Say Hello to the Drobo 2 Storage Robot!

In computing there is nothing more important than having a solid backup. Hardware fails, software crashes, and we all know what it’s like to be stuck without that vital piece of information you’ve worked so hard on. Data Robotics Inc. knows this and has a great answer to this problem.

A company best known for its cutely named Drobo, Data Robotics has just unveiled its much anticipated sequel to the successful storage robot. Much of the excitement about this upgrade revolves around the addition of Firewire 800 support. Previously, the Drobo only had support for USB 2.0. With Firewire 800 comes read speeds of up to 50MB/s and write speeds of up to 35MB/s, which is a huge boon over the competition.

The new Drobo also comes with an upgraded processor to help speed things along, allowing users to easily set up a RAID-like array, letting them to mix and match various discs of different sizes and by different manufacturers. The Drobo auto-mounts on device plug-in, and takes care of redundant backup quietly in the background. Currently it works with both Windows and Mac, with a Linux client rumored to be in the works.

This new version of the Drobo is intended to replace the old one, so you’ll be able to grab it at the same price as before, costing $499 for the base unit, $899 for 2TB, and $1299 for 4TB. And if you’d like, you can grab the older version for a reduced price of $349 for the base unit, $749 with 2TB, or $1075 for 4TB.

And just on a side note, (Drobo developers, I’m talking to you) the only things that could make the Drobo any better would be eSata support, built-in NAS support, and a real Linux client, though I have to admit, this new version is very compelling to say the least.