Storage stocking-stuffers for Christmas

Linksys by Cisco Media Hub NMH405 NAS device

The more digital content that we create (music, photos, movies, etc.) and the more we want to share it with others, the more likely it is we'll need some place to store it. You might be looking at digital cameras or music players on your holiday list, but just as important is storage that helps you keep the content stored or created with those gadgets safe and sound. Here are some storage products and concepts we liked:

Hitachi SimpleTough 500 GB Portable External Hard Drive (Product Web site)

Cool Yule rating: 5 stars

Price: $US121.99

The Hitachi SimpleTough portable hard drive is everything it promises to be. This 500GB hard drive can store large quantities of data and can take a beating. I found the hard drive to accept data pretty quickly, it took approximately 12 minutes to move 4GB of data onto the device, and only a few seconds to move a few megabytes of data. It's also really easy to hook up to your computer and start using immediately out of the package. If you often use the SimpleTough with the same computer, you can set it to automatically update certain files that may have changed like music, photos, or word documents saved to certain folders.

The best part of this device is its portability and toughness. First, it's small enough to fit in a small purse, about the size of an average paperback book. Plus, it's a self-contained unit, coming with its own tough USB cord tucked into the body. The unit is very easy to take from one location to another and instantly start using it; perfect for when you want to share large amounts of information with two computers that aren't networked. If you're a little paranoid about keeping personal data, you could even hide this unit in a sock drawer.

Second, the Hitachi SimpleTough can really take a beating. I dropped the device a few times, and it kept working. I had the device sit next to a glass of cold water. The condensation on the outside of the glass and the side of the SimpleTough, plus the SimpleTough ended up in a small puddle of water, it kept working. I also tested to see if its positioning would affect it at all. I tried using the device both on a flat surface as well as in a bunch of different haphazard positions, falling off my lap or the couch as I used it with a laptop, and it kept working regardless of its position.

Concerned that the USB cord might get damaged? It turns out that under the cord is a hole for another connecting wire. If the cord broke, I would probably have to take the device down to my local Best Buy or Radio Shack, because the port isn't a common port like a USB or mini USB, but I'm sure they could help me find the right connection and I'd still be able to access the external hard drive.

Buffalo MiniStation Metro Portable USB 2.0 Hard Drive (HD-PXU2), by Buffalo Technology (Product Web site)

Cool Yule rating: 4 stars

Price: About $US90

A portable hard drive with capacities ranging from 250GB (version tested) up to 750GB, the Metro version includes Buffalo's BumperBody shock absorbers - rubberized protectors on the outside of the body to protect the drive from drops and other hazards. Yes, it's easy to drop and it will still work for you (just don't throw it at your TV or wall).

Another cool feature - the drive's flexible USB cable is attached to the unit and wraps around the casing for easy travel (an extension cable is also included). Other features include hardware disk encryption, backup software from Memeo, Picasa photo software and TurboUSB utility that aims to speed up transfer rates. It's a basic portable hard drive with lots of memory for storage, some extra protection and a nice wraparound cable so you don't have to worry about digging around for the right USB cable.

Tuff-'N'-Tiny USB Drive (8GB tested) (Product Web site)

Cool Yule Rating: 4.5 stars

Price: $US30

Just when you thought things couldn't get smaller, along comes the Tuff-N-Tiny USB drive from Verbatim, a USB storage device that's smaller than most people's thumbs. Capacities include 2G-, 4G- and 8GB sizes, allowing for thousands of photos, music files or even movies to be stored and saved.

The tiny portion is just that – it's thinner than a standard USB port, yet it still fits in all USB ports. The "Tuff" portion is its rugged features that let you spill water on it, get it dusty, or drop something on it.

The drive comes with a bonus lanyard, which you'll probably want to connect because it's so tiny. In all likelihood, most people will lose this if it isn't connected to something more solid (like a lanyard and a keychain).

Still, it's kind of a fun little device and for 8GB to be stored on something that small, it blows my mind.

