Plug And Play, Finally

Sp I bought this USB drive case and this 120GB Samsung drive and snapped them together. Plugged it into the back of the PC and instantly got a new 120GB MP3 drive! No need to open the case, no futzing. I know Macs have had Firewire for a couple of years with the same functionality, but it was always (and continues to be) spendy vs. USB. This new ability to chain together USB drives as external units means that home storage, Tivo, PVRs, and so on can latch onto a whole new revenue stream. They just need to Wifi the USB cases and people can stash their storage away in basements or closets. No more wires!

I could have saved myself the whole snapping-together part by buying it already assembled for around the same price, but then the guarantee is only one year instead of 3 years (for the OEM’d Samsung). This Samsung is whisper-quiet in operation, which is impressive. It’s also one of the first 60GB/platter drives. Considering that currently Maxtor sell a 4x40GB platter drive that delivers 160GB, I expect them to produce a 4x60GB = 240GB drive real soon now. my plan to download every piece of music ever recorded proceeds apace…