With all of the great things that a notebook can do, why can’t they pump out decent sound? Even gaming laptops have this problem. Well, there are solutions available. Like plugging in a USB sound card for instance. One that will give you more hi fidelity abilities and also EAX 5.0 gaming abilities.

We are talking about the Asus XONAR U3. It’s the size of a flash drive and only weighs 25 grams. The device offers the ability to drive 150ohm impedance headphones and ASUS’ unofficial EAX 5 software based acceleration which will make games sound better. The Asus XONAR U3 also supports Dolby Digital.

If you feel that your current Blu-ray writer is not living up to it’s potential, ASUS has something new for you. The BW-12D1S-U, is their latest 12X, USB 3.0 burner. The BW-12D1S-U will give you realtime 2D to 3D conversion, 1080p video output and support for the usual HD audio formats. So you should be very happy together.

Of course there is also the sexy translucent blue power button and a sleek black finish. It will also operate both horizontally or vertically. No info on price just yet, though. Hopefully we will learn more soon.

Samsung has introduced a new external Blu-ray combo drive. It looks nice and sleek and even features an anti-fingerprint surface so you can avoid smudge marks. The SE-406A external Blu-ray drive also comes with software that will turn 2D DVD movies into 3D.

The device provides several speeds across different data media types: 6X BD-R, 4X BD-R Dual Layer, 24X CD-ROM, 24X CD-RW, 8X DVD±R recording, 8X DVD-RAM recording, 6X DVD+R Dual Layer recording, 6X DVD-R Dual Layer recording, 8X DVD+RW recording and 6X DVD-RW recording. You can expect it to arrive in April 2011 for $150.

Western Digital has introduced the My Book Studio Edition II. This dual-drive storage system features a huge storage capacity of 6 terabytes (TB) and has been designed for those of us who use our computers to create, store, edit and archive large HD video and photo files. You have plenty of room here.

It has 4 high-speed interfaces (FireWire 800/400, eSATA, USB 2.0) and uses Western Digital’s GreenPower Technology to consume less power, which is good for the environment. Other features include automatic and continuous backup software, an easy to open enclosure that allows users to service the drives easily, an external capacity gauge so you know how much space is left and a 5 year limited warranty.

If you use several different capacity storage drives Toshiba has unveiled a new line of STOR.E ART external hard drives that are color coded depending on their storage capacities. The 2.5″ drives will come in 500GB (red), 640GB (green), 750GB (blue), 1TB (white) and 1.5TB (silver).

That should help you keep track of things. Each STOR.E ART drive has a USB 3.0 interface, 256-bit encryption, and comes preloaded with BackupNow EZ software for easy backups. These new drives should arrive in the first quarter of 2011, but we have no info on pricing yet from Toshiba.

Logitec has just the thing if you are looking for a new external hard disk drive. You might want to check out the new Logitec LHD-PBG500U2W. This External HDD measures 75.5mm x 115mm x 13mm and has a noise level of only 18db.

This external hard drive will deliver 500GB of storage and is apparently Sony PlayStation 3 compatible. The Logitec LHD-PBG500U2W will be available in Japan starting next month for 9,000 Yen or about $109.

Century’s latest external HDD case comes in the form of the CWRS2LCD-BK. It’s an external hot-swappable hard drive enclosure with cooling fans, heat sensors and an LCD display that shows the information right on the front of the case. What more do you need?

It measures 149mm x 185mm x 42mm and weighs 700 grams. This enclosure allows for hot-swapping hard drives just by opening the front panel. The Century CWRS2LCD-BK will arrive in early November.

Iomega just announced an external USB 3.0 SSD (Solid state Drive) aimed at professionals and those who need lots of storage. This 1.8″ storage device is encased in aluminum and since it is solid state storage is shock resistant. It’s available in 64GB ($229), 128GB ($399) or 256GB ($749).

The Iomega External USB 3.0 SSD has built-in encryption with no software to install, but it comes with other software included like: v.Clone, al PC cloning system, QuikProtect, a Backup software, and Retrospect, another backup software for Mac and PC.

Is that a Wii? The packaging would lead you to believe that it is, but actually it’s a W!!. A hard drive enclosure that looks like a miniature black Wii. Get it? W!!? Very clever. It will house a 2.5-inch SATA hard drive and offers a USB 2.0 connection that you can connect to your PC or Mac.

As an added bonus, the package includes some tiny Wiimote-like key chains that are also whistles. Umm. Okay. It’ll cost you $9.70, which isn’t bad for a fake Wii that will hold your hard drive.

The Toshiba Canvio portable HDDs sure do look purty. In addition to sleek good looks, the Canvio for Mac external HDD series ships with pre-loaded Mac-customized backup software.

They are available in 500GB, 750GB and 1TB capacities and the Toshiba Canvio for Mac features USB 2.0 connectivity and a shock sensor so you can keep it safe from bumps and bangs. The 500GB, 750GB and 1TB models are priced at $99.99, $119.99 and $139.99.

Samsung’s Story hard drive has just made the leap to SuperSpeed. It was introduced today as the fastest Story of all time and aside from USB 3.0, not much else has changed.

The enclosure remains the same, the capacity choices (1TB or 2TB) are also unchanged. The removal of eSATA may disappoint some, but the USB 2.0 + eSATA version should still be around in some places.

The MiLi Power Skin and Pocket Pal want to up the ante a bit when it comes to thinness. The MiLi Power Skin is a case for the iPhone that is supposedly the world’s thinnest external battery for the 3G & 3GS. It should provide twice the amount of power for your device with its 1200 mAh lithium polymer battery. The case is available in eight two tone colors for $69.95.

MiLi also has what they claim is the world’s tiniest cell phone charger with a foldable plug. It is good looking, we’ll give them that. The Mili Pocket Pal mobile phone charger also comes in 5 colors. The Pocket Pal retails for $19.95.

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. has officially endorsed two new 500 gigabyte external USB hard drives for the PS3, in Japan. The Buffalo HD-AV500U2 and the HD-CL500U2 are the first add-on storage solutions to be officially recognized by Sony and are being released overseas in March. The launch coincides with the launch of the PS3′s “torne” DVR hardware / software combo.

Neither drive has any special features that make them usable only with PS3; in fact, the HD-CL500U2 is basically one of Buffalo’s already available external HDDs, with a model number change. The HD-AV500U2 will fit into your existing entertainment center setup and has a handy blue LED display that shows remaining disk space.

Samsung has announced a new line of stylish and rugged hard drives at CES 2010. Judging by the image above, stylish means that they match your grandmother’s couch. These will come in 3 different physical sizes, 1.8”, 2.5” and 3.5”.

The drive is rugged enough to survive drops and also survive spills from liquids. The G2 portable will be boast hard drive sizes from 250GB to 640GB, while the G3 station will come in 1-2TB capacities. The G3 will even switch itself off when the computer is off and it’s not in use.

LG’s latest external hard drive will class up any joint. The XG1 Chic comes in 1TB, 1.5TB and 2TB capacities. And you can choose from black or white colors.

It’s a radical departure from your standard external hard drive which is nice. One thing that we get sick of is boring design. This is not boring. That girl sure looks happy about it.