backup

Settling into the driver's seat of a modern, 2012 model year automobile means that you'll be facing quite a few LCD screens. You've got the display for the audio system, sometimes a color screen for navigation, the occasional standalone climate-control display, the monochromatic trip computer/vehicle settings LCD in the instrument cluster, and sometimes the instrument cluster itself is just one big LCD. Lots of screens demanding more and more of the driver's visual attention.

Sometimes, it's good to simplify and consolidate these screens down to a more manageable number. Many drivers chose to do … Read more

Space is a premium in your car's cabin, even more so when we're discussing your windshield. You don't want to go cluttering up your view of the road with too many devices. It's easy to get out of hand with a navigator, a Bluetooth speakerphone, an audio source, and a fuel economy meter.

That's why we've rounded up five portable GPS devices that do more than just navigate.… Read more

Windows 8 offers several features designed to secure your files, but one of the most useful ones is File History.

The new File History feature can back up all your documents, browser favorites, desktop icons, and other personal files. Once set, File History runs automatically at specific times, though you can always trigger it manually.

You can also set the backup destination to a USB or network drive so your files are recoverable even if your hard drive crashes or gets corrupted. If one of your personal files gets lost or damaged, you can simply restore its most recent copy … Read more

When it comes to storage, you definitely don't want to risk getting stuck with a lemon. That's because, unlike other commodities like a car or a TV, when a storage device breaks down, chances are you lose a lot more than just the drive itself. It's a painful experience to see your invaluable data vanish. Take my word for it on this.

But you likely don't want to spend too much, either, and want your storage device to be easily accessible, especially on the go since there's not much use for your data if it always has to stay at home.

Bearing that in mind, compact and portable external hard drives are arguably the most popular form of storage. They have room to hold lots of data, often more than your laptop or ultrabook can, without being big or heavy. Following is the list of the top five portable USB 3.0-based drives that are the best among their peers, offering great performance, large storage space, compact design, and sometimes even the kind of toughness that will withstand drops and submersion in water. Most importantly, you can easily find them for less than $100. Have more to spend? You can get larger capacities that cost more.

Note that these drives also work with USB 2.0 (MacBook Air owners, you're included here) and they are all bus-powered, so you don't need a separate power adapter to use them.… Read more

How's the security on your PC? Is your current software's subscription coming to an end? Are you unhappy with the performance hit it imposes? Do you feel your system is underprotected?

Whatever the case, this might be just the deal you need: Newegg has Norton 360 6.0 3-user edition for $0 shipped. That's after applying coupon code EMCNDHJ227 at checkout and redeeming a $50 mail-in rebate (PDF). (Also, you need to be a Newegg newsletter subscriber.)

True to its name, Norton 360 protects you against just about everything: viruses, spyware, phishing threats, spam, identity theft, and … Read more

Today marks the summer solstice; it's the longest day of the year and the midpoint of the summer. No doubt many of you are planning to enjoy those extra hours of sunshine by dropping the top on a convertible (or maybe just opening the windows or a sunroof). However, with open air motoring comes increased wind and road noise, which can all but drown out the sound from some low-powered OEM audio systems.

That's why this week I'm helping a CNET reader to boost the audio quality and quantity of his drop top's stereo system with … Read more

How much are your digital backups worth?

According to one one British Columbia man, copies of data from his two computers and an iPhone that were being stored on an Apple Time Capsule that went kaput, are worth $25,000.

That's the amount Perminder Tung, a resident of Surrey, B.C., seeks from Apple after the Time Capsule he was using ceased to function, taking his files with it.

In a filing (PDF) made against Apple in a Canadian small claims court earlier this week, and picked up by CBC News today, Tung accuses Apple of being in breach … Read more

Cloud Engines' Pogoplug devices have evolved from basic network-attached-storage tools into full-fledged streaming, backup, and sharing systems. Pretty cool ones, too.

Want a state-of-the-art model for a standard-edition price? While supplies last, Best Buy has the Pogoplug Series 4 for $49.99 plus sales tax. That's half off the list price, and about $30 less than you'll find it elsewhere.

The only catch? It appears to be sold out online. You'll have to hit your local Best Buy store. (Call or check online first to make sure they're still in stock.)

The Pogoplug works like … Read more

Seagate today launched a new family of external hard drives that's a continuation of its popular GoFlex line-up but now with a completely different name: the Seagate Backup Plus family.

While the GoFlex name is now in the past, the flexibility remains with the external hard drives. The new Seagate Backup drives come in both a portable version, called Seagate Backup Plus, and a desktop version, called Seagate Backup Plus Desk. The former are bus-powered drives that are compact and don't require an external power adapter. The latter are larger drives, both in terms of physical size and … Read more