Drobo updates Drobo S with USB 3.0, gives away goodies to TUAW readers

Data Robotics has added a new feature to the Drobo S, the five-drive BeyondRAID storage device that can be expanded up to 10 TB of space. While USB 3.0 (note the new port at far right on the image shown here) isn't currently supported out of the box by any Apple products, there are third-party USB 3.0 PCI Express and ExpressCard/34 adapters available to bring the faster version of USB to the Mac Pro and older MacBook Pros. The second-generation Drobo S also keeps the original FireWire 800 and eSATA connections, and the USB 3.0 connector is backward-compatible with USB 2.0-equipped computers. The new Drobo S starts at a price of US$799, with a 10 TB version available for $1799.

The new edition of the Drobo S is available today from partners and DroboStore.com, and it will be available from the newest Data Robotics partner, HP Small Business Direct, on Thursday.

Data Robotics also announced that their Drobo Sync software for the DroboPro FS is now available. The new software makes it easy to sync two DroboPro FS devices over a wide-area network for offsite backups.

The Drobo dudes wanted to share the good news with TUAW readers, so they've come up with an exclusive giveaway. There are six chances to win, with the first prize being a free Drobo S. The second through sixth prizes? A 50, 40, 30, 20, or 10 percent discount off of your choice of a Drobo FS or Drobo S. You can double your chances of winning by retweeting a special phrase that you'll find on the giveaway page.

Be sure to enter for a chance to win either a free Drobo S or an awesome discount.