So here I am getting ready to write about the latest release candidate of Windows Home Server and instead, I come across a pretty incredible storage product called Drobo which in many ways provides what WHS provides (minus the network support of course). The $499 Drobo is labeled as the ”world’s first storage robot” but don’t worry – it’s not REALLY a robot per se (there’s no robot arm inside or anything like that). What the robot aspect is all about is data management automation. The Drobo is capable of storing up to four 3.5 inch SATA hard drives inside. You don’t need to have exact sized drives either – it’ll work with whatever drives you have on hand. Once installed, the Drobo automatically configures, formats, and maintains the drives. More importantly, the device automatically moves your data around such that if a single drive fails, you don’t lose your data at all.

When you need more disk space – just swap out a drive and replace it with a newer larger drive. You won’t lose your data because the Drobo handles all of that for you. There’s no worry about installing utilities or drivers – none of that. Drobo is self-contained and that’s a beautiful thing to behold. It’s funny because in many ways, Windows Home Server is designed to work in a similar fashion. Insert a drive and the OS will automatically use the drive. The one clear benefit for WHS is the ability to share across multiple systems. Now if Drobo had an Ethernet jack – how much cooler would it be?

Seriously though, the Drobo is a thing of beauty. There’s nothing hard about it from a users point of view. You simply look at a light next to each drive to see the status of the drive. Green – everything is ok. Yellow or red and you’ve got some issues to attend to.

This could seriously be the dream of many content creators out there. Heck – it would be the dream of many HTPC users out there too. I only wonder if the USB 2.0 support is good enough at the end of the day.. but shoot – who cares right now. This storage device is just too cool to not look at.

You can find a review of the Drobo at PC Magazine here. Here’s their verdict:

Downloaders, video experts, pro and enthusiast photographers, take note. The Drobo is the drive enclosure you’re looking for. It may be a bit expensive at the start, but its simplicity and future-proof expansion make it worth it.

[Check it out]

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