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Want to backup quickly and easily? Backup to external hard disk drives.

As a hard disk is the fastest and largest backup medium you can get, you may want to backup all your important files to an external USB hard drive. You can backup literally everything: your Outlook and Outlook Express files, your bookmarks, your favourite save games, and of course, your important work documents, photos, images and maybe even videos.

As an external HDD is detached from your system and, combined with a strong encryption algorithm, like blowfish or 3DES, you can get maximum security. Just make sure you actually remember the encryption password. You can also store your external hard disk offsite (at a friend's house, a paid locker or specialized fire-proof storage place) in case your information is very important (well, generally, anyone can do that and it can't hurt for sure).

As external USB drives have the cheapest storage volume (about 200Gb for $150?) and you can reuse them for several years, you may as well get the cheapest backup medium at your disposal. When using a backup schedule, you can simply backup the backup program run when you are absent (or maybe even at night) to backup everything without supervision. If you need two or more backup disks, you may as well get another external HDD.

Also, now there are quite large mobile hard drives, which can admit all the necessary data: work documents, e-mail files, etc. You can also carry your data anywhere you want and feel safe, because some external USB HDDs are now hard to break by dropping.

So, go with external HDD and backup as fast as you want, as much as you want, secure your important data, get the cheapest backups and even be able to carry your backups anywhere you want.

By: Yuri Filimonov

Read more articles about backing up to DVD, FTP, CD with or without backup encryption, compression or backup scheduling.

I’ve had Swiss Army knives on my keychain for years, it’s come in handy on many occasions. Recently I always seem to have a USB flash drive in my pocket too. When I received the SWISS MEMORY USB Victorinox drive from Swissbit it was obvious that combining the two was actually a very good idea. The Victorinox is compact, easy to use and brings the usefulness of the Swiss Arm tools. The USB drive comes in a variety of sizes from 128MB to 2GB and is a plug-n-play (unless Win 98) device and price points range from $50USD to $225USD respectively.

The Victorinox is small and compact given what it’s trying to accomplish. The unit looks and feels very sturdy and would handle plenty of pocket abuse, keychain banging and those occasional across the counter-top tosses. The Victorinox has a snapping clasp at one end which holds the flash memory in place. The clasp prevents the USB memory stick from popping out at an undesirable time and provides an aid in retrieving the USB connector when ready for use. The pivot end of the clasp can also be detached from the main chassis of the enclosure so the USB thumb drive can be disconnected. Although the rotation of the USB stick does provide enough room for those tight USB ports we all know about, the ability to quickly and easily disconnect the flash memory all together is definitely a bonus…and Swissbit knows this as it’s a patented technology.

The USB Victorinox comes with the classic tools needed for everyday use. The tools include scissors, filing blade with screwdriver head, 30mm knife, ball-point pen, red LED light, keychain loop and of course the USB flash memory stick. Swissbit does offer a non-tool version for airplane flight but this review doesn’t cover that model. The product is 60mm x 18mm x 19mm and weighs about 1.35 ounces.

Though the Victorinox requires no drivers for the MAC or PC it does come preloaded with software. The Swissbit data SecureLOCK allows you to encrypt and decrypt files and folders. The first time you use SecureLOCK it will walk you through a username and password setup along with a reminder question in case you forget. Once there, the SecureLOCK provides you the flexibility to encrypt the entire drive, or create partitions where they are “public” or “private” areas. SecureLOCK also includes formatting software to clean up everything but the encryption utility region (software takes 488kb of memory out of a 2MB partition), a bootable disk feature and repair utility to check for bad blocks.

We did run into a small glitch, if the SecureLOCK icon in the desktop tray is closed it prevents the drive from being ejected. Signing back in and logging off didn’t do the trick, but rather loggin in and using the Exit button of the software did.

Performance wise, the USB Victorinox is middle of the road. In our informal tests of the 2GB version, it took about 6 minutes to write a 400MB folder of mixed file types from our PC to the device. It took about 35 seconds to read the same data back to our PC, but of course results will vary depending on the system running the device and the types of files being transferred.

