Try as I might I just can’t get along with Linux. It’s a great system to use, incredibly secure and becoming more user friendly with each incarnation but it lacks the programs that I have become accustomed to on a Windows system. OK, I’m sacrificing the peace of mind that my system is nigh on bulletproof but I want to use Photoshop! I want to use Dreamweaver and play the games I love. It is what I was taught on, it’s what I want from a computer.
Storage that is… So today I took receipt of a Thecus N5200 NAS drive. I’ve got a user who has already filled a couple Western Digital MyBook World Editions and we wanted to implement a more robust storage solution for their imaging data and from the options that were available to us this seemed to fit the bill. It was actually branded as the VigStore N5200 as Viglen are now our primary PC supplier but all it seems that all they had done was to buy in the originally Thecus branded device and stuck a Viglen stick on the top (see pick after the break) but that didn’t really matter as we kind of already knew that that’s what we were going to get. So what’s it like?
Today Amazon announced the launch of their new Cloud based data locker system where you can store documents and files securely on a free 5Gb account; so if you have shopped with Amazon before you instantly have a free one ready to go.
We’ve seen these sort of services before with the likes of Dropbox but what sets this one apart is that Amazon are muscling in on Google and Apples territory by offering an MP3 streaming service for it’s users so you can play your music when and where you want and any purchases you make on Amazon for MP3 albums can be added straight to your Cloud storage.
I shudder in terror when I see how people treat their most vital data. Day in, day out I am presented with another user who has lost files dear to them and it’s sooo easy to avoid. Fair enough you may not be able to backup everything that you own, but your photos, your memories, that project you’re working on don’t need to be lost forever if your hard drive dies, just make sure you have a copy (at least one) somewhere else. I know it sounds so obvious but so many people just don’t. I don’t know if it’s ignorance or that they think that creating a backups would be a financial burden but you have to do something. Only today am I sifting throught the remains of a friends drive who has just lost everything for that reason I am writing this post is to tell you that there are sooo many options both for a fee or for free.
Splash the cash
OK so everything that you own is precious to you and you don’t mind putting you hand in your pocket to ensure it’s safety. Well my advice is to dig deep and grab something from the Western Digital My Book World Edition II range. What’s so good you say? Well, it’s tried and tested. I have 8 in the office and they are a reliable as hell. Coming in 1TB and 2TB models each unit contains 2 drives which are mirrored so anything that you backup to the unit is copied twice so even in one drive fails you have another precious copy. It plugs into your network so multiple users can access it and you can fully control its access via the web. It’s simple but simply perfect.
MobileMe – Now if I was going to pay someone to store my data online there may not be many names you can trust but as far as names go Apple gets my vote. Their MobileMe service as well as syncing all your iPhone info in the cloud and providing email and other services provides you with 20GB of online store via iDisk for £59 a year. Not bad considering you can access your files from anywhere in the world. And heck there’s a free trial.
Freebie Filestore
Of course if you ain’t in a position to spend a couple of hundred quid on hardware you can use some of the free options out there. They don’t offer a staggering amount of space but for free who cares. At least you can keep those vital files protected.
SkyDrive – This free service from Microsoft ties directly into your Windows Live account so if you already have a Hotmail address or MSN Messenger account you already have access to this service. Offering a staggering 25GB it’s only disadvantage is that you have to upload and download files on an individual basis but the big advantage is that you files can be accessed from any computer with a web browser. Now you can’t say fairer than that!
BT Digital Vault – Now this seems obvious but not eveyone realises that they have 5GB of free online store as part of their BT Total Broadband account. Like SkyDrive this too is accessed via your browser but it has a nifty Java app that allows you to drag and drop entire folders. Also for £4.99 a month you can up your quota to a whopping 50GB although 5 should be ample for that essential data.
Now I know that not everyone has a wad of cash burning a hole in their pocket but if you are one of those well paid peeps (or someone without kids) you may be looking to invest in some tech. So, what do buy right now. Well, here’s a start on a few things that I’ve tried and tested in 2010.
Laptops
The best laptop I’ve seen this year is the Toshiba Satellite Pro L500-1VX. The upgrade to my previous fave the L500-1D3 boasts a faster processor (2.10GHz Core 2 Duo), larger hard drive (500GB) and 4GB of RAM abd considering it’s a 15.6″ l5.6″ laptop it’s actually lighter than it looks at only 2.7 kg. It’s packed with Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit and comes in at £528.75 all in so what more could you ask for?
Desktops
Now this surely has to be the new 27″ Apple iMac. We got one of these beauties in the other week and I fell in love with it instantly. I always said that if I was going to buy an office computer then it was going to be a PC, but now I’m not so sure. Especially if I plumped for the 2.66GHz Intel Core i5 (Quad Core) version with 16GB of RAM, that would just be nerd pornography with tissues thrown in. It looks amazing, it sounds amazing and if they decide to bring out a 32″-er in the future with a Blu-Ray player then my TV is going in the skip!
Storage
Now there is one thing in the world I really, really hate. USB external hard drives. They really are the most pointless of all devices. Fair enough you can back up all your essential data but everywhere I go I see them constantly plugged into PCs. OK you have copies of your stuff on multiple devices but the amount of USB drives that have been brought to me because they’ve been dropped, trust me, it’s loads. It just isn’t safe keeping your backup copy that close to the original source. Then if your PC/Laptop gets stolen you can probably kiss goodbye to your drive too in the wagged collection. So how to prevent this? Get yourself a network hard drive, more specifically the My Book World Edition II. This enclosure contains 2 drives so everything you back up to is is duplicated, double protection. But the best thing is that it’s network connected so it can be located away from your PC but you can still read/write data to it. Add to this the ability that you can administer it via the web and hey presto you’re protected!
More coming soon…