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Lenovo rebranding storage products, demotes Iomega to entry-level gear
Remember when Cingular became AT&T, Federal Express became FedEx and RIM became BlackBerry? The next company that'll need to reprint its business cards is Iomega, which is seeing the bulk of its products rebranded as Lenovo EMC. The Iomega name will still exist, but only as the face for entry-level storage gear, while the StorCenter and EZ Media and Backup Center lines will now carry the livery of their corporate parent. Curious about the company's history before it became a marque? There's detailed PR after the break.
Iomega releases two new StorCenter NAS drives to contain that ever-expanding data waistline
If you're an advanced user or small businessperson with a storage shortage, then Iomega's new hardware is probably trying to catch your eye. The StorCenter px2 and ix4 are a pair of full bodied NAS systems that offer a secure and speedy haven for your most important data. Using EMC storage technology, the hardware offers a personal cloud and Time Machine support for Mac using backup-fans. The barebones px2 is $500, with the prices running to $1,200 for a 6TB model, and if you're in need of something heftier, the storage-free ix4 sets you back $600, but can take up to 12TB worth of drive if you splash out $1,300.
Iomega StorCenter ix2 and EZ Media and Backup Center fill your lives with terabytes
Mo' media, mo' problems. Fortunately, Iomega's got you covered with its latest set of back-up devices. The StorCenter ix2 is pitched at smaller businesses wanting content sharing and data protection goodness. Arriving in configurations up to 6TB, this new version will play nice with cloud back-up services from the likes of Mozy and Amazon, as well as Iomega's in-house Personal Cloud system. The StorCenter ix2 can also be further expanded through external USB hard drives, with the disk-less model priced at $200, with single disk systems arriving in 1TB ($250), 2TB ($350) and 3TB ($450) configurations. Fully-populated drives will start from $420 for 2TB, while 4TB is $579.99 and $770 will net you 6TB of space. All sizes will be available starting February 2012. The EZ Media and Backup Center wants to settle down in your home and fulfill all your streaming media and cloud storage needs. It includes support for TimeMachine and Bittorrent, with Active Folders that can automate media uploads to social networks and Youtube. DLNA connectivity also ensures it'll connect with your games consoles and HDTV. Prices start at $220 for 1TB, with 2TB ($300) and 3TB ($400) models available for the requisite price bump starting in February. PR is after the break.
Holiday Gift Guide: Accessories for all
Welcome to TUAW's 2011 Holiday Gift Guide! We're here to help you choose the best gifts this holiday season, and once you've received your gifts we'll tell you what apps and accessories we think are best for your new Apple gear. Stay tuned every weekday from now until the end of the year for our picks and helpful guides and check our Gift Guide hub to see our guides as they become available. For even more holiday fun, check out sister site Engadget's gift guide. Let's be honest -- while you might plunk down the cash for a MacBook Air or iPad for your loved ones, you're probably not going to go all out on a brand new device for your co-workers and acquaintances. But that doesn't mean you can't still support the various Macheads in your life -- no matter how many Apple devices someone might have, there are many more accessories for those various devices lining the shelves at Best Buy. Cases, plug-ins, covers, and stick-ons, oh my! Let us take you on a quick tour through the Mac accessory landscape, and help you find some really great recommendations of all different prices for all of the Apple devices in your life. Even if there isn't a Mac fanatic around you who needs some of this stuff, no worries. Just bookmark this page, and come back after the holidays, whenever you yourself have unwrapped that big package "designed in California" that's sitting underneath your tree this year. The PlugBug Perhaps the hottest Mac-cessory this year, the PlugBug turned all kinds of heads when TwelveSouth finally released it earlier this month. Yes, it's just a charger, but no, it's not just a charger -- it's a super useful and well-designed accessory that already works with those cords you got in the Apple box. You can charge both a MacBook (or Air or Pro) and a USB device like an iPhone or iPad from just one outlet, and all you need to pack in your bag is the usual cords and this little red adapter. It's a great, smart device that adds just a little bit of color to an already very Apple way of thinking. ($34.99 from TwelveSouth) The iCade There were a few arcade cabinets for the iPad out this year, but the original iCade by ThinkGeek and Ion Audio. It originally started up as an April Fool's joke, and then was made real: An actual miniature arcade cabinet, complete with buttons and a joystick, that you can plug your iPad in to play arcade games on. The list of compatible titles is long and growing, so anyone in the house who loves playing old-school games on the iPad will really enjoy this one.