Gadgets...

I learned long ago that hooking a good external hard drive up to my computer is the best way to avoid losing my files, digital photos, videos and other important records.

External hard drives don't use a heck of a lot of power, but one new model uses even less than usual. According to manufacturer Newer Technologies, their Guardian MAXimus eMAX uses up to 50% less power than other 1TB drives. As an added bonus, the drive is compliant with the European RoHS standard, meaning it was made with a limited amount of hazardous materials.

The Guardian MAXimus is actually a hard-drive enclosure, meaning you can buy it with hard drives included (available in several different sizes) or add your own. This provides an extra level of flexibility to users that you don't find with many other external hard drives.

This is the first "green" storage device from Newer Technologies, a company which has been an industry leader since the 1980s. The company already has a free battery recycling program for its laptop and iPod batteries.