DroboPro
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Pogoplug lets Drobo into its Cloud, offers 10GB of 'public' storage to sweeten the deal
Do you use a Drobo for your RAID storage needs? Wish you could access that data from wherever your travels take you? Well then, wish no more! Today the company has a announced a partnership with Pogoplug aimed at getting your Drobo hooked up to the cloud. So long as you've got an internet connection, you'll now be able to use Pogoplug software to privately access your data and multimedia from wherever you may be. Better yet, Cloud Engines is also throwing in 10GB of free off-site storage on its recently minted -- and Dropbox-like -- Pogoplug Cloud service. Curious for info on getting started? You'll find details in the press release after the break along with a cringe-inducing "demo" video reminiscent of The Office to further explain it all.
Data Robotics debuts 8-bay DroboPro FS with automatic offsite backup option
It was inevitable, really. First comes the business-oriented DroboPro, then comes the network-savvy Drobo FS. Mash the two together, and out pops the DroboPro FS. Design wise, it's the same 3U form factor that DroboPro users will recognize, but internally, Data Robotics has bumped the CPU speed from 800MHz in the Drobo FS to 1GHz here. There are eight total bays within, and a pair of gigabit Ethernet jacks around back; by default, the second port is used to connect to a different subnet (possibly for offsite file replication), while users can opt for a protection mode during setup if they'd rather it act as a fail-safe (in case the primary port kicks the bucket). More important than all of that, though, is the new Drobo Sync feature, which will be exclusive to the DroboPro FS for at least the time being. During setup, users simply input the IP address of another DroboPro FS; once that's plugged in, they can schedule automatic offsite backups as often as each hour or as infrequently as once per day. Here's the thing: this automatic offsite sync only works with a pair of DroboPro FS devices, so you'll need to pick up two from the start and have 'em shipped to different addresses if you're interested in taking advantage. The good news, however, is that an intelligent syncing system specifically scans for minute file changes, so if you only change two cells in a 105MB Excel chart, only a few chunks of data will have to fly over your network rather than resending and overwriting the entire 105MB file. As for pricing? Given that these are meant for small biz, it's up there -- the empty base unit goes for $1,999, while at 8TB model (2TB x 4) lists for $2,699 and a 16TB behemoth (2TB x 8) sells for $3,299. The company also has plans to sell a two-device bundle (16TB x 2 units) for $6,399, aiming this at folks who want an offsite solution from the get-go. The box itself is available today from CDW, B&H and a few other e-tailers, and even if you're not feeling spendy, you can hit that More Coverage link for a chance to win yourself a gratis Drobo FS. It's a win-win, we tell ya. %Gallery-104054%
Drobo wants Mac users to "Upgrade your RAID"
Did you buy one of those "quasi-RAID" storage devices over the last few years? You know, the ones that tried to squeeze a few hard disks into a shiny silver box and call it RAID? In many cases, those devices simply implemented RAID 0 (block-level striping without parity or mirroring) as a way to create a big drive out of two or more smaller drives. If one drive fails, the entire array is toast. Well, Data Robotics wants to save Mac users from that harrowing experience by offering to "Upgrade your RAID." Until the end of the month of September, you can trade in a qualifying device (which will be sent to a reputable electronics recycler) and receive 10% off of a DroboPro or DroboElite, or 15% off the price of a Drobo, Drobo S, or Drobo FS. To take advantage of this deal, register on the Drobo upgrade page, or call the Drobo sales folks at 1-866-997-6268. This program is a good way to keep your data safe and probably gain a lot of capacity in the process.
DroboPro RAID array causes reviewer to fall madly in love (video)
Data Robotics' RAID solutions have always been a cut above the rest -- and a little more expensive, and better looking, for that matter. As one clearly ecstatic reviewer at PC Perspective will attest, the DroboPro even does you one better, sporting eight bays of storage, extremely effective cooling, and support for FireWire, USB and Gigabit Ethernet connections. Of course, no product is perfect -- and here the lack of eSATA and nearly $1,500 price tag leave something to be desired. Your inner gadget hound (sadist) will surely delight in the insane amount of torture testing this device endured for this appraisal, and you'll be pleased to know that the array came out on top. Hit the read link to get started -- but not before you check out the video after the break.
Want a discount on a DroboPro? We've got a code for that.
Our buddies over at Data Robotics, makers of the Drobo and DroboPro storage devices, were so happy with the results of a recent promotion that we ran with our DroboPro review that they're giving TUAW readers another chance to join in on the fun.If you go to the Drobo Store at http://www.drobostore.com and order a DroboPro, be sure to enter in the super-secret promo code TUAW2X100SS to get $200 off the price of one of these storage wonders. There's only one catch -- you have to purchase your DroboPro before October 1, 2009 and this offer is only good for the first 100 people who take advantage of the discount. Did you purchase a DroboPro with our previous promo code? We'd love to hear from you about your setup experience and what you're storing in all those terabytes of space.
TUAW's review of the DroboPro, plus a discount deal for readers
Data Robotics delivered their "super-sized" version of the Drobo earlier this year. DroboPro has 8 drive bays into which you can drop 3.5" SATA drives of almost any capacity, from the old 160 GB model you've been using to hold the backup of your iTunes library to that 2 TB Western Digital Caviar drive you just purchased. Using a proprietary storage technology called BeyondRAID, Data Robotics makes it easy to use a DroboPro to give you a big box 'o storage right now, and easily expand in the future.Data Robotics recently lent me a DroboPro for a detailed review, and I was able to give it a thorough workout. Read on to find out more about the DroboPro and an excellent deal available to readers of TUAW.
DroboPro: Drobo bigger, better, rack-mounted and faster
The Data Robotics Drobo brought easy mass storage to power users and small businesses back in 2007, and since then, higher hard disk capacities and word of mouth have turned it into a popular storage solution. The simple design, proprietary BeyondRaid redundant-disk technology, and easy expandability are perfect for anyone who has a lot of information to store, and for businesses with up to 25 employees. However, Data Robotics wanted to move further into the lucrative SMB storage market and didn't have a product that would handle up to 100 people and fit in a standard server rack. That all changed this morning, with the announcement of DroboPro. Think of Drobo on steroids, with slots for eight SATA drives instead of four, two FireWire 800 ports, a USB 2.0 port, and an Ethernet port that is used for iSCSI connectivity, and throughput rates in the 75-80 megabyte/second range. Give this über-Drobo the same easy setup and management, quiet operation, and cool looks of the original device, and you have a winner. I interviewed Tom Loverro, Director of Product Marketing at Data Robotics, last week about the company's new product.
Data Robotics goes large with 8-bay DroboPro
Not sure if you've been keeping tabs, but it's been just shy of a full year since we've seen a new piece of hardware from the labs of Data Robotics. 60,000 Drobos later, we're being formally introduced to the bigger, stronger and more capacious DroboPro. As the name implies, this 8-bay beast is truly aimed at small businesses and creative professionals, but there's nothing here that the average consumer can't fall in love with. Generally speaking, everything here has remained the same as the second-gen Drobo: it looks similar, it uses the same genius BeyondRAID intelligent data storage technology and it's not really meant to be used on networks. Interested to hear more? Hop on past the break for all the dirt.