All in all, the SWISS MEMORY USB Victorinox is a good deal for the price. It comes packed with the traditional tools we love about Swiss Army along with a wide range of flash memory sizes to match a users’ needs. The SecureLOCK encryption software is a plus and the read/write performance of SWISS MEMORY is right on par with other products available.

Review by: G Mo
April 6, 2006
GetUSB.info is a USB News and Information website permalink: http://getusb.info/?p=129

G Mo runs the GetUSB.info website which is a USB News and information website focused on products, gadgets and developments using the USB (Universal Serial Bus) technology.

These two technologies are competing to be the best way to connect electronics together. They both began as a connection to your PC or Mac, but they have grown to be a form of data transfer between almost any electrical data storage device. See who is the winner in one of the biggest technological races of this century.

USB first showed up on the map to solve the problem of Plug N' Play devices. Most devices were, at that time, connected to a computer via a serial port. Serial ports were not intended for such a wide application of uses and it is a relatively slow port. What USB set out to do was to create a standardized plug that can be duplicated easily with adapters and hubs. The result was the same standard port you see today. It is much faster now than its original version, but it has remained as unchanged as a wall socket. When it was introduced, you actually create 144 USB ports from just one source by duplicating it with hubs. Of course, the PC needs to able to handle the software load. USB started popping up on all types of devices from digital cameras to MP3 players. It is now used to even connect devices together with out even using a computer.

Firewire came about shortly after the release of USB. This severely hurt the spread of its use because USB had quickly become a standard for personal computers. It was developed by Apple and released in 1995 on its G3 Power Mac. Apple had the advantage of being the standard computer in the artistic community, so this was the edge that they had on USB. It took a couple of years, but consumer electronics began using Firewire to appeal to the industry that connected video and sound equipment to their Macs. It was also praised for its speed of data transfer. It was nearly impossible to transfer digitized video via USB because it was too slow. Firewire affected the entertainment industry in such a way it won the 2001 Primetime Emmy Engineering Award.

Which technology is better? With the release of USB 2.0, USB has dominated Firewire and almost made it disappear in the PC industry. Mac still embraces it; even cell phones have USB ports on them. USB is now fast, universal and you can actually charge devices like cell phones and iPods through a USB port. Firewire started out with the speed, but USB has pulled ahead in a dominating way.

By David Stone

Find more information about hard disks at http://hard-disk-help.info

Now days USB Flash Drives are the most popular storage device. The flash drive was first invented in 1998 at IBM. USB Flash drives got instant popularity when it has been launched in market. It is the best replacement for low storage devices Floppies and CDs. It is easy to handle and move anywhere. The specialty of USB Drives is, it is re-write able, removable and holds its memory without a power supply.

USB drive comes in various capacities like 256MB USB, 512MB USB, 1GB USB, 128MB USB, etc. USB flash drives are also known as "Pen drives", "Chip sticks", "Thumb drives", "Flash drives", "USB keys" and by many other names.

VFUEL is one of the leading providers of flash storage products such as USB Flash Drives (Pen Drives) and SD Cards. They have flash drives available in different capacities such as 128mb USB drives, 256mb USB drives, 512mb USB drives and 1gb USB drives. Vfuel also provide SD Cards of different capacities such as 256mb SD Cards, 512mb SD Cards, 1gb SD Cards and 2gb SD Cards.

VFUEL, or Virtual Fuel for your computer, is designed to maximize your PC's performance by providing quality USB Drives & SD Cards. Flash storage products find applicable in digital camera, PC and Laptop.

Today USB (Universal Serial Bus) flash drive comes in various attractive shapes, colors and sizes. It is useful to transfer the large amount of data from one place to another. That’s why many businessmen and professional find USB drives very helpful in their work.

By: James King Email: vfuelnet@yahoo.com URL: https://vfuel.net

Webcams are those handy little cameras that attach to your PC and send images to a web page that can be viewed by others. This enables you to share daily life events with friends and family in other parts of the country or the world, or to arrange a video-conference with colleagues and maintain long distance relationships of all kinds. Of course the number of ways to use this technology is limited only by your imagination.

But before you buy a webcam, it pays to understand a little about how the technology of broadcasting images over the Internet works. Of course, if you're a full bottle on this already, you can skip this section and go straight to browsing the options on Myshopping.com.au where you can compare products and suppliers, their specifications and prices.

