A long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away), when removable storage topped out at a massive 1.2Mb, a new storage medium emerged called 'Syquest'. Each Syquest cartridge held a gargantuan 44Mb, and was plugged into a 'docking station' that attached to your Mac by its SCSI (Small Computer System Interface, pronounced 'skuh-zee') connection.
In a pre-internet world graphic design companies developed a love-hate relationship with these clanky, unreliable devices as they used them to transport digital images and documents to and from clients and printers. SCSI acquired a new meaning: 'System Can't See It'. I remember endlessly starting and re-starting my Macintosh Plus in a desperate attempt to get the *&?#! things to mount. Ah, happy times!
When I saw the SATA Hard Disk Drive Cradle, it reminded me of the Syquest drive concept. Except this unit takes 'naked' 2.5" or 3.5" SATA drives. It's no Drobo, but with 1TB SATA drives now available for under £100, and this unit available from Storage Depot for under £30, it provides a thrifty and expandable way of making sure all your data is secure. Shame there's no Firewire 800 option.
- - - - -
STOP PRESS: Thanks to Liam for pointing out that Engadget have an article announcing:
"Just like fine wine, the HDD Stage Rack keeps getting better with age. On its third iteration now, the latest version of the external HDD cradle not only includes the obligatory USB and eSATA ports, but it also boasts a 6-pin FireWire 400 connector and two FireWire 800 sockets. 'Course, this thing isn't slated to be available for US hands until the end of this month, but that'll give you a few weeks to swallow the lofty $165.33 price tag, at least."
------------
6 comments:
Wow - like that idea. I'll have a look now. Thanks.
ps - does it take syquests as well (44, 88 etc?)
yes, but you'll need to order the (optional) 5lb sledgehammer
There is another option for Firewire 800 -
http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/05/hdd-stage-rack-gets-even-better-now-with-300-more-firewire/
Nice!
thanks for that liam
very nice... except the price of course!
would probably pay the extra however, so will keep a lookout for it being available in the UK
Blush!
Thought it was a toaster.
The toaster comment could be a jinx! laughing How about a wireless version?
Post a Comment