($79.99 by ThinkGeek) TenOne's Fling and Fling mini for iPad and iPhone Again, there have been some very similar competitors pop up in this space, but when it comes to attaching a physical joystick to Apple's touch screens, the Fling is the original and the best. It's suprisingly simple, but feels and works great, especially on games where you'd normally use a virtual joystick, but it provides the tactile feedback that Apple's no buttons policy just can't match. Go ahead and buy a two-pack -- you'll need them both. (Two-pack is $29.95 for the iPad, $24.95 for the iPhone at TenOne Design) Keyboard covers by KB Covers Whether you're typing on a MacBook or a wireless Apple keyboard, a good keyboard cover can keep things clean and make your keyboard last longer and work better, no matter what your fingers have been touching lately. And KB Covers are the best we've seen -- not only are they made of a nice tough, stretchy plastic, but they're extremely useful, providing easy visual access to custom shortcuts for almost any app or International keyboard layout you'd ever want. No matter what Mac or keyboard model you have, or what you're doing with it (from editing in Avid to playing World of Warcraft), there's a KB Cover for you or your gift-getter. (Various prices, at KB Covers) The Peel The Peel system can be complicated, so it's not necessarily for everybody. But for just the right person on your gift list, it might be perfect. The Peel consists of both a "fruit" unit that sits on your home entertainment system and plugs into your television, and then an app that runs on your iOS device, and can be used to not only control your A/V setup, but also find various shows and things to watch according to your tastes. We didn't think the Peel would work as your usual remote, unfortunately, but for the right gadgethead interested in using an iOS device to make their TV watching experience a little better, it would be a great gift. ($99 at Peel) A case! Yes, there will undoubtedly be a lot of iPhones and iPads sold this year, and odds are that everyone who gets a new one under their tree will also need to find an excellent case for it. Many times, this tends to be a very personal choice, so you might want to think twice about getting a case for some one, or at least remember to be gracious when you find out it's not exactly what they wanted. But still, there are plenty of great cases out there, from cases that make your device look like a book, to something you can use with a little more functionality as an actual wallet. Cases can be as individual as the people who buy them, so be a little careful as to which one you pick out, but the right choice for the right person can be a terrific and memorable gift. (Various) Remote-controlled fun Sure, functionality can be important, but sometimes you just want to have a little bit of remote fun with your Mac. How about a remote-controlled USB missle launcher that can even be activated over the Internet? One of those Ar.Drone quadricopters that can be controlled with your iOS device? Or you can even be the first to nab a Sphero, a little remote-controlled ball that's arriving just in time for Christmas later on this year. There's lots of kooky fun to be had with your Apple devices -- sure, it may not be too practical, but if you've already got all of the power Apple has put into these machines, why not put a little bit of it to work in real life? (Various) A hard drive Finally, we'll leave you with a choice that's a little more practical than those toys: Even with the advent of iCloud, the one thing any Mac user will always love getting is more hard drive space. With all of the apps coming out all of the time, and lots and lots of content being made and edited, anyone with a Mac or even an iPhone or iPad could probably use a few more gigabytes (or even terabytes) in their lives. Western Digital has released a few excellent standalone hard drives meant for Mac this year, but especially during Black Friday and the holiday season afterwards, Best Buy or any of the other big box electronics stores are usually running some great deals on external hard drives, so you can easily pick one up for around $50 or even under that some times. If you want to go a little more fancy, you can check out the Iomega Mac Companion, meant specifically to work with a Mac as a high-capacity backup drive. But whatever kind of storage you choose, there's no question that the Mac fan in your life will appreciate the extra digital storage space. Happy holidays! Here's hoping you find just the right gift for the Mac lover in your life this year!
Iomega introduces new large capacity portable hard drives for Mac
Iomega introduced a new line of portable hard drives for the Mac yesterday. Called the Iomega eGo Mac Edition Portable Hard Drive, the drives come in two sizes -- 500 GB and 1 TB -- and are designed with a special case to withstand drops from up to seven feet. The drives have two FireWire 800 ports and a USB 2.0 port and require no power supply, so they're nice large backup drives to pack with you while traveling for work or pleasure. As with the previous new Iomega drives that TUAW has tested, the Helium Portable Hard Drive and Mac Companion Hard Drive, the eGo Mac Edition drives come complete with a USB 2.0 cable, a FireWire 800 cable, and a FireWire 800 - 400 adapter cable. The 500 GB version has a suggested retail price of US$179.99, while the 1 TB version will be available soon for $229.99. For more information about all of Iomega's newest Mac-only hard drives, be sure to read the press release below. Show full PR text Iomega Completes New Line of Hard Drives for the Mac With Launch of Iomega eGo Mac Edition Portable Hard Drive *** Three Drives Offer Something for Every User of Mac Notebooks & Desktops: 256-Bit Hardware Encryption Keeps Files Secure Desktop Drive Delivers Quick Charge for Your iPad Up to 3TB on the Desktop, and up to 1TB for New Portable Models All Three Mac Drives Include Bundled Iomega Protection Suite With Mac-Specific Software San Diego, November 10, 2011 -- Iomega, an EMC company (NYSE:EMC) and a global leader in data protection, today announced the completion of its new Mac-oriented hard drive line with the launch of the new Iomega® eGo™ Mac Edition Portable Hard Drive, an on-the-go stylish drive with plenty of storage that can withstand drops and still travel easily in a pocketbook or briefcase. Combined with the recent launches of the Iomega® Helium Portable Hard Drive and the Iomega® Mac Companion Hard Drive, Iomega now has a complete new line of portable and desktop hard drives for Mac users. All three new drives are formatted HFS+ for compatibility with Mac computers right out of the box, making them perfect complements to today's Apple notebooks and desktops. "Iomega's new line of hard drives for the Mac gives enthusiasts everything they need in versatile, high performance storage," said Jonathan Huberman, president of Iomega Corporation. "The new rugged Iomega eGo Mac Edition Portable Hard Drive and the compact Iomega Helium Portable Hard Drive