Webcams provide 'real time' images of people; places and events that can be viewed 'live' on a web page. The broadcasting end has a camera that captures the images, feeds them into a computer to an ISP and out to viewing pages across the Internet. There are two different types of broadcast: streaming images, where the images are a constant stream downloaded in video format; or Java, where the images are captured at fixed time intervals and refreshed on the web pages at a rate fixed by the broadcaster.

The Applications - What are you intending to broadcast, and to whom?

There is a wide range of uses of webcam technology. Some examples include personal 'Big Brother' style diaries, sharing of family events, workplace security, video conferencing, virtual tourism, road traffic management, weather watching, event broadcast and a host of others.

Before you make a choice about any webcam equipment, it helps to decide exactly how you want to use the technology, in other words, what you are intending to broadcast. This decision will impact upon the type of camera you use, and how you use it.

A second consideration is, who will be viewing your content? What level of quality is expected? This will help determine the type of camera you use, the software involved and your Internet connection. Of course, your Internet connection may be a limitation on how much you can do.

The requirements for video conferencing are different from the requirements of workplace security, which are different again from the requirements of sharing a family event.

The physical components

There are a number of physical components required to make web cam technology work. At the top of the list is the camera itself. Then, depending on the type of camera you use and the way in which you want to deliver the content to the Internet, you may need to incorporate video capture hardware in your computer. Some software is required to help you process the data, and Internet connection is required and a web page into which the data is fed.

CAMERA CHOICES

Your choice of camera depends somewhat on what you are intending to show. If you need to reach a large public audience yo may want good quality camcorder or megapixel camera that captures high quality images. If it's just for seeing who's at your front door or keeping an eye on the kids in their playroom, then it may not need to present high quality images. If you are intending to use it outdoors, it will need to be weather proof and you may need to consider sun and UV protection. Available power supply and any robotic requirements for camera movement and focus are extra considerations.

Dedicated webcams

The most basic webcams connect to a PC using a simple USB connection. A wide range of cameras with accompanying software at a range of prices is available for this type of application. Simply search though Myshopping.com.au to compare prices and specifications. Dedicated webcams are simple to install and easy to use, but come with limitations that affect the quality of the images, such as low number of frames per second (refresh rates) and resolution (pixels per inch).

Camcorders and security cameras

Higher quality images and more camera control come from using camcorder and security cameras. To use these devices you will need to add a video capture card to your PC. Once you have that installed however, you can use a wide range of cameras from broadcast cameras to miniature spy cameras. You can include variable lens options, filters for daylight and low light situations, as well as robotic controls for panning and focus adjustments. You can search through Myshopping.com.au for camcorder selections.

Integrated cameras

An integrated camera combines the camera and the optical hardware with a video server, and as such requires no additional software. They can be used in network situations or as stand-alone devices for monitoring progress on a construction project for example.

Megapixel cameras

Network megapixel cameras combine network capability with high quality digital camera technology. These cameras offer excellent quality but this creates large files sizes, therefore they have limited application in constant streaming video. However for interval refreshed archive image collection, they are ideal, providing a constant record and high quality. You can search through Myshopping.com.au for digital camera selections.

SOFTWARE

If you are not using an integrated camera solution, you will need to install an encoding program like Webcaster or MediaCaster to transfer your images to a web page.

At the receiver end, when web surfers browse the internet and wish to view live video on the web for the first time, they will need to download dedicated applications that show the content such as an ActiveX control, Windows Media player, Flash player or the like.

INTERNET CONNECTION

Finally, you need an Internet connection. The hardware you will need may include a modem for dial-up connection, or modem/router for a broadband solution. Naturally the higher the quality you want, or the faster refresh rate you want, the more bandwidth you will need. ADSL (Broadband) is going to offer you the best solution, but keep in mind what your Internet connection when you are making choices of cameras and feeder software.

Webcam applications work well with wireless solutions. Make sure when you are purchasing a camera or network video solution that it is compatible with any wireless system you may be using in a LAN.

Key considerations

The specifications that are variable with webcam applications, and are affected by camera type, web interface and Internet connection, include the number of frames per second and the image resolution.

