Related Articles
Toshiba
Is that a one-terabyte hard drive in your pocket, or are you just happy to see this deal?
Today only, and while supplies last, Amazon has the Toshiba Canvio Basics 1TB portable USB 3.0 hard drive for $49.99, shipped. It lists for twice as much and sells elsewhere for at least $10 more.
As you can see from the photo, the Canvio is a decidedly compact drive — small enough to palm, and thin enough (at 0.6-inch) to slip into a pocket. OK, that’s probably not where most people will carry it, but with a travel weight of just over 7 ounces, the drive can ride along in just about any bag and you’ll barely notice it.
True to its “Basics” moniker, the Canvio comes without any software pre-installed. I consider that a good thing, though if you plan to use it for backup purposes, you’ll need to seek out a utility on your own. EaseUS Todo Backup Free and Paragon Backup & Recovery Free are popular choices, and, if you haven’t guessed, they’re free to boot.
In case you’re into specs, the drive spins at 5,400 rpm and has an average seek time of 12ms — meaning it’s likely to be a modest performer. On the other hand, its USB 3.0 interface should translate to seriously faster file transfers than any USB 2.0 drive you might currently be using.
Although Toshiba backs the Canvio with just a one-year warranty, Amazon customers collectively rated the drive 4.8 stars out of 5 — a pretty amazing score. So if you’ve been shopping for a big drive that’s also a small drive (you know what I mean), this is a mighty sweet deal.
AccessoryPower
Bonus deal: Calling all business users: Is your email signature working hard or hardly working? I didn’t realize mine fell squarely in the latter category until I happened upon Wisestamp, which lets you whip up classy custom email signatures for all your accounts. It normally costs $4 per month, but StackSocial is offering a lifetime Wisestamp subscription for just $25. The service integrates with most major Webmail accounts (from AOL to Gmail to Yahoo), but you can also export your signatures for use with iPhone, Outlook and so on.
Bonus deal No. 2: Did you know it’s World Backup Day? I know, it seems to come earlier every year, doesn’t it? Anyway, if you’ve yet to deploy a backup solution for your PC, consider this: AppSumo is offering one year of Backblaze unlimited online backup for $25, which is 50 percent off the regular rate. (This offer is good for new customers only.) The service supports both Mac and Windows systems; it effectively mirrors anything and everything from your system to secure cloud servers.
Bonus deal No. 3: Not everyone needs or wants Bluetooth capabilities in their portable speakers. If you fall into that category, see this: Premier Audio Video (via Amazon) has the GoGroove SonaVerse BX portable speaker for $14.99, shipped (with Prime; non-Prime subscribers will have to pay a few bucks for shipping). This cute, LED-enhanced cube lets you plug in just about any audio source (via an included 3.5mm cable) or a USB drive. It promises 3 to 5 hours of play time from its removable, rechargeable battery. And it’s backed by a three-year warranty!
