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ioSafe Solo G3 hands-on

Terrence O'Brien — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:28:00 EST

After the heavy stench of ozone started to clear, ioSafe officially took the wraps off the Solo G3 -- the latest in its line of fire and waterproof storage solutions. Unlike previous models this one actually manages to ditch the fan, and therefore runs almost completely silent in operation. The G3 isn't for those looking for an inconspicuous device. This external data safe sports a unique design with a perforated exterior and weighs in at a staggering 15 pounds. Around back you'll find the powerjack and switch as well as a USB 3.0 port for high-speed data transfers. The G3 is available starting at $299 for 1TB of storage. Check out the pair of galleries below.

Gallery: ioSafe Solo G3 press shots

Gallery: ioSafe Solo G3 hands-on

Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.

ioSafe Solo G3 hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ioSafe gives shocking demo of Thunderbolt Rugged Portable prototype (video)

Terrence O'Brien — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:40:00 EST

Every year ioSafe has some absurd demo to show off just how tough its rugged hard drives are. They've already played with fire and peppered a portable model with buckshot. This year the company turned to an eight-foot tall Tesla coil and pointed its bolts of current at a prototype Thunderbolt model of its Rugged Portable -- which the company hopes to ship sometime in Q2. Unlike previous versions, this one packs dual SSDs in a RAID array for redundancy. After being blasted repeatedly with a million volts of electricity the drive still worked. Things got a bit hairy when the drive wasn't recognized at first, but CEO Robb Moore broke out the screwdrivers, cracked open the case and connected the SSD directly through a separate adapter. Turns out just the mainboard was fried, but the storage was still safe. A second Rugged Portable, one of last-year's models brought in by a member of the press, was also put to the voltage test and came through unscathed. Check out the video after the break.

Gallery: ioSafe gives shocking demo of Thunderbolt Rugged Portable prototype

Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.

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ioSafe gives shocking demo of Thunderbolt Rugged Portable prototype (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rugged gadgets put to the test in Engadget labs, wanton destruction ensues

Terrence O'Brien — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:00:00 EST

Lets be honest, we've all had those moments where we've wanted to hit our phone with a hammer or throw our laptop against the wall. Generally though, we resist those urges, knowing full well that it would spell the end for our precious gadget. There's a special class of rugged devices though, that are designed to withstand anything you throw at it -- or throw it at, as the case may be. We took a few of these beefy products, as well as one Extreme Sleeve for your non-military grade electronics, and put them through a battery of tests that would turn your average gadget into an unrecognizable pile of silicon and plastic. Head on after the break for a dose of dramatic destruction porn and to find out how this bevy of brawny portables held up against our gratuitous onslaught.

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Rugged gadgets put to the test in Engadget labs, wanton destruction ensues originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ioSafe Rugged Portable hard drive wrapped in Full Metal Jacket, probably tougher than you

Darren Murph — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 19:17:00 EST

With a name like ioSafe, you know it's hardcore. The company has made a name for itself by concocting products that can outlast minor disasters, and per usual, it's using CES as a springboard for something else that you probably can't destroy. This year, the Rugged Portable is on display, arriving in a pair of enclosure options and offering a bundled data recovery service to boot. The unit is quite literally wrapped in metal -- the aluminum option can withstand up to 2,500 pounds of force, while the titanium shell doubles that up and shrugs its shoulders at up to 5,000 pounds. It's also immune to submersion -- your data remains safe in up to ten feet of salt water for as long as 72 hours, and it'll still come out unscathed when dipped in oil and other toxins.

Naturally, the HDD or SSD within (your call there) is covered by suspension springs, and the USB 3.0 interface ensures that you won't be waiting around in the jungle for things to transfer. Those who snap one up will get one year of data recovery service included, a one-year 'No Hassle' warranty and up to $5000 for "third party forensic recovery services" if needed. Time Machine owners will be happy to know that this drive is fully compatible with the service, and you'll be able to select HDDs from 250GB to 1TB or SSDs from 256GB to 512GB. As for prices? $149.99 for the stock 250GB HDD aluminum version, $3,899.99 for the 512GB SSD titanium build with an extended warranty, and everywhere in between. It's up for pre-order today and should ship later this month in the US, with global availability details to follow in due time.

