Accessories

Seagate Ultra Touch SSD: 5 reasons why you need this external SSD

Seagate’s new portable SSD is truly a worthy investment

Published

May 8, 2021

Vincenz

If you’ve been fond of reading our posts, we already did an article that discusses the differences of SSDs (Solid State Drives) against regular HDDs (Hard Disk Drives). I even made a full article on how upgrading to an SSD vastly improved the performance of an old and sluggish laptop.

In this article, it’s all about this new storage device that caters not only to me as a creative, but also to every other professional who always relies on large external drives for work on-the-go. Wrote five reasons why I find the Seagate Ultra Touch SSD one of the best (if not the best) external storage device you can use for work and play.

1. Chic and stylish

Unlike other external HDDs that are mostly made up of plastic, Seagate’s Ultra Touch SSD is made from textile that resembles a woven fabric, making it look and feel sleek.

It comes in two basic colors: White and Black. Obviously, I got the black one. But if neither is your cup of tea, there are special Camo and Sam Larson editions for the One Touch version — especially if you prefer louder designs over the minimal-looking. Regardless of what color you choose, they all look modern and barely looks like a typical external storage device.

2. Compact and pocketable

Seagate’s Ultra Touch SSD thinnest point is just at 10mm. That’s slimmer than most smartphones today. When held, you’ll barely notice it’s there because it weighs exactly at 0.065 kilograms or just 65 grams! If you come to think of it, conventional hard disk drives weigh around 170 to 220 grams. It may not sound a lot, but you’ll definitely feel the heft if you hold them with your hands.

Due to the lack of mechanical parts such as large spinning disks, this makes Seagate’s Ultra Touch SSD ultra lightweight and compact — especially that it has immovable parts (chips) inside it. While I don’t recommend to just put this storage device inside your jeans’ pockets as it’s not totally built for butt pressure, this external SSD is greatly pocketable.

For real-world comparison, I’ve managed to place it side-by-side with my old laptop’s 500GB 2.5-inch SATA HDD (Hard Disk Drive)…

…and also compared its thin form factor against my extra thicc 4TB External HDD.

For another comparison, I also have another 2TB external HDD that’s as thicc as the previously mentioned hard drive.

Its size is quite close to my 65W USB-C PD power brick…

and quite smaller than my debit card.

Finally, here’s how it looks like versus three different coins from Singapore, Taiwan, and the Philippines.

3. Speedy and reliable performance

On paper, Seagate is confident that the Ultra Touch SSD will reach up to 400MB/s of write speed. True to its words, it’s able to give me more than 300MB/s under a huge stress test. Others might say it doesn’t stick to its promise but devices like this don’t really reach the maximum limit — just like how it works in cars, other devices, and even human beings with utmost limits.

The image above shows a huge speed gap between my external HDD compared to Seagate’s SSD. It may not matter to most users, but for video editors and gamers, fast read and write speeds are everything.

4K videos are harder to read on slower disk drives. No wonder why a video editor app is sluggish even if your laptop/rig has all the best chipset and memory on board. Investing on a fast SSD like the Ultra Touch SSD is a great solution for that.

Even gamers need fast drivers since most games run on 2K/4K resolution with maximum settings possible. The external SSD will not only load games faster, it can also be opened in other laptops as long as you figured out how to correctly install games in external drives.

I also tried comparing disk speeds versus two MacBook Pros with an internal, non-removable SSD. While they’re pretty far from what Seagate can offer, it’s still a huge feat considering an external SSD can achieve great feats of read and write speeds that regular disk drives can’t even do.

4. Utmost compatibility

Out of the box, the Seagate Ultra Touch SSD is already formatted to exFAT. This means you don’t have to worry about storage platform incompatibilities. Usually, external disk drives come in NTFS format — which is limited to Windows systems. Other drives are specified for Mac. Thus, the Mac OS Extended format.

Whether that may be Windows, macOS, Linux, a smart/Android TV, or even an Android smartphone, the Seagate Ultra Touch SSD will work wonders since exFAT can be read by most devices. Such file format is the most accessible across all platforms whether that is for reading or writing files.

