CES 2009

Here's a cool little product that I can't wait to try out: The Pogoplug. It's a simple and releatively cheap box that plugs into an external hard drive (or flash drive) via USB, and also into you home's Internet connection. Then it puts the hard drive on the Web as well as on your local network. Any computer in your home can access it as a shared drive, and people outside can also connect to it over the Web. It sounds like a very quick and simple way to put a whole bunch of files online for friends to see.

Pogoplug connects your USB drives to the Internet.

Now, it's no great feat for a geek to wire up a PC or a network-attached storage drive for Internet access. What the Pogoplug does is not utterly unique. The company is going for ease of use, though. Instead of having to open ports on your router, or configure a NAS for Web access, with Pogoplug you just go to the company's Web site, enter the identifying code from your device (presumably, it's stamped on it somewhere), and then the Pogoplug servers will set up the routing for you and give you your device's Web address.

You could, also, upload your files to a sharing service like Flickr or YouTube. In comparison, Pogoplug will make the upload faster (it's local), and should also give you more control over your files (if you want to remove them, for example), and who can see them.

One thing I would be concerned about for home users: Many home broadband connections are much slower on the upload than download. People who want to download your raw AVI home movie files from your drive may be limited by the speed that your Pogoplug-attached drive can upload to the Net. If the device streams video this should not be a big issue.

Other promised features inlcude an iPhone interface (for upload as well as viewing), and an open API for developers.

It's not out yet so I haven't tried it; I don't know if it's as easy as it should be, or if the security is appropriate for its target use. But the price is right for this utility: $99 retail. I could really use this, and look forward to trying it when the first units are made available in February.

This year's CES saw the release of Iomega's Home Media Network Drive, a new addition to their line of external storage devices, joining the ranks of similar devices like the Iomega StorCenter and the Iomega StorCenter ix2, but with a few simple changes. First, the drives now come with an easy setup that lets users get up and running sharing media across a network in three easy steps: plug in the drive, power on, and install the included EMC LifeLine Home software that runs on the Linux operating system to contributes to the snag-free process.

Other features of the Iomega Home Media Network Drive include gigabit Ethernet transfer speeds, a single USB port for sharing a printer over the network, and instant backup software courtesy of the MozyHome online service included in the box. Both 500GB ($160) and 1TB ($230) drives are set to roll into stores in early January.

Seagate just announced two new additions to the Seagate Pipeline group of hard drives made to fit in digital video recorders. The Pipeline HD mini and Pipeline HD.2 focus on acoustics to attract consumers.

Seagate managed to keep the sounds of operation down to a silent 21 decibels while at the same time increasing the amount of recyclable materials used to build the drives. Both drives are made of 50 percent recyclable materials and achieve a 52 percent power-saving improvement over its last iteration.

The Pipeline HD mini uses a 2.5-inch hard drive in either 160GB or 250GB capacities, allowing generous room to store up to 10 simultaneous stream of HD video, and the Pipeline HD.2 is Seagate's second generation of 3.5-inch DVR hard drives. The HD.2 will also be available in 250GB, 500GB, and 1TB capacities. Both drives are designed to work seamlessly with Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system.

We're noticing more and more solid-state drives enter the mainstream market; the Intel X-25M drive's blazing fast transfer speed and completely unaffordable price tag felt bittersweet, but the prices aren't quite as bad for lesser quality drives like the Patriot Warp V.2. SSDs are popping up more often in the world of Netbooks, but we rarely see standalone external SSD.

Luckily, G-Technology made good use of this year's Macworld Expo by introducing a new family of external solid-state hard drives. Both the G-Drive mini SSD and the RAID 0/1 G-RAID mini SSD use 2.5-inch internal SSDs that benefit from higher performance scores, vastly increased durability, less power consumption, and an overall quieter operation. The new drives are ready to use with Macs right out of the box thanks to the HFS+ preformatting, and since SSDs lack moving parts, on-the-go data mongers can easily throw the drives in their equipment bag without fear of destruction.

The G-Drive mini is available in up to 250GB capacities, and users have the option of connecting to their computers via FireWire 800, FireWire 400, and USB 2.0. The drive is powered by the USB bus as well, so no external power is required to access your data. Finally, G-Technology reports a 60 megabytes per second write speed and 75 megabytes per second read speed. Thankfully, both drives are available now and come with a three-year manufacturer's warranty, and prices for each start at $599 for the mini and $1,299 for the G-Raid mini.

