Toshiba Canvio 3.0 External Hard Drive

In today’s world, you always have a need for more storage, and as we start to organize photos and videos in digital format, we need ways to back up and protect our data.

Toshiba has introduced a new series of Canvio 3.0 hard drives that meet these needs. They offer blazing-fast transfer speeds and pre-loaded backup software, and they are cloud-backup capable. The units offer a variety of storage capacity and we tested the one terabyte model.

One of the main characteristics of these devices is the ability to sync with the cloud. The Canvio 3.0 is pre-loaded with Windows™-based NTI® BackupNow EZ™ software that provides step-by-step and fully-customizable backup capabilities to the cloud and to the drive. Users create a cloud account with NTI® BackupNow EZ™ where they can backup specific folders, certain file types, and conduct a complete system backup to the Canvio 3.0. The backup software also scans the user’s system and files and recommends which files to backup to cloud-based or on-device storage.

The Canvio family now includes the support of USB 3.0, enabling Canvio users to take advantage of the faster data transfer speed of USB 3.0-enabled devices. We were impressed with the speed when we tested it out.

Some advanced features include complete password protection with up to 256-bit data encryption to prevent unauthorized access to data and an on-screen Drive Space Alert monitor that sends an alert when storage space is running low. The internal Shock Sensor and Ramp Loading Technology protect the drive during daily movement from a pocket, desk, bag, or beyond so you can feel comfortable carrying this around. It’s amazing how small these devices have become and how much you can store in a portable device.

The design of the unit is very slick and sturdy with rounded rectangular form factor and sleek high gloss finish. It’s also easy to grip it on the sides. It’s available in black, white, silver, red, green, and blue3.

This makes a great gift for anyone on your list, both techies who will appreciate the advanced features and others who need a simple way to protect their photos and home videos.

Check out our Holiday Gift Guide for more gift ideas.

  

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Wireless Dual-Band Travel Router

Wireless access to the Internet has become a priority for both personal use and business use. But when you’re traveling, Internet access often requires a cable Ethernet hookup, which means you can only get access through the one hooked up PC. This makes it impossible to get online with other gadgets like iPads or other PCs used by friends or coworkers unless the devices have 3G capability.

These problems can be solved by the Wireless Dual-Band Travel Router from Belkin. Hook this device up using the cable hookup, and then all your PCs and other gadgets can use this personal hotspot to get online. So basically you pay for one online hookup and get to use multiple devices. It’s pretty small so it’s easy to pack, it comes with a handy carrying case and has high dual-band performance.

With the holidays around the corner, this device could be a great stocking stuffer for the personal on your list who loves gadgets and loves to travel. Check out our Holiday Gift Guide for more gift ideas.

  

The ultimate portable heater

Guys appreciate cool gadgets, regardless of what they’re used for. Dyson has revolutionized vacuum cleaners, and now the company has an amazing portable heater that’s perfect for that cold room in your house or even your man cave.

Dyson sent us the Dyson HOT AM04, and as you can see from the photo above, this heater/fan doesn’t look like anything else on the market. The sleek design is perfect for any room in your house.

This heater/fan incorporates Air Multiplier technology by drawing in surrounding air to heat or cool a room faster than any other heater. It’s great for rooms of all sizes from dorm rooms to great rooms and you can select target temperature to the degree. It has a long range heat projection feature that let’s you feel direct heat throughout the room. Safety features include tip-over automatic cut out, and you don’t have to worry about any kind of burning smell.

It also works great as a fan when you want to cool of as it generates high airflow and velocity to cool you down.

We tried this unit in hot and cold rooms and loved it. With the holidays coming up it also make a great gift as well.

  

NoiseHush NX80 3.5mm Stereo Headphones

We tried the new NoiseHush NX80 3.5mm Stereo Headphones and there were plenty of features to like. First and most importantly so sound was very good, particularly when you consider the reasonable cost for these headphones.

Next, these headphones have an inline answer/end button and microphone. With so many gadgets, we all need several sets of headphones and it’s nice to have options that let you make hands-free calls as well.

This headset also sports a fettuccine style no tangle cord. After dealing with cords that tangle up you’ll appreciate this feature. The cord is also bright red, so with the black ear buds the headphones look unique as well.

These make a great stocking stuffer, particularly for someone who wants to make a style statement.

  

Charge up with the PowerSlice

As we accumulate more and more gadgets, it seems like we have charging cords everywhere. With a family it’s even worse.

The PowerSlice from fuse is a universal charger that can help keep all of these gadgets organized and charged. With the PowerSlice you can charge up to four gadgets on one plug as the device uses individual slices with charging tips along with a built-in USB port on the charger base. Slices are purchased separately and slip into the unit, so you can charge a variety of devices from Samsung, LG, Apple products and Micro and Mini USB. You can have your iPhone charging while another has their Blackberry.

You can put the PowerSlice in a strategic spot in the kitchen or another spot in your home and make things easier for everyone while cutting down on the clutter.

The universal charger base unit costs $44.99 and additional slices are $9.99 each. There’s also a bundle with the PowerSlice base charger plus two iPhone/iPod compatible slices available for $49.99. It’s very practical and makes a nice stocking-stuffer for the holidays.