We’re not sure what the Cobalt moniker implies, but name aside, the new Ministation Cobalt external HDD range from Buffalo sure do look cool. The units are available in three snazzy colours, Blue Onyx, Ruby Red and Pearl White. Their capacities range from 160 GB, through 250 GB and 320 GB up to 500 GB. Other details include

* play nicely with Macs and PCs
* Plug n Play
* 5.0 x 3.4 x 0.6 inches
* spin speed 5400 RPM
* USB 2.0 connectivity
* 0.4 lbs

Pricing starts at US$80 for the 160 GB unit, goes through US$90 and US$120 for the 250 and 320 GB units and ends with US$170 for the 500 GB big boy. Whilst they may not be the cheapest units out there, if you have blue onyx eyes then a Ministation Cobalt unit may just be the external drive you’ve always wanted.

Source: Buffalo

Featured Tags buffalo, external-hdd


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Next month our Japan-based readers will be able to get their mits on Buffalo’s latest Blu-Ray burners, the BR-816SU2, BR-816FBS-WH and BR-816FBS-BK, all of which are capable of writing to Blu-Ray disks at a speed of 8x. First up is the BR-816SU2, an external USB 2.0/eSATA unit capable of writing to your single layer BD-R at the lightening fast speed of 8x when connected through its eSATA interface. Using the USB 2.0 connector you’ll still be able to achieve 6.5x. The BR-816FBS black and white units are internal burners and have a SATA connection allowing the same 8x speeds. Speeds for other disk types are as follows

* Dual layer BD-R, BD-RE and LTH BD-R - 2x
* DVD±R - 16x
* DVD-RAM - 5x
* DVD±R DL - 8x
* DVD-RW - 6x
* DVD+RW - 8x
* CD-R/RW - 48x/24x

Now for the crunch, what’s the price tag on these suckers? The BR-816SU2 will retail at 46,700 Yen whilst the internal units, BR-816FBS will appear at 41,000 Yen. This figures if converted directly when launched else where work out to US$435 and US$380. Not shabby for some decent hi-def storage units.

Source: Google Translate

Featured Tags blu-ray, blu-ray-burner, buffalo


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If you’re looking for some storage space then look no further then Buffalo’s latest offering the QSIBSU2 - unless of course you live outside Japan. Hopefully Buffalo will release these suckers elsewhere soon, meanwhile Japanese storage space consumers can drool over them.

Both flavours offer the following bits and pieces

* eSATA connection
* USB 2.0 connectivity
* RAID 0
* FireWire 400/800
* 4 3.5 inch drives of appropriate size spinning at 7,200 rpm
* 165 x 203 x 242 mm
* 6.0 kg

Both units weigh in at a hefty 6.0 kgs and have a hefty price tag too, 74,300 Yen (US$695) for the 1 TB or 106,300 Yen ($995) for the 2 TB ‘big boy’. Not cheap but sure to solve all your storage issues.

Featured Tags buffalo, HDD-storage, QSIBSU2


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It seems that never a day goes by without a storage manufacturer claiming a new larger storage unit. Today’s manufacturer is Buffalo with the 100 GB SHD-UHR100GS SSD, along with two lesser siblings, 32 and 64 GB models.

The claims, as usual for SSD manufacturers, is a physical space saving, a power sucking reduction and size. Although we couldn’t get our hands on any specific dimensions, it’s alleged that this little puppy is the size of a business card and unless USB ports have leapt in size over night, that estimation is about right given the photo above. Buffalo are also claiming a 70% power saving over their HD-PHGU2 HDD series, a bonus for all of us laptop users aching for a portable drive. As for weight this baby weighs in at a mere 60g, a mere nothing even in world of portable hardware.

The downside? Ah well, to become the proud owner of a super-slim SHD-UHR100GS, your wallet needs to be weighed down with US$952. The 32 GB version rocks in at $312, whilst the 64 GB has a price tag of $665. So these suckers aren’t cheap, but 100 GB the size of business card, what price can you put on that!

Source: engadget

Featured Tags buffalo, portable-ssd, SSD


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Buffalo have unleashed a brand new addtion to their TurboUSB range, a 32 GB model, the SHD-U32GS. The 32 GB version is the same physical size as the 16 GB model and according to Buffalo is 16% faster than non TurboUSB models.

It weighs in at a mere 20g, measures a snug 19 x 14 x 91 mm and has a handy switch to prevent accidental removal of your zeroes and ones.

This little sucker is currently only available in Japan for around the US$300 mark, but it should be spreading it wings and appearing in shops overseas soon.

Featured Tags buffalo, flash-drive


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Beating the usual suspects out of the gate, Buffalo will launch their very own 320 GB portable hard drive, the MiniStation Turbo USB HD-PS320U2, in December. Not only will the new unit sport oodles of disk space but will spin around at 5,400 rpm which according to the Buffalo spiel about their other portable 5,400 rpm drives means they are up to 64% faster than their oh so slow 4,200 rpm siblings.

The unit also features 256 bit encryption provided by Buffalo’s Secure Lock Ware plus Memeo’s AutoBackup software. Connectivity is provided by a USB 2.0 interface, which sucks power for the unit from the attached PC rather than requiring a hefty separate power supply. The drive is encased in a ‘Shock Resistant Chassis’ although I’d like to see how it performs in my sledge-hammer testing rig :)

It talks nicely with kit running W2K, XP, Vista and Mac OS X. But what about the moola? The MiniStation Turbo has a surprisingly nice price tag of US$319 hanging around its neck. Overall I think Buffalo have come out with a little beauty for anyone looking for a ton of portable storage space.

Featured Tags buffalo, external-hdd, hdd, portable-hard-drive


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