Media Hub Home Entertainment Storage, by Linksys by Cisco (Product Web site)

Cool Yule rating: 4 stars

Price: $AU699.96 (1TB)

This is a network-attached storage device that is aimed at keeping your home entertainment files (music, videos, photos) centralized in one location so you can share and access them from multiple computers within the home. The system also supports remote access and even has an FTP server, but the main gist is to centralize the multimedia files.

The box comes with either 500GB or 1TB of storage, two USB ports and an extra SATA bya slot for adding additional external storage, and a media card reader that lets you import photos directly to the drive from a memory card. The unit connects to a home router, and software installs for each PC in which you'd like to access the media hub.

After installation, you can run the Media Importer tool, which scans your PC and copies over all of the music, photos and videos stored on the system. This took a LONG time (about 7 hours) with my first computer, which allegedly had 20GB of multimedia files on it. The initial process of finding and importing could take a while if you choose the "import all" check box. If you want to cut down on time, weed out any photos, music or videos that you might not want to have imported to the Media Hub. Another complaint: the system's browser software to view photos and play the music and videos needs some improvements. A lot of albums that I transferred over (especially show music or compilations with various artists) showed up as separate albums, not as one complete item.

The system also comes with NTI Shadow software that can automatically back up your system if you want, a good choice if you have the extra space on the unit. An LCD screen on the Media Hub unit can give information on its status, IP address, and its name (good for accessing it via the Web browser).

If you're looking to centralize your content, this is a good way to import your multimedia files into one central area. This is also a key ingredient in a home entertainment system if you're looking to use some of the Cisco entertainment devices for playing music (the company's Wireless Home Audio products).

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Aspire easyStore H340 by AcerProduct Web site

Cool Yule Rating: 4 stars

Price: $US400

The easyStore H340 is a compact, powerful network-attached storage (NAS) box that runs Windows Home Server. The easyStore is roughly an 8-inch cube, with a sleek back covering and those eerie blue lights. It features Intel's Atom chip, 2GB of memory, five USB ports, and comes with 1TB of storage.

The idea is that you can load content from multiple PCs to this one box, which then allows family members to share pictures, videos, documents, etc. My home network is wireless, so I connected the easyStore to my wireless router via Ethernet cable. I don't have a "main computer" that's connected to the router, so I turned on my laptop, loaded the install disc and got started. The first task is to install Windows Home Server, which seemed to take forever. Luckily, there was a halfway interesting football game on television. Once Windows Home Server is installed, you can backup your files to the easyStore – again, a process that lasted way longer than it should have, although I was going over wireless between my laptop and the router.

You can also set up user accounts and enable remote access. Once this is done, you've accomplished a couple of things. First, your files are backed up and safe, in case something bad happens to your laptop. You can also set easyStore to do automatic backups, which is great for people who forget to do manual backups (and that's just about everybody). The second thing you've accomplished is that your stuff is now on a shared network drive. I didn't load Windows Home Server on additional computers, but it was pretty clear that once you did this, and backed up your hard drives to the NAS box, you could access music, videos, etc., via Windows Home Server's relatively user friendly interface.

The questions you need to ask yourself before plunking down $US400 are:

1: Is the hard drive on my PC filling up, or is it likely to ever fill up? For me, the answer is probably 'no.' For my daughter, a freelance photographer who does everything digitally, the answer is definitely 'yes.' The easyStore comes with 1TB of storage, plus three open bays if you need to add storage. So, the simple requirement for extra storage is one reason to get the easyStore, and the need for safe backup is another.2: Would you go through the trouble of going onto a "main" computer, access a second device, in order to watch video, listen to music or view photos? After all, there are lots of other ways to share data – e-mail, thumb drives, CDs, DVDs, etc. There's even: "Hey, come over here and look at this."3. This won't help you share photos with grandma in Florida, unless she has Windows Home Server and wants to go through all the hassle (not to mention the passwords) required to log into your NAS box over the Internet.4. Finally, this is a Windows-only solution, so my photog daughter, who uses a Mac, is out of luck.

