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iTwin Connect updated with Mac support, offers inter-OS personal VPNs
Back in 2009, we might have been a little, well, acerbic in our reaction to the initial iTwin. Yet here we are in good ole 2013, and the plucky USB networking key is alive and well. In fact, it was CES when we saw its latest incarnation -- iTwin Connect -- arrive offering (somewhat more useful) private and public VPN services. At the time this was for Windows only, but that's now changed. Mac users can get the same remote desktop, file access and aforementioned VPN functionality, that will also work between machines of both creeds. If you're on the fence about that $199 price tag, remember that comes with access to iTwin's own public VPN servers, and no subscription fee.
iTwin Connect turns a humble USB stick into your own VPN (video)
Passing files over the internet using iTwin's 256-bit AES encryption's all well and good, but wouldn't it be nice if you could use that connection for other things? Luckily for you, that's just what the iTwin Connect was designed to do. In addition to the usual file-sharing jiggery-pokery, the new hardware can let you surf via your domestic internet connection, control devices on your home network and play with your desktop from afar. Even better, the company is throwing in US, Asia and Europe-based VPN servers of its own, so you can still catch that episode of Duck Dynasty on Hulu if your primary machine's turned off. Despite the raft of new features on offer, the company isn't charging a regular subscription, so all of that will set you back a rather meager $130.
iTwin SecureBox adds hardware encryption to your Dropbox account
"The cloud," you've probably heard about it by now. It's this vast intangible place where you can put things. Things like emails and notes and files. But you've probably also heard about how vulnerable stuff in the cloud is and about how nefarious hackers can hijack your accounts to do terrible, terrible things with your data. Well, for the paranoid out there, iTwin is offering SecureBox, a hardware-based encryption system that can sync up with your Dropbox account. After plugging in your iTwin key you'll be presented with the SecureBox folder -- simply drag and drop your files there and they'll be encrypted and uploaded. To view them again you'll need one half of the iTwin and the AES 256-bit encryption key it contains. If you're looking for even more security you can add an optional password, adding two-factor authentication to your SecureBox, which already lives behind DropBox's own two-factor authentication system. You can pick up an iTwin yourself at the source for $99 or download the feature as a software update if you already have the prerequisite USB key.
iTwin for Mac: Secure file sharing that's more confusing than coherent
Remotely accessing files on one Mac from another has been possible for years, but now a Mac version of the iTwin (US$99) device is intended to make it easier to securely send files back and forth over the Internet. After giving the device a try, I found it to be much more confusing than just using something like Dropbox for file sharing, as well as being poorly implemented on the Mac. Read on for a description of how it works, along with my take on why the iTwin might not be the sharing solution you want to use. Using iTwin for Mac The iTwin for Mac looks like a double-ended USB flash drive that pulls apart in the middle. It doesn't actually have any onboard storage; instead, it uses the Mac (or PC -- it's cross-platform) on the other side of an Internet connection as storage. Have a 2 TB drive sitting in that iMac at home with plenty of free space, and want to use it as storage for your MacBook Air while you're on vacation? No problem, as long as you have an Internet connection available. To install the iTwin's software, you simply plug it into an open USB port. A DVD image appears on your Desktop, you open it and click "LaunchiTwinMac" to install. This is a bit more than the "automatic install" that iTwin promises, and the installation leaves a folder in your Applications folder filled with a bunch of detritus (see below) one would normally associate with a Windows application. There's also a iTwin preference pane installed in System Preferences; basically, it allows you to uninstall the iTwin software from your Mac. There were no more instructions about what to do, either in the installation notes or on the iTwin website. I simply unplugged the iTwin (it never squawked at me about not dismounting it first), and then plugged it back in. The second time, I was asked to give my iTwin a "friendly name" to identify it and also to provide an email address for a disable code. This disable code allows you to disable one half of the iTwin pair should you accidentally lose the