook-up location. They can be yours in a few weeks for around $70. [Product Page (Japanese) via Fareastgizmos]
3,557
By John MahoneyComment by HenryRayker: LAWL! $70 for this? I literally took a spare USB key and a cedar block my gf had laying around (intended... more » | Other threads
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usb flash drive highlighter
High Dexx USB Flash Drives Combine USB Flash Drives With Highlighters
If you asked us what two things on our desk that we'd want to combine into one thing, we'd probably pick these two things, the USB drive and the highlighter. When has it not occurred to you to put these obviously similar things in one package? We mean really, a USB drive fits in your hand and a USB highlighter fits in your hand. What more connection do you need? Thanks, High Dexx USB Flash Drive. You know exactly what we're thinking. [Gadgtes2Order via Oh Gizmo] -
media
Brando's New Cartridge-Style HDD Dock Goes Full Multimedia Player
Clearly one to take a good idea and run with it, Brando has just come up with this new cartridge-style HDD dock that also acts as a media player. So via its s-video and composite sockets you can stream audio, pictures, and video (including divx, with subtitles) to TV and it even has a remote. It takes 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch SATA HDDs (and SD cards too) and connects via USB 2.0. Hmm: a largish rectangular "cartridge" which you plug in to a socket to play movies on TV, why's that sound familiar? Available now for $84. [Brando] -
gadgets
Zip Zip LEGO USB Drives Get Updated to 4GB
The previously 1GB Zip Zip LEGO USB drives are getting an update to 4GB. Unfortunately, Zip Zip still doesn't make these things out of real LEGO blocks—there's probably some legal reason preventing them from reselling it or something—but they're a good approximation. Things you shouldn't do with this: toss it into a huge bucket of regular LEGO. [Zipzip]
5,249
By Jason ChenComment by Zoe Dale: They do connect to lego! my friend attaches it to his normal lego keyrings (which are also lego bricks!) Also... more » | Other threads
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flash
Super Talent 8GB Flash Drive is World's Smallest
The chaps at Super Talent are not only incredibly modest, talented and super, but they must also be fantastically tiny to have put together the world's smallest 8GB flash drive. (Flawless logic, I'm sure you'll agree.) Retailing at $35, the price is pretty reasonable, at least until you drop it into your chest hair and lose it forever. More »
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By Haroon MalikComment by rickster999: they're too small - I've recently lost mine :-( more » | Other threads
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storage
Samsung Unleashes 22X DVD Burner, Smallest 500GB HDD
Samsung's Spinpoint M6 is the world's first 2.5-inch, 500GB HDD. Standing in at 9.5mm tall, the M6 will easily fit most existing laptop hard drive bays. For those of you worried about sloth-like performance, the Spinpoint M6 has a 5400rpm spindle speed, an 8MB cache, as well as a 3.0Gbps SATA interface. A Free-Fall Sensor can be added as an optional extra. Not content with breaking the world record for the HDD with the smallest size/biggest capacity, Samsung is also introducing the industry's fastest DVD burner. More » -
novelty
Wedisk USB Thumb Drive Gives False Hope to The Borrowers
The Wedisk USB 2.0 thumb drive has its USB connector located where the IR receptor is, coming out only when you press the A button. The Wedisk is available in either 1GB, 2GB, 4GB or 8GB flavors, but apparently it's only available as a mass-produced item, on request. [SolarMemo — Thanks, Chris]
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By Haroon MalikComment by JacKal45: @vicsells: I JUST got that reference in the title, when I saw your post... The Borrowers! I get it!... more » | Other threads
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concept
Domino Flash Drive Great For Storage, Gambiling and Toppling Not So Much
