ioSafe 3.5: industry's first internal HDD with disaster protection

For small and medium sized businesses, data redundancy is more than a novel concept, it's unquestionably critical. Unfortunately, tight budgets don't always allow for pricey off-site storage or fire / waterproof server rooms, which is where ioSafe comes in. Said outfit has just announced the ioSafe 3.5 series, which is hailed as the "industry's first internal hard drive with disaster protection." Put simply, the company has stuffed a 2.5-inch HDD into a 3.5-inch chassis, and it used the extra room to insert matter that protects platters from fire (up to 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit) and flood (full immersion in fresh or salt water). The family will include the Pilot line ($329 to $449) -- which arrives in 80/160/250/320GB sizes with an 8MB buffer, SATA I interface and 5400RPM rotational speed -- and the Squadron line ($359 to $459), which includes 7200RPM 80/160/200GB versions with a SATA II interface. Both lots have already started to ship.

[Via TGDaily]

[KEROLiUKAS @ Jun 9th 2008 5:46PM]

I guess if i was some bigshot that had extremely important data...but for every day user..just nah..

[waddaya @ Jun 9th 2008 5:51PM]

Is it ioChildSafe?

[morgan @ Jun 9th 2008 5:53PM]

...and this is related to the iPhone...how?

[Steve Jones @ Jun 9th 2008 6:06PM]

Because I can use it to store thousands upon thousands of iPhone pictures on it. Yay.

[Richard Lai @ Jun 9th 2008 5:55PM]

The only feature missing is an anti-theft device (alarm, pepperspray, blowtorch, etc.).

[DarkLight @ Jun 9th 2008 7:27PM]

I'd be totally digging it if it had a self-focusing MW (MegaWatt) laser

[Kaiser-Machead @ Jun 9th 2008 5:59PM]

There is no escape from Murphy's Law. Redundant drives will always reign supreme :P

[TRAFFICBLOWS @ Jun 9th 2008 6:58PM]

SATA I... why?

[spyder91 @ Jun 9th 2008 8:17PM]

Because it's a cheaper starting point to get people to try it out. They offer SATA II for more money.

[Minilap @ Jun 9th 2008 7:30PM]

So the material they used to protect from fire also prevents transferring the heat to the plater too?

[Kevin @ Jun 9th 2008 10:56PM]

So... you can't install OSX on it?

[dennitzio @ Jun 9th 2008 11:46PM]

1,400°? You might as well kiss it goodbye if there's a fire. Waste of money for someone not living on a flood plain. Last big blaze I got stuck in (Berkeley Hills fire) melted cars at over 5,000°, and even small ones can hit 2,000°. Go for the remote storage or a cheap drive kept at a friend's house.

[Razor @ Jun 10th 2008 1:43PM]

I'd rather these guys make cases that I can put any drive I want in them. The idea is great but the premium on small drives is kinda nuts.

[A.C.E.R. @ Jun 10th 2008 2:28AM]

With all that insulation inside the drive probably melts itself.