Online storage: Lastly, the clients for Amazon Cloud Drive

Amazon strengthens its offer Cloud Drive from clients for Windows and Mac.

It is the war of the "cloud". Online storage is becoming a more and more competitive market and the recent launch of Google Drive did that accelerate the changes made by the players to their offers. Thus, Dropbox is more generous still in storage in sponsorships, Microsoft accepts on his SkyDrive files up to 2 GB and offers clients for all OS (desktop and mobile), Hubic builds on the unlimited price, etc.

There was only Amazon which had not taken the opportunity to improve the offer of its Cloud Drive. It is now because one learns that the digital locker to Amazon is more accessible via clients (finally) available for Windows and Mac (from Windows Vista and Mac OS X 10.6).

Amazon opens so very clearly his Drive Cloud storage of all types of files, and is not to be exceed the market where it is present since long. However, the offer remains fairly simplistic, and if small software in question facilitates the transfer of files from and to the Cloud Drive space, synchronization or collaborative work on stored documents are not in the program.

It's also a quite similar to most others, supply to see that 5 GB online storage space is available (the size of the music library is not counted). However, beyond this implementation free mouth, Go is charged $ 1 to the year. For $ 20 per year, the user has for example access to 20 GB of storage in the cloud, while Microsoft offers 25 GB with SkyDrive. And for 1 To, it will cost $ 1000 to the year... Is much more expensive than the $ 50 per month requested by Google Drive for the same storage space, and less interesting than the supply unlimited of Hubic (OVH) invoiced €84 per year.

Another large deficit, Amazon Cloud Drive does not propose to client for smartphones or tablets. In short, it still work Amazon to their place of choice in many online storage services. Probably starting with boost its free offer to attract users, before hope to sell them additional GB...

> Download the Amazon Cloud Drive (Windows and Mac) desktop application

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Free Mobile termination: Word of drive

We thank our readers for their testimony on this case. Our doubts of customer account management have steps been confirmed or reversed by the néo-opérateur, but your testimony give us new light...

Following our article on 24 April concerning the problems of termination of automatic lines for cause of unpaid for some Free Mobile customers, we have received many accounts to offset our doubts about the methods used by the néo-opérateur the "good" computer management of its customers. Before going further, please note that we always expect a response on the part of Free Mobile and Iliad on this subject, that despite our reminders remain silent for the time being.

To better understand what is happening from the point of view of a customer, we selected one of the email we received:

"Hello"

I am writing to bring some clarification to article "Free Mobile: termination of office for outstanding?", part I of the cancelled Office and with the subscription to €15.99.

My RIB was poorly made outset (because of a bug in Free failing key RIB starting at 0). I called 3 times to correct the very thing before receiving my SIM card, which affirmed the customer service not being able to do so and that this would be "quickly as possible" via the heading "My account" in the customer area on the Internet. Of course, that was the most time.

I sent them a RIB by mail, thanks to 4 weeks to process. Result, first denied collection... In the aftermath, an advisor called, to tell me that I could resolve the outstanding credit card, and that he could - finally - correctly enter my RIB.

Result: settled outstanding RIB ok, rectified... situation 2 months so far were collected and there was therefore no unpaid, at most a delay of a few days on the 1 month which, let us recall, is paid in advance.

My line but was cut on April 14, as those of many other customers. I immediately called customer service of Free Mobile, who asked me to send a recommended. This was done in the wake. This is almost 2 weeks I look now. I have called numerous times customer service which told me nothing could do, and that the situation will be rectified "soon"...

They give me the impression of being overwhelmed, my number is lost, and I am the reverse of the NRJ Mobile pub: I have a mobile, but not of SIM card. This suits me well, because I'm currently looking for a new job (the end of CSD requires) and my number is volatilized, I used 12 years and which appeared on my CV.

"Thank you Free…"

Even if all clients are not affected by this problem, those that are will have therefore lost everything in the case. Difficult to understand how this can happen, especially as Iliad is not in its first move to test on this sector. The automatic collection of Free ADSL subscriptions are made correctly, regardless of the used RIB.