are ideal for mobile users, creative professionals and digital enthusiasts who demand a stylish and sure way to store, share and backup all of the files on their Mac computers. On the desktop, the stylish Mac Companion Hard Drive delivers plenty of storage and interface options as well as a first-of-its-kind quick charge for an iPad. All three of these new Iomega hard drives are compatible with Mac Lion OS and Time Machine, giving Mac users the form and function they want as well as the peace of mind that their data is safe and can be automatically backed up." Two Well-Rounded Portable Hard Drives for Mac Users Available in 500GB* and 1TB** capacities, the new black Iomega eGo Mac Edition Portable Hard Drive has two FireWire 800 ports and one USB 2.0 port for fast performance and versatile connections. The eGo Mac Edition Portable Hard Drive includes a Drop Guard™ Case to help protect the drive from drops of up to seven feet. The eGo Mac Edition Portable Hard Drive requires no external power supply, and comes complete with three cables: one USB 2.0 cable, one FireWire 800 cable, and one FireWire 800-FireWire 400 adaptor cable. Available in 500GB and 1TB capacities, the new Iomega Helium Portable Hard Drive has one USB 2.0 port and a durable aluminum case, giving mobile users and others peace-of-mind when traveling with their Iomega Helium Portable Hard Drive. The Helium Portable Hard Drive requires no external power supply, and comes complete with one USB 2.0 cable. One Powerful Desktop Hard Drive Available in 2TB and 3TB capacities, the new Iomega Mac Companion Hard Drive utilizes a fast 7200 RPM 3.5-inch hard drive in a space-saving design that fits perfectly on the base of the Apple iMac or an Apple monitor. Adding peripheral devices to your Apple computer is no problem with the Mac Companion Hard Drive. The stylish silver and black drive includes two FireWire 800 ports, one USB 2.0 port and a two port integrated USB 2.0 hub that lets you connect multiple devices such as a printer or other external storage device. The Mac Companion Hard Drive doesn't require the user to buy extra cables – the drive comes complete with one FireWire 800, one conversion FireWire 400-800, and one USB 2.0 cable Of the many features included with the Mac Companion Hard Drive, Mac users may most appreciate the first-of-its-kind high powered USB charging port for their iPad, iPhone or iPod. (Apple portable products sold separately.) The charging port is a high-powered 2.1 Amp hookup that makes it easy and convenient to charge your iPad and other portable Apple devices so they're ready to go when you are. *** The new Iomega Mac Companion Hard Drive is the only major branded external HFS+ Mac desktop hard drive on the market today that incorporates a high powered Apple device charging port and a two-port USB 2.0 hub. Three Drives + Plenty of Software = Total Solutions Unlike many competing hard drives, the new eGo Mac Edition Portable Hard Drive, as well as the Helium Portable Hard Drive and the Mac Companion Hard Drive, all boast local and online backup, as well as encryption and anti-virus software: 256-bit AES encryption keeps files on your drive safe from prying eyes. The Iomega Protection Suite, a comprehensive offering of powerful Mac software that includes: Iomega® QuikProtect for simple scheduled file-level backup. MozyHome™ Online Backup for convenient online backup of up to 2GB free. A free 12-month subscription of Trend Micro™ Smart Surfing for Mac allows users to shop, bank and surf online while staying safe from attacks to your identity and confidential information. Availability and Warranty The new Iomega® eGo™ Mac Edition Portable Hard Drive is available worldwide in a 500GB model and a 1TB model. The new Iomega® Helium Portable Hard Drive is available worldwide in a 500GB model and a 1TB model. The new Iomega® Mac Companion Hard Drive is available worldwide in a 2TB model and a 3TB model. The Iomega Mac Companion Hard Drive and the Iomega Helium Portable Hard Drive are now available at Apple stores; the Iomega eGo Mac Edition Portable Hard Drive will be available at Apple Stores later this month. All three products are also available or will be available at other select retailers and etailers worldwide. All three products include a three-year warranty with registration. For more information about Iomega storage products, please go to www.iomega.com. About EMC EMC Corporation is a global leader in enabling businesses and service providers to transform their operations and deliver IT as a service. Fundamental to this transformation is cloud computing. Through innovative products and services, EMC accelerates the journey to cloud computing, helping IT departments to store, manage, protect and analyze their most valuable asset - information - in a more agile, trusted and cost-efficient way. Additional information about EMC can be found at www.EMC.com. About Iomega Iomega is a worldwide leader of innovative storage solutions for small businesses, distributed enterprises, home offices, and consumers. A wholly-owned subsidiary of EMC, the world's premier information infrastructure technology provider, Iomega has shipped more than 14 million terabytes of storage since its inception in 1980. Today, Iomega's portfolio includes industry-leading network attached storage solutions that utilize world class EMC storage and security technologies as well as Iomega's Personal Cloud technology; one of the industry's broadest selections of portable and desktop hard drives; multimedia drives that make it easy to view video and Internet content in the living room; and the one-of-a-kind Iomega® SuperHero™ Backup & Charger for iPhone. To learn more go to www.iomega.com. Resellers worldwide can visit www.ioclub.net. NOTE: This release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined under the Federal Securities Laws. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of certain risk factors, including but not limited to: (i) adverse changes in general economic or market conditions; (ii) delays or reductions in information technology spending; (iii) the relative and varying rates of product price and component cost declines and the volume and mixture of product and services revenues; (iv) competitive factors, including but not limited to pricing pressures and new product introductions; (v) component and product quality and availability; (vi) fluctuations in VMware, Inc.'s operating results and risks associated with trading of VMware stock; (vii) the transition to new products, the uncertainty of customer acceptance of new product offerings and rapid technological and market change; (viii) risks associated with managing the growth of our business, including risks associated with acquisitions and investments and the challenges and costs of integration, restructuring and achieving anticipated synergies; (ix) the ability to attract and retain highly qualified employees; (x) insufficient, excess or obsolete inventory; (xi) fluctuating currency exchange rates; (xii) threats and other disruptions to our secure data centers or networks; (xiii) our ability to protect our proprietary technology; (xiv) war or acts of terrorism; and (xv) other one-time events and other important factors disclosed previously and from time to time in EMC's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. EMC disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements after the date of this release. *1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes **1TB = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes *** For the fastest charge, the Mac Companion Hard Drive must be connected to the computer via FireWire rather than USB 2.0. © 2011 Iomega Corporation. All rights reserved. Iomega, Drop Guard, and SuperHero are trademarks or registered trademarks of Iomega Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. EMC, MozyHome, and LifeLine are trademarks or registered trademarks of EMC Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
Iomega Mac Companion: Your iMac's soulmate
A few weeks ago I wrote a review of the Iomega eGo Helium Portable Hard Drive. That review was very favorable -- the drive was relatively fast, very solidly built, and is designed to match the aluminum cases of Apple's MacBook Pro and MacBook Air lines. The company has also released the Iomega Mac Companion (US$239.99 for 2 TB, $369.99 for 3 TB), a high-capacity backup drive that matches the design of the iMac. Let me take you on a guided tour of this nice-looking and useful desktop drive / hub combo. Design Like the Helium, the Mac Companion is (duh!) designed for Mac. Yes, you can use it with a PC, which is why I threw in that little comment. But to use it with a PC you need to reformat the Mac Companion's drive -- it comes pre formatted in HFS+, ready to connect to your Mac. The Mac Companion is outfitted with one USB 2.0 port and two FireWire 800 ports. There's also a two-port USB 2.0 hub built in, so you can charge and sync both your iPhone and iPad at the same time (if you're not using iOS 5.0 Wi-Fi syncing, that is). But wait, there's more: another USB port on the side packing a full 2.1 amps of current for charging. Let me get back to the design. While the Helium borrowed from the design of the aluminum unibody MacBooks, the Mac Companion takes its design cues from the iMac. The drive is meant to sit on top of the base of an iMac, and it exactly matches the shape of the base. The aluminum is almost identical to the aluminum finish of the bottom of the iMac, while the black top of the Mac Companion mimics the black bezel around the display. When nestled beneath an iMac, there are no Iomega logos to be seen. What you do see are four white LEDs that signify that you have power to the drive and, if you've downloaded and installed the Capacity Utility they also display the relative capacity of the drive. Unfortunately, this download requires both a support account with Iomega as well as a reboot upon installation. Both of those steps are annoying. The LED also glows red when the device has been unmounted from a system. One negative point: I really can't stand it when manufacturers take the cheap route and ship generic power supplies with their devices. These bricks usually take up way too much space and detract from an otherwise well-designed hard drive. Steve Jobs never would have let a new product ship with an ugly, generic power supply. The Mac Companion comes with no software installed on it -- a very nice feature, since I usually end up taking the "bonus software suite" off of most drives anyway. You can download a complete package with goodies like Trend Smart Surfing and a free 2 GB subscription to Mozy Home from Iomega's site. The drive is extremely quiet, and as you'll see in the benchmark results below, fast. Iomega's spokesperson mentioned that they're using a 7200 RPM mechanism, and it shows. Benchmark TUAW uses a standard industry benchmark to compare the I/O capabilities of disks and arrays. The benchmark uses the AJA System Test, which simulates reading and writing video. The specific test I used was the Disk Read/Write test, also known as the DiskWhackTest, set at a video frame size of 720 x 486 8-bit and a file size of 128 MB. The test results are compared to the internal SATA drive of the test iMac. I've also included the results for another FireWire 800 drive (Western Digital 3 TB MyBook Studio) for a more direct comparison. As you can see, this is a pretty darned fast drive! It had an average write speed of 78.9 MB/sec, making it about 14.8% faster in write operations than the Western Digital MyBook Studio. As for read operations, it averaged 80.9 MB/sec, or about 9.5% faster than the MyBook Studio. The Western Digital drive has an MSRP about $40 less than the Iomega drive, but in my opinion the better looks, excellent integration with the iMac, and higher read/write speeds of the Iomega Mac Companion make it well worth the slight extra cost. Conclusion Iomega must be doing something right these days. Both the Ego Helium portable drive and the Mac Companion are well-designed, good looking, and fast drives at a fairly reasonable price. Sure, you can buy much less expensive drives, but if you appreciate design and speed you really ought to take a look at the Mac Companion as a primary backup drive.
