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World Backup Day Deals: Huge Savings on SSDs, Flash Drives, SD Cards and More

Today’s the day to score some deeply discounted storage solutions.

World Backup Day is here and so are the deals on all kinds of storage. Since you can never have too much extra space, now is the perfect time to stock up on everything from flash drives and microSD cards to internal SSDs, huge NAS systems and even cloud storage. 

To help make sure you’re getting the best price, we’ve rounded up some of the best offers and discounts from today’s sales below and we’ll continue to refresh this list with World Backup Day deals as the day progresses. The vast majority of the deals expire tonight, so be sure to get your orders in before then as we expect it’ll be quite a while before we see prices this low again.

External hard drive and SSD deals

SanDisk 2TB Extreme Pro portable SSD: $175 — Save $55

Score all-time low pricing on the capacious and rugged portable SSD. It’s got up to 2 meter drop protection and IP55 water and dust resistance to protect its contents, plus speeds of up to 2000MB/s. 

$175 at Amazon

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Samsung 500GB T7 Shield SSD: $69 — Save $26

Ideal for pretty much anyone that needs a little extra storage, Samsung’s T7 portable SSD is compact and decently fast at up to 1,050MB/s. 1TB and 2TB versions are also on sale.

$69 at Amazon

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Flash drive deals

PNY 1TB Pro Elite flash drive: $100 — Save $30

You can fit a surprising amount of data on a flash drive these and this 1TB model from PNY is down to a new all-tine low price. If you need ultimate portability for a large amount of data, this is an ideal pick. 

$100 at Amazon

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Samsung 64GB USB-C flash drive: $9 — Save $2

With most new computers and tablets having switched to USB-C inputs, World Backup Day is a great opportunity to switch over you’re portable storage. This already-affordable Samsung USB-C flash drive is even cheaper today thanks to an instant 18% discount applied at checkout. 

$9 at B&H

SanDisk 128GB iXpand Lightning flash drive: $40 — Save $15

While you can’t put a microSD card in your iPhone, it does have support for external storage devices like the SanDisk iXpand flash drive with its integrated Lightning connector. This device is ideal for getting a bunch of photos or files off your iPhone and onto a computer with its dual-port design.

$40 at Best Buy

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SD and MicroSD card deals

SanDisk 400GB Ultra MicroSD card: $29 — Save $41

Need some extra storage for your phone, tablet or other device? This spacious microSD card has never been cheaper and offers speeds of up to 120MB/s. 

$29 at Amazon

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PNY 64 Elite-X MicroSD card (3-pack): $16 — Save $12

Considering how many devices can be improved with a microSD, there’s a good chance you’ll want to pick up more than one. You can stock up with this three-pack of 64GB PNY cards, ideal for adding some storage to devices that may be capacity-limited like home security cameras or for just expanding the storage if a kid’s tablet. 

$16 at Amazon

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NAS Deals

Synology 2-bay DiskStation DS220J (Diskless) network attached storage: $150 — Save $40

Back down to its Black Friday price today only, this popular Synology two-bay NAS has 512MB of DDR4 memory but it doesn’t come with any storage drives included. Fortunately, plenty of hard drives are on sale today meaning you can piece together a bargain entry-level system with only a little extra effort. 

$150 at Amazon

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WD 16TB My Cloud EX2 Ultra network attached storage: $500 — Save $230

If you want to organize your media collection in one place and have it be accessible from anywhere, this high-performacne NAS solution can do it. And it’s down to a new record-low price at Amazon right now. 

$500 at Amazon

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Internal storage deals

Lexar 128GB NS100 2.5-inch SATA III internal SSD: $10 — Save $10

If you want to give you PC a cheap SSD upgrade, this 2.5-inch SATA III drive could be just the ticket. It’s not a premium drive by any means, but it will be quicker than a spinning disk HDD and doesn’t cost the earth. 

$10 at Amazon

Samsung 2TB 980 Pro M.2 internal SSD: $150 — Save $30

If you want a speedy SSD for gaming, the Samsung 980 Pro is a great choice — especially at this all-time low. This model features a built-in heatsink which saves you adding one yourself to help it stay cool under intense usage. 

$150 at Amazon

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Cloud backup deals

Degoo Premium Lifetime 10TB backup plan: $100 — Save 97%

Store up to 10TB of your files in the cloud with this heavily discounted Degoo subscription. This deal saves you hundreds compared to the usual monthly subscription cost and you’ll only be billed once for lifetime access.

