G-Technology G-Safe Review

With the ever increasing sizes of media files, data files, and Time Machine backups, external storage is becoming a necessity for all Mac owners. This year at Macworld I met with the people from G-Technology concerning their G-Safe drives and they were nice enough to loan me one for a little while for a closer look.

The G-Safe is a self enclosed two drive enclosure. Like all G-Technology products, it is rock solid. The case is rugged aluminum and the power supply is built-in. The name “G-Safe” is not clever marketing. This thing is built like a tank. No cheap molded plastic here. It includes FireWire 800 and USB 2.0 connectivity. With the right cable, it will work via FireWire 400. It also includes G-Technology’s 3-year warranty.

Inside are two drives up to 7200 rpm set up in a RAID 1 configuration. That means anything you put on Drive 1 automatically gets copied to Drive 2. Effortless redundancy. If either drive fails, you are already covered. If one drive fails and you replace it, the system rebuilds the backup.

I have to admit that when it comes to back ups, I’m paranoid. This product is, therefore, perfect for me. I know my files are not backed up once, but twice with no extra work. This is useful for any critical data. Obvious examples include iPhoto and Aperture libraries, critical documents, and family video files. If you share my paranoia, this is also perfect for a Time Machine backup. Think about it. In order to lose your critical data, your internal and two external drives would have to all fail.

The G-Safe delivered exactly as promised. Installation was simple and it comes pre-formated for Mac. Yes, that is not a typo. It comes pre-formated for the Mac. You’ve just got to love those guys at G-Technology.

I have a few quibles with the G-Safe. When the fans and drives all run at the same time, it can get pretty noisy. Perhaps a quieter fan would help, but this unit is more about data security than being whisper quiet. Another issue is that you must buy replacement drives from G-Technology. While G-Technology’s prices are about right, it would be more convenient if you could use any drive as a replacement. Since the device comes preloaded with drives, this is not as big of a deal as it first sounds.

An obvious question is how this device compares to the omni-present Drobo. The G-Safe seems sturdier than the Drobo but doesn’t expand as much or as easily as the Drobo. On the question of price, there is no comparison. You can get the G-Safe with 500 GB of storage for $20 less than the cost of the Drobo alone with no drives. Regardless, a case could be made for both of these units and I think it comes down to specific needs. For instance, if you want a duplicated Time Machine, have a set amount of data, or plan on moving your drive away, the G-Safe is the perfect. If you want something that can easily expand over time, you should look at the Drobo.

The G-Safe includes G-Technology’s 3-year warranty and the price ranges from $479 for 500GB up to $879 for 1.5TB. There are cheaper solutions but in my opinion, the extra value is worth it. If you are looking for a safe, reliable place for your important data, take a good look at the G-Safe.

You can listen to this review on the MacReviewCast Episode 200.

Omni Group Gives Away Four Apps

The Omni Group has released four of their software applications as freeware: OmniWeb, OmniDazzle, OmniDiskSweeper, and OmniObjectMeter. All versions are fully functional with no licensing restrictions, and are available at no cost from The Omni Group . I actually screencasted OmniDazzle last year. All of these are quality applications and worth a look.

MacSpeech Updates to 1.3

The best speech recognition application on the Mac, MacSpeech Dictate, got updated today to version 1.3. Now you can use MacSpeech Dictate in any document, including those that were not created with MacSpeech Dictate. There is a new "Cache Document" command that allows MacSpeech Dictate to read a document's contents, in order to navigate the document, and to enter and edit text.

MacSpeech Dictate uses a cache to keep track of the text in the window and where the selection or insertion point is located within that text. This is a significant improvement for this application. I routinely use both MacSpeech Dictate and DragonDictate on the PC side. MacSpeech Dictate still has a ways to go before it gets the functionality of DragonDictate but the aggressive updates and improvements are encouraging.

iPhone JD for iPhone Help

Louisiana attorney Jeff Richardson has been quietly putting together one of the best iPhone sites on the web for business users at iPhone J.D. While it is supposed to be geared toward attorneys, I think the tips and references are very useful for anyone who uses their iPhone to get things done. This one is worth adding to your RSS feed.

Connection Lines in Keynote 09

In Keynote '09 you can now connect objects with lines (straight or curved) that follow your objects as you move them around. I didn't know that.

Blogo Review

Blogo is one of those interesting applications that covers old ground from a completely different angle. In this instance it is blogging software, but not like any such application you’ve seen before.

Blogo’s interface almost tricks you into thinking you are logged into a web 2.0 site. It has big friendly buttons and very much feels like a browser. It includes several, easy to use, tools. For instance, inserting a picture into a blog entry is as simple as dragging the file in, picking alignment and setting your size. The application takes care of the rest. You no longer need to resize your pictures before uploading. My only real complaint with image management is that it does not show you a thumbnail in the editing menu. It simply puts a placeholder for your imported images. You have to open the preview window to see your pictures with your text.

Blogo also does a nice job of formatting text with easy to recognize buttons for typical markup. However, it does not have a “headings” button which is puzzling. I use headings often and using Blogo, I’ve got to dig into the html to pull that off. Speaking of html, I am no expert expert but the html code generated by Blogo appears a bit more verbose than that generated by MarsEdit.

I really liked the full screen editing mode. Of course, I always like full screen editing mode. One of Blogo’s strongest features is the ability to go pull the formatting off your blog and format previews just as they would look on your site. Every blogging application should have that feature.

Blogo presents a friendly, but sometimes limiting, interface for maintaining your blog. You can open it up and start blogging immediately. It represents a very different approach to blogging applications and that, in itself, makes it worth a trial. You can download it from drinkbrainjuice.com and a license will cost $25. You can install your license on up to three computers.

Evernote Tips

Lately I've been rethinking my data collection system. I think a better solution for me involves more effective use of Evernote. The Clever with Words blog has some great Evernote tips.

ABA Techshow

We are now just six weeks away from the American Bar Assosciation Tech Show in Chicago, April 2-4. At it you will find the nation's largest gathering of geek-type tech-savvy lawyers (including your truly) where we discuss ways to practice law smarter using technology. I am particularly excited about the iPhone and Mac sections I'll be leading with my friend Ben Stevens from The Mac Lawyer. If you are in the legal profession and interested in technology, don't miss it. The "early bird" discount expires at the end of February. Also, if you plan to attend, drop me a note. It will be my first time in Chicago.

LegalTech iPhone Session - Call for Apps

One of the sessions I'll be helping lead at this year's American Bar Assosciation Tech Show is a roundtable discussion of practicing law with an iPhone. In addition to discussing network and security issues, I also want to highlight some of my favorite business related applications. At some point I will post a listing of the top applications here but in the meantime, I'd like to hear from the readers about what apps you find helpful for getting through the work day. OmniFocus and Evernote are the easy ones. Surprise me with something I've never heard of. Sound off in the comments or drop me an email.

Micrsoft Retail Stores

Yup, you heard it right. Is it just me or does it seem that Microsoft, that built its business around strategic partnerships, increasingly seems willing to "go it alone?" What is next? Windows branded PC hardware?