storage

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.)

Portable photo devices are fine for desktop use or for transferring files, but often they're just not as convenient to whip out as old-fashioned wallet prints on a moment's notice when parental bragging is in order. Mustek may have solved that problem with its "KeyFoto," which has a 4MB storage capacity to hold more than 40 digital photos and easily slip into your pocket, according to Everything USB. It must be small enough to do that, in fact, because it doubles as a keychain. The KeyFoto must be recharged after only two hours of continuous use, … Read more

eSnips, the social networking and content-hosting service, is quintupling the storage on users accounts to 5GB. The company is also adding new music-sharing features that let users create embeddable music widgets and playlists for use on eSnips user pages, blogs, Web sites, and social networking sites like MySpace. The service ties into the eSnips marketplace, which lets you buy and sell user-generated content like photos and music.

We covered eSnips last year and noted its similarity to social bookmarking site Del.icio.us mixed with content hosting like you'd find on social networking sites. Since then, eSnips claims to … Read more

I wanted to revisit some of the products that didn't work for me yesterday, since my personal demo demon seems to have moved on.

I'll start with Titanize, the unknown online backup product. Titanize competes with services like Mozy and Carbonite. But it offers features that the others don't, and it is worth serious consideration if you're looking for an over-the-Net backup service.

For basic backups, it's much like Mozy and Carbonite. It's easy to set up, and it runs in the background, sending your new and changed files to its secure servers. But … Read more

Many cell phones now come with those magic little things known as microSD card slots.

By now, I am sure you've read about how amazingly small yet chock-full of storage capacity microSD cards can be.

The problem people rarely mention is that few computers have microSD card slots. And although I should probably just throw the adapter cable my smart phone came with into my backpack and keep it with me, I never do.

The USB Micro Drive for MicroSD key chain for $14 from Brando Workshop, as Gadgets Weblog says, is basically a USB adapter for your microSD … Read more

Box.net is a file hosting service for individuals and groups. They've got a really great customizable widget you can put on your blog or Web site that lets you share files with anybody. Even better, the Box widget provides instant previews of images and music. The files reside in your Box.net storage area, which provides its users with 1GB of free storage and more with paid plans. As the widget owner, you can even upload files through the widget, without having to manage things at Box.net. It doesn't get much simpler.

[via SexyWidget]

No offense to the waterfowl lovers among us, but we feel the same way about ducks as we do penguins. (Sorry, Caroline.) So it is with some irritation that we pass along news of SolidAlliance's four-port USB hub for ducks. Well, duck-shaped USB keys, anyway. We don't really know what to think of SolidAlliance. What would possess a company to go from making "gold" USB keys to duck docks? We wouldn't be surprised if 'gwins were next.

We covered Omnidrive back in November, and at the time the service had promise but no real partnership with Web apps that would bring it all together. Today, Omnidrive was updated to integrate several of Zoho's online applications. First up is support for Zoho Writer, the browser-based word processor. Next week will see added support for Zoho Sheet and Zoho Show, effectively allowing users to manage Zoho office documents without having to leave the Omnidrive interface.

Omnidrive solves a variety of problems that can occur when working with Web-based applications, primarily by offering a centralized storage system and dealing … Read more

Passwords are a real pain. It's not so bad dealing with one or two, but once you have five or more log-ins and passwords at various sites, even the sharpest mind will have trouble remembering what goes where. PassPack is a new service that attempts to solve this problem, letting you create a personal archive of log-ins and passwords that can be packed and unpacked with one master password.

After setting up PassPack, you can start plugging in as many accounts as you want. When you're done you can "Pack it up!" using a special packing … Read more