For years, the state of the art in labeling portable, edge storage devices has been masking tape and a magic marker. Or maybe a label maker with a barcode. iodyne's new Digital Label technology changes all of that. Pro Mini Digital Label provides a persistent, customizable label on every drive that integrates:
- A high-resolution grayscale ePaper display that retains labels even when the drive is powered off
- A customizable display with multiple modes (see below) that combines personal information from your workflow (such as logos and text) with dynamic information about the drive
- An integrated NFC Transponder, enabling tap-to-unlock, and allowing you to scan workflow metadata
- An integrated Bluetooth LE antenna, enabling Find My support for Apple and Google networks
- Smart-phone quality Gorilla Glass 2 to protect the Digital Label and provide a durable finish
You can use the iodyne Utility on macOS or Windows to personalize the information displayed on the Digital Label to identify Pro Mini, report its storage capacity and usage, show contact information if misplaced, add a company logo, QR codes, and other mission-critical data. Pro Mini does not require any power or data connection to keep this information accessible. With a lifespan of over five years even when powered off, and 90 million refreshes when active, you can safely leave your markers and masking tape on the shelf.
iodyne Utility ships with Digital Label templates that can be tailored to best suit your workflow. Each template consists of four different device states: Idle, Active, Locked, and Lost.
- The Idle mode is used when Pro Mini is ejected, before it is unplugged from your computer. By default, it consists of a device name, project name, contact information, a QR code to identify Pro Mini, its capacity and usage, and the time it was last connected to your computer
- The Active mode shows device and project names, your company logo, connection speed, USB-PD power mode, drive usage and capacity
- When Pro Mini requires authentication with a passkey or password, the Lock mode is displayed, which typically includes an icon, instructions to unlock, and contact info
- Lastly, when a device reported as Lost using a Find My app or through iodyne Cloud, the Lost mode can display a return address or message, contact info, and QR code
Customizing the Digital Label
Pro Mini ships with device-specific, iodyne factory content, including a QR code linking its device info, its model number, and contact info. Use the iodyne Utility on your computer to edit the Digital Label to best suit your workflow. First select a template from the library, then edit the elements, and finally update the device with your new settings.
Windows
To customize a Pro Mini Digital Label on Windows, select either the current device settings or a template from the library, and enter the Edit mode by clicking the pencil icon or adjacent text. Edit the content of each field of the label, such as modifying a text string or icon. Then click Save or Revert to exit Edit mode. Note: some elements such as Usage/Capacity are constant and updated dynamically by Pro Mini. Once you are satisfied with your edits, update the device with its new settings by clicking Update device.
macOS
To customize a Pro Mini Digital Label on macOS, select either the current device settings or a template from the library, and click on elements in the label previews to edit the content. Each modifiable element shows a violet outline on mouseover if the element is editable; some elements such as Usage/Capacity are constant and updated dynamically by Pro Mini. Once you are satisfied with your edits, update the device with its new settings by clicking Update device, or revert to the underlying template by clicking Revert changes.
Editing Specific Elements
- Some elements, such as Device name, Project name, or Contact are mirrored to all four labels where they share information, or customized per-label
- Icons can be chosen from the iodyne Utility library, or a custom 48×48 pixel grayscale PNG image can be uploaded to iodyne Utility to create your own icons
- QR codes can be generated by entering a URL (e.g. https://iodyne.com or mailto://help@iodyne.com)
Summary
Pro Mini Digital Label is a new way to turn portable storage into a Smart Drive that is more connected to your workflow and your team. Send us a screenshot of your favorite Digital Label at info@iodyne.com -- we'd love to see your creation, and hear about ideas you have about ways to enhance Digital Label even further.