DockStar, by Seagate (Product Web site)

Cool Yule rating: 5 stars

Price: About $US100 (storage drives sold separately)

The more I try other NAS boxes and large centralized storage boxes, the more I appreciate how easy it is to install and use the Seagate DockStar. I reviewed this in early October, and it's still a favorite product. The tiny docking station connects to your home router via Ethernet cable, with the ability to attach a Seagate FreeAgent Go portable hard drive into the top. Voila! Instant NAS. Extra USB ports on the DockStar let you attach additional USB hard drives (not just Seagate drives), giving you even more storage potential.

Software from Pogoplug then lets you access the DockStar from any PC on your home network, or even from across the Internet. The Pogoplug site and service is also very cool -- in addition to providing access to the DockStar, the service lets you share files and folders with others. For example, if you have a bunch of photos that you want to show to Mom, you can just create a folder on the DockStar drive, enable sharing and then invite Mom via e-mail to let her see the pictures. Advanced features let you set up folders for a Twitter, Facebook or RSS feed, among others.

Two additional software downloads are available from Pogoplug that make the DockStar even more valuable. First, there's PC client software that lets you mount the drive on your PC a lot easier than the standard Windows method. This gives you easy access to drag-and-drop files to and from the drive (a lot easier than doing it through the Pogoplug Web application). Second, Pogoplug offers a very handy iPhone/iPod Touch application, providing mobile access to files stored on the DockStar. The iPhone app lets you stream music files to the mobile device, as well as view and download photos. Furthermore, you can upload photos from the iPhone to the DockStar, making this an easy way to get photos off the iPhone and into your central network.

While the hardware installation and activation was easy, it would have been nicer to have the software (the Pogoplug client software and the iPhone app) bundled along with the device (instead of downloads available on the Web site). It would also be easier to transfer files to the portable hard drive directly via USB from all your computers first, rather than doing transfers after you've connected it to the DockStar. I'd also like to see a multiple file upload available for the Pogoplug Web application.

Clickfree C2 Portable Backup, by Storage Appliance Corp. (Product Web site)

Cool Yule rating: 5 stars

Price: $US140 (250GB); US190 (500GB)

The Clickfree series of products are among the easiest and best ways to quickly backup and protect files stored on your PC. If you know how to plug in a USB cable, you know how to back up your system. The latest version, the C2, adds a convenient docking station and embedded USB cable (if you don't want to use the docking base). Features include 256-bit hardware-based encryption, scheduling backups (if you don't like the automatic backup), and the ability to share photos on Facebook or Myspace directly from the Clickfree Viewer application. Capacities on the hard drive are 250G or 500GB, which can be used to back up multiple systems.

This can also be used to transfer files from one system another, should you be getting a new PC for the holidays, say something that has Windows 7 on it.

Digital Foci Photo Safe II Portable Digital Photo Storage (Product Web site)

Cool Yule rating: 2.5 stars

Price: $US150 (for 160GB); $US200 (for 250GB)

This is more of a specific gift idea for the hardcore photographer on your list, or someone who stores lots of information on smaller memory cards. The main purpose of the device is to let you copy files from those cards (SD, MMC, xD, MemoryStick, MemoryStick Pro, mini SD and MS Duo) onto a 160GB hard drive. Users can also copy files from the storage drive onto a CompactFlash card, and you can delete files from those memory cards as well.

Copying can be done with one-button push, and the files get copied over in their original filename and formats. Digital Foci says it can copy 1GB of files in about 3.5 minutes. The device runs off a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which can be replaced. It's not the easiest device to use and it's not the sexiest device you'll use, but photographers who fill up their memory cards quickly can transfer the photos to the device and free up space for more photos.

Tuff-Clip, by Verbatim (Product Web site)

Cool Yule rating: 4 stars

Price: $US35 (for 8GB); $US20 (for 4GB)

Clearly, those of us who use USB drives for data transfer tend to abuse them, throwing them in the bottom of a laptop bag or placing them on a key ring which could end up anywhere. If one of these types of people are on your gift list, check out the Tuff-Clip from Verbatim, a ruggedized USB flash drive (capacities of 4G or 8GB available) that includes a clip that can hook onto backpacks, a belt loop or even a key ring. In addition to the storage capacity, a password security utility lets you secure the data somewhat.

This makes a great stocking stuffer – when was the last time you could get 4GB of storage for $US20?