Iomega eGo Helium Portable Hard Drive: Small, solid and secure
I have a pile of small USB-powered hard drives that I use to back up various devices. All of them are inexpensive, have somewhat limited storage, and are encased in plastic. The latter feature always makes me apprehensive about traveling with the drives, as they just don't seem to be sturdy enough for a lot of handling. The Iomega eGo Helium Portable Hard Drive ($149.99 for 1 TB, $99.99 for 500 GB) is built to take on a lot of abuse and look good in the process. Design The first thing that hit me when I pulled the eGo Helium out of the box was that it looked and felt like it had been crafted from a solid block of aluminum. Of course it isn't, but it does have a very solid aluminum case that is almost a precise match for the material used on the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. Even with all of that aluminum, the drive still weighs only 8.2 ounces. Design-wise, the case is quite stark -- simply a slab of aluminum with the Iomega logo stamped on the side. On the back is a mini-USB port and a single white LED to let you know that the drive is plugged in. Trust me, you'll need that light to know that the drive is in operation, since the eGo Helium is very quiet. Since the eGo Helium is designed especially for Mac laptops, it comes pre-formatted as Journaled HFS+. The actual mechanism runs at 5400 RPM and is designed to withstand a 36" drop. The really impressive feature of this drive is built-in AES 256-bit encryption in hardware. To enable or disable this feature, Iomega has a free utility available. The utility, which works with Mac OS X 10.5 - 10.7, requires a reboot after installation. Once you've installed the software, enabling encryption re-formats the drive. A Drive Protection Dashboard is used to eject your drive for disconnection. What's great about using hardware encryption and a utility like this is that the data on the drive can be encrypted, but used on any Mac that is running the utility (as long as you know the password). Unlike other manufacturers who tend to throw a pile of (in my opinion) relatively worthless software on each drive that goes out the door, I like that Iomega makes a companion software suite available as an optional free download. That software suite includes such items as a 12 month subscription to Trend SmartSurfing and a 2 GB free account for Mozy Home. Benchmark TUAW is uses a standard industry benchmark to compare the I/O capabilities of disks and arrays. The benchmark uses the AJA System Test, which simulates reading and writing video. The specific test I used was the Disk Read/Write test, also known as the DiskWhackTest, set at a video frame size of 720 x 486 8-bit and a file size of 128 MB. The test results are compared to the internal SATA drive of the test iMac. I've also included the results for another USB 2.0 drive (Western Digital 3 TB MyBook Studio) for a more direct comparison. I was wondering if enabling encryption on the Helium would slow down the read/write figures, so I ran a second set of tests with encryption turned on. The results were very close (average write speed was 30.5 MB/s, average read 33.5 MB/s), and most likely are within the margin of error considering the small sample size I used for the tests. Conclusion As a portable drive made to work with the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, the Iomega eGo Helium Portable Hard Drive is built like a tank. The hardware encryption feature and solid construction should be useful to anyone who needs to protect critical data while on the road, and the speed of the drive is very close to desktop USB 2.0 drives we've tested. I like that Iomega is building drives specifically for the Mac market that match the Apple products they're made to work with. I'll also be reviewing the Mac Companion, a drive that's designed to complement the iMac. The eGo Helium is definitely worth your consideration if you need a portable bus-powered drive for your Mac laptop.
Iomega's TV with Boxee (Box) hitting Europe by 'by mid-October,' or so it says
Forgive our skepticism, but when your product has missed its original ship date by over half a year, we aren't believing anything until we see it. Or, should we say, our colleagues in Europe see it. Iomega's Olivier D'Eternod -- Head of Product Marketing for EMEA -- was recently on-hand at IBC in Amsterdam, and he was quoted over at Intel's blog as saying that the 'TV with Boxee' would be "available in Europe by mid-October." For those who can't remember last week (let alone January), here's a bit of a refresher -- the company actually demoed its own version of the Boxee Box at CES, and promised then that it'd be out in February. Since? Radio silence. If all goes as planned, though, consumers in Germany, UK, Sweden, Spain and France should see it in around four weeks, with Holland, Belgium, Ireland, Switzerland and Portugal in line behind 'em. He also hinted at a future where "access to premium content" was available, but smartly suggested that the company "bring this one to market first" before looking too far forward. Smart man.