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Free Mobile termination: Word of drive

We thank our readers for their testimony on this case. Our doubts of customer account management have steps been confirmed or reversed by the néo-opérateur, but your testimony give us new light...

Following our article on 24 April concerning the problems of termination of automatic lines for cause of unpaid for some Free Mobile customers, we have received many accounts to offset our doubts about the methods used by the néo-opérateur the "good" computer management of its customers. Before going further, please note that we always expect a response on the part of Free Mobile and Iliad on this subject, that despite our reminders remain silent for the time being.

To better understand what is happening from the point of view of a customer, we selected one of the email we received:

"Hello"

I am writing to bring some clarification to article "Free Mobile: termination of office for outstanding?", part I of the cancelled Office and with the subscription to €15.99.

My RIB was poorly made outset (because of a bug in Free failing key RIB starting at 0). I called 3 times to correct the very thing before receiving my SIM card, which affirmed the customer service not being able to do so and that this would be "quickly as possible" via the heading "My account" in the customer area on the Internet. Of course, that was the most time.

I sent them a RIB by mail, thanks to 4 weeks to process. Result, first denied collection... In the aftermath, an advisor called, to tell me that I could resolve the outstanding credit card, and that he could - finally - correctly enter my RIB.

Result: settled outstanding RIB ok, rectified... situation 2 months so far were collected and there was therefore no unpaid, at most a delay of a few days on the 1 month which, let us recall, is paid in advance.

My line but was cut on April 14, as those of many other customers. I immediately called customer service of Free Mobile, who asked me to send a recommended. This was done in the wake. This is almost 2 weeks I look now. I have called numerous times customer service which told me nothing could do, and that the situation will be rectified "soon"...

They give me the impression of being overwhelmed, my number is lost, and I am the reverse of the NRJ Mobile pub: I have a mobile, but not of SIM card. This suits me well, because I'm currently looking for a new job (the end of CSD requires) and my number is volatilized, I used 12 years and which appeared on my CV.

"Thank you Free…"

Even if all clients are not affected by this problem, those that are will have therefore lost everything in the case. Difficult to understand how this can happen, especially as Iliad is not in its first move to test on this sector. The automatic collection of Free ADSL subscriptions are made correctly, regardless of the used RIB.

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HGST/Western Digital launches its 7 K 4000, a 4 TB hard drive

Hitachi GST - or rather Western Digital - launches the commercialization of its new drive hard high density of 4 To, for the time reserved for companies.

A destination of business first and foremost, HGST (Hitachi Global Storage Technologies) - now in the hands of Western Digital - announces the production of its new 4 TB hard disk, called Ultrastar 7 K 4000 which we knew already the specifications. As its name indicates, it runs at 7200 t/m and although offers 4 TB of disk space.

Compared to the 7 K 3000 Ultrastar, it offers 33% additional space with a consumption report go reduced by 24%. To provide important flows, it has a SATA 6 Gb/s (and non-SAS) connector with a 64 MB cache. Blocks on the disk sizes are 4 k with a 512-byte emulator directly managed by the disk, known 512e Advanced Format, making it compatible with older operating systems does not support this new formatting system.

This disk is accompanied by advanced features as the DSA (Dual Stage Actuator) and RVS (Enhanced Rotational Vibration Safeguard) or BDE (Bulk Data Encryption) that allow businesses to ensure availability important. Indeed, this 7 K 4000 Ultrastar has a MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) of 2 million hours. This new range is available in small quantities in his adaptations of 2TB, 3TB and 4 To, all covered by a five year warranty. There is unfortunately no price to which share these new hard drives for the moment.

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A hard drive hybrid 7 mm?

On one of the blogs of Seagate, one of the leaders of the firm wondered on the interest of a hybrid in the ultrabooks hard disk, the "concept" of portable PC launched by Intel recently put in place by many manufacturers like Acer, Asus, Toshiba, Lenovo, etc.

