Although in our ultra-connected and networked world, most threats (in other words, hackers) to the security of one's data are rather “virtual,” there are also certain situations when external storage solutions (typically used for backup operations) can easily break down pretty much at the same time as computers get hit by a disaster (fire, flood, etc.) However, that's not at all the case with the specific device you're about to see as follows, namely the ioSafe Solo, developed by the ioSafe company, a USB HDD that might very well go through Armageddon without suffering any serious damage.

Hence, the product (recently unveiled at CES 2009) features several technologies that will allow it to survive when disaster strikes. For example, the ioSafe's proprietary DataCast endothermic insulation technology will protect the device against external temperatures of up to 1,550 degrees Fahrenheit (843.33 degrees Celsius) by using what the company describes as “trapped water molecules.”

Next, the HydroSafe technology is designed to protect data loss from fresh or salt-water damage, including full immersion. Since it uses this technology, Solo can also be submersed in fresh or salt water for three days at a depth down to 10 feet (or 3 meters), which means that it can easily survive a mild flood.

Finally, the FloSafe cooling vent technology provides air-flow cooling to dissipate heat during normal operation, but at the same time has the ability to detect destructive heat levels and automatically close the vents to protect data from extreme heat. This way, the device will survive rapid-developing fires and even explosions.

Now that you've managed to get an idea regarding just how tough the ioSafe Solo is, let's take a look at its storage-related features. Hence, the HDD is available in three different storage versions (500 GB, 1 TB and 1.5 TB) and connects to a computing system via a USB 2.0 interface, which means that it can reach transfer rates of up to 480 Mbps. Moreover, it's not even a lot more expensive than normal USB HDDs, since its pricing starts somewhere around $149.



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