Hands-On With the ioSafe Solo
For the uninitiated, the ioSafe Solo is really the Helm's Deep of external hard drives. For those among us with the desire to preserve data in the face of total meltdown, ioSafe does just that: according to the company the ioSafe Solo can withstand temperatures of 1550F for a half an hour and can be fully immersed in 10 ft. of water for three days (with their DataCast and HydroSafe Technologies respectively). Coming anywhere from 500GB ($149) to 2TB capacity (around $280), the ioSafe Solo isn't too shabby with storage space, either.
Other features include USB 2.0 data transfer, up to 480Mb/s, and total compatibility with Windows, Mac, and Linux alike. It also utilizes what they call "physical theft protection", i.e. the ability to physically bolt and/or lock the unit to a table or wall.That, and it's really, really heavy, which I'm sure is a decent deterrent for theft.
Yes, the ioSafe Solo packs a punch—literally. It weighs 15 pounds. Had I looked at the details a little more closely I might have been a less surprised, but removing it from the packaging was an amusing experience to say the least. As someone accustomed to relatively flimsy technology, setting up the ioSafe does indeed give a feeling of solidity, permanence, and presence.
Setup was a cinch, easier than some of the external hard drives I've used in the past. Though it needed a quick format in order to make it play nice with Snow Leopard, I didn't run into any problems (save that initially I forgot to plug in the USB… and couldn't figure for the life of me why the drive wouldn't mount). User error aside, everything spun up perfectly, and before I knew it, Helm's Deep--as I lovingly named it--was ready to go, fully fortified. Bring on the Orcs.
In spite of its size, and my assumption to the contrary, the ioSafe is extremely quiet. It may have something to do with the physical size of it, but it hardly makes a noise in comparison to my old MyBook, which would often send the whole desk to shaking when it revved up. The glowing blue LED lights are a nice touch, and the surprisingly sleek and almost retro styling prevents it from being an eyesore which, with so many hefty specs for its fireproof and waterproof design, is quite an accomplishment.
My only criticism of the unit is that it doesn't yet allow for home networking (NAS), which is a significant drawback for me. Since we live in a three computer household, it would be excellent to synthesize all the data into one nigh near indestructible unit, especially considering my laptop isn't exactly media central. Not to mention that wifi capabilities would be really sweet, too, just to make it that much easier. Hopefully the makers will include such integration with future models.
But as it is, ioSafe certainly has a good grasp on their own market niche. To set the minds of those of who worry about the worst case scenarios, the ioSafe is a very solid, easy-to-use, high-performance hard drive. It may not be at the front of the class in regard to networking and wifi, but it certainly is heads and shoulders above the rest in terms of durability and resisting destruction.
However, while most reviewers out there are in agreement with me about the impressive performance and ease of use, the current trend appears to be a little more experimental than I'm willing to get with my unit. Be it fire, flood, or flame throwers, these reviewers have really put the ioSafe to the test. Apparently, it can even fry eggs at blistering temperatures. Now, only if it had slots for toast...
- ioSafe on fire: via Gear Diary
- ioSafe with eggs: via Gadgeteer
- ioSafe torture tests: via Macworld
Nasir Gul on December 19, 2009 at 07:41 AM
very nice blog...haven't seen this type of product before.....Thank Barron...
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dsi r4 on December 31, 2009 at 08:52 PM
The Solo looks like a typical external enclosure for two HDDs. Something like a simple metallic brick. It differs dramatically from numerous other solutions based on 3.5-inch HDDs by a number of quite extraordinary features
John on January 08, 2010 at 05:50 PM
wow awesome...This is new to me..Thanks for shring :) John . .
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