Gadget Review: iTwin

How to access your home PC from the office


Gadget Review: iTwin

by Trevor Tan
05:55 AM Jan 21, 2011

EVER needed to file an urgent report, only to realise you've left an important document on your home computer? Now, with iTwin ($139) - created by a local firm of the same name, which is funded by A*STAR - you can retrieve that file wherever you are.

This 50g gadget, which looks like a double-headed USB thumbdrive, comprises two USB dongles linked by a proprietary L-shaped connector. iTwin allows you to create a peer-to-peer AES-256-encrypted connection between two computers.

Simply connect one end of iTwin to each computer, which must be connected to the Web. The iTwin program will have installed itself instantly. Next, place the documents you want to share onto the newly-created virtual iTwin drive. You should be able to see the shared files on the iTwin drive of your other computer.

Note that there is no storage space on iTwin - it simply serves as a virtual cable between two computers.

I did a file transfer between my computers at work and at home. With both machines on a wired connection, the transfer reached speeds of up to 5MB per second. It took about 20 minutes to transfer a 520MB folder containing 200 pictures.

With Dropbox and other cloud storage services, you may wonder if you need iTwin. But for the sake of security, it is always better to have sensitive documents reside on your own computers rather than in a server somewhere across the Pacific. If you lose one half of iTwin, you can also remotely disable it so no one can access your files.

iTwin works seamlessly on Windows XP, Vista and 7. Unfortunately, you cannot use it on Mac OS X. TREVOR TAN

Source: www.todayonline.com