firewire

New Thunderbolt dock includes optical drive

Sonnet Technologies has debuted its Echo 15 Thunderbolt Dock, which includes a number of ports and options that is intended to be an all-in-one solution to I/O needs for systems with Thunderbolt connectors.

As portable systems get smaller and adopt high-speed universal I/O technologies such as Thunderbolt, more peripheral and docking solutions that use this technology are being introduced. Since a single-port solution is a popular choice for notebook users, a number of companies have promised Thunderbolt-based docking options that can link all peripherals to a portable system directly via its Thunderbolt connection.

One of the first of … Read more

Apple's Thunderbolt FireWire adapter is a one-way connector

Recently Apple made its Thunderbolt-to-FireWire adapter available, which was announced along with Apple's latest MacBook systems at this year's WWDC. This adapter offers FireWire connectivity to the latest MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with Retina Display, which do not have built-in FireWire connectivity. Since the adapter links both FireWire and Thunderbolt and can be connected to from either end, several readers have been hoping to use it as a bidirectional bridge between systems with Thunderbolt and those with FireWire.

In some cases people have wondered about the options for troubleshooting systems using Apple's Target Disk mode, where … Read more

Iomega unveils Mac external hard drive with USB hub

Your iMac is running out of peripheral ports, and you still want to add an external hard drive and a few other devices to it? Iomega has something for you.

The company introduced today its first external hard drive, called Iomega Mac Companion Hard Drive, that also comes with two USB ports that you can plug your iOS-based devices into to charge and sync with the Mac. The ports can also be used with other USB devices, such as printers or other external storage devices.

Basically, the Iomega Mac Companion Hard Drive is an external desktop hard drive that also … Read more

CES: Verbatim releases collection of portable peripherals

LAS VEGAS--At CES 2011, Verbatim introduces a series of peripherals to arm travelers with digital tools to complement a digital lifestyle. The first two products are hard drives: the Titan XS SuperSpeed 3.0 external hard drive wrapped in a shock-proof rubber enclosure for twice the toughness and 10 times the transfer speed of traditional USB 2.0.

The other HDD is the Store 'n" Go SuperSpeed that has onboard connections for USB 3.0 and FireWire 800. It's also compatible with Macs right out of the box thanks to the HFS+ formatting. Unfortunately, the capacity for both … Read more

External drives shutting off when they or others are accessed

External hard drives have become a very popular method of expanding your computer's storage capacity, but despite this convenience, they also can become a cluttered mess. I've seen users attach numerous external drives at once, with webs of daisy-chained drives connected through various hubs and keyboards as well as being directly connected to the computer.

With these setups, and even with simpler ones with only a few devices, people have reported some of the drives in the chain unmounting and giving a system error even when they are not the ones being accessed. This may happen randomly as … Read more

Apple releases Mac Pro Audio and Epson Printer updates

Apple has released a couple of updates for OS X systems. The first is an audio update for Early 2009 Mac Pro systems that are running OS X 10.6.3, and the second is an updated set of Epson printer drivers. The updates should be available via Software Update for relevant systems, but also can be downloaded at the following web pages.… Read more

Troubleshooting external hard drives that will not mount

If you use external USB or FireWire hard drives on your Mac, one problem you may encounter is where the drive will not mount in OS X when attached to your computer. It may make whirring sounds as the device powers up, but will not display in the Finder. If this happens, there are several things you can try:… Read more

Digital City Podcast 55: PS3's Netflix play; Sony's Vaio X; and Halloween horrors

This week on the Digital City, we consider the PlayStation 3's awkward Netflix implementation; marvel over the super-thin Sony Vaio X laptop; debate the fate of FireWire in new MacBooks; and review some gamer-friendly Halloween costume ideas.

We also plug the first round of Windows 7 laptop and desktop reviews; mourn the death of Geocities; and find out why Julie and Dan have swapped seats for a week.

Plus -- take an early sneak peek at Dan's Halloween costume -- but it only makes sense if you're over, say, 30 and kind of a geek.

Does losing FireWire on a MacBook bother you?

Apple's announcement Tuesday of a thinner and lighter $999 MacBook, one with unibody construction and a glass trackpad, was bittersweet. It should be, for any longtime user of Macs, or digital video equipment, or older hard drives. In updating the MacBook to a much more similar look and feel to its recent MacBook Pro line, Apple used the opportunity to quietly dump one of the most distinctive and useful ports over the last 10 years: FireWire. While just a year ago the alumni 13-inch MacBooks found themselves without FireWire while the white MacBooks still had it, now the tables … Read more

Hands-on with the Apple MacBook: Fall 2009 Edition

Editor's note: We're currently benchmarking and testing the new Apple MacBook. We'll update this post with a full review later this week.

With the launch of Windows 7 only days away, it's not surprising that Apple would fire a last-minute shot across Microsoft's bow. While the timing may be suspicious, Mac fans are no doubt pleased to see an update to the most popular laptop in the Mac lineup, the $999 polycarbonate white MacBook.

While it's neither the less-expensive entry level MacBook some had hoped for, nor the long-rumored touchscreen device, the new 13-inch … Read more