Western Digital used this year's Macworld Expo to add two new products to its line of storage devices. The new My Passport and My Book drives are both preformatted for Mac's HFS+ Journaled, allowing Mac users to take quick advantage of their plug-and-play design. Per usual, the drives get a ding right off the bat for their lack of FireWire, a feature that the Mac community demands for quick access to large format images and video. Both drives are available for purchase now, check out the details below:

The My Passport for Mac is similar to the My Passport Studio we reviewed in mid 2008. The external HD works with the Apple Time Machine hardware to schedule automatic backups and features an external shock-resistant body to resist the abuse of daily carry. The drive is entirely powered through the USB bus, but older computers with low-powered USB ports are out of luck. We're disappointed that Western Digital didn't include the option for external power, as the folks over at Iomega did. Unfortunately, hardcore editors are also at a loss, as the drive still doesn't have a FireWire port. The drives are available in 320GB ($130) and 500GB ($180) capacities, which averages to about $0.40 per gigabyte, one of the lowest figures out of most external hard drives on the market today.

The My Book Mac Edition is for users that need extra storage at home. Western Digital brags about its efforts to clean up our planet by utilizing "Green Power" technology that works with your computer to minimize the power that funnels into the drive. The enclosure also cuts down on noise and power consumption by eliminating an internal fan, and a fully recyclable package design fills out the eco-friendly initiative. Compared to the My Passport's impressive three-year warranty, the My Book's one-year seems puny, and we're anxious to test the longevity of the device. Western Digital offers the 1TB My Book for $180.

(Credit: Toshiba)

Toshiba Storage Device Division (SDD) announced its latest device in portable storage, a 500GB external hard drive, the Toshiba HDDR500E03X.

Color- and design-wise, it resembles its predecessor with a glossy black finish and frost white contemporary graphics, weighing 6 ounces and measuring 0.65 inch by 3.19 inches by 5 inches. This bus-powered USB 2.0 drive should be great for media storage and/or system backups. Bundled with the drive is the NTI Shadow backup software (preloaded), USB 2.0 cable, and quick install guide.

According to Toshiba, this will appeal to consumers looking for the latest must-haves in personal electronics for their home office or study, or to throw in their backpacks and travel cases, thanks to easy portability. An added bonus for home use is the new 500GB model's ultraquiet operation, with improved acoustics in the hard drive.

Compatibility and system requirements:

• Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Vista
• Macintosh OS X 10.3.9 or later
• Available USB 2.0 Port

(Credit: ioSafe)

Copying data to an external hard drive is probably the easiest, most popular way to back up. This won't help save important data against fire or flood, however, unless the external hard drive is the one unveiled by ioSafe at CES this year: the ioSafe Solo.

ioSafe is known for making internal hard drives that can survive extreme heat. The ioSafe Solo is the result of putting that internal hard drive into an external case that features a USB 2.0 connection to hook up to a computer.

According to ioSafe, the Solo can withstand fires up to 1,550 degrees F, compliant with the ASTM E119 industry standard. The drive can also be submersed in fresh or salt water for three days at a depth of 10 feet.

The internal hard drive used in the Solo is protected with ioSafe technologies including FloSafe, HydroSafe, and DataCast.

FloSafe is a cooling technology that manages air flow to protect data from extreme heat. HydroSafe, on the other hand, is designed to protect data loss from fresh or salt water damage, including full immersion, while at the same time allowing heat from normal operating to dissipate. Lastly, DataCast is an endothermic insulation technology that uses trapped water molecules to maintain internal heat temperatures at just above 200 degrees F while outside temperatures can go more than seven times higher.

To sum up all those sophisticated sounding technologies: the ioSafe Solo is to provide protection against disaster that comes from outside. The drive, however, doesn't have any protection against internal hardware corruption--say, if the internal drive itself fails. Maybe in the future, it will come with redundancy protection like RAID. For now, however, this is still the only solution if you want to make sure your data is safe through a flood or fire.

Best of all, the ioSafe Solo doesn't come with a hefty price tag. It ships in three storage capacities that cost $150, $200, and $300, respectively, all after a introductory discount of $50. These prices are about the same as other external drives that don't have the same level of protection. ioSafe even includes in the price a three-year Disaster Recovery Service for registered products. During this time, the service will take care of restoring the data in case of disasters.