Storage Devices

By November 30, 2016 Read More →

Toshiba Exceria Pro UHS-II U3 SDHC review

p1030325The Toshiba Exceria Pro UHS-II SDHC card comes with the latest of USB Bus Speed technologies built in. Notable by a new pin layout, the first-row pins are used for the normal transfer, at regular speeds alongside higher speeds and UHS-I bus interface signals,  a second row of pins are used for the UHS-II signals. Their combined efforts can produce record breaking speed and earn them the title of the World’s Fastest SD Cards.

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The Exceria Pro UHS-II has been available in 16 and 32GB capacities for some time, now Toshiba have expanded their catalogue with both 64 and 128GB options.

Toshiba claims the card can provide up to 260 MB/s read and 240 MB/s write. In addition, the card also manages 95 MB/s read and 90 MB/s write speed in UHS-I mode. By comparison, standard SD speeds are expected to be around 23 MB/s reading and writing.

Perhaps it’s Windows 10, however using newer Sandisk USB 3.0 Card reader, optimised to read UHS-II speeds I struggled to get anywhere near the speeds quoted on the packaging.

Whilst photographers rejoice in these speeds for photo and video capture, alongside a speedy transfer off the card, there are other utilities for an SD card of this nature. SD Cards are going in size and becoming massive portable storage options. Using this card in a portable Network Attached Storage (NAS) sees smooth streaming of a 1080p video to a smartphone or tablet when travelling.

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The Toshiba Exceria Pro comes with a 5 year warranty and is X-ray proof ISO7816-1 compatible. And whilst the pricing isn’t the cheapest, 16GB – £38.32, 32GB – £73.58, 64 GB – £121.43, 128 GB – £241.62, Toshiba is still undercutting some of the competition from Sandisk and Lexar. Don’t forget to pick up a UHS-II SD Reader/Writer to get the most out of this, if you can.

By October 18, 2016 Read More →

Adam Elements iKlips Duo Unboxing

image2ADAM elements have sent over their latest premium dual-connector flash drive. This is a 16gb variant of Adam Elements good looking storage device aimed at Apple users.

If you became attached to iKlips the first time round, you will love what we have in store with the new iKlips DUO. It is a design that has been perfected to be more practical, with a redesigned body to fit even more iPhone and iPad cases and a silicone body sleeve for added protection. Losing connector caps is now a thing of the past. Like the first iKlips, the new iKlips DUO is also produced with top quality and super high-speed MLC flash memory for iPhone, iPad, and iPad Pro. In addition to enabling greater speeds, it also provides greater stability and a longer lifespan, so it will last as long as you want it to. And with its gorgeous high-grade aluminum body, you will be wanting to use it as often as possible. It is gorgeous to hold and use.

 

By September 5, 2016 Read More →

ADAM elements announces new iKlips DUO+

160602_iklips-duo-plus-heroAfter two successful Indiegogo campaigns for the earlier products iKlips and iKlips DUO, which raised just over US $560,000, ADAM elements launches its third generation Apple Lightning flash drive iKlips DUO+ with an improved design for thick and waterproof cases.

iKlips DUO+ is the latest version of ADAM elements’ successful iKlips flash storage device for iPhone and iPad. At just one-third the physical size of the DUO, the DUO+ provides the same storage expansion and file transfer functionality for iOS devices, in the smallest, most stylish package available on the market.

Manufacturer ADAM elements now offers the first ever Apple flash drive that also connects to iDevices that are protected by very thick covers and waterproof cases. After identifying this important need of users, the company has spent over a year in R&D to eventually design an unparalleled Lightning connector body. Advanced engineering makes the iKlips DUO+ easy to handle anytime, anywhere.

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The DUO+ is a flash storage device and file transfer solution rolled into one, instantly expanding your iPhone or iPad’s available storage by up to 128 GB. It enables you to take your entire HD movie collection with you on flights, record hours of 4K video without running out of memory space, or the ability to do serious video editing on the iPad Pro, and then effortlessly move, copy and share data between your iOS device and your desktop – in the smallest package yet.

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The iKlips DUO+ is also fully MFi-certified by Apple as a product made for iPhone and iPad, adhering to strict performance and manufacturing standards.

Complementing the sleek drive is the iKlips app, available for free on the App Store, for contacts, photos, music, and video data management, backup and transfer, and an optional connection to cloud.

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iKlips DUO+ is designed to cater for any storage need and personal style. It comes in six gorgeous colours, Royal Orchid, Adam Red, Rebel Onyx, Adam Red, Glowing Amber, Rosy Bronze, and Wild Sapphire, and three storage capacities; 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB, and will be available to purchase on Kickstarter towards the end of September and through the ADAM elements website.

By September 5, 2016 Read More →

Toshiba Canvio Connect II Unboxing and Review

vlcsnap-00038A little big external drive that promises some goodies on the box proves to be something of a mixed bag. A functional hard drive with a £45 price tag for 1tb mixes average USB 3.0 speed with a host of rubbishy third party additions to extend the appeal.

