Advantages: One touch backups, transfereable from computer to computer, more reliable than tapes
Disadvantages: bulky, installing on non-Windows XP computers, takes a long time to backup

...Upon hearing the familar metal-on-metal grinding noise from inside the computer's cases, meaning one thing, you're hard drive is going to die very soon. Luckly, the good people at Maxtor have given us the 'Once touch external hard disk'. The device itself is a self contained 300 GB 7200 RPM Maxtor Hard drive with a USB 2.0 ( 480 Mbs) or Firewire (400 Mbs) interface although the maxium data transfer speeds are 41 MB/s for the Firewire version and 34 MB/s for USB. Personally I think that 300 GB is a bit excessive for home computer purposes, and I would recommend the smaller 200 GB version availible. For office, work , and corperate use it is ideal. I now recommend the use of this device as a direct replacement for tape drives, when it comes to backing up servers. The 'One touch backup feature' makes backing up important data so much... Read review

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Advantages: Looks well, feel great in your hand
Disadvantages: Connect software as supplied, that must be used to load music

...I actually bought this player at Christmas for my son, and I have to say, I wanted to keep it for myself. The players come in several trendy colours Black, Silver, Pink and Violet. The violet one being the one I have. The look and feel of the player is the thing that draws you to it, as it just seems to give you that quality feeling, as it comfortably sits into the palm of your hand. The sound quality is excellent, although it is restricted,and the 6 GB space is more than enough for anyone. The 6 GB is actually a small hard disk as opposed to solid state or flash. The imformation display seems to be part of the players actual casing, as the displayed information seems to radiate through the surface. Which again adds to the quality feel. The thing that really lets the Sony walkman down is the Sony "Connect" software that is supplied... Read review

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Advantages: fast and portable
Disadvantages: drains power

...The Buffalo Ministation Turbo USB 120GB is quite a small little storage device, hence the “ministation” in its name. Its size is great as its only 127 x 20 x 84 mm so it’ll hardly make a dent in your pocket. The 190 g weight on its also hardly anything and they have even managed to shed 20 g’s off this one compared to the previous 40 gb edition of this hard drive. It works directly off power from a laptop or computer and runs therefore directly off usb without the need for plugging in another power cable to run the device. This can be a problem if you need more battery life on your laptop as it will drain it a little if its plugged in all the time. This drain isn’t much though and you’ll hardly even notice the difference if its only plugged in for a short while. Its black plastic casing certainly... Read review

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Advantages: Can listen to anything and everything that you can imagine
Disadvantages: Limitations of itunes library and low battery life

...As one of lifes essentials, hours of music at your fingertips, games and an ultra-chic image. The beauty of an ipod, is the ability to use itunes, this allows you to be signed upto a weekly newsletter, recieving a free download a week ( itunes free download of the week, however the range of music offered from week to week is quite refreshing and occassionally offers some real gems), and having a diverse library of music helpfully divided into subsections. Perhaps the best aspect is the celebrity playlists, allowing you to listen to what your favourite artist is listening to. Although its library does not cover everything you could wish for, it can be supplemented by programs such as Ares. How large a memory do you need? It has taken me a year to fill the 4 GB capacity and has not left me wanting for more. By the time you have run out... Read review

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Advantages: it's size
Disadvantages: doesn't work that well with older pc's

...This external hard drive is great value for money. The drive itself is housed in a nice slimline case and is powered via a AC adapter supply and connected to the computer via a USB port. One of the main features of the drive is that it will turn itself off when you power down you computer so you don't really have to worry about unplugging the power supply. Another smart feature is you can have a number of these drives stacked upon each other. On the case itself is a blue LED which indicates that the drive is powered up and flickers during data transfers so you know it's in use. As for noise, after you power up the drive you will not even know it's powered up because it's just so quiet. The only noise you do hear is when data is being written or being extracted and even then you can hardly hear it. One problem I have found... Read review

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Advantages: Durable and Well built. Nice Design.
Disadvantages: Doesn't have any Swiss Army Knife accessories.

