Here's a hard drive that comes with a secure PIN (personal identification number) access that bars anyone who's not authorised.

Taking hard drives along for storage and portability needs has become a necessity these days. But security is still an unaddressed issue, in case the hard drive lands in the wrong hands. Apricorn has just come up with a new concept incorporated in its Aegis Padlock encrypted USB hard drive. The hard drive comes with a secure PIN access that bars any unauthorised entry if it is either lost or stolen. The Aegis Padlock includes a keypad on which you have to enter the required PIN as and when you try to access the data stored on it.

The Aegis Padlock features a choice of AES (advanced encryption standard) 128- or 256-bit hardware encryption that offers better security. The hard drive is available in the 250 GB, 320 GB and 500 GB capacities, and is compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems. The price starts at $ 99 (Rs 4,829 approx.).