After a period of ambiguity over the buzzword, the promise of cloud storage enticed many people to give up their reliance on local hard drives and SSDs, at least for files they need to be accessible anywhere they go. But while that ubiquity might be good for some cases, especially for online collaboration, but also had its downsides when it comes to speed, reliable access, and pricing.
Network-attached Storage or NAS products tried to sell the idea of having your own personal cloud at home, but that really only worked if you either stayed only at home or had remote access to your home network from anywhere. This rather unusual portable NAS tries to take that even further by letting you carry that cloud with you and, even better or stranger, actually use it as a tablet computer with a tiny screen, even for just a few minutes at least.
Designer: UnifyDrive (via Liliputing)
Technically speaking, NAS devices are already mini PCs in their own right, with a CPU, memory, and custom operating system. Most of the time, however, you access it from a computer at home or remotely via an Internet connection, so just like mini PCs, they come “headless” or don’t have their own monitors. The UnifyDrive UP6, however, is anything but typical and not only comes with a built-in battery, it also has a touchscreen on the side, literally.
The UnifyDrive UP6 sounds more like a portable SSD drive in Hulk mode, fitting six M.2 2280 SSDs for a total of 48TB of storage. The choice of storage technology, versus more affordable hard drives, not only keeps the NAS compact but also resilient to movements and bumps. It is, after all, meant to be carried around, giving near-instant access to data either through a cable or a local wireless network. It even has Bluetooth support to let phones and cameras transfer data directly to it.
Created with GIMP
The built-in battery lets you use the NAS without plugging it in but also acts as an instant UPS (uninterruptible power supply) for emergencies. The touch-enabled screen, on the other hand, lets you use the UnifyDrive UP6 directly even without a connected computer, managing and sharing files, browsing the Web, or even watching media stored there. Unsurprisingly, there’s also an element of AI in the mix, allowing users to search photos and videos with facial recognition and natural language queries, all without even having to connect to the Internet.