Frames-per-second is the number of times a still image flashes by in a second to give the appearance of moving pictures. In Australia, the standard television PAL format is at 25 frames per second. A webcam with up to 30 frames per second will show normal video images. But the more frames per second you demand, the more bandwidth, memory and processing power is required.

Resolution is measured the number of pixels per inch. High quality photographs require a high resolution. But the standard for web images is a low 72 dpi. Higher resolution images will not be of any better visual quality, just slower to upload and download.

Use Myshopping.com.au to compare different webcams, camcorders and digital cameras. You can compare the prices and specifications of the different products and brands, and a wide range of reputable vendors.

Andrew Gates for comparison online shopping service MyShopping.com.au. MyShopping.com.au helps you compare the different webcams from different brands in terms of specifications and accessories. You can also compare prices from hundreds of different brands and vendors

The USB Copy Cruiser Plus is a USB copy device with the additional convenience of an 8-in-1 card reader. The unit will copy from one memory device to another or from one memory device to a USB flash drive without the need of a PC. This OTG (On-The-Go) USB technology is very useful and the USB Copy Cruiser Plus proves to be just that, useful. For the small foot-print and compact size, just bigger then your palm, the product performs well, is easy to use and provides clear and precise feedback.

When I received the USB Copy Cruiser Plus I was surprised at how small and light the unit was - add three AAA batteries and I was off playing and testing. The feel of the USB Copy Cruiser Plus is nice, fits well in your hand and custom push-button navigation setup is easy to use and has a nice tactile feel. The LCD is a 4x20 display which is easy to read in medium or low light, bright light might prove to be a little challenging, but expected for LCD without back lighting.

The memory card slots are on the top left of the unit which can be accessed via the top-side of the USB Copy Cruiser Plus. There are three USB ports on the bottom left side where by two ports are used to connect to standalone devices such as MP3 players, cameras, flash drives and other mass storage devices and a third USB port is used for PC connection.

The USB Copy Cruiser Plus is USB 2.0 High Speed compatible when connected to a PC/MAC and being used as a card reader. I noticed you cannot access USB devices through the USB Copy Cruiser Plus when connected to the PC, during this operation only the card reader is functioning and at 2.0 High Speed. Often times there are limited USB ports on laptops and it would be nice to use not only the card reader ports, but also access USB devices through the Copy Cruiser when connected to a host computer. The card reader supports Compact Flash Type I/II, MicroDrive, Smart Media, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Multi Media Card and Secure Digital cards. The USB Copy Cruiser Plus will support and recognize all FAT file systems (FAT12, FAT 16 and FAT32) but not NTFS, which makes sense since FAT files systems are universal and NTFS is only Windows compatible.

The USB Copy Cruiser Plus performed as expected. The menu screen is very easy to read and navigate. The display will immediately tell you when a memory card or USB device is connected via logos on the top of the screen. From this point, the arrow keys are used to navigate into a device and once there, the top logo turns solid color to indicate the device is selected. Next you arrow 'right' to enter the device, then easily select files or folders to copy via the center circle button, which is the enter key. I believe the user interface is very logical given all the requests and commands needed to perform a task. Once started, the USB Copy Cruiser Plus displays the exact file being copied and a time-bar indicating when that specific file will be complete, then moves on to next file to be copied. Upon completion the device will display "Finished." To copy from memory card to memory card you must use the "duplicate" command rather then the "copy" command which is used when copying to a USB flash drive.

The data transfer speeds where again, acceptable and good for the right application and use. Since the USB Copy Cruiser Plus is not USB 2.0 High Speed when transferring from memory device to memory device I saw the following during our informal testing: Memory Stick to USB flash drive; 321Kb/sec, Compact Flash to USB flash drive; 296Kb/sec and when connected to a PC transfer rates where in the neighborhood of 2.2MB/sec. I did see a significant slow down when copying from memory card to memory card, for example from Memory Stick to Compact Flash, transfer rates dropped to 4.6Kb/sec. Although speed is not the first priority with this product, it is clear that convenience and ease-of-use is a priority and Aleratec has succeeded in that endeavor.

The USB Copy Cruiser Plus is a good product for someone on the go. It's ability to copy from numerous USB devices to flash memory, or visa versa makes for a "must have" for professionals on the go. The copier simplifies the process for many tasks including photographers looking to off-load data from their digital camera, quickly share data between people without booting up a computer, or use as a one-to-one USB flash drive duplicator.

