Drobo Review

The Drobo is truly the most awesome of all data storage products. It solves a lot of the issues that I have been having since the day I got my first computer in 1983. Chances are, you get passionate about creating or collecting digital content, not about managing the storage where it lives. In comes Drobo, the first robotic storage device that takes the pain out of keeping your content safe.

Drobo guards everything on it.

Drobo combines up to four hard drives into a big pool of protected storage. Start with two, grow to four, then upsize smaller drives-get Terabytes of protection.

Drobo upgrades capacity on-the-fly.

Add drives to Drobo at any time. Mix ‘n match capacities, brands or speeds. No downtime, data migration, or waiting to access new capacity. Drobo works the way you do.

Drobo lets you “pay as you grow”

Hard drives get bigger and cheaper all the time. Don’t buy storage capacity until you need it. Buy capacity “just-in-time” possibly saving you hundreds of dollars.

Drobo manages storage, so you don’t have to

Just connect Drobo to your Mac or PC. No software required. No RAID levels. No management or configuration. Drobo does everything for you. Get rid of multiple external drives. Avoid the complexity of RAID. Attach a Drobo storage robot to your system and let it manage your storage so you don’t have to.

Robotic Operations

Drobo is programmed to take actions on your behalf; always ensuring it’s keeping your data safe and optimized:

• Auto-formatting of added drives1
• Auto-repair of data after drive failure
• Auto-repair of data corruption
• Auto-repair of data redundancy
• Auto-expansion of storage pool (when drives are added or upsized)
• Auto-sense & display of capacity used

Consolidated Capacity

• Regardless of how many hard drives are installed, your Mac or PC sees one large drive:
• Consolidation of storage into large pool
• Accessible via High-Speed USB 2.0
• Accepts one to four drives.

Automated Protection

• Data on Drobo is automatically protected against drive failure and data corruption:
• Redundant protection of all data
• Protection against drive failure
• Sensing and avoiding data corruption
• Auto-repair of data after drive failure2
• Protection against multiple drive failures2

Flexible Configuration

• It’s extremely easy to add capacity to Drobo; just like adding ink to a printer:
• Uses standard 3.5″ SATA I or II drives
• Accepts any brand, capacity, or speed
• No tools, just insert drives into slots

Infinite Expansion

• Expand capacity forever by adding new, or upsizing installed drives without data migration or configuration:
• Insert new drives to any available bay
• Replace installed hard drives with larger drives to increase total capacity
• New capacity is available instantly
• Add drives without downtime or configuration

Intuitive Indicators

Drobo informs you what actions are required with simple to understand indicator lights (no software required)

• Green = healthy, no action necessary
• Yellow = low, add drive here soon
• Red = full, add drive immediately
• Flashing red = failure, replace drive

Drobo Tech Specs

Drives: One of four 3.5″ SATA 1 or SATA 11 hard disk drives (full or half-height, no carriers required): Any drive manufacturer, any capacity (mixed capacities ok), any spindle speed or cache

Interface: High Speed USB 2.0

Dimensions: 6.0″ wide x 6.3″ tall x 10.7″ long

Weight: 6lbs. 11.3oz. (without power supply, hard drives or packaging)

Includes: Drobo storage robot, external power supply (100v-240v) with U.S 110v power cord, USB2.0 cable, User Guide & Quick Start Card (printed), Drobo Resource CD with Drobo Dashboard application, Help files, How-to Videos and electronic documentation. System Reqs: Apple Macintosh OS-X 10.4 or greater; Microsoft Windows 2000, 2003, XP or Vista. Certifications: FCC Class B, Underwriters Laboratories (US/Can).

If you are interested in the Drobo data storage robot, you can save 10% instantly by using Drobo coupon code SCENE at Drobostore.com. There is no limit to the total discount and no quantity restrictions apply, meaning you can use Drobo promo code SCENE to buy several units at the same time and use the discount across the board. There is however a limit to how long this offer is good for. You must use the promo code by August 1st, 2008 to receive your discount.

Please let me know if you are able to take advantage of this discount. I am excited to see what tasks people have their Drobo data storage robot performing.