other, thus keeping unfriendly eyes away from your digital stuff. At the same time, unique encryption keys are created for both halves of the device, ensuring that the only way you can get access to your Macs is by having your hands on both USB dongles. At this point, an empty folder called "Steve's iTwins Local Files" appeared on my desktop and a tiny green icon appeared in my menu bar. I figured it was about time to pull off one half of the iTwin pair and plug it into my MacBook Air. After going through the iTwin software installation process on the MacBook Air, I was greeted with a second icon on my desktop, this one called "Steve's iTwins Remote Files". I decided that I would use that to transfer a photo to my iMac, so I dropped a file on it. Instead of putting the file into a specific folder on my iMac, it put it onto the desktop and also put a copy into the Local Files folder. That got a big "huh?" (actually more of a "WTF?") from me. %Gallery-156689% It turns out that if I drop something into the "Local Files" folder on one machine, it appears in the "Remote Files" folder on the other computer (and vice-versa) and I don't end up with files and folders spewed all over the other machine's desktop. Whew. Let's face it; I'm used to Dropbox, where I have one folder on each device that is identical. Anything that goes into that folder shows up on every device. Here, there's a (to me) confusing mix of "local" and "remote" folders, as well as a DVD icon that never disappears. To get those off of my desktop, I changed my Finder preferences to hide external disks, CDs, and DVDs. What's the benefit of using the iTwin? I'm guessing that it would be security more than anything. To quote the marketing talk on the iTwin site, "No configuration, no VPN token card, no login. With AES-256 hardware-enabled encryption. It's as secure and simple as data transfer gets." If you happen to lose one half of the iTwin pair, you can disable access. When you want to share large quantities of information, say your entire Pictures folder or a huge Documents folder, you drag that folder icon over to your Local Files folder and drop it. Rather than actually duplicating the folder, that process appears to just enable an alias pointing to the "real" folder. To stop sharing, you just drag that folder out of the Local Files folder. For doing backups, things get a little strange. With Dropbox, if I want to back up a complete folder, I can drag that folder to my Dropbox folder and it's going to be synced with Dropbox's server and then to every Mac or PC that I have Dropbox on. While iTwin does a wonderful job of sharing in real time, the only way I can truly back something up is to drag it to the Remote Files folder and let it be copied. That can take a while depending on the size of the folder (the same is true of Dropbox), but iTwin insists on placing that copied file onto the desktop of the remote Mac. Conclusion While the security of the iTwin device might make it attractive to some Mac owners, I found it to be very awkward in its implementation and quite "PC-like." Frankly, I prefer the ubiquity of Dropbox, which uses SSL and AES-256 encryption both for transferring and storing your data. Rather than having to worry about losing a USB dongle with iTwin, I just boot up my machine and there's Dropbox waiting for me. No software on a remote machine? I can log in from any web browser -- whether it's running OS X, Windows, or any flavor of Linux -- and get to my Dropbox data. And with Dropbox, I can also get to my data from my iOS devices; with the iTwin, they're left out in the cold. If the iTwin did something really spectacular and different, like providing an immediate way to control my remote Mac (like Back To My Mac is meant to do), then it might be worth the time and money. The iTwin sounded like a good idea, which is why I agreed to review it. Unless I'm really missing the point of this product (and please let me know in the comments if there's something that I just don't seem to be understanding), I can't see any reason to recommend it.
iTwin announces Multi functionality, wants to host USB filesharing collabs
If you jumped on the iTwin bandwagon, you're about to get even more functionality from your filesharing USB. The company has announced Multi, a free upgrade that will allow users to share files stored on a Windows machine or Mac with a few of their cohorts simultaneously. Once you snag the update, plugging multiple iTwins into the same computer will allow remote access for multiple users via an internet connection. This piece of kit allows you to skip the cloud when collaborating on projects as the files never leave the host machine. Existing iTwin users will be prompted for an update when plugging in the device as a whole. All the details on how the tech works are in the PR, just after the break.
