Announced at CES just a couple of months ago, the idea of a portable hard drive that you unlock with your fingerprint is really quite cool – but now having used it, I can tell you it’s more than cool – it’s bloody useful.
The T7 Touch from Samsung is a small portable hard drive that has one key feature most don’t – security.
While it looks the same as many of Samsung’s other small SSD hard drive, there’s a square on the top of this unit that lights up when plugged in – that’s a fingerprint sensor.
Simply tap your fingerprint on there and the drive unlocks and all our files are visible on the connected computer or smartphone.
Setup was way easier than I thought – the software is on the drive, simply run it, then name your drive, and scan your fingerprint as you do on a smartphone.
A password is also required for backup protection, but you’ll only ever use your fingerprint I’m sure of that.
When you connect the drive to a device and don’t scan your fingerprint it shows up, but no files are visible.
Scan your fingerprint and boom – there are your files. I love it.
It’s not cheap – 500GB version is $279, the 1TB is $439 and 2TB is $799.
For complete security of your files, it doesn’t come much better.
However, the product could be improved. Imagine there was a folder on there when unlocked that you could drop files and those files were visible in the “read-only” state when the drive has not been fingerprint unlocked.
This way you can share files with ease. I couldn’t find a way to do that either mucking around or in the user manual.
Otherwise, it’s great. Solid security for those out and on the go who worry about leaving a hard drive behind.
Trev is a Technology Commentator, Dad, Speaker and Rev Head.
He produces and hosts two popular podcasts, EFTM and Two Blokes Talking Tech. He also appears on over 50 radio stations across Australia weekly, and is the resident Tech Expert on Channel 9’s Today Show each day and appears regularly on A Current Affair.
Father of three, he is often found down in his Man Cave.
