Technabob » enclosure

LockDown USB 3.0 HDD Enclosure: Swappable Secure Storage

Lambert Varias — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:20:43 +0000

Many modern portable hard drives already come with hardware encryption, but if you have extra 2.5″ hard drives, you can turn those into secure storage devices with the LockDown USB 3.0 enclosure from Satechi.

The LockDown has a touchscreen keypad and LCD screen to facilitate password entry. It uses AES 256-bit hardware encryption, and you can use it with any OS or USB-based device. Here’s Satechi’s setup video for the LockDown:

Turn on private browsing and head to Satechi’s website to order the LockDown. It sells for $99 (USD), which isn’t too bad considering it comes with a USB 3.0 cable, USB-to-DC cable and screwdriver for assembly. Note that the encryption will still protect the hard drive even if you take it out of LockDown, so you can make and swap out multiple encrypted hard drives. Just make sure you don’t lose the enclosure, or you’ll never access your data again.

BytePac: Recyclable Cardboard USB Hard Drives

Range — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:30:23 +0000

It’s true that hard disk enclosures tend to be somewhat disposable, especially as the technology evolves. This cardboard housing is perfect to turn your spare hard disk into an external one. BytePac offers a few different kits to make assembling your hard drive enclosure painless.

Once you’re finished with this product, it can be easily recycled and will pollute less than a plastic equivalent. The cardboard enclosure kits that BytePac provides include everything but the hard drive, so they’re an interesting solution.

You’ll find the BytePac enclosures and other accessories here. Unfortunately, they’re a bit expensive for what pretty much amounts to cardboard, some cables and a power supply. The basic kit comes with three enclosures and a single SATA/USB connection kit, and costs €39.95 (~$55 USD) and there are also kits that include a hard drive of your choice.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

[via Ubergizmo]

iHdd Hard Drive Enclosure has Glowing Apple Logo

Lambert Varias — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:00:21 +0000

Hard drive enclosures are a dime-a-dozen nowadays, plus there’s not exactly a lot of room for innovation in them. So if you were selling one, how would you make it stand out? iHdd has an answer: 1. Apple logo + 2. LED + 3. ????? = lawsuit! I meant profit! And I bet a lot of Apple fans will fork over money for this. Of course it helps that it looks a bit like the back of an iPhone.

The iHdd slim hard drive enclosure is compatible with 2.5″ hard drives of up to 5ooGB capacity. It’s made of plastic with “metal style sides.” I take it the sides have long hair and studded belts and bracelets.

You can order the iHdd slim hard drive enclosure at – say it with me! – Crazy Sale Shop for $20 (USD).

[via Fancy via OhGizmo! via Wired]

iodd 2501 External Drive Enclosure Doubles as ISO Loader

Lambert Varias — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 14:00:20 +0000

Korean company iodd has come up with an external drive enclosure with a very practical secondary feature. The iodd 2501 Portable Virtual ROM can act as a virtual optical drive and mount ISO files. Your computer will recognize the 2501 as both an external drive and an optical drive. A jog dial on the side of the case lets you scroll and mount stored ISOs. If you’ve used Daemon Tools, think of this as its hardware equivalent.

The iodd 2501 doesn’t need an OS to run, which means you can actually boot and install from an ISO. It’s perfect for people who repair computers, but I’m sure anyone who owns a lot of optical media or ISO files can see how useful this drive enclosure is. You can store OS installation disks, games or ripped Blu-ray discs, all in one small device.

Like most drive enclosures, the iodd 2501 does not come with a hard drive, but that’s not a real problem since you can use any 2.5″ hard drive or SSD with it. It connects via USB or eSATA, has a write-protect switch, and draws power via USB. The iodd 2501 Portable Virtual ROM is available at Amazon for $70 (USD). Time to rip those discs!

[via Everything USB]

Thermaltake’s Max 5G Dual Fan Hard Drive Keeps Your Drives Cool

Range — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 16:07:54 +0000

It always baffles me when people opt for those lightweight, portable, and small hard drive enclosures. Don’t get me wrong, they are easily portable, but there’s one thing that you should know: fast hard drives can generate a lot of heat, and if you external hard drive will be on for hours, then it’s best to get one with fans.

I had one LaCie hard drive overheat and fail on me. Since then, I’ve always opted for external hard drives with fans. A lot of people leave their hard drives on all day, so it’s no wonder that there are so many heat-induced failures.

Thermaltake hopes to cure this problem with their new Max 5G dual fan hard drive enclosure. Your hard drive will remain nice and cool with these fans. The Max 5G has a pair of blue LED-backlit 80mm fans which are supposed to be “ultra-quiet”, and can handle 3.5” SATA I, II, and 6G Hard Drives up to 2TB. And since it’s USB 3.0 compatible, it can handle drives with a data transfer rate up to 5Gbps. It’s available for pre-order now over at Amazon for $52 (USD).

[via FarEastGizmos]

Wii Finally Gets a Hard Drive (Sorta, Kinda)

Technabob — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 01:29:44 +0000

Uh, well not really. But if you want a hard drive that LOOKS like a Nintendo Wii, have I got something for you.

The guys over at schlock-shop DealExtreme have gotten their hands on these hard drive enclosures that look like a miniature black Wii. It’s actually called W!! (which looks a whole lot like Wii with the ‘i’s upsidedown.) It’ll house any 2.5″ SATA hard drive, and provides a USB 2.0 interface for connecting your drive to your PC, Mac or Linux machine.

In keeping with the Wii theme, they throw in a couple of tiny Wii-mote keychains which double as whistles. What do whistles have to do with a hard drive? Nothing – but we like it anyhow.

Priced at a whopping $9.70(USD), what’s not to like? Head over to DealExtreme and grab yours now.

[via Tiny Cartridge]

USB 3.0 Hard Drive Enclosure Welcomes Your Old Hard Drive to 2010

Lambert Varias — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 11:30:23 +0000

Have any spare 2.5″ SATA drives? Don’t throw them away just yet: Century is selling hard drive/solid state drive enclosures which provide USB 3.0 compatibility.

The enclosure still works with USB 2.0 ports, so you don’t have to worry if you’re still saving up for a USB 3.0-equipped computer. The enclosure also has a neat screw-less design, so you can assemble your own external hard drive in a snap.

You can pre-order the Century USB 3.0 2.5″ HDD/SSD enclosure at Geek Stuff 4 U for about $48 (USD). Shipping starts April 10.

Hard Disk Drive Swallows Itself

Technabob — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 19:26:34 +0000

Here’s an odd one from Hong Kong importer Brando. It’s an external hard disk enclosure that looks exactly like an internal hard drive.

The drive enclosure is literally a large mock version of a hard drive that you can place any 2.5-inch IDE drive inside of, and connects to your PC or Mac via a USB 2.0 port. While I tend to like computer accessories that have a decent sense of design, this one takes the cake for sheer absurdity. It comes in two variants ($18 and $20) depending on whether or not you’d like a backup button on your drive.