Get a Toshiba 750GB portable hard drive for $39.99
The Canvio Basics offers USB 3.0-powered storage and a three-year warranty. It's a steal at this price. Sellout risk: oh, yeah.
The thing about portable hard drives is, they're awesome. They're slim and travel-friendly, and they're powered by USB so you don't have to worry about finding an outlet. Too bad they usually come at a premium.
Not today: For a limited time, and while supplies last, OfficeMax has the Toshiba Canvio Basics 750GB USB 3.0 portable hard drive for $39.99 shipped (plus tax). Price if purchased directly from Toshiba: $64.99.
Update: Well, dang, I hate it when I'm right about this: the drive has already sold out. Some things are just too good to last. It's worth checking back with OfficeMax throughout the day in case they release more inventory, which has been known to happen. In the meantime, I'll keep my eyes out for similar deals.
This is a pretty basic drive: black finish, a little chunky compared with some portables, but with plenty of space to handle backups and file transport. Alas, Toshiba supplies no software to speak of, though you can always use Windows' built-in backup utilities or any number of third-party options.
What Toshiba does do is back the drive with a three-year warranty, which I consider far more valuable than any bundled software.
The drive itself has a 5,400rpm rotational speed and average seek time of 12ms. It may not be the fastest in its class, but thanks to its USB 3.0 interface, it'll probably be much, much faster than any USB 2.0 drive you're currently using.
Also, the Canvio offers "internal shock sensor and ramp loading technology," which means it should be able to survive everyday drops and knocks. Or, more accurately, your data should.
I don't think I've ever seen a portable drive with this much capacity for such a low price. Consequently, I'm thinking OfficeMax may sell out before long. If you're in the market for a big chunk of mobile storage but have only a small chunk of cash, this is the deal to grab.
Bonus deal: It's rare to see an iOS freebie from an outside source, but here's one nonetheless: IGN is offering Batman Arkham City Lockdown for iOS for free. Regular price: $5.99. Just click the Get My Code button, then click the code to launch iTunes and redeem it. The game offers a console-quality Batman experience for your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad.
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