Okay Geek Farm
iTwin review
Jason Tsay
Have you ever wished you could magically transfer a file from one computer to another without a cable? With the iTwin, you can do just that. What looks like a dual ended flash drive is actually one with limitless capacity that can also move files between two computers using the Internet. But with services like Dropbox out and about, is the $99 price tag justified?
Features
- Plug and play remote file access
- Military grade secure connection.
- Remotely edit your files
- Stream all your music, videos and photos between the two computers.
- Remotely disable your iTwin if either half is lost.
Our Impressions
The iTwin comes in a box to match its name. By this we mean it’s very similar to that of Apple’s product packaging (think 5th generation iPod box). Everything from the styling of the box to the lettering on it is remarkably similar. Inside, you’ll find an instruction manual lying on top of the iTwin embedded in foam. The hardware of the iTwin is pretty well built but there is no protection for the USB connectors at all. A retractable connector would be best while even a plastic cap would be appreciated. A gunmetal gray aluminum enclosure wraps around the iTwin and an interlocking mechanism connects the two sides. We were pretty disappointed that the two ends weren’t joined via a MagSafe like connector though as it seems like that would make more sense. Pretty simple as far as packaging goes but is it just as simple to use?
To answer that question, we went ahead and plugged in the iTwin. Two pairs of LEDs instantly lighted up and our computer prompted us to install a bit of iTwin software. In the My Computer file explorer, iTwin will show up as a system folder in “Other” (rather than “Devices with Removable Storage” or “Hard Disc Drives”) with no storage capacity on it. Within that folder, a large green emblem is displayed indicating that these are local files. We proceded to drag some files onto the iTwin and disconnected one end of the dongle. Plugging the other end to a second computer, we installed the software once again and entered the iTwin using Windows Explorer. This time, an orange “Remote Files” emblem showed in the bottom corner. If you go to the little notification area in Windows you’ll be able to right click and switch between the two folders on one machine. You can also easily generate a remote disable code just in case you lose one end of the iTwin. The iTwin is especially useful if you’re upgrading to a new computer and need to move over mass amounts of data at a time. We experienced this first hand and found ourselves dragging over tens of gigabytes of files at a time. The iTwin works like a charm; usage is as simple as it gets.
iTwin vs Dropbox/other cloud storage
Now at this point you may be wondering, “Can’t I just do this for free with Dropbox?” We’d be inclined to agree with you but there are two main advantages the iTwin offers over Dropbox. The first and most obvious to end users is capacity. Dropbox gives you 2GB for free when you first sign up but if you want more space you’ll find yourself coughing up as much as $199 per year for just 100GB of space. The iTwin is a one time purchase that gives you unlimited storage. So if you’re going to be storing lots of big files in the cloud, you might want to take a look at the iTwin before making a decision. Dropbox’s second main problem is in regards to security. The recent breach that left everyone’s files unprotected for 4 hours is a perfect example that may cause many users to jump ship. Thankfully, privacy with the iTwin is not an issue. You’d have to have one half of the key to access the AES256 encrypted data and you can even set a password to reinforce security. Of course, this feature also backfires in the respect that you will not be able to share files with multiple users - there’s only two ends to the iTwin.
Overall
We like what the iTwin brings to the table but it also has a couple of pretty big flaws. First of all, you need to always have either end of the dongle with you to access your files, meaning you can’t share them with anyone else. Secondly, you’ll need a fairly good internet connection at all times (we would’ve liked there to be a bit of local flash storage on each half for duplicate functionality as a flash drive). Ironically, there’s only support for Windows machines at the moment, restricting overall usefullness. We’re especially hoping that an iPhone/mobile device client is coming soon. Aside from everything we just mentioned, the iTwin is pretty much the best way to move files from one computer to another wirelessly. There’s no limit in terms of capacity and the concept is darn simple. Whether or not $99 justifies a single purpose product is your call.
Pro’s
- Unlimited storage
- Greater file security
- Simple usage
Con’s
- No Mac compatibilty (fix is in the works)
- Only 2 way transfer (fix is in the works)
- Dependent on Internet speed
Where to buy
This review was done by Jason Tsay, who was provided the iTwin by iTwin.
