On paper, the My Passport Studio 500GB has a lot going for it. It’s compact, offers three different connection types, has a healthy amount of storage space, and comes with a five-year warranty. On top of it all, the My Passport Studio features what the company calls “Turbo” capabilities that is supposed to boost data transfer speeds. In our time trials, we found the Turbo drivers did boost the speed of the connection a bit, but we found that even with the boost the My Passport Studio is only an average performer.

The external shell is simple, but what the drive lacks in stylistic verve it makes up for in ease of use. Already formatted for the Mac, the My Passport Studio can be easily attached into a computer with your connection of choice—FireWire 800, FireWire 400, and USB 2.0. Like many portable drives, the My Passport Studio doesn’t offer eSATA. No separate power source is required; the drive uses power from USB or FireWire.

The new My Passport Studio, which is not to be confused with the old version of the same name, probably is the most full-featured portable external hard drive that Western Digital has ever created. First off, the drive comes with a cool customizable electric label that shows text even if the drive isn’t plugged in. The label can display any message up to 12 characters long, enough for labeling the content of the drive or the name of the owner. Apart from that, the label also shows a storage gauge and the amount of storage currently available on the drive.

In order to change this label, you’ll need to install the WD SmartWare software, which is included with the drive on a separate read-only partition. The first time you plug the drive into a computer, you’ll be prompted to install this application. If you don’t, you still can use the drive, but you won’t be able to change the label or take advantage of its additional features, including backup and security.

All of these features can be accessed and modified using WD’s proprietary software: the WD SmartWare.  It comes pre-loaded into the device as an auto-loading Virtual CD. It’s an all-in-one software which lets you update the label, add a security password, or even diagnose your hard drive. There’s also a backup software included that neatly categorizes the contents of your computer, which could be synced to your hard drive. The backup software is limited such that you can’t exclude individual files/folders from the different categories. If it’s documents or movies, it’s ALL documents or movies. There’s also no option for automatic scheduled backup.

Synology Disk Station DS411j designed to provide a cost-effective file storage and backup solution with RAID protection for multi-user home environments. The operating system, Synology DiskStation Manager 3.1, delivers rich features for multimedia enjoyments, worry-free backup, Internet sharing, and energy-saving options.

Today we are looking at one of their new models, the budget Diskstation DS411j which offers a cost effective file storage and backup solution with Raid Protection for multi user home environments. The DS411j is fully compatible with the fantastic new multi tasking Diskstation Manager 3. So what do you get for your money? A four drive NAS system for under £300 with a total of 8TB storage support? Yes please.

When you have your leads,Hard drives installed and Your Network connection ready Put the disk in the PC and fire it up and its a real joy to install easy to understand and when the Synollogy assistant is installed,its time to set up the hard drives installed ( DS411j can support up to 8TB of data across 4 x 2TB drives) Plenty For Home Use or indeed a small Business to,Don’t Panic about Setting up raid to as its an easy Process guided with step by step panels on screen,that are easy to understand and very straight forward for the Beginner,DS411j supports a proprietary Synology Hybrid Raid configuration as well as JBOD, Raid 0, Raid 1, Raid 5, Raid 5+ Spare, Raid 6 and Raid 10. The operating system can offer migration such as Basic to RAID 1, Basic to RAID 5, Basic to RAID 5+Spare, RAID 1 to RAID 5, RAID 1 to RAID 5+Spare, RAID 5 to RAID 5+Spare, RAID 5 to RAID 6. Additionally pre configured Raid volumes can be expanded with larger Drives,of course theres Full Mac Support to,Folders can be shared across the network of course and theres lots of options here.

The operating system has a monitoring system similar to the Windows, showing CPU overhead as well as memory demands and network activity Any partitions can be analysed and hard drive temperatures can be monitored which of course you would expect,now we get to some tests and fine the Red and Write Speeds of the Synology DS410J Nas.

Transcend today announced the StoreJet 25D2-W, a portable hard drive designed to complement Mac computers. The StoreJet 25D2-W offers a capacity of 500 gigabytes for synchronisation and backup using software such as Mac OS X Time Machine or Transcend’s StoreJet Elite software for Windows. Under its seemingly delicate case is an internal hard drive suspension system that helps prevent damage caused by accidental slips or falls during travel. For further piece of mind, the drive features anti-slip rubber feet. Backed by a 3-year warranty, the Transcend StoreJet 25D2-W is available now.

