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January 10, 2009 2:58 PM PST

Podcast: Turn any external drive into a NAS drive

by Larry Magid

LAS VEGAS--Network-attached storage for the home has been around for a while. It typically consists of an external disk drive surrounded by technology to connect it to a router so it can be accessed anywhere on your network or, via the Internet, from anywhere in the world. At the Consumer Electronics Show here, Daniel Putterman of Cloud Engines showed off a new device that allows you to inexpensively turn any external drive into a network-attached drive.

The $79 Pogoplug is a small plastic box with an Ethernet plug for your router and a USB plug for an external drive. With it, you can access files anywhere in the home or, through a password protected Web site, anywhere in the world. You can also use the device to share files with others.


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Larry Magid has been a technology columnist and broadcaster for more than two decades as well as a leading Internet safety advocate.
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by kieranmullen January 11, 2009 8:57 AM PST
Guess I will pass on this one. Newegg sells 2 DIY NAS boxes for under $55-70 . For $99 you can get a 500GB NAS Drive from Lacie.

KieranMullen
http://360oregon.com
Reply to this comment
by minkokiss January 12, 2009 10:56 AM PST
Kieran,

While you are correct that the price is a little high there are multiples services bundled with the device - like a web portal for you to access the files via a browser, an iPhone application, etc. It may actually be worth the money if you use any of the additional services regularly.

Minko Kissiov
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About Larry Magid at Large

Larry looks at personal technology products, services, trends, and issues. Although he writes about lots of things (hence "at large"), as founder of SafeKids.com and co-director of ConnectSafely.org, he has a special interest in Internet safety including debunking myths like a predator behind every screen and messages like "be afraid, very afraid."

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