Recycle bin hard drive stores your deletions, mimics a trash can

We'll admit, it does seem a bit unnecessary to purchase an external hard drive that reserves its space for your deleted files, but if it looks this good, we can't help but be awed. Designed by Franco Cagnina, the Tempo concept is a 250GB hard drive that somehow resides in a trash can-shaped enclosure, and as expected, stores every single byte that you (haphazardly or otherwise) direct to File 13. The standout feature, however, are the blue LEDs that creep up the can as you add more and more junk to the heap. Well played, Franco, well played.

[Via TechnaBob]

[Chino B @ Aug 26th 2007 8:25AM]

Another way to waste your money. lol

[Augustos Morales @ Aug 26th 2007 8:31AM]

OMG! They ripped off the design from the iPOD. Do you see that white ring around the sides. Any product with white molding or a white box is copied off of the iPOD/iPHONE.

[shmengie @ Aug 26th 2007 11:30AM]

jeez, dude. i'm sure augustos was being ironic. maybe not high-larious, but certainly not worthy of being called a douche.

[Jagannath A @ Aug 26th 2007 1:23PM]

he cud have atleast ended with a \sarcasm tag :D

[Dave @ Aug 26th 2007 4:23PM]

obsessive compulsive disorder

[Brandon @ Aug 26th 2007 5:41PM]

Alright, now he's a douche.

[Jagannath A @ Aug 26th 2007 7:22PM]

see.. pwned

[Craig @ Aug 26th 2007 8:36AM]

That's actually very useful for someone who has too much space, money, and time when he deletes stuff! I'm sure it'll be very successful

[Nubaeus @ Aug 26th 2007 8:37AM]

They partially ripped off the engadget logo on their website. HOW DARE THEY!

[artifex @ Aug 26th 2007 8:42AM]

It's just a "concept" so far - something to make them look good to prospective clients for their design services, I'm sure. You really think 250GB would fit in that form factor right now?

[Herman @ Aug 26th 2007 11:58AM]

Probably not, but 250 Gb should fit just fine.

[iforgotwhereiam @ Aug 26th 2007 8:50AM]

This device is the device Ive been looking for. It may not be useful for some people, but when someone creates a lot of art on the computer and some files can be 10GB+ each, knowing if you or someone else purposely or accidentally deleted something, you wouldn't have lost it forever. None of the file recovery software is good enough to recover huge files.

Also if someone gets a virus (assuming the device wasn't affected)and the virus deletes most or all of someones data, they would still have it in this device. Hopefully...

[Grey Acumen @ Aug 26th 2007 9:05AM]

This will not bother viruses at ALL. Think about it, would it really be that much of a problem for you if a virus just sent data to the recycle bin? Most viruses corrupt the data directly. All it has to do is overwrite it with a couple misplaced 1s and 0s.

But your point is good on the artwork issue. At the very least, it helps you avoid that "This file is too big for the recycle bin, delete permanently?" message

Also, the LEDs are cool, do they stay on even if it's unplugged? Also, can you move info from one computer to another with this?

[Sneakz @ Aug 26th 2007 9:12AM]

Unless you're deleting nothing but word files, Bluetooth is going to take forever to transfer. If this is Bluetooth 2.0, the max transfer rate is going to be 3.0Mbit or 384Kbytes per second.

[drew Eastman @ Aug 26th 2007 9:17AM]

I can't help thinking that it doesn't really help me play Doom .. !!

[farukates @ Aug 26th 2007 9:46AM]

"Intended to protect the user from accidentally deleting files, it can also be used as an external storage device."

In other words, you don't HAVE to use it for deleted files, you can just use it as any other external storage drive if you want (and given the LED buildup as it fills up, I think that's what most people would use it for).

I do hope that Bluetooth isn't the only connectivity option if they end up making this. If not too expensive compared to "normal" 250GB drives, I'd definitely buy this for the style factor. My iomega 250GB drive looks fugly as hell compared to this.

[dj-kenpo @ Aug 26th 2007 10:01AM]

fine and dandy as a 3d studio max concept, but the real product would have issues over battery life if it's 'wireless'. maybe 15 hours max assuming a huge battery, far less using all those led's.

now if it was FLASH and used battery, it might be better, but running the bluetooth connection + leds would still drain the sucker REAL fast.

[humpty @ Aug 26th 2007 10:47AM]

That would be a serious waste of flash storage... maybe in 5 years when we have 2TB SD cards.

[Liam @ Aug 26th 2007 11:27AM]

Who said it was done in 3D Max ;-) Could be done in Maya or even blender for all we know... not that it matters tho im just being picky :)

[Andrew @ Aug 26th 2007 11:25AM]

This would only be cool if you could empty it by picking it up and flipping it over like you were dumping it out.

[DeathEater @ Aug 26th 2007 11:35AM]

Yea that would be awesome!

[ECS @ Aug 26th 2007 4:18PM]

Totally!

[Le Master @ Aug 26th 2007 5:38PM]

Yeah but what if you accidentally knocked it over? I guess you'd have to use the bluetooth broom and dustpan to recover the files.