Upon my usage, I tested it with the Galaxy S21 Ultra as it successfully detected the drive and was able to show its contents through Seagate’s SSD Touch app. File Manager works as well for copying and pasting several data. As long as your device supports USB On-The-Go, the portable drive would actually work.

5. Future-ready

Other than being available to almost every device, Seagate made sure that it’s safe for future use with the inclusion of a braided USB-A cable plus a USB-A to USB-C adapter. It’s “future-proof” in a sense that most upcoming devices will be shipped with USB-C anyway. While there’s still the USB-A plug for backwards compatibility with older machines.

BONUS: Free subscriptions

Upon any purchase of Seagate’s Ultra Touch SSD (or even HDD), you’ll get free limited subscriptions with Mylio Create for one year. Mylio Create is an app that stores all your photos in one online library. Their system also organizes your photos depending on their visual story.

There’s even the free Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan (Photoshop and Lightroom) for two (2) months. If you’ll try to list it down, that’s a great saving especially if your a creative or a content creator who relies on such apps. Adobe’s Creative Cloud plan alone will cost you thousands of dollars. If you’re new to the scene, this is a great way for you to test out their products while trying to build your creative portfolio.

Pricing

The Seagate Ultra Touch SSD is currently available in only two storage options: 500GB and 1TB. Pricing varies per region and is available through Shopee or Amazon at these links in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, and India, but in the Philippines, the 500GB version is priced at PhP 7,999 while the 1TB version retails for PhP 9,999. While this portable storage device is pocketable, it’s definitely not pocket-friendly for most consumers.

Accessories

70mai launches the A900 series with 4K front, rear recording

Two new 4K dual-channel dash cams, both with 4G

Published

September 22, 2026

MJ Jucutan

70mai has launched the A900 Series, led by the flagship 70mai Dash Cam 4K A900 Ultra, with the 70mai Dash Cam 4K A900 joining it in the lineup.

Both models record in 4K from the front and rear cameras, and both support 4G, so your footage stays reachable from your phone even when you’re away from the car.

4K recording from both cameras

The A900 Ultra uses dual Sony STARVIS 2 IMX678 sensors to capture clear 4K footage from both directions. As a result, details like license plates and road signs remain sharp.

Smart HDR balances bright and dark areas under shifting light. Users can also adjust color tones and contrast. To keep feeds synced, the rear camera uses LVDS digital transmission. This tech sends a lossless 4K feed with just 20ms of latency.

Handling changing light

Driving into a tunnel or under the shadow of a tall building changes the lighting quickly, and 70mai built three imaging technologies into the A900 Ultra to deal with it.

MaiColor Vivid+ Solution 2.0 is meant to give more natural colors and finer detail, along with smarter scene adaptation. Night Owl Vision 2.0 reduces noise and glare to help with nighttime clarity.

Lumi Vision is made for parking surveillance in near-total darkness, where it automatically adjusts exposure and gain and applies noise reduction. 70mai says this produces clear, full-color footage in extremely low light.

Parking mode and remote access

Smart Parking Guardian Mode 2.0 protects your vehicle while parked. It combines AI motion detection, dual-channel collision detection with pre-recording, and time-lapse options.

The system draws just 5mA on standby to prevent battery drain. For extended coverage, the optional 70mai Battery Pack Mini powers surveillance for up to 30 days.

In photo: A900

Pairing the camera with the 4G Hardwire Kit unlocks 70mai 4G Cloud+ 2.0 features on the app. Enhanced Buffered Emergency Recording saves up to 190 seconds before an incident and 30 seconds after.

It automatically uploads this footage to the cloud for immediate remote viewing.

The 70mai Dash Cam 4K A900

In photo: A900

The A900 sits alongside the Ultra as the more accessible option. It records True 4K HDR at 30FPS from both the front and rear cameras, and Smart HDR can be scheduled to turn on at set times.

Its f/1.55 aperture is meant to help in low light, and 4G Cloud+ 2.0 keeps the dash cam connected to the 70mai App. It’s the model for drivers who want dual-channel recording and 4G connectivity at a lower price.

The 70mai Dash Cam 4K A900 Ultra retails for US$ 300, available for pre-order at US$ 240. Meanwhile, the A900 is priced at US$ 200, currently 20% off at US$ 170.

