Hard disk drive

What is a Hard Disk Drive?

A Hard Disk Drive (HDD) is a device used by modern computers to permanently store information. The Hard Disk Drive is arguable the most essential part of a computer system in that all the information that is permanently stored is contained within its enclosure, including your computer’s Operating System (OS). Thanks to Hard Disk Drives, long gone are the days when you would have had to keep all your programs and documents stored on removable media such as Floppy Disks or CD-ROMs.

Originally invented in the mid 1950’s and made commercially available in 1956 by International Business Machines (IBM). Called RAMAC (Random Access Method of Accounting and Control), the first Hard Disk Drives contained as much as 50 platters which were 24 inches in diameter and were computers in their own right albeit with a single purpose – to store data. The entire unit which housed the hard drive was the approximate size of two large refrigerators placed side by side. In the 50 or so years since their invention, Hard Disk Drives have steadily and aggressively far out paced Moore’s law. Which stipulates that memory in computers will increase by 100% approximately every 18 months. Hard Disk Drives on the other hand have increased capacity in the same period by approximately 130%, an increase of 100% every nine months in many cases. Such capacity increases are being threatened, however. I
Read more »

iPod speakers

Enhance Your iPod Experience With One of These Great Speaker Systems

Apple’s iPod is easily one of the most significant consumer electronics products to come along in recent memory. While there were portable MP3 players before it, the iPod packaged it in a way that appealed to the masses, much like Sony’s original Walkman in the 80’s. When it became the de facto fashion accessory of actors and athletes, its success was assured.

One thing that the iPod lacks, however, is the ability to play music out loud. While it is possible to plug a pair of cheap speakers into the headphone jack, just like you could with a Walkman, that just didn’t fit in with the design aesthetic of the iPod. People wanted their speakers to be sleek and attractive, just like the iPod it was attached to. Thus was born the desktop iPod speaker system.

Mini-Reviews of Desktop iPod Speaker Systems
Read more »