storage

It's weird to get excited about a 128GB Crucial CT128M4SSD2 solid-state drive for $79.99 shipped when you can also buy a 1TB portable USB 3.0 hard drive for the same price. (See what I did there? I snuck in an extra bonus deal.)

Yet, it is exciting, because that same SSD sells for at least $100 everywhere else (including Newegg, where it's $109.99). So for well under $100, you can outfit your desktop or laptop with a blazing-fast drive that has enough space to actually be practical.

The CT128M4SSD2 is a 2.5-inch drive that … Read more

Are you using Carbonite to back up your data? Good for you: I highly recommend some kind of cloud-storage service in tandem with a local backup.

Ah, but are you happy with it? The folks at CrashPlan think you can do better, and they're willing to put their money where their mouth is: existing Carbonite customers can get one year of CrashPlan backup absolutely free.

Typically, that would cost you $49.99. And if you're looking to protect more than one computer, you can purchase a family plan for $50 -- a price that buys you unlimited storage … Read more

WD today made the good old portable hard drive concept something totally new again.

The storage vendor announced a new family of portable external hard drives for Macs and Windows PCs, called My Passport Edge, that's ultrasleek and ultraslim.

There are minor differences between the Mac version and the Windows version of the new drive.… Read more

After more than a month in beta state, Synology's final latest version, version 4.1, of the DiskStation Manager operating system for its NAS server, was released today.

Synology is one of a few NAS vendors that regularly releases new versions of the operating system, which improves and adds features to its existing NAS servers. DSM has been by far the most advanced operating system for network-attached storage servers, which offers not just a vast amount of features and ease of use, but also the most robust user interface that resembles a native operating system. Like all NAS operating systems, DSM is accessed via a Web interface using a connected computer.

DSM is one of the main reasons Synology NAS servers, such as the DS1511+, or the DS412+, have been the best on the market, for both home and small business environments.… Read more

Let's see if we can get through one day -- heck, one morning -- without the product selling out, shall we?

While supplies last, Best Buy has the SanDisk Cruzer 16GB USB flash drive for $7.99 shipped, plus sales tax in most states.

Update: This appears to have sold out online, and is now available in-store only. So much for lasting the morning.

Whoops, sorry, sold out. Nah, I'm kidding -- as of this writing, it's still in stock. But just in case, I've queued up three bonus deals for you below. Because that's … Read more

Generally, the term "hard-core" and external hard drives don't go together. This is because external, portable hard drives are probably the most popular and casual type of consumer storage.

But some of them can get really serious, too.

These are external storage devices that are not just fast or rugged, but also are likely to make you think before purchasing due to their cost. In other words, they are not for everyone, but only those who have the need for them and can appreciate their value.

If you are one of these people, the following five drives are totally worth the investment.… Read more

WD has just upgraded its storage solutions for Macs on both USB and Thunderbolt fronts.

The storage vendor today announced its first USB 3.0-based portable drives for Macs, the My Passport for Mac, and a new Thunderbolt drive, the My Book VelociRaptor Duo.

Apart from USB 3.0, the My Passport for Mac also increases the capacity to 2TB while remaining compact and portable. The reason WD waited until now to release a Mac portable drive that supports USB 3.0 is because USB 3.0 has just been added to the new version of the MacBook Pro and … Read more

And the moral of the story is, even if an item sells out early, don't give up. Sometimes the vendor releases more inventory, as happened yesterday with the Acer Aconia A200 tablet (which, incidentally, is still available as of this morning!).

Anyway, today I bring you something that can't possibly sell out: a 1-year CrashPlan+ subscription for $39.99. Regular price: $49.99.

CrashPlan is an automated backup service similar to Mozy and Carbonite. It works in the background, archiving all your stuff to the cloud, local drives, or a friend's PC.

In other words, you set … Read more

After announcing its intentions to do so a few weeks ago, Microsoft today launches its official SkyDrive app for Android devices. Similar to its sibling apps on Windows Phone and iOS, this newest release lets users access their SkyDrive cloud storage accounts from devices running Google's mobile operating system. While it was designed specifically with Android 4.0 in mind, the app is said to be fully functional with devices running Android 2.3 and above.

From the looks of it, SkyDrive for Android covers all the basics, letting you view personal documents, shared documents, and recently used documents. … Read more