In conclusion, if you are going to invest money into a memory card reader you should spend a little extra money and purchase the USB Copy Cruiser Plus from Aleratec. Along with the fast USB 2.0 High Speed card reader, the USB Copy Cruiser Plus also provides a host of copy and duplicating features which you will quickly find to be a valuable tool. Ideal for the professional on the go and price right at around $65USD, this small USB and memory card copier and reader is a good investment to your office arsenal of digital products.

Reviewed by: Gmo April 9, 2006 permalink with images: http://getusb.info/?p=175

Gmo runs the GetUSB.info website which is a USB News and Information website focused on USB products, USB gadgets and developments using the USB (Universal Serial Bus) technology.

Since the mid 90's we have seen the birth and growth of a connective technology called Universal Serial Bus (USB). Originally designed to connect computers and telecoms equipment, it has slowly become the primary means of connecting a whole host of other devices and has made significant contributions to today's IT world.

The sheer number of USB products on the market today is just staggering, from mice and keyboards, modems, external hard drives to USB fans, lights and coffee cup warmers! Most external computer related devices today connect to a computer via a USB port. So it's no wonder that before long, most computer users find themselves wondering what to do when the USB ports (sockets) on their computer are all used.

There are two solutions to the problem, constantly plug and unplug connectors when swapping between USB devices, or invest in a simple, low cost device called a USB Hub. A USB Hub is a small unit with two or more USB ports, which plugs into an USB port on your computer, allowing you the freedom to connect more USB devices without disconnecting others. Expanding the number of USB ports of your computer in this way not only saves wear and tear on your USB ports and connectors, but also puts and end to all that clambering around behind your PC! Generally speaking, there are four types of available:

1. Internal USB PCI Card
An internal PCI USB Card needs to be installed by opening up the case of your PC and inserting a card into a vacant PCI slot on the motherboard, this type of USB expansion is not advised unless you are familiar with working with and inside computers. If you have the older USB1.1 and upgrade to USB2.0, your version of Windows will also need to be updated so that your PC can support USB2.0 functionality.

2. USB Hub (Non Powered)
An external non-powered USB Hub is a cheap and simple device that plugs directly into one of your computer's existing USB ports and that's all there is to it. These are usually very compact and so make ideal solutions for mobile users with laptops and for desktop users.

Be aware that some USB devices require a small amount of power through the USB port, usually mechanical devices such as printers, scanners, digital cameras and so on. This type of USB Hub may not be able to supply adequate power to these devices especially if you are using a few USB devices together.

3. Powered USB Hub
An external Powered USB Hub is also compact and plugs directly into one of your computer's existing USB ports, so again there is no need to open up your computer to install it. The only difference is that the Powered Hub comes with a separate power supply that must be plugged into the mains socket, supplying the power to all the USB ports on the hub allowing ANY type of USB devices to function properly.

Most Powered Hubs come with a sensible length of USB cable allowing the Hub itself to be positioned in a more accessible place e.g. on top of your computer or on your desk, making plugging and unplugging USB devices much easier. This makes the Powered Hub the all round best solution for desktop computer users.

4. USB PC Card
If you use a Laptop and are on the move, you have an additional choice to the USB Hub, the USB PC Card also known as the PCMCIA USB Card. This device slots into the PCMCIA slot/port found on the side of a Laptop and instantly provides two extra USB ports without using up any of your existing USB ports on the Laptop.

This is the most popular solution for mobile Laptop users. When buying a suitable external USB Hub, consider the location of your computer's USB ports. If they are located at the back of your computer or in an awkward position, you can make your life so much easier by using a USB Hub that comes with a USB extension cable, or by buying a separate USB extension cable. This allows the USB Hub to be positioned to a more accessible place for plugging and unplugging your USB devices.

Article by Iggy Quazi director of Ecommerce business Mouse2House based in Essex, England stocking a wide range of digital imaging devices. For more info see http://www.mouse2house.co.uk for the latest digital media products. For Flash Memory Cards visit http://www.mouse2house.co.uk/index.php?CatURN=637.