...and Apple Macs with no problems. The manufacturers claim that it will work with USB 1.1 ports but it doesn't work with those in my keyboard. The transfer of data is as fast as any other flash drive I have used. The drive comes preloaded with security software to prevent unauthorised access to your data although this only seems to be compatible with Windows machines. I picked this stick up for £15 which is a bit expensive for the amount of storage but not too bad. Overall this a decent USB stick that works well and is a more attractive design than most. It feels very durable and well put together. The 1 GB model is large enough for everyday use although there are larger sizes available. Some people may prefer Victorinox's other USB Swiss Army Knives which have the usual knife and accessories in addition to the USB stick. However... Read review

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Advantages: Plays videos, small, looks great!
Disadvantages: Scratches

...Apple iPod MP3 player 60 GB ---------------------------------------- ~~~Introduction~~~ This is a revolutionary gadget. Before the iPod what was there in terms of MP3 players? I bet you can't name one. 'Witness the evolution of the revolution. First it played songs. Then photos. Then podcasts. Now iPod plays video, changing the way you experience your music and more' - iPod ~~~Specifications~~~ 60 Gb hard disc capacity White/Black Colour LCD screen 2.5 " TFT Screen 20 Battery life (Hrs) approx. Headphones supplied Belt Clip USB Cable 1 year labour warranty 1 year parts warranty LED display Capable to store audio, visual & data files Weight: 156g. Size: (H)10.4, (W)6.1, (D)1.4cm. ~~~Description~~~ The new 60GB model is over 10 percent thinner than the fourth-generation 30GB iPod. With a 60GB hard drive this iPod has ample space... Read review

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Advantages: Mega Storage, Quiet, Fast
Disadvantages: Heats up quickly needing extra cooling, Price

...speed to the stored data is lightening quick. It has increased the performace of my computer 100%. I do alot of video editing and game playing so this was ideal for me. The hard drive is just as quiet to run as any other lower capacity hard drive, although the main problem I found was that it heats up alot quicker and higher than a smaller drive. I highly recommend if you are installing this hard drive that you also invest in some extra cooling for your case. If you are a novice at upgrading or building computers then I would recommend seeking some experienced help when installing this item. As I still run on Windows XP, when I first installed the drive, it didnt reconise it as a 750 GB hard drive and only showed it at a portion of what it really was. I had to use Partition Manager to release the full spec onto my pc. Once installed... Read review

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Advantages: Very stable
Disadvantages: none

...Gigabyte has recently released the Athlon XP based 7VT600P-RZ motherboard powered by via kt600 chipset. This motherboard will support any Athlon XP and Duron processors with a front side bus speed of 200 MHz up to 400 MHz. There are 3 DIMM slots each having a memory capacity of up to 3 gigabytes the compatible DIMM for this kind of motherboards are PC 2100, 2700, 3200. There is also no need to buy a separate soundcard because the mobo has onboard soundcard. There are five PCI slots for future add-ons along with 8 USB ports and 2 SATA headers. The CPU socket is flanked by tall capacitors, making it hard to install the CPU heatsink. When it comes to overclocking the Athlon XP 3200+, this motherboard has just able to up the FSB to 210 mhz mark. The AGP slot is quite high on the motherboard, you to remove the video card to be able... Read review

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Advantages: Overclocks very well, Connectivity, Price
Disadvantages: Poor bundle from Gigabyte

...Full list of Specs http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/ProductsOverview.aspx?ProductID=2288 Gigabyte have been a forerunner in creating quality computer components for a number of years, often trading blows with the likes of DFI and Asus with many of gigabytes motherboards brining new technology. The Gigbayte GA-965P-DS4 is no exception. The first thing you notice with the motherboard is the radical chipset cooling solution. The south and north bridge are connected to the Voltage regulators via an elaborate system of heat pipes and heat sinks. This cooling method allows the vital components of the board to remain at cool stable temperatures without the need for noisy fans. The best thing is that the technology actually works, heat pipes are more and more being used in the cooling processors with a great deal of success... Read review

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