Basically, you wave a keycard to lock and unlock the data on the drive. That's great, but while I'm hesitant about RFID cards after lousy experiences with my Amex's ExpressPay chip, the Hard Drive Secure's specs made me weary for other reasons:

• Includes 2 security keycards (1 user keycard, 1 master keycard) in credit card format
  which will lock and unlock the drive for use.
• Controlled access using RFID technology (Radio Frequency Identification) for data security. The 2 included RFID keycards are AES encrypted.
• USB 2.0 interface – connects to any modern computer
• Reliable and fast data transfer
• High quality aluminium enclosure with optimal internal airflow management
• No cooling fan – no noise!
• Compact design, only 15.5 x 14.8 x 4.3 cm, saves space on your desk

The Hard Drive Secure is available now (though strangely sold out) with a steep $500 price tag. [Freecom via EverythingUSB via GadgetReview viakCrunchGear]

• Snow Leopard is due out soon, so Apple needs to clear out Leopard inventory via a $30 discount
• 2TB hard drives just hit the market relatively recently, so NASes and other storage devices using 2TB are the next logical step
• ClubMac and MacMall both showed rendered box shots of a 2TB Time Capsule drive

So with the above points, it seems likely to conclude that Apple's either phasing out the 500GB Time Capsule units in order to make room for the 2TB ones, or just want to reward the people who have been MobileMe customers for a while.

By using a 2TB disk instead of, say, two 1TB disks, the drives take up less space on your desk and are generally simpler (one instead of two). These will hit the My Book Studio, My Book Mac, My Book Home and My Book Essential editions of Western Digital's lineup.

My Book Studio Edition & My Book Mac Edition
Formatted[1] for Mac computers, these drives are an ideal solution for creative professionals and video editors. The My Book Studio Edition is equipped with high speed FireWire® 400/800 and eSATA interfaces as well as the popular USB 2.0 interface and a 5-year limited warranty. My Book Mac Edition external drives feature a USB 2.0 interface and a 1-year limited warranty.

My Book Home Edition
Equipped with continuous backup software and high-speed eSATA and FireWire 400 as well as USB 2.0 interfaces, My Book Home Edition carries a 3-year limited warranty. My Book Home Edition is designed for PC users that need an effortless way to preserve digital pictures.

My Book Essential Edition
My Book Essential Edition offers an easy way to add storage capacity to home or office computers. The drives are equipped with a USB 2.0 interface that provides convenience and compatibility among multiple computers.
The entire family of My Book external hard drives features:
- New 2 TB capacities allowing users to store and backup all their data in one central location;
- Elegant, small footprint design;
- Capacity gauge to see at a glance how much capacity is available on the drive (not available on the My Book Essential Edition drive);
- Environmentally friendly design that saves power by going into standby mode after 10 minutes of inactivity;
- SmartPower™ features that turns the drive on and off with the computer and Safe Shutdown™ that prevents the drive from being powered down until all the data has been written[2];
- Kensington® Security Slot that allows users to secure drive to their desk with the separate purchase of a Kensington lock kit; and,
- 1-year limited warranty.

They're all available now between $330 and $380.

Seagate's 2TB constellation drive, expected this September, is mainly exciting because it runs at a full 7200RPM while Western Digital's model operates at an eco-friendly, undisclosed speed. Given that as hard drives get more storage it only takes longer for systems to seek out their data, speed is an especially important point. Then again, Western Digital's model is out now for $300. We'll be curious what Seagate's fatty Constellation goes for when it arrives later this year. [Seagate via PCMag]

The 3.5-inch SATA drive features a 32 MB cache and about 1.8TB of actual space once you get things up and running. When Hot Hardware tested the WD drive against its 1TB, 7200RPM peers, the 2TB Caviar more than held its ground in general testing. Read more about those results in the second link. [Western Digital via Hot Hardware]

The Hard Disk MAX includes two 1TB disk drives that can be set in either a RAID 0 or RAID 1 configuration. A front USB 2.0 port can link it to another external drive for data backups, and a blue LED stripe will change to red if potential problems come along.

Hard Disk MAX ships with LaCie setup software, Genie Backup Assistant for PC and Intego Backup Assistant for Mac. With the $270 price tag, you'll also get a year of online backup service.

LaCie Hard Disk MAX: Expanding More Than Just Capacity

* Simple and efficient dual-disk USB storage
* RAID for high-performance and maximum reliability
* Hub port feature
* Complete software bundle for easy formatting and backup

Today LaCie announced its Hard Disk MAX high capacity storage system for users who want advanced RAID features with consumer-level ease of use and style. Designed exclusively for LaCie by award-winning industrial designer Neil Poulton, the Hard Disk MAX delivers 2 TB (terabytes) of ultra-reliable storage capacity in a stunning package that will satisfy high-performance requirements for the discriminating user.

