There's no shortage of cloud services that let you keep your photos, music and so forth online for free — but there's also a special feeling of security when you know that data is stored locally in your own home. Helixee is a new device seeking funding on Kickstarter that aims to split the difference between these two options: keep everything at home, but access it from anywhere.
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It's a similar proposition to other "network-attached storage" devices, but Helixee wants to make it extra simple for you and your family. Every device belonging to everyone in the household can download the app and keep things centrally on the Helixee, but each person can only access his or her own data (securely, of course).
The Helixee comes in 1 and 2 terabyte varieties, which is enough for photos and music, but probably not any 4K videos you're shooting.
The device is also portable: You can plug it in via USB and it'll provide its own Wi-Fi network, letting everyone access their stuff. And if a phone or computer is stolen or retired, just remove it from the list and transfer its data to whatever the next gadget is.
You can pre-order one sans drive (you provide your own) for about $113, with a 1 TB drive for $170, or 2 TB for $226 — while early-bird supplies last.
