Storage

Happy Monday! OK, Mondays aren't typically a happy time, especially if yours involves waking before the sun, fighting commuter traffic, and/or long lines at Starbucks. (First-world problems, am I right?)

Hopefully I can make your day a little brighter by offering not one, not two, but four sweet buys. That's right: it's a multi-deal Monday. You're feeling better already, I bet.

1. First up, Daily Steals has the refurbished Logitech Harmony 650 universal remote for $29.99, plus $4.99 for shipping. The Harmony series is quite popular around these parts, offering a user-friendly replacement … Read more

Let's just cut to the chase, shall we? Today only, and while supplies last (and they will NOT last long), Newegg has the Team Group Color Turn 32GB USB flash drive for $14.99 shipped. That's after applying coupon code EMCNBNH224 at checkout. (You must be a Newegg newsletter subscriber to use the code.)

That's unreal. Insane. And a first. It was just a few months ago that finding a 32GB drive for less than $30 was a big deal. I've seen some under-$20 sales in recent weeks, but those usually involved rebates. This one: … Read more

It's generally easy to upgrade your computer to a standard solid-state drive (SSD) as long as your computer supports the standard 2.5-inch hard-drive design. The MacBook Air, however, doesn't, so most people are stuck with the machine's relatively limited stock storage.

OWC announced today the OWC Mercury Aura Pro SSD, which is designed specifically for 2012 MacBook Airs. Instead of the standard design, the new SSD comes in the same design as those used inside the supported Air; it's shaped more like a stick of system memory than a hard drive.

OWC says the Mercury … Read more

The Pogoplug is a small box that plugs into your home router, then makes external storage devices (hard drives, flash drives) available to your PCs, mobile devices, and people on the Web you want to share with.

For a limited time, Buy.com has the Pogoplug Mobile for $29.99 shipped. You can also get the Pogoplug Classic for $29.95 shipped.

Just to clarify, what Buy.com calls the Pogoplug Mobile is now known simply as the Pogoplug. It differs from the Classic in that it offers just one USB port for plugging in external storage -- but also … Read more

In a nutshell, a network-attached storage server is an external storage device, like an external hard drive, but instead of plugging it directly into a computer, via a USB or a Thunderbolt port, you plug it into a switch or a router, via a network cable. The main benefit of a NAS server is that its storage is available to the entire network, meaning all computers on the network can access the same storage space at the same time.

In reality, an advanced NAS server can do much more than that, such as streaming its contents to network media players, hosting Internet-based services such as personal clouds, acting as a centralized server for a business, and even being a video recorder for your TV programs or surveillance cameras, and all at the same time. Think of it as a real server, minus a mouse, keyboard, and a monitor. Instead, you control it via a Web interface.

Advanced NAS servers are generally not for novices, but they don't require years of training, either. In fact, if you are comfortable with computers and the Internet, and have an interest, you can easily figure one out after having invested some time, of course. And you really want to figure it out since the return is huge.

Following is a list of the five best NAS servers that I have reviewed in recent years. This list is sorted based on the amount of drive bays and review dates and updated on a regular basis as more servers are reviewed.… Read more

Happy Friday the 13th. Let's celebrate this no-different-than-any-other-day-on-the-calendar day with a great freebie!

Cubby, the new file-syncing and -sharing service from LogMeIn, has been running a closed, invitation-only beta for the past few months. It's still closed, still invitation-only -- but I've got invites just for you, Cheapskate readers.

In other words, you can now get a free 5GB Cubby account. Just type in your e-mail address and presto, you've got access. (Watch your inbox for an activation e-mail. Mine arrived almost instantly.)

Quick caveat: This is capped at 5,000 users. If the limit is … Read more

When you think of a portable storage device, you think of something that can be plugged into a computer's port to provide extra storage space. Well, that's true for the most part, but some can offer more, such as really fast speeds, a lot of storage, a convenient backup solution, or a built-in mobile media server that works even when not plugged in.

Here are the best portable drives currently on the market and they collectively offer all the goodies mentioned above, as well as something I personally find important: sexiness. They are sorted in the order in … Read more

Synology announced today that version 4.1 of its DiskStation Manager (DSM) operating system (firmware) for DiskStation NAS servers, such as the DS1511+ or the DS712+, is now in beta state. This means the final update will be available in a month or so.

DSM has been one of the main reasons why Synology NAS servers are the best among network-attached storage devices, thanks to its vast amount of features and robust and easy-to-use interface.

The new version offers some major additional features to the already feature-rich OS, including a Video Station and mobile apps for Windows Phone 7. The … Read more

If you have a network-attached storage (NAS) server, such as the Synology DS 1511+, and are wondering what hard drive you should get for it, here's another easy answer: the WD Red.

Western Digital announced today the new 3.5-inch SATA hard drive that's specifically designed for home and small office NAS systems of up to five drive bays. WD says the WD Red has been tested with "top NAS box manufacturers" and is optimized for power and performance.… Read more