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ioSafe SoloPRO takes rugged external storage to USB 3.0 heights

Darren Murph — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 06:26:00 EST

We made a point to mention last November that USB 3.0 and eSATA were both sorely missing from ioSafe's Solo hard drive, and lo and behold, the company seems to have answered our prayers directly. The SoloPRO -- which purports to be just as outrageously rugged as the original -- is the company's fastest rugged external HDD, offering up USB 3.0 and eSATA / USB 2.0 connections. There's also full support for Windows and Linux servers as well as any desktop OS, and ioSafe will be shipping these in 1TB, 1.5TB and 2TB capacities. Still concerned about toughness? Fret not -- both the USB 3.0 and eSATA versions of the SoloPRO can withstand temperatures up to 1550° F for 30 minutes or being submerged to a depth of 10 feet for up to 3 days, and there's even a heat-resistant paint option for those who prefer to run their server rooms under the Moroccan sun. As for pricing? Expect 'em to run $249.99, $319.99 and $419.99 in order of mention, buster.

Continue reading ioSafe SoloPRO takes rugged external storage to USB 3.0 heights

ioSafe SoloPRO takes rugged external storage to USB 3.0 heights originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 06:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ioSafe Solo SSD plays with fire, gravity, and the pathway of a tractor

Ross Miller — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 15:19:00 EST

It's an inevitability, when a product claims to withstand Kryptonian strength, someone out there's gonna phone up the son of Jor-El himself for a trial run. Today's entrant is ioSafe's Solo SSD, which Extreme Tech took for a few rounds to determine its actual survivability. Spoiler alert: the SSD drive is still functional in the end, and it's really none too surprising when you realize the test site is run by ioSafe itself -- who else would have such an appropriate location handy? Still, the journey is what's interesting here, and there's plenty of pictures of incineration, falling, and drowning here -- and even a video of an intimate encounter with a tractor tread. Jigsaw would be proud. Video after the break.

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ioSafe Solo SSD plays with fire, gravity, and the pathway of a tractor originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jan 2010 15:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ioSafe's Solo SSD ditches platters, isn't worried about buildings collapsing on it

Darren Murph — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:39:00 EST

Remember when ioSafe unveiled its original Solo right around this time last year? Man, that thing's looking mighty sluggish now. This year, the company is introducing the Solo SSD, which is hailed as the planet's first solid state external drive built to protect data from a building collapsing on it. Yeah, a building collapsing on it. It'll be available with capacities as large as 256GB and will get connected via eSATA or USB, and if you care to know, the ruggedness is due to the firm's own proprietary ArmorPlate steel outer casing. As for specifics, said tech helps the drive survive 5,000 pound crush forces, 20 foot drops onto rubble and blazing infernos to boot. It'll be available next month in the US for $499 (64GB), $749 (128GB) or $1,250 (256GB), with the full details / press release hosted up after the break. As soon as we catch some benchmarks on this thing, we'll be sure to pass 'em along.

Continue reading ioSafe's Solo SSD ditches platters, isn't worried about buildings collapsing on it

ioSafe's Solo SSD ditches platters, isn't worried about buildings collapsing on it originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ioSafe Solo hard drive places a 2TB bet on all kinds of disasters

Richard Lai — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:08:00 EST

It's Friday the 13th, and ioSafe couldn't have chosen a better time to update their Solo fireproof and waterproof hard drive line with a 2TB model. Sure, it'll cost you $399 for a USB 2.0 connection instead of eSATA, FireWire 800 or USB 3.0, but you'll never know when your yacht sinks or burns down, sending that precious Kenny G collection to oblivion. Don't go thinking you can just get the $149 500GB model and upgrade it yourself either -- you'll have to destroy the waterproof seal to get to the hard drive, as demonstrated before. Yeah, life's tough.