iTwin allows you to share files with PCs securely over the web
iTwin has added official public Mac compatibility to its innovative file sharing USB stick that allows users to transfer or share files across Macs or PCs no matter where they are in the world. After selecting which files to share users can simply plug one half of an iTwin into a Mac and the other into a PC. As long as both computers are connected to the Internet, users can access the files from anywhere in the world, no matter if the PC is in China and the Mac is in Mexico. Think of the iTwin as you own personal cloud storage solution, without actually storing anything on remote servers. All files remain on the local machines. The files are shared securely over a AES-256 encrypted connection and there is no limit to the amount of files you can share. You can share your entire 4 TB hard drive if you want. And since no files are stored on the iTwin itself, the moment you unplug it from a host computer all your files are only available on the local machines themselves. Best of all, there is only a single upfront cost for the iTwin. There are no subscription fees or paying for additional storage. The iTwin, now with Snow Leopard and Lion compatibility is available now for US$99. [via Engadget]
iTwin's filesharing USB gets official OS X compatibility, still plays nice with Windows too
Sure, iTwin's USB filesharing drive has had Mac OS X (Lion and Snow Leopard) support in beta for some time now, but things just got official. If you'll recall, the iTwin's a double-sided splittable USB plug that allows you to play James Bond and remotely access files over the web under AES encryption of the 256-bit variety. Whether you're moving files between two Windows rigs, OS X devices or Mac to PC while globe-trotting, the iTwin promises to easily let you get your secure share on. As it stands, the iTwin remains priced at $99, and if you need a refresher on how it works, check out the video and PR just past the break.
iTwin USB filesharing solution now shipping in America
Hope you didn't put your life on pause waiting for the iTwin to ship to the US of A, 'cause it took just over a full year to do so. The company's self-named device has finally been listed for sale in America this week, with just 50 limited edition builds able to head out prior to Christmas. If your memory has faded somewhat over the past 14 months, this twin-stick solution is meant to pass files between two USB-enabled devices, but unlike Infinitec's IUM, it's not making any bold promises related to media streaming. The concept is simple enough; just plug one of the twins into your computer, and the other into your pal's computer. It relies on 256-bit AES encryption to keep things secure, and if that's good enough for you, the source link is the where you need to be. These first-run kits are selling for $99 (plus $10 shipping), with a choice of gunmetal gray and lime green awaiting you, and if you miss your shot now, general availability will hit early next month.
iTwin fileshares over CEATEC showfloor, Mac firmware coming early 2010 (video)
Since we last saw iTwin back in September, not much has changed -- two physically synced USB dongles create a AES-256 encrypted connection between two Windows machines for transferring files from anywhere in the world (provided both are connected to the internet, of course). We had a chance to see a controlled demonstration up close at CEATEC, and while it worked as well as expected it to, we're not quite sure the $99 price tag is low enough to pique our interests. We do appreciate the ability to "reverse" the flow of file sharing, but from what we gather it takes both parties to initiate the change -- clearly there's more flexibility in just setting up your own file server, but we're probably not the target audience here. If you're still interested but choose a lifestyle centered around a Mac, we were told an OS X firmware update would be available in early 2010, would apply to all existing models, and would allow both Mac-to-Mac and Mac-to-Windows transferring. Video after the break. %Gallery-74890%
iTwin lets you share files over the internet
Finally, a product that might finally make this whole internet thing worthwhile by allowing someone to copy a file over it. Amazing, right? Okay, facetiousness aside, it's a little hard to get too excited about a product that will obviously cost something yet replicates a task easily performed for free, but the iTwin does make the process even more easy. It's basically a double-sided thumb drive that splits apart in the middle; plug one half into one computer and the other into the second and instantly you can drag and drop files from place to place. An absolute computer novice could handle this, but we have to wonder: how many computer novices are swapping files anyway? If this also allowed remote terminal control so that you could fix problems on your mother's computer while beaming over the latest pictures of the kids (and their illegally downloaded music) we might be a little more optimistic. No mention of price or availability, but there is a video demonstration below proving the tech works -- even if the demo touchpad apparently doesn't. [Via TechCrunch]
