Connected Data has been busy lately. Just recently, the company released version 2.0 of its new software and made an agreement to merge with Drobo. Drobo, a company dedicated to protecting and storing your data, is mostly known for its BeyondRAID technology within its Drobo boxes. Connected Data is also a company with similar ideologies. It was started to create a better way to share, access, and protect data whether it may be for friends, businesses, or professionals.
Therefore, it only seems natural for the two companies to either be two of a kind or sworn enemies. In this case, merging the two companies was more of a logical decision. This was due to the fact that Geoff Barrall founded both companies. Currently, he resides as CEO of Connected Data. Tom Buiocchi is the present CEO of Drobo. But enough with the politics — their products are what is going to determine the future success of the now-combined, data-driven companies.
The Transporter is a product that began on Kickstarter. Because of the fact that many cloud-based storage systems have terms of use (which not many people bother to look at), some providers actually have the permission to access, delete, and review the content you store within their servers. This may not be too big of a deal for some people storing music or old photos, but for other people, this is an invasion of privacy. In addition, all cloud services have recurring fees. As a result, this new product uses the facts about cloud-based services to its advantage.
What the Transporter offers is a personal, cloud-like storage system, which comes in a small, sleek design. It almost looks like their product was created by the same people who created Google’s Nexus Q, an intriguing media-streaming device with a jet-black geometrical shape, which features a soothing blue ring of light around the base of its structure. However, the features this product provides is what makes it really stand out.
What the transporter houses inside is a normal, everyday hard drive. Connect this through an Ethernet cable, and you basically have your own personal drop box storage system capable of being accessed anywhere there is an Internet connection. Furthermore, users can set up their own personal networks, which can connect with other transporters, or be used by friends or family.
As of now, the Transporter is available for purchase with either 1 TB or 2 TBs of storage. There is also a version available that comes with just the case, and the user can provide their own hard drive. The devices will cost $299 and $399, respectively, with the case alone costing $200. One of the main advantages this provides compared to cloud-based systems is the one-time fee. Unlike storing your data on the cloud, there will be no reoccurring charge for storage, not to mention the added bonus of the security.
The upgraded version of the Transporter, V2.0, is all software upgrades. With the upgrade, users can expect increased functionality along with more intuitive use. Users can now easily drag and drop files they want to store along with an added intuitive right click feature, which will allow users to manage files more naturally.
One of the best new features available will be the capability to email links to others, which will allow them to access the specified content within the link. It has also been mentioned that apps will soon be available for both Apple and Android products.
It seems Connected Data is leading us in the right direction. Many companies are beginning to use the cloud to store much more of their data and information. Integrating their young products with Drobo’s larger, high-performance storage array products may definitely yield some new powerhouse storage systems in the near future. I bet we will be hearing more about these two companies and some of their interesting new products soon.
Source: http://www.designnews.com/author.asp?section_id=1394&doc_id=264350&itc=dn_analysis_element&
