NewerTech has also updated its $30 with USB 3.0 support. The adapter lets you use bare 2.5-, 3.5-, and 5.25-inch hard drives--SATA or IDE--with your Mac without having to put them in an external enclosure.

Remember Satechi's ? It turns out the company also offers hubs for people with more modest demands--and portable needs. The $10 is a 3.3- by 0.7- by 0.7-inch, 1.4-ounce, 4-port USB 2.0 hub. The short, built-in USB cable stores in a groove on the bottom of the hub when packed for travel. The $10 similarly offers four USB 2.0 ports, but in a square, 1.9- by 1.9- by 0.5-inch package. Both hubs provide overvoltage protection to keep your computer safe if a connected peripheral short-circuits.

This storage vendor has announced that beginning in November, the company's and models will feature USB 3.0 interfaces. The company claims performance will be up to 10 times faster than with the USB 2.0 versions. (The drives are backward-compatible with USB 2.0.) Like the current versions, the new Backup Plus drives will include software that can back up your data from social-networking services such as Facebook and Flicker, as well as share photos and videos on those services. The Backup Plus line features an interchangeable connection, so you can later upgrade to FireWire 800 or Thunderbolt, if necessary. The Backup Plus Portable drives are priced at $110 for 500GB or $130 for 1TB; the Desktop versions are $130 for 2TB or $180 for 3TB.