[Jack @ Aug 26th 2007 11:44AM]

I could accidently pour coffee into that thinking it was my mug :P

[RonCastry @ Aug 26th 2007 12:01PM]

I think this would be nicer as a WiFi device, or at least support picking up deleted items from other computers on the network. My parents expect me to have some superpower that lets me recover files that THEY delete. Having a single place for me to look at would help a LOT. :-)

[Andrew @ Aug 26th 2007 12:20PM]

Actually, a network wide recycling bin could be a very useful feature. I'm sure that already exists in software (can't think of who offers it right now though), but as hardware that would be simple for a home network, that would be a nice feature.

[mastershake @ Aug 26th 2007 12:52PM]

It looks cool, i would buy it just to decorate my desk :)

[Don G. @ Aug 26th 2007 1:11PM]

I think it looks cool - where can I get one? I can't see to find anything on pricing and when it'll be available!?

[i luv nose candy @ Aug 26th 2007 1:26PM]

As I like to tell every "designer", don't show me a 3D image of what you've designed, show me a working prototype.
Any kid with 3D software likes to call themselves a "designer."
This world has too many 3D renderings and not enough working prototypes...

[Galley @ Aug 26th 2007 1:30PM]

Why do we need a device like this when we will soon have Apple's Time Machine app?

http://www.apple.com/macosx/leopard/features/timemachine.html

[kagai @ Aug 26th 2007 1:42PM]

This is all well and good until you become a criminal and forget to delete your deleted files. DOH!

[JeffDM @ Aug 26th 2007 1:58PM]

Ack! What's with this blue LED fetish that companies have? I'm getting tired of them. At night, they can light up the opposite wall like they do in my living room.

I think this idea can be adapted better, an easy remote backup for a household would be better, something that does syncing when the owner's backup device is detected on the network.

[Sunny Man @ Aug 26th 2007 1:58PM]

Looks a really nice product and I think something like this should be standard. Does raise a few privacy issues though (although the same issues exist already, this product makes the issues more attainable and with less hassle).

Might the contents also be encrypted? Looks very nice anyway.

[kin @ Aug 26th 2007 2:00PM]

This little bin will look so good to work with OSX's Time Machine

[Hybrys @ Aug 26th 2007 3:12PM]

Recap: It comes with software to turn it into your recycle bin, but, can be used as a normal external hard drive.

@Sunny Man: As any other external hard drive, you can encrypt it with whatever software you'd like.

[grjohnston @ Aug 26th 2007 3:13PM]

Actually, this seems like it's just an easier way of backing things up. Tired of a program that's too big on your laptop, but don't actually want to get rid of it, 'cause you supposedly did download it for a reason all those years ago? Just delete it! You'll still have it, but it's gone from your main harddrive and won't slow you down. Perfect for the pack-rat in all of us.

[Jack @ Aug 26th 2007 3:34PM]

I could accidently pour coffee into that thinking it was my mug :P

[Pao @ Aug 26th 2007 4:07PM]

I am designer and I really love to see good ideas! Tempo is an outstanding concept, and the 3D model is just beautiful.
I think people love to critic instead of showing to us what they can do! Whoever has a better "idea" than this one and it has been published in the best design websites in the world and knows how to model it and is able to post it on her/his website, let me know!

[Augustos Morales @ Aug 26th 2007 4:27PM]

Yea yea and you work for Tempo too - hey this blog is for "trashing" the product not praising it...are you Jagannath A's boyfriend?

[Pao @ Aug 26th 2007 5:07PM]

Morales, send me your website! I would love to trash it. Nop. Unfortunatly I don't work for Tempo. I am not at that level.

[Waruwaru @ Aug 26th 2007 5:39PM]

I have too many files to delete, do they have one in Big-Gulp size?

[bee @ Aug 26th 2007 6:07PM]

Well, if you accidentally delete your Doom safed game files, it may just help...

[D3NN1S @ Aug 26th 2007 7:43PM]

mmm... I like the design :D.

[tso @ Aug 26th 2007 7:52PM]

noddles anyone?

[brendan @ Aug 26th 2007 8:09PM]

I don't trust a company that writes out Mac as MAC for their Mac support. Maybe its just me.

[Dan @ Aug 26th 2007 8:17PM]

"I swear honey, I deleted that folder of porn!


He he he..."

[Dan @ Aug 26th 2007 8:20PM]

Doesn't this perform the polar opposite of what is intended when deleting a file?

[Matthew E @ Aug 26th 2007 11:12PM]

Can it make my recycled files smell like skunked beer and rotting banana peels? Now that would be an actual accomplishment.

[Joe @ Aug 26th 2007 11:29PM]

I can think of at least fifty arse-hat clients who would not only use this product but buy six spares. Definitely a market for the NFI-CxO types with more dollars than sense.
(That is, No Flocking Idea Chief (whatever) Officer)

[James Zdaniewski @ Aug 27th 2007 12:58AM]

couldn't you actually use any eternal hd this way?