Gnarbox's mobile video editing drive now comes in an SSD version
Work on your photos and videos before you reach a PC.
Gnarbox broke new ground in portable storage with its first drive, which let pros start editing photos and videos before they've reached a PC. But what if you still want something more powerful? Don't worry, you're covered: the company is crowdfunding Gnarbox 2.0, an updated version with an NVMe-based solid-state drive (instead of the previous model's basic flash storage) as its centerpiece. Hook up a camera through USB-C and you can back up your photos and videos at a rapid 450MB/s, which might set your mind at ease if you have a ton of footage to save. You'll also find a faster processor (an unnamed 2.4GHz quad-core Intel chip) and an OLED that lets you perform some backups without even needing your phone.
An SD card slot, 802.11ac WiFi and microHDMI are also onboard for transfers and previews. The drive is IP67 water-resistant, so you can afford to take it with you on a messy outdoor shoot.
Software also plays an important role, with four new mobile apps coming from Gnarbox itself. Safekeep helps you manage your backups and transfers, while Selects helps you preview, color-correct and rate RAW photos ahead of bringing them into Adobe Lightroom. Sequence helps you edit rough cuts and turn footage into useful formats, such as Apple's ProRes video format or projects for both Adobe Premiere and Apple's Final Cut Pro. And if you need to view images on a TV, there's Showcase. The 2.0 drive ties into Adobe Lightroom CC for mobile photo editing and LumaFusion for multi-track video clips.
Gnarbox 2.0 should reach backers in December 2018 if all goes according to plan, with prices depending on just how much storage you need. It starts out at $299 ($249 for early backers) for a 128GB version best-suited to photo editors, and scales up to $649 ($599) for a 1TB version that should handle at least some lengthier video projects. That's a lot compared to a plain external drive, but this isn't about gigs per dollar -- it's a mini-PC meant to to speed up your editing workflow and save you from bringing a laptop to some shoots. If minutes matter, it might be worth the premium.
