WiebeTech UltraDock v5
CRU-DataPort
Price: $249 U.S.
I have tested and used every WiebeTech bare drive dock going back to the original FireWire Drive Dock, released around the time Steve Wozniak stopped shaving. UltraDock v5 from CRU-DataPort, the parent company of WiebeTech, is the best drive dock ever, period. It has been years since v4 was released, and the long wait was worthwhile.
The premise and purpose of UltraDock v5 (abbreviated here as UDv5) is straightforward for a techie and completely bewildering to a normal person. When an internal hard drive, such as the one residing within your Macintosh or iOS device, is removed from the case of the source product, the exposed hard drive is often still usable even when the computer or iPod or iPhone or iPad has stopped working.
A technically savvy person in a Mac repair shop, or your cousin’s next door neighbor’s brother-in-law, typically can retrieve the crucial data from the exposed internal drive that is now external, if not by choice. Enter UDv5, center stage.
Drive eRazer Ultra
CRU-DataPort
$212 to 249 online
Supplementary 1.8 and 2.5 inch combo adapters priced at $40 to $70
MyMac reviewed WiebeTech’s original Drive eRazer four years ago. This earlier model continues to work well here at Nemo’s MyMac Labs, but it has been discontinued. The new Ultra model adds functionality and versatility to a quest that is dear to every techie’s heart: I can’t wait to erase and reformat that annoying #$%^& hard drive.
Wireless Solar Keyboard K750 for Mac
Logitech
$50 US
This new solar-powered wireless keyboard is almost perfect. It works great, but it has some perfectly annoying “features.”
There is no printed manual or full set of Internet instructions. Its web site is incomplete. No built-in indent on the keyboard is provided for storage and travel with its USB dongle. There is no way to know when the caps lock key is activated.
Aside from those four minuses, Logitech has done a stellar job with engineering and design of its new Wireless Solar Keyboard K750 for Mac. Solar and ambient light battery charging are effortless. So is power management using a free software download. Battery efficiency is exceptional.
DataTale TQ-M12H
Company: Oyen Digital
Price: $90
http://oyendigital.com/hard-drives/store/TQM12H.html
Get a handle on this unusual drive dock! I mean, you affix a brushed aluminum handle to an internal SATA full size 3.5 inch hard drive. This handle is a guide as you insert your drive into a custom powered bay that connects to your Macintosh via FireWire 800/400/USB/eSATA. All necessary cables are provided, colored white.
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There are two types of technology companies:
• Some of them develop and expand markets with innovation, and most of them copy and borrow from the best in the business. WiebeTech is one of the former.
• Some of them offer excellent customer service and support via multiple methods of communication, and most of them make users jump through hoops with little confidence of successful resolution. WiebeTech is one of the former.
• Some of them consider Macintoshers to be primary customers, and strive to satisfy our demands and challenges; most of them are happy with our business, but don’t consider us to be upper-echelon customers. WiebeTech is one of the former.
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Don’t despair when your full size or mini iPod stops working. If the electronics or other components give up the ghost, your precious Toshiba 1.8 inch pip-squeak hard drive can remain in service.
Geek alert: the following is for techies. You know who you are. If you are asking yourself, “Izzis me, Nemo?” go back to your regularly-scheduled activity.
The cost is not trivial, but the process of extraction and data retrieval is straightforward. You carefully pry open the iPod case on the central seam running along either of the long sides, gently open up the case, and disconnect the couple of connectors that are hiding inside. Pull aside the rubber gaskets securing your tiny hard drive, unplug this drive from its port, and place it in a safe spot on your static-free work area.
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RTX-100-Q TrayFree SATA Drive External Bay
Company: WiebeTech
Price: $230.00 US (without included SATA drive)
http://wiebetech.com/products/RTX100.php
If you are a gearhead who has loose SATA drives scattered throughout your work area; or a media creator who can never get enough external storage; or one of the smartest, most efficient computer professionals on the planet, then WiebeTech has a new class of external drive that will immediately compel you to scream, “Why didn’t I come with such a great idea myself?” If your swappable multi-drive backups are giving you heartburn, then your heart and tummy will sing the praises of RTX-100-Q.
Here’s how it works — brilliantly:
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ToughTech XE Mini — Portable Pocket External Multi-Port Hard Drives
Company: WiebeTech
Prices: $120 – $425, depending on enclosure, speed, and capacity
http://www.wiebetech.com
This review has three parts: past, present, and future. The PAST was covered in David Weeks’ evaluation of the first generation of WiebeTech’s ToughTech Mini series drives, posted here. David’s conclusion was FireWire 800 doesn’t offer improved file transfer speed on this model, but every other aspect of this premium pocket drive is first rate.
