SanDisk increases MacBook storage with USB-C external SSD

SanDisk unveiled its Extreme 900 portable solid state drive (SSD) at Computex 2015, one of the first high capacity external drives that will play nice with the USB-C connector on Apple's latest 12-inch MacBook. The Extreme 900 is also compatible with existing notebooks and desktops with a full-sized USB Type-A connector.

"The SanDisk Extreme 900 Portable SSDs are all about performance and capacity. Available in up to 1.92TB, the new drives features transfer speeds nine times faster than a portable hard drive, giving users a significant advantage when they are working with 4K video, taking detailed high-res photos or creating large graphics files," SanDisk said in a statement.

Encased in an aluminum design, the Extreme 900 has fast read and write speeds, going up to 850MB/s. The drive ships with both USB-C and USB Type-A cables so you can migrate and access your data between newer systems – like the MacBook and Chromebook Pixel – and existing systems will full-sized USB ports – like the MacBook Pro and Air. Compared to traditional hard drives with USB-C connectors, like the Porsche Design Mobile Drive from LaCie, SanDisk's advantage is that SSDs offer faster speeds and more durability.

Extreme 500 SSD

In addition to the Extreme 900, SanDisk is also releasing a more compact Extreme 500 Portable SSD. While the Extreme 900 drive comes with capacity approaching 2TB, the Extreme 500 is available in up to 480GB capacity, or roughly a quarter of the maximum storage of its bigger counterpart.

Built for portability, SanDisk claims that the Extreme 500 is roughly half the size of a smartphone and comes with rubber bumpers and a metal ring to allow it to clip to a bag, making it more rugged for mobile users in the field.

The Extreme 500 has data transfer speeds of up to 415MB/s.

Pricing

The SanDisk Extreme 500 will be available in capacities of 120GB ($99, £65, AU$130), 240GB ($149, £97, AU$195), and 480GB ($239, £156, AU$313). The SanDisk Extreme 900 will be available in 480GB ($399, £261, AU$522), 960GB ($599, £392, AU$784), and 1.92TB ($999, £653, AU$1,307) capacities.

Both drives will come with a three-year warranty and will be available worldwide.

Smallest USB 3.0 flash drive

In addition to the portable Extreme 500 and Extreme 900 external solid state drives, SanDisk also showed off what it considers to be the smallest USB 3.0 flash drive. The compact offering is available in capacities of 128GB and 256GB, with both models barely protruding from the USB port that it plugs into.

With the compact design, users can likely leave the diminutive flash drives plugged into their laptops, Ultrabooks or tablets while traveling without fear of damaging the USB port. As the drives are always plugged into a system, this saves time and also mitigates concerns that the drives may become misplaced or lost while in transit.

The 128GB SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.0 flash drive are priced at $119 (£78, AU$156) while the 256GB SanDisk Ultra USB 3.0 are priced at $199 (£130, AU$260). Both drives are available worldwide.

• Read our review of the 2015 MacBook

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'Hola' if your VPN was busted selling your bandwidth

Known as a free and simple VPN solution that allows users to access blocked videos and services from overseas (such as Netflix), the peer-to-peer network Hola has amassed over 47 million users worldwide.

That number is bound to decrease significantly however, with the discovery that Hola has been selling its users’ idle bandwidth through a service called Luminati (which Hola owns), allowing it to be repurposed for nefarious reasons.

Unlike other VPN services, Hola doesn’t own servers around the world, instead opting to utilise its users’ IP addresses as ‘exit nodes’ for other people’s traffic.

Frederick Brennan, operator of the notorious 8chan message board, made the discovery after the site experienced multiple DoS attacks and temporary shutdown unknowingly caused by Hola users’ computers through Luminati’s services.

The Luminati is real, and it's everywhere

In a note posted to the 8chan community, Brennan put the blame for his site’s shutdown squarely on Hola, stating that the company “has gotten greedy,” further stating that “they recently realised that they basically have a 9 million IP strong botnet on their hands, and they began selling access to this botnet.”

Luminati boasts that it provides its clients the ability to “route data through any of our millions of IPs that are located in every city around the world,” though its connection with Hola VPN users had not been acknowledged until a short time ago.

TorrentFreak claims that Hola’s FAQ section had been amended only recently to include mention of Luminati, albeit in a sneakily-worded way: “Hola generates revenue by selling a commercial version of the Hola VPN service to businesses (through our Luminati brand),” and that “users who want to enjoy the Hola network without contributing their idle resources can do so by joining the Hola premium service for $5 per month (or $45 per year).”

Hola founder Ofer Vilenski doesn’t seem too fussed about Luminati’s involvement in the attack, stating that “8chan was hit with an attack from a hacker with the handle of BUI. This person then wrote about how he used the Luminati commercial VPN network to hack 8chan. He could have used any commercial VPN network, but chose to do so with ours.”