Unlike many of the flash drive designs these days, the Domino concept by Marcos Breder adds adds a little extra fun and functionality into the mix. Each domino can be split into two separate drives, with the white dots indicating the remaining storage capacity. The problem is that playing an actual game of dominoes with these drives would be damn near impossible (so gambling is out) —and putting enough of them together to form a proper toppling pattern would require countless drives. Not that it matters all that much given the fact that this product doesn't actually exist. [Yanko Design via Oh Gizmo]
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By Sean FallonComment by zenpoet: Blame my highschool years wherein I loved me some rap music, but it is completely and utterly impossible to hear... more » | Other threads
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usb
Halo Master Chief Mimobot Thumb Drives (Finish the File Transfer)
Mimoco's got these Limited Edition Master Chief USB Drives in 1, 2 and 4GB sizes. They're preloaded with artwork from the upcoming Halo novel and an episode of "This Spartan Life", they're pricey at $109 for the larger model, but given the Halo feeding frenzy, they would still sell out of the limited run if they charged 50% more. [Mimoco via Crunch] -
hard drives
Western Digital follows up last Thursday's My Book announcement with 1TB My Book Studio edition for Macs with Firewire 400/800, USB 2.0 and eSATA. [Western Digital] -
hard drives
LaCie Golden Disk Looks Like Gold, Feels Like a Disk
The LaCie Golden Disk is made for those of you who went to Ikea, looked around, and decided to decorate your home with a more ancient Aztec motif instead. It holds 500GB for a price of $189, which isn't all too bad when you consider that it's designed by Ora-Ito, a guy who enjoys Legos and tentacular porn. Best of all, the top is melted like, we don't know, molten gold, so you can't actually stack multiple Golden Disks on top of each other to form a golden pyramid. [Lacie] -
easy upgrade
Twisted ReadyBoost Drives From Apacer
Vista's ReadyBoost feature is a great way to cheaply upgrade your computer, but for laptop users it's not so convenient. Having a flash drive constantly plugged in is awkward because they stick out at a right angle to the case. These new drives from Apacer can twist to lay flat against the laptop, which is far tidier. They come in different sizes, but the 4GB model will cost you $84. [SciFi.com] -
two worlds collide
Mem|lite USB Lighter Stores Your Data/Lights Up Your Spliff
Having trouble getting that nicotine monkey off your back? Until you do, might as well make that addiction useful by carrying around Mem|lite, a USB flash drive that doubles as a lighter, putting together two objects that have very little to do with each other. Well, not unless you want to store all the reasons why you are quitting on that 512MB (or up to 4GB) of flash memory storage. We like the way the product's website explains it best: More »
4,194
Comment by deusdiabolus: Guaranteeing that you will not be caught short for your 10 o'clock nic fix. Or your PowerPoint presentation data. more » | Other threads
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have a coffee
Drive Alarm, In Your Ear, Keeping You Awake
This unusual-looking gadget is worn behind the ear, and wakes you up if you start to catch some Z's on the highway. It constantly measures the angle your head is resting at, and vibrates if you tip forward. Of course, if you fall asleep and lean back into your headrest, then it will happily let you careen off the road to your fiery, but restful, death. More » -
more usb stuff
USB Purse Allows Women to Lose Stuff Digitally
Misogynistic headline aside, this USB purse design from Russian designer Dima Domissarov is probably the female equivalent of all the weird food-shaped USB sticks we saw in April. Instead of burgers, hotdogs and bread, these USB drives are shaped like miniature flea-market purses. More » -
review
Hands-On With Lexar's JumpDrive Secure II Plus with Encryption and Capacity Meter
Lexar's JumpDrive Secure II Plus brings the e-ink capacity meter previously seen in their other drives and the 256-bit AES encryption previously seen in the JumpDrive Secure II. The result? Something pretty convenient and secure, not to mention that it's the cheapest drive they have that has the e-ink capacity display.
