Reid Kistler
03-17-2010, 09:30 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/15/iomega-iconnect-review-getting-your-printers-hdds-online-has-n/' target='_blank'>http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/15/...s-online-has-n/</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"Iomega's iConnect... is designed to put your existing thumb drives, external hard drives and / or printers online. We've had less-than-awesome experiences in the past with devices that turn localized storage into network accessible storage, so we went into this overview with fairly low expectations. Much to our surprise, we came away duly impressed with the package that Iomega has assembled...."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1268849498.usr19541.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>Engadget reports favorably on the <a href="http://go.iomega.com/en-us/products/network-storage-desktop/wireless-data-station/network-hard-drive-iconnect/?partner=4760#overviewItem_tab" target="_blank">iConnect Wireless Data Station</a>, which does indeed look like an attractive option for connecting a variety of USB devices to your network. It offers both Gigabit and Wireless connectivity to your router, and permits remote web access to connected storage devices. There are products which compete with parts of the iConnect's feature set, and while the Engadget article mentions the similarly priced (under $100), but less feature-rich <a href="http://www.pogoplug.com/" target="_blank">Pogoplug</a>, I think the <a href="http://www.belkin.com/networkusbhub/" target="_blank">Belkin F5L009 5-Port Network USB Hub</a><!--[if gte mso 10]> <mce:style><! /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;} --> looks like a closer competitor, or you could opt for a software solution, such as <a href="http://www.fabulatech.com/usb-over-network.html" target="_blank">FabulaTech's "USB Over Network"</a> application. But the iConnect seems to trump all of these with a broader feature set, 3 Year Warranty, Windows, Mac OS, and Linux compatibility, and a software package that includes Trend Micro's Internet Security, Iomega's Retrospect Express back-up utility, and the MozyHome Online Backup service. Is this a product category you have any interest in? Or do you already have some sort of device sharing solution in place?<!--[endif]--></p>