Sony Combines Pocket Drive with 802.11

Ernest writes "They presented this at Net&Com 2003 in Tokyo. I've found this announcement in German at ComputerWoche Sony selected Linux as the file server's operating system. They'll start selling this little 390 gram thing on the japanese market at the end of March for 585$. Inside is a 20GB 2.5" disk of which (only) 17GB will be available for files."

Comments

sPod?

[D4Vr4nt]

Hack = Sony iPod?

Well...

[pegasustonans]

Sounds cool, but I'm not sure it'll get by on just "cool" if they decide to release it in North America...

Customization, ZeroConf support?

[spankalee]

Mac freaks have been speculating that the iPod will get 802.11 for a long time now... and sony beats them to it.

I wonder how customizable the Linux install is. This type of device will be very usefull with ZeroConf. Any services it provides (mp3, divx streaming...) will automagically appear as soon as it joins the network. yippee.

17 of 20 gigs useable?

[trmj]

What could possibly take up 3 gigs? C'mon, it's not the OS, they're using Linux. What else are they hiding on that drive that's using so much space?

Re:17 of 20 gigs useable?

[ejdmoo]

DRM? Never know, this *is* Sony...

Re:17 of 20 gigs useable?

[Exiler]

Yea, this IS Sony, the same that are protecting you (Ok, maybe their good name, but you still get the benefits) from crippled CDs.

Re:17 of 20 gigs useable?

[Galvatron]

I was damn curious about that myself. My guess is just sloppy workmanship. As one of the other replies alluded to, they're probably just using a standard distro install, rather than actually hacking things down to just the drivers and software that they actually need. Maybe some kind of an autoupdate feature/spyware too?

Re:17 of 20 gigs useable?

[Anonymous Coward]

Its probably not the OS, but the file system. A file-system takes extra space on top of the files it stores -- and it can get quite large with larger drives. Its still the same percentage, but if the FS adds just 5% then a 20GB drive would loose 1GB right there. But again, they are taking up 3GB.

Maybe they're using one of the journaled FSs Linux has to offer (such as XFS) and using a 2-3GB partition for the journal.

Rendezvous

[Garin]

Now, if we could get these things with rendezvous up and working, so they just automagically work with MacOS X (and eventually everything else).

That'd be nice, to have a portable scratch-space drive or something like that, that you just plug in and suddenly it works for everyone :^)

Very Interesting

[peatbakke]

This is great -- basically a network storage appliance, without the wires. I wonder how the battery life is, although I suspect it's good for a few hours (similar to iPod).

I'm definitely interested. I work with lots of people who are WiFi capable and need storage larger than CF cards. It seems like this could be a very handy device for independent consultants and developers on the move ... or in a location that hasn't been fully wired.

Hmm. I'd like to see this in the US.

Re:Translation

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, but what about SSH? I wouldn't be eager to
stick an FTP/CIFS(Which is just SMB by any other
name)/NFS-only server on my *WIRED* LANs, much
less on a wireless one where anyone can sniff the
traffic.

PDA Accessory

[RPI Geek]

This would be a great accessory to a PDA with an 802.11(a/b/g) card.

Imagine plugging setting it up at a hotel or on a train and streaming your (legal ;) music without even using so much space as a hardcover book.

This might entice me to actually get a PDA, if the proce drops.

Re:ummmm, stupid

[Anonymous Coward]

you got a point there. you can get pentiums these days on the cheap... hook them up with 1 PCI h/d controller, spend the rest on storage and for the same price you could have yourself like 300 gigs, no problem with wi-fi.

WARHIKING!

[Ungrounded Lightning]

Pocket-sized, battery-powered Linux box w/20G hard drive, 802.11b port, small screen "console", and a way to attach (at least) an ethernet.

Add a GPS and you've got a warhiking setup.

Add intrusion tools plus automation and you've got an industrial espionage device, too. (Bad guy goes to an interview, hangs out in a waiting room, lobby, or parking lot, or hikes by on the sidewalk, while the pocket-sized box sucks down everything of interest on the internal net, or just sniffs packets for a while. 20G leaves plenty of room for netstumbler to crack the WEP.)

Re:its too slow!!!!

[BJH]

There's a hell of a lot more 802.11b equipment out there right now that won't be upgraded for a while. I think it's a reasonable move - they just issue a new model when 802.11g becomes widespread (since the 802.11b version will work with it quite happily).

Computational brick

[Animats]

It's in a direction that's interesting to me, but not quite what I need. I have an application that needs a "computational brick".

• IA-32 processor, about 2Ghz or so. 512MB of RAM. Hard drive. Ethernet and FireWire. No display.
• Very rugged, suitable for mounting in an offroad racing truck.
• Automotive temperature range.
• Powered from the vehicle 12V supply.
• Size and weight not too critical.

Any suggestions?

Re:ummmm, stupid + more fun ideas!

[dermusikman]

after "3 gigs for linux?", my next realization was price, yes. that seems absolutely ridiculous for 17 useable Gigs! but that's probably why it's being sold in Japan, where i'm told size/useability take precedent over cost.

in America, we like things big and cheap. Japan likes things small, regardless of price.

now here's a question: how much would it cost a do-it-yourself'er to make a comparable product, but more useable?
5.25" 90 Gig HDD, SBC with 802.11b and IDE controller... it would be more of a backpack or fanny pack (child of the 80s) device, but portable and far more useable!
basic boot sequence with nfs? oooh! or portable internet proxy!?! lots of fun can be had!

A related Sony gizmo

[phr2]

Here's a Sony press release about a "giga vault" handheld 40Gb hard drive gizmo, with USB2 and Firewire but no 802.11. They do seem to be getting into the portable storage biz.

Ultimate Packet Sniffer

[sleepy-monkey]

Honestly, I don't see a lot of uses for this thing...although it would make a great autonomous packet sniffer. Place it near an interesting target location (i.e. WLAN enabled company, coffehouse, etc.) and let it sniff away. With that 20 Gb hard drive, I bet it could store quite a few interesting tid-bits. Drop by a couple of days later and pick it up...wah lah!

what to do with this?

[new death barbie]

First off, it does not appear to have any battery at all. That's got to be fixed; a laptop battery should provide some reasonable life, given that there's no LCD display to power, and the WiFi network I want would only need to have a range similar to Bluetooth. It would need to have some sort of low-power 'standby' mode when idle. It would have to be cryptographically secure, at least for transmissions, and optionally for the data on the disk.

A battery would make it heavier, but since I wouldn't need to take it out of my backpack/briefcase during the day, that's less of an issue.

Okay, now we have a reasonable Portable Storage Device ("PSD"). Make sure the interface is a well-documented standard, of course. Now any manufacturer can design and sell:

PSDs with different size disks, as the technology becomes available

PDAs with differing features/pricepoints, all of which store their data on the PSD -- in a format I can access/update directly from my PC

MP3 players which can play music from the PSM; and maybe some that can record to it as well

cellphones (preferably just the headset) that can dial from the PDA database, and save voicemail messages to the PSD

cameras that can download/upload images to the PSD

...profit!

11Mbps should make most of these feasible, but as with any bandwidth, more is better.