• New to VPN services? Here’s how to setup and maintain one

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IN DEPTH: 3 ways Google's Android Pay is better than Apple Pay

Google Android Pay vs Apple Pay

Believe it or not, Google's Android Pay makes it simpler and more rewarding to pay for things with a phone than the already easy-to-use Apple Pay.

With more than one billion active Android users, that's going to give mobile payments a big boost in 2015, at least in the US. This is no half-hearted Google Wallet.

At Google IO 2015, I tested the reinvented contactless payment system on a Coca-Cola machine and a mock online store in the press room.

The result? One 20oz bottle of Coke and three ways the better-late-than-never Android Pay is slightly better than Apple Pay.

1. It's literally more rewarding

Google wants to help the world buy a Coke and maybe teach everyone to sing its praises. It's doing that with a little extra reward right at the machine.

Android Pay, already loaded on my Nexus 6 at a special Coke vending machine, used the built-in NFC chip that's now common among Google-powered phones. It's the same tech Apple uses.

I held the phone to the machine's NFC reader, and a stacked credit and debit card interface popped up automatically. I tapped my virtual card on the phone to pay, and I was done. It looked almost identical to Apple Pay's design.

What's different? Among the card options is the ability to use MyCokeRewards points to pay for the soda (or a healthier beverage like water). Who turns down an earned Coke and doesn't enjoy it?

Google is integrating retailers' loyalty programs right into Android Pay and says this feature is going to be bigger than just soda machines. It's an idea the iPhone's Passbook app doesn't fulfill nearly as well with little-used and more cumbersome QR codes.

That's going to be an incentive, especially when I'm at local retailers. On an iPhone 6, I often need to get out my loyalty card or recite my phone number, even if I'm paying with Apple Pay.

2. Passwords aren't a hindrance

Android Pay requires a lockscreen password, whether it's a pattern, pin or face unlock. Only, its rules are more user-friendly than what's found on an Apple Pay-enabled iPhone.

Its tap-to-pay method of completing a transaction doesn't require that hit-or-miss fingerprint on smartphones. That's why enabling a phone's lockscreen is a must.

This makes Android Pay a little bit faster with no queue displeasing "Let me redo it." It uses a system-level lockscreen as its security, not a second payment ID for authentication.

Worried about Android eliminating this redundancy? Android M is going to push phones to add a fingerprint sensor. Most Android phones don't have Touch ID-equivalent hardware.

It was sort of funny to hear the Motorola Atrix from 2011 get a nod during the Google IO keynote. There's not much else out besides Samsung's few fingerprint-enabled phones.

What's even better? I'm told that when you disable a password-protected lockscreen, the credit cards don't automatically erase like they annoyingly do with an Apple Pay-linked cards.

That's an annoying requirement of Apple Pay for iPhone and, more precisely, Apple Watch. It forces users who sometimes disable the lockscreen temporarily to add and re-authenticate their credit cards all over again.

3. Way more compatible phones

Android Pay works with a lot more phones than Apple Pay - a lot more - much to the dislike of iPhone owners who don't yet have an iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Google's casting a much wider net with support for all Android 4.4 KitKat phones with NFC chips, not just its own Nexus devices.

That means the Galaxy S4, HTC One M7, LG G2, original Moto X and Nexus 5, all released in 2013, will work with Android Pay.

That covers a lot of people.

Android Pay stores, credit cards and banks

Google is playing catch-up, but Android Pay store locations number 700,000 in the US - too many to list. There are also 1,000 Android apps that plan to use the mobile payment platform.

McDonald's, Chipotle and Subway have fast food covered, while major retailers include Best Buy, Macy's and Walgreens. Coke rival, Pepsi, also signed on, in case you were wondering.

Basically, anywhere you see the new Android Pay or generic NFC logo, your phone will let you make a purchase without swiping your card. That should keep it on par with Apple Pay.

Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover are all onboard with Android Pay too, and nine major banks like Bank of America, Chase, Citi, Capital One are here.

Credit and debit cards can be enabled right within bank apps as well, giving users a second way to add their information for Android Pay.

But will Android Pay be a success?

Android Pay is a little more streamlined than Apple Pay, but that in no way means Google's new mobile payments push is going to be as much of a success or better.

First, it's only being promised for the US. Like iPhone's digital wallet, Google is staying silent on its UK and Australian launch plans. Country rollout may decide the winner, especially when it comes to China and India.

On one hand, Google's security is akin to Apple Pay. Its tokenization method means retailers never see your actual credit or debit card number, just a virtual account number. On the other, Android users have proven to be more susceptible to hijacking and data mining apps.