What is interesting, out side marketing, it's that he wondered about the possible creation of a Momentus XT with a thickness of 7 mm, while the classical model is in a more standard format, 9.5 mm. Currently, the ultrabooks use either an SSD-based solution or a solution composed of a hard disk of 7 mm coupled to a small capacity SSD used cache (SSD Caching of Intel). In the first case, it is limited to the level of capacity: SSDS are expensive and the ultrabooks must not - ideally - exceed $1,000, so a 128 GB SSD is usually the limit. In the second case, the space needed is more important than with a hybrid solution such as Seagate.

Still two problems: first, the passage in 7 mm implies a limitation to the level of capacity. Indeed, 7 mm (used by Archos) hard disks are limited to a single shelf and therefore the best 500 GB currently. Then, the problem of the SSD cache, whether in the hybrid hard disk drives or with the Intel solution, is that it remains a cache: If you out of the preset scenario (and therefore the cache), performance crash and found the same level as a conventional hard drive. With the Momentus XT, Seagate partially solves the problem by using a hard drive at 7,200 rpm, but this is not necessarily possible with a hard disk of 7 mm.

In the end, Seagate should propose a Momentus XT (or equivalent in 5,400 rpm) 7 mm thick which will make pleasure lambda users - who prefer 500 GB of storage space to 128 GB - but is not necessarily something that will bring its letters of nobility to the Ultrabooks. The MacBook Air from Apple, which is clearly the Intel model for the ultrabooks, uses only with SSD and it is clearly one of its big advantages.

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First 4 TB in Seagate hard drive!

The American manufacturer Seagate unveils the first hard disk up to a record 4 TB capacity.

Seagate had launched the first hard drive of 3 To early summer 2010. The American manufacturer today is the first to unveil a 4 TB hard drive. Once more, we are dealing with an external model. The GoFlex Desk adopts a new industrial design that will soon expand to the rest of the range.

It is provided with a connector USB 3.0, knowing that declinations in USB 2.0 and FireWire will be soon available. There beneath the hull of the GoFlex a 3.5-inch HDD. The latter operates a Serial ATA interface, and it includes 64 MB of cache. Seagate does not (unlike Hitachi) trays of 1 TB, but 800 GB trays.

Therefore in five to reach this new record capability. The latter will reach 7200 RPM, and performance should therefore be at the Rendez-vous (without so far as it was a beast of race). Hope that this Barracuda XT 4 To be proposed only faster than the version of 3 To last year (who had not arrived before March 2011). Seagate sells its GoFlex Desk of 4 To $ 249.99 (€209,99 TTC). For comparison, the 3 To version is still around €170.

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Good Plan: less than €20 USB 3.0 hard drive dock

This is a rather interesting offer for those of you who want to easily connect a hard drive on the USB 3.0 to a machine. LDLC.com offers a dock USB 3.0 to entry-level price. The spacecraft is on promotion at €19.95 (instead of €36.20) can accommodate any disk hard (or SSD) market is the 2.5 inch or 3.5-inch format. The set can then be connected to the PC via its usb to standard USB 3.0, retro interface compatible USB 2.0 and 1.1. Practice to transfer data or quickly restore files on a PC.

-> see the dock USB 3.0 to €19.95 on LDLC.com
(Please note the offer is valid until tonight midnight only)

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Gigabyte released an external 1.8 inch hard drive: Tiny A2

Barely larger than a lighter, the hard disk A2 Tiny of Gigabyte is a surprising model. Very small, it is only 78 x 59 x 13 mm for a weight of about 80 g. It can be transported easily where you want. It will also find its place in any pocket of jeans and jacket. Practice for those who need to travel light but who still want to keep their valuable data with them...

The Gigabyte A2 Tiny has a grey and chestnut color package, which operates a USB 2.0 connector. Inside is a hard disk format 1.8 inch which provides a storage capacity of 160 GB. A rather low capability by days but the size of the vehicle and the type of use (occasional, Editor's note) that should be sufficient in many cases... Note that the hard disk is maintained in his case by an anti vibration and anti shock system, which should provide a good shelf life. A2 Tiny price is not known at this time.

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Replace the hard drive on his laptop: interest?