The Hard Disk Max includes two large-capacity disk drives that can be set in either a RAID 0 or RAID 1 configuration with the simple flick of a switch on the back panel. RAID 0 stripes data across both disks for the fastest data retrieval response time, while RAID 1 mirrors data exactly on both disks for maximum data reliability.

"Our Hard Disk Max is the ideal mass-storage product for users looking for high performance and data protection," said Lise Manteau, LaCie's Consumer Hard Disk Drive Product Manager. "Its elegant design and ease of use, combined with its competitive price, will appeal to users who have ever-growing data storage requirements."

Users can effortlessly configure the pair of high-speed 1 TB drives in the RAID setting of their choice. Included with the Hard Disk Max is the LaCie Setup Assistant for quick, easy and customizable formatting of the disk drives. The system also ships with Genie Backup Assistant for PC and Intego Backup Assistant for Mac.

The front USB 2.0 expansion port on the sleek, all-black polished-mirror enclosure can be used to link to another external drive for data backups. The multi-purposed blue LED stripe provides ambient light and changes to red to warn of potential problems.

The Hard Disk Max comes with the exclusive LaCie One Year Unlimited Online Backup service, which provides unlimited online backup for one full year after installation is a complete.

Availability
The LaCie Hard Disk MAX designed by Neil Poulton is available worldwide through the LaCie Online Store or LaCie Resellers at the suggested retail price starting at $269.99 USD. For more product information, visit www.lacie.com.

About Neil Poulton
Neil Poulton was born in Thurso, Scotland. A graduate in Industrial Design from Edinburgh University and Milan's Domus Academy, Poulton first came into public view in 1989 as the creator of "the ageing pens," pens made from a "living," wearing plastic that changes color and form with use. Today, Neil Poulton designs and develops best-selling, award-winning products for a variety of international clients including LaCie & Artemide. Since 1991, Poulton has lived and worked in Paris, France. www.neilpoulton.com

About LaCie
Located in the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, Europe, Singapore and Hong Kong, LaCie is the leading manufacturer of computer peripherals for PC, Apple and Linux users. LaCie creates external storage solutions and color monitors that help professionals and everyday users easily manage their digital lives. LaCie has differentiated its products through original designs and leading-edge technology. Established in France in 1989, LaCie is listed on Euronext under FR0000054314 (LAC). For more information, visit www.lacie.com.

The case itself has gigabit Ethernet and two USB ports for extended storage, and the Linux-based PC inside is running a 400MHz processor with 128MB of memory and an EnergyStar-compliant power adapter.

The Linux "operating environment" is the LifeLine system developed by EMC. It supports UPnP and DLNA for talking to assorted other devices on your network—Wii, PS3, Xbox 360 and iTunes—and it has RSA security, no coincidence since EMC owns them too. The screenshots look a lot like other Linux home-servers, such as the most recent HP Media Vault. More on that when we see the set-up live.

What's cool is that this "environment" expands with added accessories. You can buy a supported Axis surveillance cam and the server becomes a realtime and recording video server; with a Bluetooth dongle, you can transfer files directly from mobile products to the server (locally).

Unlike other products in its class, it doesn't yet support remote access, which is a bummer, but Jonathan Huberman, head of Iomega, told me that they're planning to give customers free upgrades every quarter, adding new functionality. That means remote access is on its way (they're thinking end of this year), and next spring, the ix2 will acquire a cool trick: You buy two of them, set up one at your office and one at home, and they'll clone each other, keeping in sync over the net.

We'll probably test this baby out when it ships next week, but if you get to it before us, let us know how it goes.

New Iomega StorCenter ix2 Brings Leading EMC Network Storage Technologies
To Home and Small Business Users
***
Compact $299.99 Appliance Delivers
Highly Innovative Network Storage Capabilities in Just Four Clicks

SAN DIEGO, October 15, 2008 – Iomega, an EMC company (NYSE: EMC) and a global leader in data protection, today announced the worldwide availability of the new Iomega® StorCenter™ ix2, the most advanced and easy-to-use network storage appliance for small businesses and the home. With just four mouse clicks, users can configure up to two terabytes of storage and advanced information management, protection and sharing software that can be connected to multiple devices, including wirelessly with Bluetooth, to manage their ever-increasing digital world.

With a footprint smaller than a large dictionary and starting at just $299.99, the 1TB* and 2TB StorCenter ix2 provides centralized storage to users searching for the easiest and most technologically advanced way to share, secure and protect their most important data – including photos, mp3 files, videos and financial records. The ix2 boosts small office productivity by making data accessible yet secure over a local network. In the home setting, the ix2 allows family members of all ages to effortlessly enjoy their pictures, videos, music and other multimedia files from personal computers as well as all kinds of compatible consumer electronics and home entertainment products.