$100 at StackSocial

ExpressVPN + Backblaze: $100 — Save $70

If you’re in the market for cloud storage and a VPN, a joint offering from ExpressVPN and Backblaze saves you $70 by bundling both services. You also get three extra months of VPN access for free with this deal. 

$100 at ExpressVPN

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Technologies

iOS 17 Cheat Sheet: Your Questions on the iPhone Update Answered

Here’s what you need to know about new features and upcoming updates for your iPhone.

Apple’s iOS 17 was released in September, shortly after the company held its Wonderlust event, where the tech giant announced the new iPhone 15 lineup, the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. We put together this cheat sheet to help you learn about and use the new features in iOS 17. It’ll also help you keep track of the subsequent iOS 17 updates.

iOS 17 updates

Using iOS 17

Getting started with iOS 17

Make sure to check back periodically for more iOS 17 tips and how to use new features as Apple releases more updates.

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

+15 More

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Technologies

Get Ready for a Striking Aurora That Could Also Disrupt Radio Communications

Don’t expect the storm to cause a lingering problem, though.

A geomagnetic storm is threatening radio communications Monday night, but that doesn’t mean you should be concerned. In fact, it may be an opportunity to see a colorful aurora in the night sky.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has issued a geomagnetic storm watch after witnessing a coronal mass ejection from the sun on Saturday. The watch, which was issued over the weekend and will expire after Monday, said the onset of the storm passing over Earth on Sunday night represented a «moderate» threat to communications. As the storm continues to pass through, it could deliver a «strong» threat on Monday night that could cause radio communications to be temporarily disrupted during the worst of it.

Even so, NOAA said, «the general public should not be concerned.»

A coronal mass ejection occurs when magnetic field and plasma mass are violently expelled from the sun’s corona, or the outermost portion of the sun’s atmosphere. In the vast majority of cases, the ejection occurs with no real threat to Earth. However, in the event the ejection happens in the planet’s direction, a geomagnetic storm occurs, and the Earth’s magnetic field is temporarily affected.

In most cases, geomagnetic storms cause little to no disruption on Earth, with radio communications and satellites affected most often. In extreme cases, a geomagnetic storm can cause significant and potentially life-threatening power outages — a prospect that, luckily, the planet hasn’t faced.

Switching poles

Every 11 years, the sun’s magnetic poles switch, with the north pole and south pole swapping positions. During those cycles, the sun’s activity ramps up as it gets closer to pole-switching time. The height of its activity is called solar maximum, and scientists believe we either may be entering the solar maximum or may be already in it.

During periods of heightened solar activity, sunspots increase on the sun and there’s an increase in coronal mass ejections, among other phenomena. According to NOAA, solar maximum could extend into October of this year before the sun’s activity calms and it works towards its less-active phase, solar minimum.

Even when geomagnetic storms hit Earth and disrupt communications, the effects are usually short-lived. Those most affected, including power grid operators and pilots and air traffic controllers communicating over long distances, have fail-safe technologies and backup communications to ensure operational continuity.

But geomagnetic storms aren’t only about radios. In most cases, they also present unique opportunities to see auroras in the night sky. When the storms hit, the plasma they carry creates a jaw-dropping aurora, illuminating the night sky with brilliant colors. Those auroras can be especially pronounced during the most intense phases of the storm, making for nice stargazing.

If you’re interested in seeing the aurora, you’ll need to be ready. The NOAA said the «brunt of the storm has passed» and even if it lingers into Tuesday, there won’t be much to see after Monday night. 

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Technologies

Last Total Solar Eclipse for 20 Years Is Coming: How to See and Photograph It

It’s your last chance until 2044.

Get your eclipse glasses ready, Skygazers: the Great American Eclipse is on its way. On April 8, there’ll be a total eclipse over North America, the last one until 2044.

A total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, blocking the sun and turning an otherwise sunny day to darkness for a short period of time. Depending on the angle at which you’re viewing the eclipse, you may see the sun completely shrouded by the moon (called totality) or some variation of it. The more off-angle you are and the further you are from the path of the eclipse, the less likely you’ll be to see the totality.

The 2024 total solar eclipse will happen on Monday, April 8. The Great American Eclipse will reach the Mexican Pacific coast at 11:07 a.m. PT (2:07 p.m. ET), and then traverse the US in a northeasterly direction from Texas to Maine, and on into easternmost Canada. If you want a good look at it, but don’t live in the path of totality, you shouldn’t wait much longer to book accommodation and travel to a spot on the path.