There are few, we have tried to determine if it was worth to replace the hard disk on a desktop computer, specifically in a passage from Windows XP or Vista to Windows 7, an update which believe many of you at this time. We noted a slight decrease in consumption and a small increase in performance, which did us say that if you intend to make major changes to your system, it could worth thinking to change disk hard if you had the budget, the new models are actually slightly higher than the old.But is it the same for a laptop? Is it possible to achieve a significant improvement in performance or autonomy by replacing the hard drive?

While the largest hard drives for desktop today reached a capacity of 2 TB, it must be said that progress was clearly less dramatic on laptops: as a general rule, the 2.5-inch hard drives are slower and smaller size (640 GB maximum) than their counterparts to desktop. This that does not mean that there was no evolution in this sector: indeed, the strong growth in sales of laptops in recent years, needs are well there, both in terms of reduction in consumption to increase capacity. It was therefore normal that the market follow.There are two broad categories of hard drives format 2.5 inches: general public and high performance. The first were generally larger but reduced to 5400 RPM rotational speed while the latter are more Rapids (7200 RPM) but also more small capacity: for example, it is now public models 640 GB (and 9.5 mm thick) and drives high-performance 500 GB.

For this article, we have taken as a basis a Dell Latitude D630, a laptop equipped with a disk hard Hitachi Travelstar 7 K 200 160 GB (which was one of the first 7200 RPM SATA models), and we have replaced this latter by a Travelstar 7 K 500, the last born of Japanese and most recent of two generations manufacturer plants. What is the impact of this change on the performance of our Core 2-based notebook? The new hard disk is sufficiently effective to affect its independence? This is what we will attempt to discover.

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Iomega Prestige 1 TB USB 3.0/USB 2.0 Desktop Hard Drive 35180

The Iomega Prestige Desktop Hard Drive USB 3.0 is a fast and affordable solution for all your storage needs. Ideal for adding capacity to your system, this stylish drive offers a sturdy metal construction and included stand. It's the easiest way to save photos, music, videos and more! Iomega USB 3.0 drives are backward compatible to USB 2.0 using the same cable, so enjoy fast speeds now if you have a USB 3.0 computer, or use USB 2.0 and be confident you can upgrade later! AES 256-bit hardware encryption is built-in to secure your data at home, in the office or at school. Iomega Protection Suite is included with solutions to easily backup your data and protect your computer and online experience. Software available via download. A 3-year limited warranty is included with product registration.

Price: $102.39

Click here to buy from Amazon

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Apricorn Aegis Padlock 320 GB USB 2.0 128-bit Encrypted Portable External Hard Drive A25-PL128-320 (Grey)

Looking for an effortless way to secure your data on the go? Apricorn’s Aegis Padlock Secure USB Drive with 128-bit hardware encryption provides the ultimate in data protection whether at the office, home or on the road. Ideal for workplace environments or business travel, the Aegis Padlock’s easy-to-use keypad and software free, cross compatible design enables you to access the drive with your own unique PIN. Featuring seamless real-time encryption, keeping your data safe even if the hard drive is removed from its enclosure, the Aegis Padlock’s robust, shock mounted design and integrated USB cable is ideal for securing data on the fly. Real-time 128-bit hardware encryption; PIN Access; Integrated USB cable; Shock mounted, portable design; Software free design - Perfect for Corporate deployments; Setup takes just minutes; Compatible with any OS;

Price: $99.00

Click here to buy from Amazon

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Aleratec PortaStor Secure 2 GB - 256-bit AES Hardware Encrypted USB Flash Drive 380103 - Black

The USB flash drive is one of the most widely used tools for transporting important data and multimedia files due to its size, convenience and near-universal compatibility. However, these same strengths make flash drives vulnerable to loss, theft and other potential breaches in security. Financial data, business proposals, research, development plans and any other confidential materials stored on flash drives are at high risk of falling into the wrong hands and being compromised. The PortaStor Secure family of USB flash drives addresses this risk by providing a secure partition for confidential files. All information in this secure partition is encrypted using 256-bit AES hardware encryption. This encryption renders all data in the secure partition useless to anyone without authorized access. For even greater security, this secure partition is automatically formatted after six invalid login attempts. The management application is stored right on the PortaStor drive. For the greatest flexibility, users can even specify the size of the secure and non-secure partitions.