Accessories

Manila turns up the volume at COVE

Sony Philippines launched its ULT TOWER lineup at Beyond the Beat, with SB19 joining the ULT Squad.

Published

September 21, 2026

MJ Jucutan

Sound and style shared the floor at COVE Manila in Okada Manila. Sony Philippines opened its doors for Beyond the Beat: The Next-Level ULT POWER SOUND Experience.

The event marked the company’s biggest ULT POWER SOUND launch in the country, and Sony paced the program like an exclusive night out.

Stacked ULT Towers filled the space. Guests styled themselves with designer pieces from Alser Lumawag, and SB19 closed the evening as the newest Sony ULT Squad members.

MySony members from every tier joined industry guests while the new ULT TOWER lineup set the tempo.

The towers take center stage

Shuhei Sugihara, Sony Philippines’ President and Managing Director, opened the program.

Product Marketing Specialist Keira Ambubuyog then introduced the newest additions to the lineup.

Arbie Bandiling of Personal Audio Systems unveiled the latest ULT Squad video. The clip introduced the artists and personalities fronting the campaign.

The lineup features the ULT TOWER 5, ULT TOWER 7, and ULT TOWER MAX. The new series pairs large circular woofers and high-capacity cabinets with ULT DUCT technology.

This design delivers stronger low-frequency bass than earlier models. The ULT TOWER MAX leads the series, described as Sony’s most powerful bass speaker yet.

On another note, Sony pitches the ULT TOWER 7 as stage-worthy sound in a portable frame. Meanwhile, the compact ULT TOWER 5 targets smaller gatherings and features karaoke and DJ capabilities.

Experiential zones bring the sound to life

Guests explored the lineup across several interactive event zones. Step into the Beat paired an arcade-inspired setup with stacked ULT Towers and a dance pad. ULT Selfie Club handled photo ops.

Nearby, ULT Cover Star let guests style ULT Field speakers alongside designer pieces from Alser Lumawag. Here, the speakers served as chic fashion accessories.

The Bass District gave VIPs and influencers a private, nightlife-inspired lounge. Karaoke Lounges invited everyone else to grab a mic and test the party-ready towers firsthand.

The ULT Squad shows up

Fashion influencer and ULT Squad member Angelique Manto-Guison hosted the night.

A-Team opened the show with a high-energy routine before Carlos Serrano III took the stage. David Guison and Jacqueline Jala walked the stage with ULT Models in elevated fashion, and Jeremy G followed with a dynamic musical performance.

KAIA brought a youthful pop sound, while Maki delivered a set in his signature style.

SB19 closed the night, making their debut as the newest Sony ULT Squad members. Sony pairs its sound technology with the group’s influence in Filipino music. This collaboration positions the Squad as a platform for artists shaping contemporary music culture.

The ULT TOWER MAX, ULT TOWER 7, and ULT TOWER 5 are now available at Sony Centres and authorized dealers nationwide.

Accessories

Jackery Explorer 300D: Power and portability in one

Uninterrupted workflows for digital nomads, freelance creatives, more

Published

September 18, 2026

Manila Connoisseur

For digital nomads, freelance creatives, and even work-from-home professionals, staying productive on the move means carrying around multiple gadgets, cords, adapters, and power banks to survive the day.

Having to carry such weight, quite literally, is vital for maintaining workflow continuity.

For a more seamless experience and to have just one extra portable device to power all working parts, there’s the Jackery Explorer 300D.

Launched just last month, this grab-and-go offering from Jackery is designed for the modern lifestyle.

It moves away from Jackery’s traditional aesthetic with a sleek, speaker-like form factor. It weighs just 2.5 kilograms and is 64% smaller than standard 300W units in the market.

This ultra-compact size was made possible by a smart engineering choice of swapping bulky traditional AC wall outlets for highly efficient DC-only and USB-C ports — which also helps eliminate idle power loss.

With a 288Wh capacity, the Jackery Explorer 300D holds enough juice for up to nine power banks.

It can keep a Type-C fast-charging laptop for up to three to four full cycles, a Wi-Fi router alive for hours, and recharge cameras or drone batteries up to five times for a lengthy production day.

For smaller gadgets like smartphones and portable fans, the power station can juice them up for up to 22 times.