Iomega
Cool new feature for their NAS drives: Personal Cloud. Like Pogoplug, but your encrypted data goes direct from one NAS drive to another - without going through an Iomega server. Runs on Windows, OS X and Linux.
You can store your data on a 2nd Iomega NAS at another location for disaster tolerance - and quickly recover when needed. I’m hoping to get a review copy to see if it works better than Pogoplug’s tetchy software.
Iomega is also showing a 1.5 TB USB 3.0 2.5″ external drive. They expect a 2 TB version RSN.
Popdrive
Tiny - 2.5″ disk based - dual drive RAID 1 arrays that automatically give you data redundancy. Compact, quiet, with capacities up to 750 GB.
The geeky management interface will put off civilians, but once it is set up the hardware RAID 1 should just work. Popdrive is brand spanking new: started shipping a couple of weeks ago.
Datalocker
A USB hard drive with built-in hardware AES 256 encryption and on-board touchscreen to enter the passcode. No host software; it avoids the danger of keyloggers. DL claims the hardware encrypt/decrypt enables a reasonable 5% performance hit compared to an unencrypted drive.
10 failed unlock attempts and the drive wipes the passcode from the onboard flash rendering the data useless. Perfect for professionals who handle confidential client data. They’ve been shipping for a couple of years, but the new one has the latest AES-256 encryption.
Camsports.com
A French company that makes rugged shotglass-sized HD video cams. With H.264 compression they get 2 hours worth of video on a 4 GB SD card. The battery will die first.
Some models have laser aiming guides; others build the camera into a flashlight for night shoots. No US distribution yet - that’s why they came to CES - so stay tuned.
Wowee One
The Camsports generate content - the Wowee One turns a window or wall into a speaker for audio content. Battery powered, it pairs with any media player audio output to create big sound.
A sticky gel film enables the speaker to attach to any flat surface. With 2 of them and a stereo cable you can have stereo sound. They gave me one and it easily filled a hotel room with decent - but bass heavy - sound.
Walkinbag
Physical storage. A lightweight rolling computer/overnight bag whose frame is strong enough to lean on. Even better is the optional built-in seat that folds out when you’d like a break. And it’s lighter than many roller bags.
The Storage Bits take
That’s the take from the 2nd floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center’s South Hall. Another 30+ acres to go.
Comments welcome, of course. Almost everything wireless has slowed to a crawl here. 120,000 smartphones can do that. One exception: AT&T’s data service is fine, but voice calls are still iffy.