Price: $40.99

Click here to buy from Amazon

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Western Digital My Book Essential 3 TB USB 3.0/2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive

Put your digital life on the sleek, high capacity My Book Essential external hard drive. With WD quality and USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 connectivity, this drive is designed for today with tomorrow in mind. Visual backup software and password protection with hardware encryption ensure your data is protected. Lightweight and easy to carry, this drive is ideal for fast storage to go.

Price: $249.99

Click here to buy from Amazon

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Apricorn Aegis Padlock 320 GB USB 2.0 128-bit Encrypted Portable External Hard Drive A25-PL128-320 (Grey)

Looking for an effortless way to secure your data on the go? Apricorn’s Aegis Padlock Secure USB Drive with 128-bit hardware encryption provides the ultimate in data protection whether at the office, home or on the road. Ideal for workplace environments or business travel, the Aegis Padlock’s easy-to-use keypad and software free, cross compatible design enables you to access the drive with your own unique PIN. Featuring seamless real-time encryption, keeping your data safe even if the hard drive is removed from its enclosure, the Aegis Padlock’s robust, shock mounted design and integrated USB cable is ideal for securing data on the fly. Real-time 128-bit hardware encryption; PIN Access; Integrated USB cable; Shock mounted, portable design; Software free design - Perfect for Corporate deployments; Setup takes just minutes; Compatible with any OS;

Price: $99.00

Click here to buy from Amazon

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Aleratec PortaStor Secure 8 GB - 256-bit AES Hardware Encrypted USB Flash Drive 380105 - Black

The USB flash drive is one of the most widely used tools for transporting important data and multimedia files due to its size, convenience and near-universal compatibility. However, these same strengths make flash drives vulnerable to loss, theft and other potential breaches in security. Financial data, business proposals, research, development plans and any other confidential materials stored on flash drives are at high risk of falling into the wrong hands and being compromised. The PortaStor Secure family of USB flash drives addresses this risk by providing a secure partition for confidential files. All information in this secure partition is encrypted using 256-bit AES hardware encryption. This encryption renders all data in the secure partition useless to anyone without authorized access. For even greater security, this secure partition is automatically formatted after six invalid login attempts. The management application is stored right on the PortaStor drive. For the greatest flexibility, users can even specify the size of the secure and non-secure partitions.

Price: $58.99

Click here to buy from Amazon

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It's A Fanless Cooler For Your 2.5" Drive

This fanless cooler for 2.5-inch HDDs and SSDs features an aluminum chassis and thermal compound pads.

We all know that hard drives can get hot too, especially when we're thrashing platters with benchmarks, playing resource-hogging games or pushing large tombs of multimedia across multiple folders. Like the CPU and the GPU, the drive can take some user abuse, but also like its desktop/notebook comrades, sometimes it needs a little TLC to keep data running smoothly.

Recognizing the needs of the HDD and SSD, cooling expert Scythe has created a fanless cooler called the Himuro Mini. The drawback to this heat reliever is that it only supports 2.5-inch SATA or IDE drives – those looking to keep their 3.5-inch drives are directed to the larger Himuro HDD cooler. Both can fit within a 3.5-inch drive bay, but the Himuro Mini is designed to use its thermal conductive sheets as spacers to fit snug within the larger bay.

According to Scythe, the new cooler supports drives up to 15-mm thick. It's constructed of two high-quality aluminum shells which completely engulfs the drive in a makeshift 2-mm chassis. These two shells are lined with a thermal compound pad for maximum heat transference -- two additional thermal compound pads are even thrown into the mix to reduce vibrations (see left).

To round out the package, four screw blocks made of rubber also help reduce vibrations and can be adjusted to fit various bays. That said, consumers receive a reduction in heat and noise all in one ingenious design. The Himuro Mini is launching in Europe this week for 14,25 EUR (excl. VAT/TAX), and is expected to hit Scythe USA's branch shortly.

View the original article here

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