The PRESENT is now, while I’m using and testing the XE series of ToughTech Mini. All WiebeTech XE models have three obvious ports on the rear, business end. What isn’t obvious is that the left-most port is dual-purpose: the same slot accommodates either a USB or an eSATA cable. I tested this new combo-port, and it works perfectly, when the drive has incoming AC electrical power.
FIREWIRE BUS ON ALL CYLINDERS
FireWire bus speeds are improved over David’s unit, so WiebeTech’s other two obvious ports are now both FW800. Not obvious is how easy it is to connect either FW800 port to any FW400 “traditional” FireWire computer jack via the included FW800-to-400 cable. I’m using every permutation of FW800/400 cables and ports on a daily basis, and the flexibility is grand. Be aware that using the included electrical power cable is a good idea if you’re pushing any external bus-powered drive to the limits of operation, whenever AC power is available.
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FireWire and USB DriveDocks (Fourth Generation) for SATA, IDE, and notebook drives
Company: WiebeTech
Price: $75 – 230 (see below for details)
http://www.wiebetech.com
Only ten percent of MyMac.com readers will ever need to use a DriveDock to mount a bare hard drive, but you know who you are, and I hope you’re paying attention. WiebeTech DriveDocks allow you to connect any computer to an exposed drive, one that typically is outside of a case, enclosure, or other computer.
Why would some otherwise normal person want to do such a ridiculous thing? Techies and power users frequently need to retrieve data from hard disks that were in a previously-active computer. Geeks know that bare drives are not expensive, and they can get a huge bang for their buck when function is more important than form.
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WiebeTech “ComboGB Pocket Drive” Portable Disk Drive with FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2/1.1 Ports
Company: WiebeTech
Price: $290.00 (US)
http://www.wiebetech.com/products/ComboGB.html
Model tested is: CGB50/5400, priced at $290 at WiebeTech’s online store.
There are two essential things you need to know as soon as you remove this exciting new WiebeTech external portable pocket combo drive from its package:
1) This is one W-A-R-M portable, when connected and running for an extended time! Its entire brushed aluminum case serves as a heat dissipator for the 5400RPM, 2.5 inch drive inside, so get into the habit of holding an active or recently-removed case by its rubberized edges. I don’t know about summertime in Wichita, Kansas, where WiebeTech is located, but here in scorching hot Tucson, Arizona, we’re used to heated surfaces, and this product certainly qualifies.
Wiebe Fire800 Hard Drive
Company: WiebeTech LLC
Price: $299.95 to $549.95 case only $169.95
http://www.wiebetech.com
The FireWire 800 floodgates have cracked open, with more manufacturers shipping FireWire 800 products. MyMac’s first FireWire 800 review was the LaCie BigDisk d2.
If you found the BigDisk too rich for your pocketbook, or simply more capacity than you need, WiebeTech’s Fire800 drive series may be right for you.
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Firewire Drive Docks & MICRO GB+ Pocket Hard Drive
OS X Compatible
Company: WiebeTech
http://www.wiebetech.com
WiebeTech has been busy since our first review of their highly rated products. With these two new FireWire drive docks (Super DriveDock and Forensic DriveDock), WiebeTech enters the uncharted territory of totally new categories of storage and data transfer hardware. Sounds scary, right? Not a bit! This is very friendly equipment, and deserves our scrutiny and admiration, as does their shiny, swift High Speed Micro GB+ pocket hard drive.
First things first, comfortable before unusual. MICRO GB+ is a slim, sleek portable disk drive case that can be purchased either empty for $99.95, or loaded with up to 60 GB of storage capacity. Screwdriver and screws are supplied for the homebrew and gearhead crowd. Our $199.95 evaluation unit arrived with a 20GB notebook 9.5mm drive pre-installed.
On the rear of its case are two FireWire interfaces for daisy-chaining, with help from an optional external power supply. Bus-powered usage is effortless, once you turn on the power switch. Nice touches! Product ships with a shortie FireWire cable and an attractive carrying case.
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WiebeTech FireWire Keychain, MicroGB, DesktopGB
Company: WiebeTech, LLC
http://www.wiebetech.com
You don’t know James Wiebe (yet), but he knows a lot about you. For example, you:
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