ioSafe® Announces the SoloPRO: Its Fastest Rugged External Hard Drive

*** UPDATE: See my review of the ioSafe SoloPRO *** 

The great people at ioSafe® contacted me today to make a press announcement about a new drive. I reviewed the Solo in January and immediately made it my primary storage device for my photos. I wish mine had eSata and the larger capacity, so this will have to be my drive for 2011 (I use a new drive each year for photos). 

Press Release

The ioSafe® SoloPRO is available in high-performance USB 3.0 and eSATA versions, providing
users with an unprecedented combination of speed and physical security.

AUBURN, Calif., August 18, 2010 -- ioSafe today announced the availability of the SoloPRO.
The SoloPRO is the business-class edition of the award-winning Solo external hard drive and is
available in USB 3.0 and eSATA/USB 2.0 formats, providing full support for Windows, Linux
servers, and desktop operating systems.

SoloPRO features include:

• Fast transfer speeds over 100 MB/s - 3 to 4 times faster than typical USB 2.0 speeds. One
  TB of data can be backed up to a SoloPRO in a couple of hours versus 10+ hours with
  USB 2.0 or several months online at normal speeds.
  
• Available in 1 TB, 1.5 TB and 2 TB capacities.
  
• Rugged disaster proof design. Both the USB 3.0 and eSATA versions of the SoloPRO
  protect against data loss in temperatures up to 1550° F for 30 minutes per ASTM E119 or
  being submerged to a depth of 10 feet for up to 3 days.
  
• Advanced Replacement Service. Replacement products under warranty will be shipped
  out in advance with proper packaging and return shipping pre-paid. The end user simply
  uses the packaging to ship the original unit back to the factory.
  
• 12 months Data Recovery Service Standard. Up to $2,500.00 towards the cost of thirdparty
  forensic data recovery, one time, for any reason including accidental deletion, hard
  drive failure, fires, floods, etc. Upgradeable to 3 or 5 years for $49 or $99 respectively.
  
• Heat-resistant paint option. Bright emergency orange colored coating to help make the
  SoloPRO easy to recover in a post-disaster environment.

“Both homes and businesses need to store ever-increasing volumes of data quickly without
worrying about data loss. ioSafe has always been about safely and securely storing data locally
and now with its introduction of USB 3.0 and eSATA, homes and businesses can accomplish
that more quickly than ever before ," said Jerome Wendt, an expert in data storage who serves as
the Principal and Lead Analyst at DCIG.

Martin A. Regtien, Editor-in-Chief of Digital Reviews Network, tested the SoloPRO and said,
"Based on the ioSafe SoloPRO USB 3.0 strengths – in this case its literal strengths of being
fireproof, waterproof - plus its value for money, we have no option but to award it our highest
commendation: our Editor’s Choice Award."

ioSafe CEO Robb Moore added, "The new SoloPRO provides industry-leading performance and
physical security as well as plug-and-play simplicity. Additionally, the new interfaces and
upgraded Data Recovery Services make the SoloPRO a logical choice for disaster protection in
home office and business environments."

The USB 3.0 Solo is compatible with USB 2.0. Users without USB 3.0 who wish to upgrade can
easily do so by adding a USB 3.0 PCI Express card to their system.

Pricing and availability

Priced at $249.99 for the 1 TB model, $319.99 for the 1.5 TB model and $419.99 for the 2 TB
model, the SoloPRO will be available September 1, 2010 via the ioSafe website, resellers and
international distributors.

Special Offer

See my review here:

http://www.ronmartblog.com/2011/03/review-iosafe-solopro-1tb.html

for updated details about the special offer and for more info on this product.