hard

TiVo may be a life-changer, but there's a dark side for couch potatoes who are also pack rats: the dreaded full hard drive. If you're too cheap to get a new version (that would be us), you're stuck with a disc that seems perennially full: As we all know, the maximum storage capacity is always based on low-resolution recordings, which make Lost reruns look like moving impressionist paintings.

But if you do have a newer Series 3 box--or any other DVR with an eSATA port--there may be help for those who can't just can't bring … Read more

It may be called "Media Keg," but don't mistake this for another St. Paddy's Day accessory. (We already have that covered elsewhere.)

In fact, the name is all the more curious because this Kenwood media player is anything but keg-like, weighing only 2.8 ounces--making it "the world's smallest HDD-based MP3 player," according to the company. Despite its diminutive frame, Shiny Shiny says, the device houses a 10GB hard drive, sports a 1.5-inch screen and claims a battery life of up to 24 hours.

If all that is true, even at $399 … Read more

There was a time when people would collect America Online CDs for various art projects, but that got old. There was only so much you could do when working with materials of that size. Hard disks are an entirely different matter, however, as TechEBlog proves with this post on a "Hard Drive Platter Motorcycle" from some guy who obviously has far too much time on his hands. If you think this was a silly waste of time, consider this: It's more productive than setting up hard drive dominoes.

Today's pop quiz: What's the difference between a portable hard drive and a USB flash device? Not much, if Buffalo has anything to say about it.

The Japanese company is developing a USB key that stores a ridiculous 16GB of data, according to Akihabara News, using silicon hard-drive technology without the actual disk. But there's no information on availability even in Japan, so don't go skimping on that storage option in your next computer purchase just yet.

Now, for extra credit: Why is this company named Buffalo? (We have no idea.)

In an effort to address your asymmetrical puffy pocket syndrome, Creative has slimmed down its popular, yet inordinately thick, 60GB Zen Vision W and Zen Vision M players to match the thickness of their skinnier 30GB players. Presumably this is a result of slimmer hard drive technology, although the specific hard drive used is unknown. Other newsworthy specs on the player seem unchanged at first glance. Screen size, battery life, storage capacity, and operating system features are all untouched, but the thickness of the Zen Vision W drops from 26.4mm to 22mm and the Zen Vision M shrinks from … Read more

The whole idea of turning a tabletop into a speaker has always sounded weird to us, but apparently there's a market for it.

A few months back we saw the "Nimzy Vibro Max" (sounds like an adult toy from Jabberwocky), and now we get word of the "I-mu Magic Audio Frequency Singer." Both claim to play music or other sounds through any hard surface.

China-based Vavolo describes the I-mu as "a new revolution in the audiovisual field," according to Chip Chick. We don't know about that, but we do see that its $… Read more

It's almost too bad: If my IT department buys hybrid hard drives, I won't have time every morning to get a cup of coffee and disparage the beloved New York Knicks of News.com's Charlie Cooper while my PC boots.

Samsung is shipping three MH80 hybrid hard drives--a combination of a traditional hard drive and flash memory--to PC makers, it announced Wednesday. The drives, in 80GB, 100GB, and 120GB sizes, will help PCs boot in half the time it usually takes, according to Samsung.

Because the drives use either 128MB or 256MB of flash memory, they also … Read more

At PMA today, Digital Foci announced a new portable hard drive designed for on-the-go photographers who want to transfer images from card to hard drive, but don't want to lug around a laptop. The lightweight (0.6 pound with battery) Photo Safe drive comes in 40GB, 60GB, and 120GB capacities, and sports a memory card reader that works with all of the popular formats (some require an adapter). To transfer your photos, simply insert the card and press the autocopy button. Digital Foci claims the drive can copy a full 1GB card in about five minutes.

The drive has … Read more

Years into the MP3 and podcasting revolution, it's interesting to note that some of the more interesting audio technologies of late involve radio.

Olympus Japan is the latest to play Marconi with its VJ-10 digital radio, which Newlaunches says has a computer-sized 37GB hard drive. The capacity is so large, in fact, that Olympus is marketing the device in Japan as a radio server that it says can record up to 2,500 hours of programming.

There's no satellite reception, though, which seems to make the $335 price a bit high for a AM-FM tuner. But at least … Read more