G-Technology demos dual-drive 8TB G-RAID HDD, with a dash of Thunderbolt

Not to be outdone by Seagate’s 4TB GoFlex Desk, Hitachi’s G-Technology unit has now unleashed a jumbo-sized external HDD of its own, with the 8TB, dual-drive G-RAID. Demoed at this week’s IBC conference in Amsterdam, the company’s new storage house consists of two 4TB drives nestled within an aluminum enclosure, each of which clocks in at 7,200 RPM. Configured for OS X, the G-RAID also sports a Thunderbolt port that offers transfer speeds of up to 10Gbps, though it can also support Windows with some simple reformatting. G-Technology will begin shipping its 4TB drives in October (with eSATA, FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 ports), whereas its “4TB-based” Thunderbolt-equipped drive won’t hit the market until Q4 — though it’s still unclear whether either model will ship as single drives, or as a two-headed, 8TB beast. Pricing remains a mystery for the moment.

LG unveils S430, S530 Aurora laptops for people who like muted hues

LG has added two new stars to its constellation of Aurora laptops, with the LG S430 and LG S530. Both models are powered by an Intel Core i5 processor, with the S430 boasting a 14-inch, 1366 x 768 HD LCD and the S530 rocking a slightly larger, 15.6-inch display, available in either HD or HD+ (1600 x 900) resolution. Both also feature 8GB of DDR3 memory and up to 750GB of HDD space (5400 RPM), along with your standard WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 and USB 2.0 connectivity. Perhaps most notable, however, is their sleek, metallic veneer and crystalline, scratch-free finish, available in both purple and blue. Pricing remains a mystery, but the pair should be available in Africa, Asia and the Middle East by early next month, before making their way to Europe and the US shortly thereafter.

 

Hanwha unleashes HDMI / USB adapter for iPad, iPhone 4, and fourth-gen iPod touch

Feel the desire to watch your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch (fourth gen) videos on the big screen, but looking for something with a little more girth than Apple’s HDMI solution? Hanwha’s latest dongle might do the job. As you can see above, in place of the original adapter’s dock connector port is a USB 2.0 socket — compatible with cameras supporting mass storage connection — alongside the 720p-friendly HDMI port, but you’ll have to use the switch to toggle between the two modes. And that little mini-USB port on the far right? Well, it’s there to provide some juice to “reduce battery drain,” but probably not enough to charge up your iDevice. If you’re still interested and have a friend in Japan, Hanwha’s charging ¥5,980 (around $73), which is almost double that of Apple’s $39 connector. Is USB support worth such a price jump? Your call.

The Focusrite Scarlett 18i6 is an 18 in / 6 out USB 2.0 audio interface

The Focusrite Scarlett 18i6 is an 18 in / 6 out USB 2.0 audio interface designed to make home multitrack recording a breeze. Alongside two award-winning Focusrite preamps, six high-quality analogue inputs allow you to simultaneously record guitar, bass, vocals and keys. You don’t need to stop there either – pop in the ADAT optical cable from an outboard eight-channel mic pre unit such as the Focusrite OctoPre MkII and you can track the drums at the same time.