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3,729
By Jason ChenComment by iamxyj: Is it just me or does this drive look like the xbox360 elite? lol. Just a thought that's all. more » | Other threads
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diy
TiVo Series 3 eSATA Upgrade FAQ
The guys at tivocommunity have a nice FAQ up about how to upgrade your TiVo Series 3 with an external eSATA drive. Although it's not "officially supported", with the maximum 1TB external drive in addition to the internal one, you can get a good 1.25TB chunk of space to hold all your shows. More » -
usb pants
SpongeBob USB Drive Expands When Full
Unfortunately not a real product, this Russian-designed SpongeBob USB Drive looks like your kids' favorite character when empty, but fills up to a gigantic blowfish when full. Although cool, the concept doesn't make any sense. SpongeBob is a sponge, not a blowfish. Otherwise he'd be called BlowfishBob. Get it together, Russians. More »
4,639
By Jason ChenComment by deusdiabolus: This is actually disturbing. This would probably freak me out if it started expanding into that while plugged into... more » | Other threads
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peripherals
First Review: Lexar ExpressCard SSD
Lexar's ExpressCard solid state drive is an interesting proposition: 4 to 16 gigabytes of non-volatile memory in a slot form factor. That's not only more storage than typical USB flash drives can offer, but more than most based on microdrives can, too. For those with lappies with ExpressCard slots, it would seem like a sweet piece of storage, and even as a cache for Vista's ReadyBoost, since its not hanging off the side of a laptop like a USB thumbdrive would. So what's the catch?
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home entertainment
DIY: Apple TV Hard Drive Upgraded to 120GB
In case you were wondering, it is possible to upgrade that measly 40GB hard drive on Apple TV, in this case to 120GB. Tipster Jonathan Bare says he's done it, resulting in a capacity of 107.36GB. Now that's more like it. More » -
peripherals
Buffalo HD-PL200U2/UC: 200GB Drive for You, Butterfingers
You can't be too rich, too thin or have too much disk space, so who wouldn't like this Buffalo HD-PL200U2/UC 200GB external USB drive that's also especially hardened for those who are rough on their kit? More »
1,417
Comment by eleazar: I wish you guys had a size comparison to normal 2.5" external drives. This looks perfect assuming it's not... more » | Other threads
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peripherals
Noiseblocker NB-X-Swing Silences Those Hard Drives
Unless you've switched to a liquid cooling system in your PC, the loudest component probably wouldn't be the hard drive, it'd be your fans. But if you have, then these NB-X-Swing hard drive silencers could be just the thing to keep you throwing your dog out of a window over drive noise. More » -
gadgets
Google Teaches Us Five Things About Hard Drive Death
Robin over at StorageMojo waded thought Google's "Failure Trends in a Large Disk Population," a document that details the search engine's first hand experience with hard drive failure rates by way of polling 100,000 of their own drives. More »
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Comment by Sqube: I really wish they would've told us which hard drive manufacturers failed at what rate. They might say that it... more » | Other threads
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peripherals
Create Your Own Solid State Notebook Drive
If you're dying to take advantage of solid state drive's fast boot times but can't afford actual solid state drives here's a ghetto fabulous one from GeekStuff4U. This DIY drive gives you four slots to put 2GB SD cards into, which in turn combines into one large 8GB drive which your laptop can use as the OS drive. More » -
peripherals
Kingston DataTraveler Mini for Midget Businessmen
If the standard Kingston DataTraveler drives are somehow too big for you, these Kingston DataTraveler Minis should be more to your liking. The drives come in 512MB, 1GB, and 2GB sizes, and have a capless red sliding cover so you won't lose the top. More »
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By Jason ChenComment by Xenobiologista: In case anyone's wondering what Low Yat is, it's a mall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, that sells [almost] nothing but... more » | Other threads
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peripherals
Pocketec 12GB 1-inch Portable Hard Drive
If you love the convenience of thumb drive but need something a little roomier, check out Pocketec's upcoming Nano drive. This hard drive-based unit measures about 1-inch squared, and has all of 12GB of storage on board. You can get that much with flash drives, but you'd have to cough up hundreds of bucks. More » -
peripherals
Gallery and Details: Seagate DAVE Bluetooth/WiFi Cellphone Drive
I just saw the Seagate DAVE in person. You know DAVE, that portable drive with USB/WiFi/Bluetooth that can hook up to cellphones as an external drive? It's pretty nice looking, but more interestingly, smaller than I"d expect. It looks like a skipping stone. More »
drive
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