Type of Article: MacTech Reviews

Seagate (http://www.seagate.com) has introduced a new collection of GoFlex for Mac external drives designed to make it easy for those who use Mac OS X (10.5.8 or higher) and Time Machine to backup, shuttle, or share their digital content. I test drove the 1TB Limited Edition ultra-portable drive (US$199.95) — and have no trouble recommending it.

The Powis iCase (http://www.powisicase.com/) for the iPad was good in its first incarnation And it’s gotten even better with a new version that offers a thicker board that makes ’em even more sturdy and secure.

It also makes the cover flush with the rubber edges, creating a cleaner, more finished look for the case. The Powis iCase comes in a variety of styles — from black handcrafted leather to a brightly patterned case (which is a bit too froufrou for me) and offers nine viewing positions.

If you want serious storage that’s portable, Seagate’s 1.5TB FreeAgent GoFlex Desk (http://www.seagate.com) is a good deal at US$249.99. You can store up to 120 HD movies, 1,500 video games, thousands of photos or hours of digital music on this monster. (There’s also a $199.99, 1TB model.)

By Jason Scrivner

Regarding Red Giant Software’s Trapcode Particular 2.0 (http://www.redgiantsoftware.com), I could basically end the review with an emphasis on the “2” (meaning 2 is better than 1) but I’d really get in trouble with the layout team. Seriously though, if you use Adobe After Effects, you know about Particular. Well, Red Giant has taken this seemingly endless super plug-in, which we thought was nearly perfect, and proved that it was far from it.

Okay, it’s not the most practical sleeve in the world, but the MacVelope from Grantwood Technology (http://www.grantwoodtechnology.com) sure is probably the coolest. Inspired by the debut of the original MacBook Air — when Steve Jobs pulled it from a manilla envelope — the case has been updated for the new MacBook Air computers — one version for the 11-inch model and one for the 13-inch model.