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ioSafe Solo hard drive places a 2TB bet on all kinds of disasters originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ioSafe Solo 500GB rugged external HDD reviewed, tortured and drowned

Laura June — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 06:22:00 EST

Look, ioSafe said when it was announced that the Solo external HDD was rugged enough to withstand both fire and submersion in water, so really, it was only a matter of time before at least one of those things happened, right? The hardy woodsmen over at TestFreaks have taken ioSafe at its word and run a 500GB version through the paces. Running it through the benchmarks, they found that the Solo holds up very well when compared with similar makes with regards to speed and performance -- it gets the job done, if you will. Transfer rates were a bit slower when put up against a Seagate BlackArmor WS110 -- but not enough to be terribly disappointing. The real fun, of course, comes with the drowning of the poor little hard drive. Now, we don't want to give anything away, but we'll say this: watch the video (which is after the break) all the way to the end when the protector of Camp Crystal Lake makes a stunning, shocking performance. Hit the read link for the full review, a ton of photos, and even more video.

Continue reading ioSafe Solo 500GB rugged external HDD reviewed, tortured and drowned

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ioSafe Solo 500GB rugged external HDD reviewed, tortured and drowned originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Aug 2009 06:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Engadget's recession antidote: win a 500GB ioSafe Solo!

Darren Murph — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST

This whole global economic crisis, and its resulting massive loss of jobs got us thinking. We here at Engadget didn't want to stand helplessly by, announcing every new round of misery without giving anything back -- so we decided to take the opportunity to spread a little positivity. We'll be handing out a new gadget every day to lucky readers until we run out of stuff or companies stop sending things. Today we've got a 500GB ioSafe Solo on offer, ideal for protecting even your most intimate interoffice love letters from hell and high water. Read the rules below (no skimming -- we're omniscient and can tell when you've skimmed) and get commenting! Hooray for free stuff!

Big thanks to ioSafe for providing the gear!

The rules:

Leave a comment below. Any comment will do, but if you want to share your proposal for "fixing" the world economy, that'd be sweet too.
You may only enter this specific giveaway once. If you enter this giveaway more than once you'll be automatically disqualified, etc. (Yes, we have robots that thoroughly check to ensure fairness.)
If you enter more than once, only activate one comment. This is pretty self explanatory. Just be careful and you'll be fine.
Contest is open to anyone in the 50 States, 18 or older! Sorry, we don't make this rule (we hate excluding anyone), so be mad at our lawyers and contest laws if you have to be mad.
Winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) 500GB ioSafe Solo external hard drive. Approximate retail value is $199.98.
If you are chosen, you will be notified by email. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
Entries can be submitted until Monday, July 27th, at 11:59PM ET. Good luck!
Full rules can be found here.

Continue reading Engadget's recession antidote: win a 500GB ioSafe Solo!

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Engadget's recession antidote: win a 500GB ioSafe Solo! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ioSafe announces Solo, the external, submersible, fire-proof HDD enclosure

Tim Stevens — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:01:00 EST

The last time we heard from ioSafe they were taking 2.5-inch HDDs, wrapping them in armor, then stuffing them into 3.5-inch enclosures -- adding fire and water protection in a standard form factor. Now they've given up on the internal route and have gone for something a little larger and more durable, fitting Western Digital or Seagate disks into hardened external USB 2.0 cases capable of being submersed in ten feet of water for three days or surviving a raging inferno for 30 minutes. $199 gets you a 500GB model, but, since you'd probably have a hard time upgrading the drive in there without a jackhammer, we'd recommend going straight for the $349 1.5TB model -- early adopters get a tidy $50 off!

Update: Jason commented to let us know they also use Seagate drives.

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ioSafe announces Solo, the external, submersible, fire-proof HDD enclosure originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

Darren Murph — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 17:44:00 EST

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]

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ioSafe 3.5: industry's first internal HDD with disaster protection originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Jun 2008 17:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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