Or how about booking a seat in the sky? Delta Airlines made headlines for offering a flight that allows you to see the entire path of totality. Its first eclipse flight, from Austin, Texas, to Detroit sold out quickly. But as of Monday, Delta has added a second flight from Dallas to Detroit, which also covers the path of totality. The airline also has five flights that will offer prime eclipse viewing.

Not everyone can get on one of those elusive eclipse-viewing flights. Here’s a look at other options to nab a chance to see this rare sight and what to know about it.

Total solar eclipse path

The eclipse will cross over the Pacific coast of Mexico and head northeast over mainland Mexico. The eclipse will then make its way over San Antonio at approximately 2:30 p.m. ET on April 8 and move through Texas, over the southeastern part of Oklahoma and northern Arkansas by 2:50 p.m. ET.

By 3 p.m. ET, the eclipse will be over southern Illinois, and just 5 minutes later, will be traveling over Indianapolis. Folks in northwestern Ohio will be treated to the eclipse by 3:15 p.m. ET, and it will then travel over Lake Erie and Buffalo, New York, by 3:20 p.m. ET. Over the next 10 minutes, the eclipse will be seen over northern New York state, then over Vermont. By 3:35 p.m. ET, the eclipse will work its way into Canada and off the Eastern coast of North America.

Best places to watch the Great American Eclipse

When evaluating the best places to watch this year’s total eclipse, you’ll first want to determine where you’ll have the best angle to see the totality. The farther off-angle you are — in other words, the farther north or south of the eclipse’s path — the less of an impact you can expect.

Therefore, if you want to have the best chance of experiencing the eclipse, you’ll want to be in its path. As of this writing, most of the cities in the eclipse’s path have some hotel availability, but recent reports have suggested that rooms are booking up. And as more rooms are booked, prices are going up.

So if you want to be in the eclipse’s path, and need a hotel to do it, move fast. And Delta’s eclipse-viewing flight from Dallas to Detroit has just four seats left at the time of publication.

Eclipse eye safety and photography

 
As with any solar eclipse, it’s critical you keep eye safety in mind.

During the eclipse, and especially during the periods before and after totality, don’t look directly at the sun without special eye protection. Also, be sure not to look at the sun through a camera (including the camera on your phone), binoculars, a telescope or any other viewing device. This could cause serious eye injury. Sunglasses aren’t enough to protect your eyes from damage.

If you want to view the eclipse, you’ll instead need solar viewing glasses that comply with the ISO 12312-2 safety standard. Anything that doesn’t meet that standard or greater won’t be dark enough to protect your eyes. Want to get them for free? If you’ve got a Warby Parker eyeglasses store nearby, the company is giving away free, ISO-certified solar eclipse glasses at all of its stores from April 1 until the eclipse, while supplies last.

If you don’t have eclipse viewing glasses handy, you can instead use indirect methods for viewing the eclipse, like a pinhole projector.

Read more: A Photographer’s Adventure With the Eclipse

In the event you want to take pictures of the eclipse, attach a certified solar filter to your camera. Doing so will protect your eyes and allow you to take photos while you view the eclipse through your lens.

There’s also a new app to help you both protect your eyes and take better photos of the eclipse on your phone. Solar Snap, designed by a former Hubble Space Telescope astronomer, comes with a Solar Snap camera filter that attaches to the back of an iPhone or Android phone, along with solar eclipse glasses for protecting your eyesight during the event. After you attach the filter to your phone, you can use the free Solar Snap Eclipse app to zoom in on the eclipse, adjust exposure and other camera settings, and ultimately take better shots of the eclipse.

2024 eclipse compared to 2017

The last total solar eclipse occurred in 2017, and many Americans had a great view. Although there are plenty of similarities between the 2017 total solar eclipse and the one coming April 8, there are a handful of differences. Mainly, the 2024 eclipse is going to cover more land and last longer.

The 2017 eclipse started over the northwest US and moved southeast. Additionally, that eclipse’s path was up to 71 miles wide, compared with a maximum width of 122 miles for this year’s eclipse. Perhaps most importantly, the moon completely covered the sun for just 2 minutes, 40 seconds in 2017. This year, maximum totality will last for nearly four-and-a-half minutes.

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