Then there's the fact that while Android Pay is getting a bigger push than Google Wallet, it won't get as much attention out of the gate with one single device launch. And Apple could add these Coke and other loyalty rewards in iOS 9 and catch up in an instant.

Nevertheless, you can't deny the appeal of a free Coke and tap-to-pay after bypassing the lockscreen. Right now, it's refreshing to see Google pushing new ideas forward.

Android Pay is set to be coupled with Android M when the new operating system update launches later this year, while phone users with Android 4.4 KitKat and above can expect it "soon."

• More reinvented software at IO: Google Photos review

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Presto strives for number one with new eOne content deal

The local success of streaming rivals Netflix and Stan hasn’t slowed Foxtel’s Presto streaming service down any, with a newly solidified deal with Entertainment One Television (eOne) to bring a range of new shows to the platform.

The service has now added the hit western series Hell on Wheels, the Stephen King series Haven, the award winning Australian mini-series The Slap, the cop show Rookie Blue, another cop show called Rogue, the soccer-based crime show Matador, the supernatural werewolf series Bitten and the Canadian television adaptation of John Grisham’s bestseller, The Firm.

Presto’s relationship with eOne began with the addition of The Walking Dead to the service in April, and is being expanded due to that show’s overwhelming success on the platform.

Complete seasons of the above-mentioned shows are now available to stream exclusively on Presto.

Presto not taking a rest-o

Facing more streaming competition than ever before, Presto has continued to take steps to ensure its foothold remains firmly intact.

This expanded content deal with eOne comes just weeks after Presto’s promise of massive library growth following the service’s reception of the ACCC’s stamp of approval.

Presto also made a deal with Quickflix recently to bring its content to the flagging service, in a bid to get its rapidly growing library on as many Aussie screens as possible.

Still, with Netflix completely dominating the Australian subscription video on demand scene, Presto will have to remain vigilant for the foreseeable future.

• Check out our review of Foxtel Presto

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Enrique Iglesias' fingers sliced by a drone mid-concert

From an early age, parents tend to teach their offspring that if something's sharp and spinning very fast then it's best not to touch it. It seems Enrique Iglesias didn't get the message.

Displaying a severe lack of common sense on Saturday night, the pop heartthrob reached out and grabbed a drone that was filming the crowd at his Sex and Love show in Tijuana, Mexico, slicing his fingers in the process.

Fortunately for the yodelling lothario, his digits were not completely severed during the incident and he managed to continue performing for another 30 minutes, during which time blood splattered across his white t-shirt.

The show must go on...

A representative for Iglesias said that he was "semi-treated" at the side of the stage before continuing with the show, despite being advised to wrap things up.

Iglesias' representatives also released a statement, saying: "During the show a drone is used to get crowd shots and some nights Enrique grabs the drone to give the audience a Point of View shot. Something went wrong and he had an accident."

Following his run-in with the whirling finger-trap, Iglesias was rushed to the airport, where he was met by an ambulance. From there he boarded a plane to LA to see a specialist.

• Drones will soon be more intelligent than certain pop stars. Check out the 'smart' drones that are already in production.

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Nvidia's new 4K-ready GPU will power your Oculus Rift

Nvidia has just introduced its latest flagship GPU, the GeForce GTX 980Ti, which has got both 4K gaming and virtual reality in its sights.

The new Maxwell-based GPU packs in 6GB of video RAM and will deliver 4K gaming at a decent framerate - above 30 FPS - while boasting speeds of up to three times faster when compared to the GTX 680.

But here's where things get really interesting: the GTX 980Ti has just over 90% of the CUDA core count of the prohibitively expensive Titan X, but comes in for less - $650 (around £425/AU$825) compared to the X's $1000. The X does have double the VRAM, but still, it's not a whole world of difference.

We've already mentioned 4K gaming, but Nvidia's new baby is also designed to support virtual reality in a big way. We now know what the demands of the Oculus Rift will be, and the GTX 980Ti will certainly be up to the task (Oculus listed the GTX 970 as the minimum for the Rift).

Nvidia's Maxwell architecture also supports the latest DirectX 12, while the new GPU is pretty damn energy efficient compared to something like the GTX 750; as Nvidia puts it, these second-gen Maxwell designs sip, not gulp, your power.

On another note

Nvidia is also introducing a line of notebooks that will be powered by its G-Sync GPUs. For the uninitiated, G-Sync is Nvidia's solution for screen tearing - and a mighty effective one - that maintains refresh rate without costing you image quality of game performance.

Starting June 1 you'll be able to get your hands on new notebooks from Asus, Gigabyte, MSI and Clevo, all flaunting the tech, with specs and pricing to be announced by the manufacturers.

• Check out our full Titan X review

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