By March 30, 2016 Read More →

Synology announce the release of the DiskStation DS416slim

001Synology are pleased to announce the release of the DiskStation DS416slim. Now available worldwide the DS416slim is an ultra-small and compact Network Attached Storage system measuring at only 18.4 cm x 16.8 cm x 23.0 cm(7.2” x 6.6” x 9.0”) and less than 700g. This NAS supports a total of 4 x 2.5” SATA III/II hard drives and also one of the J series model which adopts the Marvell Armada 38X CPU family, equipping with Armada 385 Dual Core 1.0GHz CPU and 512 MB DDR3 memory. DS416slim promises great read/write performance of around 170.23 MB/s in reading and over 77.62 MB/s in writing through Link Aggregation in Windows environment. There are dual 1GbE RJ45 LAN ports located on the rear panel, ensuring continuous service uptime and reduce the risk of unexpected LAN failure. Additionally two USB 3.0 are included to support high speed data transfer, each located in the front and rear side. DS416slim comes backed with Synology’s 2-year limited warranty. 

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Please note that the above performance is based on DSM 5.2 and the performance based on DSM 6.0 will be updated within 2 weeks. The unit should retail for around £222.00 including VAT or €248.64 excluding VAT.

DiskStation DS416slim

Incredibly Small NAS With Great Performance
Synology DS416slim is a palm sized 4-bay NAS with only 0.66kg in weight and measures 120mm x 105mm x 142mm, fulfilling your need for a personal cloud without taking up too much space. Despite its compact appearance, DS416slim makes no compromise on performance. DS416slim is powered by a dual-core CPU with hardware encryption engine and built-in floating point unit support. Under RAID 5 configuration in a Windows® environment, DS416slim delivers up to an average 170.23 MB/s in reading and 77.62 MB/s in writing through Link Aggregation, while delivering an average speed of 112.77 MB/s in reading and 78.81 MB/s in writing through single Gigabit LAN.1

The Dual Gigabit LAN with failover support ensures continual service uptime in the event of unexpected LAN failure, while the hot-swappable drive tray allows you to replace the hard drives without powering off DS416slim. Designed for easy replacement, the system fan can be quickly swapped, so the average time to repair can be significantly reduced. DS416slim comes with dual USB 3.0 ports, each on the front and rear panel, providing fast and convenient data transfer and backup to external storage devices. Running on Synology’s award-winning DiskStation Manager (DSM) operating system, DS416slim shares a rich reservoir of applications available in DSM Package Center.
Cross Platform File Sharing

Synology DS416slim supports comprehensive network protocols, ensuring a seamless file sharing experience across Windows, Mac®, and Linux® platforms. Windows AD and LDAP integration allows Synology DS416slim to fit quickly and effortlessly into any existing network environment without the necessity to recreate user accounts. Cloud Sync keeps your Dropbox, Google™ Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Baidu and Box storage in sync with your personal DiskStation at home. Cloud Station suit allows users to sync files among multiple devices, no matter it’s Windows PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android™ tablets/phones, effortlessly keeping everything up-to-date. While you enjoy the seamless file sharing, all the file sharing over the Internet is protected at a high security level through the HTTPS, firewall, and IP auto-block that supported by DS416slim.

Reliable Backup Solution
To protect your valuable data, DS416slim can become a centralized backup destination for consolidating fragmented and unstructured information across your network through a range of options. Advanced backup privilege management makes network backup tasks safer and more efficient. Complete backup solutions such as Backup & Restore minimize the impact of disasters, keeping your valuable data safe and secure.
Your Personal Multimedia Bank

DS416slim helps you easily manage your multimedia contents and share them across Windows, Mac®, and Linux® platforms. With Video Station, you can organize your digital video library with comprehensive media information, watch movies and films, or record your favorite TV programs with a DVB-T/DVB-S stick. Photo Station’s intuitive design allows you to effortlessly organize photos into customized categories, smart albums and blog posts, and link them to social networking websites within a few clicks. Audio Station comes with built-in lyrics plugin, Internet radio and lossless audio formats support and provides music playback via DLNA, AirPlay®, and Bluetooth devices (A Bluetooth dongle is required).

Anywhere/Anytime Availability
No matter what browser you’re using, Synology offers handy features of QuickConnect and EZ-Internet, letting you enjoy accessing to the Internet with minimum effort. Combined with Synology’s mobile apps for every popular feature, including DS photo, DS audio and DS video for anywhere multimedia access, DS download, DS file, and DS cloud for seamless file download/access/synchronization, you can enjoy the content and data in your NAS anywhere, anytime.
Energy Efficient and Easy Management DesigN

Synology DS416slim is designed and developed with energy efficiency in mind. Compared with the average storage server counterparts, DS416slim consumes only 17.17 watts in regular operation. The support of Wake on LAN/WAN and scheduled power on and off can further reduce power consumption and operation cost. HDD hibernation can be configured to take effect automatically when the system has been inactive for a specified period of time. This not only saves energy but also extends the lifespan of the hard disks.