The compact StoreJet 25D2-W portable hard drive is stylish, rugged and ultra-portable. Its shiny gloss-white lacquer finish resembles the classic Apple style, making it look good with any Mac computer, including MacBooks, iMacs, MacBook Mini, etc. With full certification for use with all Mac systems, the StoreJet 25D2-W bears the ‘‘Compatible with Mac OS X’’ logo that gives Mac users extra piece of mind. Thanks to its trendy design and multi-platform compatibility, both Windows and Mac users now have a fantastic choice for storing and carrying their data with style.

However, Transcend StoreJet 25D2-W is a multi-platform compatibility that allows used Windows 7. The package includes synchronization and backup software package, such as Transcend StoreJet Elite, as well as the application for encryption (AES 256-bit).

StoreJet 25D2-W external drive has feature 5400 rpm work speed, 8MB buffer cache, an USB 2.0 interface, and a stylish faux-suede travel pouch, which is easily carry it snugly and safely. The 25D2-W also packs anti-slip rubber feet, which provide a stable base for resting on computer case or a table.

The single harddrive inside has a capacity of 500GB – 1.5TB depending on the model and is surrounded in metal that measures 11 x 7.1 x 5 inches that provides a protective layer around the drive. On the waterproof side it can be dunked for 3 days in up to 10 feet of water without causing damage to the drive inside. On the fireproof side of things the drive can withstand temperatures up to 1550 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 30 minutes.

On the back of the device there is a USB 2.0 port for connecting the drive to your computer. Also the power connector can also be found there along with a hole in a plate that allows you to bolt the Solo to a floor or desk.

The ioSafe Solo weighs 15lbs making it rather heavy duty which is exactly what it wants to achieve. The benefits of having a waterproof and fireproof drive is that you know your data will always be safe in the unfortunate event there is a fire or water issue.

The ioSafe Solo’s security features for your data don’t involve encryption, but are of the physical variety. To withstand moisture, the drive is sealed in what the company calls a HydroSafe  waterproof package that can handle up to 10 feet of water for three days. The ioSafe Solo also has a ceramic block that is part of the drive’s DataCast fireproof insulation. When reaching temperatures over 160 degrees Fahrenheit, the ceramic block releases water vapor to cool the unit.

The drive includes ioSafe’s Data Recovery Service that is activated with product registration. The service includes a telephone hotline and e-mail address to contact the ioSafe Disaster Response Team. The service also comes with a Data Extraction Guarantee of up to $20,000 and a free replacement ioSafe unit with the recovered data. The Data Recovery Service and the Disaster Response Team are available with the original warranty and can be extended for up to five years.

Both trendy and slim with practical utilities, the KE-91, the flagship external HDD Kingmax introduced to the market this April, has proven its popularity with great sales figures. With a high C/P, the KE-91 is strongly recommended by professional IT media worldwide. In responding to ever-growing market demands, Kingmax developed the 640GB KE-91, an ultra-high capacity HDD to offer a better choice for customers demanding high storage solutions.

The first external hard drive product Kingmax introduced to the market, the KE-91, with its elegant design, advanced encryption technology, useful backup, and speed enhancement software, quickly became the center focus of international IT media and was praised with great reviews from IT experts. For example, a professional Russian IT magazine rated the KE-91 as a “Best Buy” IT product.  HD media player is a multimedia powerhouse.

The KE-91 follows the form factor of numerous 2.5-inch external hard drives out there – it’s small enough to be carried around with ease and fashionable enough to be touted around. The bundled leatherette case is also a nice touch, and a tight fit for the KE-91. It’s also designed to add a little flair to the product, and also allow the user to access the USB port of the drive without having to remove it from the case. The tight USB interface on the drive isn’t exactly our preference, but it could work for some users. Pulling the connector head out may require some care.

Aside from the obvious noted above, there are a couple of tools pre-installed that makes this drive more useful: PC CloneEX Lite, SecureDriveEX2, and TurboHDD USB, all from Taiwanese software R&D developer Fnet. The KE-91 includes registered versions of the TurboHDD USB and SecureDriveEX2. PC CloneEX Lite is a software that takes care of backing up your personal data for you. It can backup selectively or the entire drive, including the Windows and Program Files directories. What’s special about this program is that it allows you to restore your system by booting directly from the USB storage drive that PC CloneEX Lite works with and can immediately perform recovery – especially useful when your PC’s Windows installation somehow screws up.