Iomega Mac Companion 2TB hard drive on sale now for $240, we go hands-on
The Mac Companion hard drive that we told you about back in early August has started to ship from Apple's online store and is ready to take its spot beneath your iMac's monitor. We got a little hands-on time with the HDD and have to say, it's a slick peripheral that will certainly fit in with the collection of the aesthetic-conscious Apple devotee out there, with a metal-bordered exterior that seems to have taken a few fashion cues from the iPhone 4. On the front of the drive are four white LEDs, which turn off one by one as you fill up more space, letting you know how much room is left on the thing. Iomega's TV with Boxee (Box) hitting Europe by 'by mid-October,' or so it says Discount education-only iMac appears, makes you wish you'd opened that institute of higher learning Iomega Mac Companion Hard Drive offers 3TB of storage and a filling station for your iPad The top of the drive is a glossy black surface, which is a bit of a fingerprint magnet -- again, familiar territory to those with Apple products. Upon plugging it in (Iomega gave us the 2TB version to play with, though there's also a 3TB model), the Mac Companion will ask whether you'd like to back your system up via Time Machine. Transfer-wise, the drive does USB 2.0 and FireWire. In our limited testing, we got around 35MB/sec and just under 60MB/sec, respectively. The Mac Companion also doubles as a hub for your peripherals -- with two USB ports on the rear and a 2.1 Amp port on the side. The ports on the rear require the drive to be connected to a computer to charge and sync devices. The high-powered port on the side, however, will charge up devices like an iPad or iPhone even when the drive isn't connected to your Mac. The Mac Companion is a fairly straightforward, good looking drive, which worked quite well out of the box on the Lion system we tested it out on -- and the fact that it does double duty as a USB port sets the thing apart from much of the pack. The 2TB version will run you around $240 online.%Gallery-133759%
Engadget's back to school guide 2011: accessories
Welcome to Engadget's Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we're here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we've got a slew of accessories -- and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back -- at the end of the month we'll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides -- and hit up the hub page right here! Fall's slowly, but surely creeping back in, and we bet you've already started to gather up the necessary gear for your return to the residence hall. Sure, you've got the basics covered, with a computer, smartphone, MP3 player and even a tablet at the ready. But wouldn't it be nice to start the school year off in style with some handy accoutrements to trick out those digital crutches? Let's face it, you're going to need a lapdesk buffer zone between you and your laptop's scorching heat for those countless hours spent churning out term papers. Or, an external hard drive, so you can store those full seasons of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and bring the late night funny to your stressed-out friends. However you manage to make it through the year and snag that 4.0 GPA, we've got a selection of accessorized aids to match your collegiate budget. Oh, and don't forget, we're giving away $3,000 worth of essential back to school gear to 15 readers, and you can be among the chosen few simply by dropping a comment below! Click on past the break to start browsing.
Iomega's SuperHero for iPhone provides an iTunes-free backup solution
Personally, I have no issue with plugging my iPhone into my Mac every evening before I head to bed, recharging it, backing up my contacts and photos, and syncing my podcasts and music when I want it to. But I've heard before that a surprising number of iPhone (and iPod touch) users don't ever connect their devices to iTunes, and that theory is supported by Apple's big drive to go "PC Free" in iOS 5, leaving a PC or Mac connection out of the equation completely. For those not interested in connecting their iPhones to an actual computer every evening, Iomega is there with its SuperHero dock system, which I saw earlier this year at CES and tried out recently. The device is basically just a dock which plugs into the wall, and has only a power cord input and an SD card slot on it. Combined with an app you can pick up free from the App Store (and in fact, you're prompted to download the app the first time you plug in), the dock automatically backs up photos and contacts onto an SD card, and charges your device. The device was $69.99 at launch, but is now available for as low as $39.99, and at that price, I can see a lot of good uses for it beyond just the most basic of someone who might not understand iTunes or deal with a full sync every time they plug an iPhone in. This could be a good solution for an office or school backup system, where you might not be able to install iTunes and run a full sync on a work PC. Or it might just be a good way to offload your contacts and photos, keeping them in yet another location. The actual setup runs smoothly -- it really is designed for newbies, as it only takes about three taps to install the app early on, and afterward the app runs without any prompting. Plug your iPhone into the dock and let it go. Backup of contacts is quick, though photos takes significantly longer. I just got back from a trip, and loading the 17 photos I took with my iPhone took around 30 minutes. Still, this kind of "set it and forget it" backup is very useful, and of course there are options to not run contact or photos backup if you don't want to. You can also restore contacts and photos directly from the dock itself, so if you ever need to replace your phone, that's all very easy to do, even without a computer. Unfortunately, I don't have multiple iPhones for testing, but presumably, you might be able to use this system to copy contacts over across multiple iPhones -- each backup file is named separately on the SD card (controlled by another option), but it might be possible to plug in a different iPhone, and restore the contacts from there. One issue I had is that there's no way of pausing or cancelling a backup in progress, short of just pulling your iPhone out of the dock. But then again, that works all right, and the sync will just pick up where it left off when you replace the phone, so it's probably better not to have the extra UI anyway. Finally, there's one more option to encrypt contacts with a password if you like, providing a layer of security (which might be important if you set this up at your workplace). That's easy enough to do, though you have to remember that the security is only as good as your password, which you re-enter every time you run a restore. Iomega's SuperHero is a solid little device with quite a few different uses. Originally, I thought it was meant more as a dummy-proof way to get your iPhone backed up, but after using it, I can see quite a few places where a PC free way to get your iPhone's contacts and photos saved on an SD card could come in handy. It also works with the iPod touch. Even in Apple's brand new world of iCloud, where all of this information will be automatically saved on their servers, I can see reasons why the especially careful or paranoid might still want that extra backup functionality built into a charger, and especially after the drops in the SuperHero's price since launch, the SuperHero is a good deal. Iomega's made a weird little creature here with this dock, but it seems destined to be the platypus of iOS backup, sticking to old ways even when normal evolution might have deemed otherwise.
