Iomega Mac Companion Hard Drive

Iomega – the name that is often related with data storage, is back with a new device that targets Apple’s Mac. Dubbed the Iomega Mac Companion Hard Drive, this particular storage device comes with the tagline, “Mac Users Need It, the Iomega Mac Companion Hard Drive has It”. Hmmm, sounds attractive comprehensive, where it will not only help stash your precious data away, it will also make sure your iPad, iPhone and iPod juiced up at whatever time you are on-the-go.

The Iomega Mac Companion Hard Drive will sport a couple of FireWire 800 interfaces alongside a USB 2.0 hub, in addition to 2TBs or 3TBs of storage space with a fast 7200 RPM hard drive inside. Not only that, it sports Iomega safety Suite with Mac-specific software.

This has been positioned to be a speedy, large capacity desktop hard drive that has been specially styled to work with the latest Mac computers, sporting a first-of-its-kind convenient high-powered port as well which will be able to juice up your iPad, iPhone and iPod. Not only that, it will also boast of a selection of computer interfaces that will help you hook up to peripherals such as a printer or other external storage device.

You will be able to choose form 2TB and 3TB capacities, relying on a fast 7200 RPM 3.5″ hard drive formatted HFS+ that will make it play nice with Mac computers the moment you purchase it, fresh right out of the box. Just like most of Apple’s designs, the Iomega Mac Companion Hard Drive will be tiny enough to make it understated, where it will fit perfectly on the base of your Apple iMac or your Apple monitor without missing a beat.

Even better is you need not purchase any additional extra cables, as the drive itself will be accompanied by one FireWire 800, one conversion FireWire 400-800, and one USB 2.0 cable. As with everything else in life, there is a price to pay – and you will need to fork out $195 for the 2TB model, while the 3TB capacity model will set you back by $295

Sony HD-PG5 External Hard Drive

To hear the name Sony related with the world of external hard drives is something not everyone has come across – in fact, many of us would be wondering, just what the heck is Sony doing in the world of portable storage? Sure, they have had their fair share of fun with the Memory Stick range, but apart from flash memory, what else do they have on offer?

The order of things seem set to change as the consumer electronics giant has started to bring its first external hard drives to the market in the form of the HD-PG5 series, where these drives are compatible with the BRAVIA TV range as well as other devices from Sony’s catalogue. To know more about what the Sony HD-PG5 is capable of, you can always check out the extended post.

The new Sony HD-PG5 series will have on offer another 500GB of storage space at your disposal – while it is still a far cry from the 1TB and above models that you see on offer by other manufacturers, at least it is a start. Heavy torrent users would definitely welcome this additional space, although I believe that they will fill it up far too easily with the amount of content available these days.

Using USB connectivity, the HD-PG5U will be able to hook up to compatible BRAVIA models, which means you can directly record HD TV programmes from the TV’s tuner or connected cable/satellite service – sounds like the perfect gift for dad who keeps on missing his shows, no? Another advantage is this – there is no need for you to experience a steep learning curve.

Apart from that, the included USB adaptor cable will also pave the way for easy ‘PC-free’ transfers of video footage from compatible Handycam camcorders with Direct Copy function, where among these include the new DCR-SX21E and DCR-SR21.

You can choose from black or white finishes, where the Sony HD-PG5 will be a snap to tote around at just 180 grams. Placing them beside your PC, BRAVIA TV or PS3 doesn’t matter, it will still look as though it was part of the consumer electronics ecosystem. No idea on pricing as at press time, but it will arrive in the UK, France and Germany from the middle of this month onwards