StormFly: Carry Your Operating System on Your Wrist Wherever You Go
There’s a plethora of flash drive wristbands out there, but few let you fit an entire computer on your arm. One company specializing in portable operating systems created StormFly, a wearable storage device that allows users to run OSes on separate devices.
StormFly lets you take your Mac OS, transfer it onto the USB and plug it into a PC. The transition happens quickly and works independent of the machine’s original OS. Check out the video, above, for more.
Initially created as an alternative to cloud storage, Now Computing designed business devices to locally move systems from PC to PC. The idea of having all your games and programs on any computer appealed to the creators’ children and inspired the wearable gadget.
A StormFly user starts by plugging the wristband into the USB port of the host machine and rebooting or booting from cold. The boot process is then interrupted (instructions are provided) and the hardware redirected to run from StormFly. Then you’re ready to play, work, download and enjoy your time at the computer using your own personalized settings (wall paper, mouse cursors, icons and so on) without impacting on the host.
Half of the available storage space is taken up by whatever Linux OS is running on the device, together with system files (including device driver management) and installed programs. There’s 4 GB for user settings and personal information and the rest is allocated for a shared folder.
Everything except the shared folder is password protected, and this folder is visible outside of StormFly’s system – meaning that users can drop a video into the folder while using a Windows PC, for example, and view it later on a Macbook booted into the StormFly system.
Unlike a LiveCD Linux effort that you might be able to create on your own USB flash drive, StormFly is claimed to have full app and file persistence (meaning that apps and files are retained at every reboot), and if you don’t want or need an OS on your wrist, it can be used like any other thumb drive.
Creators hope the wristband will be useful for schools and households with shared desktops. Schools with too many students and not enough computers can manage systems with a device for each child. Kids have a tendency of bad downloads and tinkering with settings, creators say, so individual computing environments can prevent constant repair.
Although StormFly doesn’t require access to the internet to work, one of the biggest selling points for security-conscious folks like myself is the ability to go online using a host computer and not leave any traces of your activity on the machine itself.
Now Computing is also introducing a rather refreshing take on the back-up of data. Users can opt to pay an annual subscription of US$19.99 to have the device back itself up to the company’s encrypted servers whenever it gets online. Should a StormFly wristband get lost or stolen, a new one can be ordered from Now Computing (for $49) and the company will create a replacement using the last saved backup. This will then be sent out by courier.
StormFly is not yet available to buy. Now Computing has launched on Kickstarter to help provide the financial push needed to finalize the product and bring it to market. A pledge of $59 will secure an orange- or black-colored StormFly (three months backup service included). The Evangelist level for $199 includes lifetime backup and one replacement StormFly. If successful, backers could get to wear and use StormFly as early as April.
Would you use StormFly? Do you think it poses a solution for technology in educational institutions? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Source: Kickstarter