Iomega Mac Companion Hard Drive offers 3TB of storage and a filling station for your iPad
How to get a hefty new hard drive for your Mac without making your other gadgets jealous? Iomega is offering up a solution with the fairly elegant Mac Companion Hard Drive, a two or three terabyte external drive designed with Apple computers in mind that adds a high-powered charging port for your peripherals. The drive also packs additional USB and FireWire ports (no Thunderbolt, guys?), plus a set of four LEDs, which let you know how full it is with a glance. The drives are available via Apple at $195 and $295, for 2TB and 3TB, respectively.
Iomega Mac Companion Hard Drive: Big storage, high-powered charging ports
Iomega has just introduced the new Mac Companion Hard Drive, a 2 or 3 TB external drive that not only offers a lot of storage in a nice-looking container, but also provides a high-powered USB port to charge up your iPad. The Mac Companion is priced a bit higher than high-capacity USB external drives, with the 2 TB model weighing in at US$195.00 and the 3 TB model at $295.00. However, the manufacturer's suggested retail price is right in line with many other FireWire 800 drives, and the Mac Companion can connect through FireWire 800 as well as USB 2.0. The Mac Companion also fills the job of a hub. It not only has a 2.1 Amp USB charging port for your iPad, but two more USB ports in a built-in hub and two FireWire 800 ports. Iomega provides cables to get your Mac and the Mac Companion working together off the bat -- one FireWire 800 cable, one conversion FireWire 400-800 cable, and one USB 2.0 cable. When placed near just about any modern Mac, the Mac Companion fits right in. The aluminum case has four LEDs on the front to let you know how much free space you have left on the drive. Iomega provides software to enable scheduled file-level backups, although most Mac users will want to use the Mac Companion with Time Machine. Iomega also provides a free 2 GB online backup through MozyHome for extra assurance. TUAW is hoping to get one of the Mac Companion Hard Drives for a full review, so stay tuned for more details.
Iomega's SuperHero backup and charger for iPhone syncs without a PC
Iomega was at CES last week showing off its upcoming SuperHero Backup and Charger for the iPhone. You may ask why anyone needs a backup system for the iPhone as iTunes backs up your iPhone when you sync. The Iomega rep explained that many iPhone users don't plug their iPhone into a PC or Mac. They simply use a wall charger, downloading apps directly onto the phone, almost never syncing up with iTunes. Sources at Apple retail confirm this is the case. Personally, I plug my iPhone into iTunes every night to update my podcasts and apps as often as possible. For those who don't sync, however, Iomega is releasing the SuperHero. It's super simple -- you just download an app onto the phone, and then whenever you plug the iPhone into the dock, the app will turn on and backup your contacts and pictures onto an included 4 GB SD card. Lose your iPhone, and you won't lose your important information. Yes, for family members or friends who don't ever sync through iTunes, this might be helpful. But wouldn't it be worth it to teach them how to do it? Syncing seems simple enough to me. Then again, if you don't own a PC or Mac and use your iPhone like a small computer, this would at least give you some assurance your data will persist. The Iomega SuperHero backup and charger should be available by the end of next month for US$69.99.