All Synology products are produced with RoHS compliant parts and packed with recyclable packing materials. Synology acknowledges the responsibility as a global citizen

By October 12, 2015 Read More →

Brew Barrel unboxing and review

vlcsnap-error720Here at TracyandMatt we entertain every gadget that comes our way, someone, somewhere will be interested. Every once in a while a product pops up that isn’t really tech related but for the greater good we have to knuckle down and experience the product, up close and personal. Take for example, beer. One of the most important staples in many of our lives and we are so dedicated to our responsability we will risk everything to report back to you that a home brewing kit is good or bad.

Brew Barrel are far from a one trick pony and offer a great solution to the bar at an upcoming party you might be throwing. With the ability to brew 5 litres of Pilsnser, Lager, Wheat beer, Pale Ale or Dark Beer infused with a flavour of your choice, be it Oak, Bourbon Timber, Lemon Grass, even Raspberry and Hersbrucker are on the long list of additions in one go there is certainly a lot to choose from. Keeping the price to £25.00 per barrel with an additional flavour between £1.50 and £3.00, this £30 solution works out charger than the cost at the pump in your local (depending on your location) and you have the satisfaction that “I made that.” The Brew Barrel kit is easy to follow, well thought out and pleasant to put together. 

 

Check out Brewbarrel and order one!

By May 21, 2015 Read More →

A look at Archos Fusion Storage

vlcsnap-2015-05-20-15h10m09s283Several new device in the Archos range feature the exclusive Archos Fusion Storage system that seamlessly combines the memory of any MicroSD card* with the internal storage. This gives the user even more space for your apps, games and multimedia, anytime the device’s internal memory is running low, this smart storage system automatically migrates data, optimizes memory balance and splits and combines extra-large files so the user never has to worry about storage space or transferring files.

Here, we have a look at the system and attempt to work out just how it works and what changes to Android Archos have made.

 

By April 20, 2014 Read More →

SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive Unboxing

sandisk-SDWS2-032G-A57-9-lThe SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive is a simple little USB peripheral that opens a wifi connect and allow off device storage with streaming capabilities. The big bonus here is allowing the user the ability with swap out the MicroSD card inside creating limitless possibilities for storage on the go. 

Here I’m unboxing and setting up the SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive…

 

 

 

SanDisk Connect Wireless Flash Drive features:

  • Wirelessly store, share, stream movies, photos, music, and documents across your smartphones, tablets and computers

  • Simultaneously connect & access data stored on up to 8 devices via Wi-Fi

  • No internet connection, cables or router required, works on all Wi-Fi enabled devices

  • Up to 4 hours of video streaming on a single charge

  • Access with free app, compatible with iOS 5.0 or later, Android 2.3 or later and Kindle devices

  • Access with internet browser, compatible with all Wi-Fi enabled devices

  • Charging and accessing with USB 2.0 connection interface or higher

  • Optional Wi-Fi password protection and 128-bit AES encryption

 

 UK stockists are Amazon (£41.90)  Currys (£49.99) and PC World (£49.99). Those prices relate to the 16GB size. 

The 32GB size is priced at £59.99 whilst the 64GB size is priced at £99.99.

By March 15, 2014 Read More →

Google Drive slashes prices

google-drop-priceMany have discussed what might happen the day your 100gb of free online storage runs out after purchasing a shiny Chromebook. Thankfully there is a nice answer. It looked like the end user was going to have to clear everything out and say “bye bye” and manage with 15gb or shell out some green to keep it, learn here how to do the file migration to Google Drive.

Today Google announced some great news, lower the prices on all its paid subscriptions for Google Drive storage.

100GB of space now costs $1.99/m (down from $4.99/m); a gargantuan 1TB will now cost $9.99/m (down from $49/m) and if you’re really in need of cloud storage you can rent out 10TB+ for a monthly for starting from $99.99. The new pricing plans come into effect today. More details can be found at google.com/settings/storage. And if you already have a subscription Google say not to worry; anyone already signed up to a monthly plan will be automatically switched to the cheaper option, no input needed.

This seems like a positive outcome for Google and supporters of Google Glass, like me. However, Commissioner John Blair did state, following the ruling, that the he felt that there is sufficient scope in the code that bans the use of TV and Video to include Google Glass.

Whilst this ruling may not in itself set a legal precedent relating to the legality of Google Glass and usage while driving and this is likely to rumble on for some time to come until there is a definitive ruling and laws passed.

By October 24, 2013 Read More →

Toshiba STOR.E BASICS 2.5 Inch 1TB external hard drive review

Tosh.jpgThe Toshiba STOR.E BASICS 2.5 Inch 1TB external hard drive is a super small storage device. Featuring a High speed transfer connection via the USB 3.0 port, backwards compatible with USB 2.0 and ready to use with Microsoft Windows could this be the perfect potable device of you media on the go?

In this video review we’ll take a look at the physical hardware and then go on to benchmark the drive to see how well it performs.

Quickly transfer files with SuperSpeed USB 3.0 and store up to 1 TB of data on STOR.E BASICS external drives. Easy to use and backward compatible with USB 2.0, STOR.E BASICS external drives are ready to use with Microsoft Windows with no software installation required.

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