Internal sources at Acer have reportedly claimed today that the company is planning four systems based on Intel’s CULV platform and could pose a significant threat to Apple. CENS hears that systems will launch as soon as April with 11.6-inch, 13-inch, 14-inch and 15-inch models appearing as part of the early lineup. Their technical details aren’t known, though the 13-inch versions would use magnesium alloys to give them strength without impacting weight.

Although the claim is potentially suspect as it contradicts reports that the affordable ultra low-voltage processors won’t be in notebooks until the summer, it backs claims that Dell, HP and other “large-sized international” computer companies are planning systems of their own that could arrive in May.

Regardless, the systems are already thought to likely dent sales of higher-end ultraportables from companies like Apple and Sony. Intel is known to be targeting systems between $599 and $1,299 with CULV and hopes to give both performance and size between slower, Atom-based netbooks and full-speed notebooks without the traditional $1,500 or higher prices of true ultraportables.

Apple has itself said it has “some ideas” for computers in the netbook class but has resisted their slow speeds and small sizes. It has also publicly resisted offering systems below $500 over quality concerns.

How about no extra weight to carry on your trips? These USB Cell might do the trick. The USB Cell Batteries is a normal AA cell concealing a USB connector in the head that lets you charge on the move. All you need is your computer or a small USB connector/charger which I think 99% of us already have.

Features

• Portability – Easy Energy on the Go: No need for a separate charger or cables when travelling. Built in intelligent USB charger.
• Recharged Anywhere: Charge anywhere from any accessible powered USB.
• Swap and Play: Easily charge cells in your game station and just swap over to continue play.
• Top-Up: Charging for just a few minutes provides extra hours of instant use for most input devices.

“The Imation Apollo 2.5″” Portable Hard Drive offers high-capacity mobile storage for data, photos, presentations, videos and music in a pocket-sized device that is lightweight, stylish and extremely durable. The Apollo drive is fully USB 2.0 powered and does not require an additional power supply. A blue indicator visually shows when data transfer is in process. The Apollo Hard Drive comes with easy-to-use Total Media Backup software that is compatible with both PC and Mac.”

Features

• Product Description: Imation Apollo Portable Hard Drive hard drive, 320 GB, Hi-Speed USB
• Type: Hard drive, external
• Form Factor: 2.5″
• Dimensions (WxDxH): 3.2 in x 0.7 in x 5 in
• Weight: 5.6 oz
• Capacity: 320 GB
• Interface Type: Hi-Speed USB
• Data Transfer Rate: 480 Mbps
• Spindle Speed: 5400 rpm
• Buffer Size: 8 MB
• OS Required: Apple MacOS X 10.2.8 or later, Microsoft Windows Vista / 2000 / XP
• Manufacturer Warranty: 3 years warranty

The Imation Apollo™ 2.5″ Portable Hard Drive offers high-capacity mobile storage for data, photos, music, and videos. It’s a pocket-sized device that is lightweight and stylish, yet extremely durable.

The Apollo Portable Hard Drive is fully USB 2.0 powered, and no additional power supply is required. A blue data transfer indicator lights when data transfer is in process.

The Apollo Portable Hard Drive comes with easy-to-use Total Media Backup™ software compatible with both PC and Mac.

Features & Benefits

Ultra Slim Design – Designed to fit in the palm of your hand or slip into your pocket, the Apollo Portable Hard Drive offers a unique combination of sleek styling and compact size.

Backup Software – The Apollo Portable Hard Drive comes with easy-to-install, easy-to-use Total Media backupTM software that is preconfigured to backup data, photos, music, or videos. Designed for use with PC or Mac, you can select backup, schedule, synchronize, and restore functions with a quick click of the mouse.

USB 2.0 Powered – The drive is fully USB 2.0 powered. No external power supply is required.

The Imation Apollo drive is a discrete and simple portable hard drive. The rectangular shaped drive has a solid feel with a clean black exterior, finished with a chrome trim around the sides and is available in a range of capacities starting at 160GB up to a colossal 500GB.

It’s difficult to believe that just a few months ago, 500GB drives were available only in desktop models, but now they fit in your pocket.

Using USB, the Apollo is a plug and play device, and as with most external drives of today, requires no need for drivers or external power source. Computers of old may find that they require the extra USB splitter to provide the drive with enough juice to get running. However, the XP-era PC that I’ve owned for the past five years seems to do just fine without it. Once plugged in and ready for use, a blue LED indicator lights up to show that the drive is powered and active.

Performance-wise, a 700MB file took 32.4 seconds to transfer from my MacBook Pro hard drive. My secondary performance test was the transfer of 1000 JPEG files totalling 2GB. The Apollo completed this on an empty drive in 1 minute 54 seconds. These scores are similar to those of the drives I’ve tested in the past. The limiting factor is perhaps the fact that these drives typically pack the same spec hard drive units limited up to 5400RPM and transfer over USB as opposed to FireWire 400/800 or eSata. That should soon change with the upcoming USB 3.0 spec to arrive next year.

Bundled with the drive is ArcSoft TotalMedia Backup that surprisingly works on both Windows and Mac operating systems. I didn’t get around to using this as the Time Machine backup feature of the latest iteration of Mac OS X already does an excellent job of backing up. However, for those that are interested, this capable backup solution allows you to be selective of what files are backed up including the ability to limit what file formats are copied across. So you could set it to backup just your music or image files. The usual backup functionality is included with scheduling and manual backup options.

Strangely, on my hunt for the best prices for this drive, I discovered that the 250GB Apollo was priced around the same as the 160GB model. For about £60 you can get the 250GB model. Whilst Imation are established in the storage market, there are other big name brands out there with similar or cheaper priced drives.

PD3200 320GB Pocket Media Drive
For anybody wondering, this is a 320GB HP Pocket Media Drive. As of the date of this review, the Amazon description says it’s a “Personal Media Drive”, which is a different type of HP drive. Combined with the lack of a product picture, it had me wondering what would show up. But the product ID (PD3200) is in the Pocket Drive family.

As of now, it’s only a slight improvement in cost per GB over the previous iterations, but for people who need the capacity and have the correct drive bay, this offers a lot of storage. 298GB on mine.

Store 59,000 photos, 74,000 songs, or 205 hours of video on our external, portable 320GB Pocket Media Drive. Use this high-speed, wallet-size drive alone or connected to your PC via the included USB cable, or save space by sliding it in the chassis slot of select HP Pavilion PCs.

Features

• Store and transport large amounts of data: 59,000 photos, 74,000 songs, or 205 hours of video.
• Use on flights, at school, or wherever: it needs no external power source
• Plug in for instant storage without adding a hard drive to your PC; add storage or share files without rebooting
• Share photos and projects with family, friends, and colleagues
• Use on multiple PCs as needed
• Password protect your files with the included Roxio Back Up My PC7 software
• Compatibility: USB-enabled PCs, HP Pavilion PCs with HP Pocket Media Drive bay; backward-compatible with PCs that have USB 1.1