Iomega ScreenPlay DX HD and TV Link DX HD stream 1080p
You know what the world needs? Yet another HD video media streamer, or two of them in the case of Iomega. The ScreenPlay DX HD (pictured) and lesser ScreenPlay TV Link DX HD just made their inaugural appearance on Iomega's home page along side a big "coming soon!" banner. At the moment, we only have specs for the DX HD revealing 1080p video playback over HDMI, up to 2TB of storage, DLNA certification, Ethernet jack and WiFi adapter, optical audio jack, component and composite video, and 2x USB jacks up front and 2x on the back. It also boasts a potentially useful QWERTY remote; Netflix, Mediafly, and Pandora integration; and a healthy dose of audio and video codecs / containers including H.264, WMV, RMVB, MPEG-1/2/4 (part 2, ASP), DivX, DivX Plus HD (MKV), XviD, AVI(Xvid, AVC, MPEG1/2/4), ISO, VOB, MP4, MOV, and MKV. No pricing yet but these should get properly official with pricing and ship date any day now. %Gallery-112513%
Iomega Personal Cloud devices host your data, not your water vapor
Finally, a new flavor of Iomega that the EMC fanboys can find palatable. The bigger company consumed the smaller back in 2008 and, while we've seen plenty of products since then, none have really brought the two together like the new Personal Cloud edition of the Home Media Network Hard Drives. In theory, anyway. The idea here is that this is a smart NAS, creating your own little puff and hosting your data for general availability but avoiding the "careless computing" curse by retaining control of your data. It'll naturally play nice with the new Iomega TV and, if you buy two of the things, you can have one perform an automated remote backup to the other. That's the sort of feature that should make a tight-budgeted IT manager's ears perk up. How tight? The first two models of Iomega's Home Media Network Hard Drive Cloud Edition devices launch this month: 1TB for $169.99 and twice that for $229.99. %Gallery-112488%
Iomega SuperHero iPhone dock backs up photos to SD memory card
We forget how important our photos are until we lose them. The 5 megapixel camera in the iPhone 4 encourages a lot of picture taking, but most of us put our phones on a charger over night instead of docking with our computers, so our photos aren't getting backed up. The Iomega® SuperHero™ Backup and Charger for iPhone aims to solve that problem with a dock that backs up your camera roll photos and contacts while recharging your iPhone. Keep it by your bed, and you won't forget. The charger and accompanying backup app will be available later this month. To make photo backup part of your daily routine, you'll need to download the free SuperHero iPhone Backup app from the Apple app store, and run the app when you dock your phone. The dock and app support iPhone 3G, 3GS and 4. For US$69.99, the Iomega SuperHero dock comes with a 4 GB SD memory card, but if you shoot a lot, or keep a year's worth of photos and videos on your camera roll like some friends I know, you can swap that out for a 16 GB or 32 GB SD card. If your phone is lost, damaged or stolen, you should first restore your latest backup from iTunes (you are backing up at least occasionally, aren't you?), then restore last night's backup of contacts and photos from the dock. The dock doesn't back up email or apps, but your email is on your email server and you can re-download apps from the App Store, so those aren't as critical as your once-in-a-lifetime photo ops. To get notified when the dock is available, sign up at the Iomega SuperHero product page, and while you're waiting, head on over to Engadget to watch Iomega's video ad reminding you just how many moments can lead to needing this dock. [via Engadget]
Iomega TV with Boxee chooses function over form, packs in a hard drive to boot
Looking for a Boxee Box equivalent that fits perhaps a bit more neatly into your existing home theater shelving system? Iomega TV with Boxee lacks D-Link's style, but its more standard look'll be easy to slide inconspicuously over your set-top box. It's got the same UI, the same Intel CE4100 processor, and a similar two-sided remote with a QWERTY keyboard on the underside and a few more buttons up front (dedicated volume control, for example). It can also serve as a DLNA server / player, built-in 802.11n, and up to 2TB internal storage that acts as network storage / a personal cloud. The top-of-the-line'll run you $349.99, with 1TB and 0TB (i.e. no internal storage) options available for $299.99 and $229.99, respectively. Those are due out in February -- plenty of time for Netflix and VUDU to show their faces. %Gallery-112412% %Gallery-112413%
Iomega SuperHero iPhone dock backs up contacts and photos to SD card (video)
In addition to Boxee-addled media devices and the customary run of new storage solutions, Iomega's got its own take on the iPod dock to show off. The SuperHero can back up photos and contacts from your iPhone (3G model and up) and iPod touch (second-gen and up) to an SD card -- no apps or music, unfortunately, due to restrictions in the API. The associated app pops up automatically when you slot in the device, and there's a few options for fine-tuning what exactly gets saved. A smart idea, but it'd be nice if we had more output options like audio (for an elegant stereo solution) or USB (just in case you did have a computer handy, with or without iTunes). SuperHero'll set you back $69.99 and comes bundled with a 4GB SDHC card, but more importantly, there's an amusing video ad to see. It's after the break. %Gallery-112411% %Gallery-112410%
Iomega serves up adorable 1.8-inch External USB 3.0 SSD pocket drives
Some might say that you have somewhat of a problem when calling a solid state drive "cute," but what do they know, anyway? Iomega's newest batch of external SSDs are easily the most adorable we've seen, as these 1.8-inchers can just about slip into any oversized Fifth Pocket that you may have. Available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB sizes, the diminutive drives support USB 3.0 and are built to be lugged around and occasionally dropped, stepped on or used as a stress-relief tool. Specifically, the metal enclosure is engineered to handle drops from up to ten feet, and the 256-bit hardware encryption ensures that only you and your cronies will see what's inside. The company's also tossing in its Protection Suite (loaded with anti-virus, cloning and backup applications), and it'll be hawking these in early November for $229, $399 and $749 from least capacious to most. Oh, and that noise you hear? A hundred million USB 3.0 flash drives getting all sorts of perturbed. %Gallery-105158%