“The new StorCenter ix2 is a powerful network storage appliance that brings EMC’s world class storage technologies to consumers and small businesses in an easily understandable way and at a price they can afford,” said Jonathan Huberman, president of Iomega and the Consumer and Small Business Products Division of EMC. “The ix2 puts even the most non-technical person at ease with its straightforward operation. But behind the scenes, the ix2 utilizes advanced data protection and data management programs that haven’t been available to consumers and small businesses before. With the ix2, users are literally four clicks away from storage technologies built on the heritage of those that protect data at the world’s largest organizations, all at a cost of less than $300.”

StorCenter ix2 in the Small Business
The Iomega StorCenter ix2 operates EMC’s LifeLine™ software, a fully-developed Linux operating environment and suite of applications that incorporate EMC storage technologies with the capability of adding new storage management features in the future. For business users, the StorCenter ix2 Network Storage appliance delivers new features and applications to boost office productivity.

In addition to speed, centralized storage capacity and the onboard security to protect all the files on a network, the ix2 delivers optional Bluetooth connectivity, which allows users to send pictures, files and address book contacts directly from cell phones to the StorCenter ix2 for network sharing and data protection; as well as a unique digital video surveillance capability using a compatible Axis™ video surveillance camera for inexpensive real-time viewing and recording of activity inside or outside the office.

The ix2 includes security technology from RSA, the security division of EMC that protects digital data at many of the world’s largest banks and now shields the StorCenter ix2 from viruses or malware.

StorCenter ix2 in the Digital Home
For home users, built-in support for Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) and Digital Living Network Alliance™ (DLNA) certified devices means that the StorCenter ix2 can save, store, and play back all kinds of multimedia files – music, photos, videos and other digital content – using not only laptops and desktop computers but any compatible device on a home network, including:
• consumer electronics and home entertainment products;
• mobile devices such as cell phones, music players, and personal digital assistants.

“Consumers want electronic devices that can easily plug into the home network and connect with each other reliably and simply,” said Huberman. “With UPnP and DLNA support and an integrated iTunes™ server in the StorCenter ix2, families can easily set up a robust media server, making the most of all of the digital content they enjoy today and will add to tomorrow.”

StorCenter ix2 - General Capabilities
Fast network performance at the office or in the home is delivered through a Gigabit Ethernet connection, and data is stored on two high-performance SATA-II drives. Up to two USB devices can be connected to the ix2’s USB ports, including USB printers for network print sharing, a USB Bluetooth dongle for direct uploads, or external USB drives to add incremental storage capacity.

The StorCenter ix2 provides data backup and protection with integrated EMC Retrospect® Express backup software. During the set-up process, users choose files and folders for scheduled automatic backups from all the PCs and Macs on their network. After that, any changes or additions are updated and saved automatically.

Because the EMC Lifeline operating environment is continually being refined to integrate new and existing EMC technologies, users can expect upgraded features and improvements without having to purchase new hardware. New software features planned for the StorCenter ix2 include remote file access, online storage and data security enhancements – all taking advantage of world-class EMC storage technologies.

Compatibility
The StorCenter ix2 Network Storage appliance is compatible with Windows®, Mac OS®, and Linux® PCs and supports up to two printers or external hard drives. The interface is localized in 11 languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Traditional and Simple Chinese, German, and Russian). Other supported devices include uPnP AV devices, digital media adapters, iTunes™, and PTP (e.g., digital cameras and frames). BlueTooth compatibility requires an optional adapter.

Price and Availability
The StorCenter ix2 Network Storage appliance 1TB is now available worldwide for $299.99; the StorCenter ix2 Network Storage appliance 2TB is available now for $479.99 (EMEA version of release will note price in Euros). (All prices are U.S. suggested retail.)

Product Page

The 1TB version is on sale now for $499, and the 2TB will be shipping in August. We're always looking for more storage for all the crap we amass from being on the Internet 18 hours a day (we went on a Batman comic downloading spree last week). – Jason Chen

Product Page [Hammer via Electronista]

The TeraStation Home Server includes media server software that was developed by Mediabolic. This isn't a media center, but it does allow media management easily over multiple PCs. The Home Server also includes four USB 2.0 ports, a USB print server and file server. This will be available in May and prices will begin at $1,499 for the 1.6TB model.

The TeraStation Pro features Active Directory member support, two USB 2.0 ports, four serial ATA hard drives, lockable front panel and even an LCD monitor that will display operational mode, disk usage, network information and any problems. This is available now for $1,999.

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