Sobering thought for the day: Data loss is not a matter of if -- it's a matter of when. If you use a computer or smartphone or tablet long enough, eventually you'll lose precious documents, photos or the like. Might be the result of a virus, might be due to theft or accident, but it'll happen.
The question is, will that event prove to be a major calamity or minor inconvenience? You can easily make it the latter by implementing a robust backup system, by which I mean one that archives your data locally and online. Automatically. All the time.
Like this one: For a limited time, you can get the IDrive Wi-Fi 1TB hard drive and IDrive Personal 1TB Cloud Drive for $59.50. Normally the drive sells for $99.99, plus $44.62 for cloud service.
Specifically, for the first year of cloud service. And that's what you're getting here, too: one year of IDrive Personal. After that, you'll be looking at an annual fee of $59.50 (assuming you want to continue your cloud backups, of course -- it's optional). That's a very competitive rate for a full terabyte of online storage, and it includes a dedicated, separate terabyte of Dropbox-like "sync space."
Update: Some readers have expressed concern over IDrive's terms of service, which seem to suggest that if you don't maintain a subscription, you'll no longer have access to the physical drive or your local data. Here's clarification from the company's communications manager: "Users will need active account to use the Wi-Fi drive. But if the user does not renew the cloud subscription, they will be downgraded to a free account with a 5GB cloud backup limit instead of the 1TB limit. The cloud data will be deleted, but the user can continue to use the Wi-Fi drive. If the user cancels the account, then the Wi-Fi drive can not be used for that account. You can always create a new free account and use the Wi-Fi drive for that account."
In other words, you do need to maintain an IDrive account, but it can be a free one.
As for the drive itself, it's wireless, meaning it can connect to your home network (and the Internet) without having to plug into your router -- though it does have an Ethernet port if you prefer a wired connection. From there you can link and back up multiple devices: PCs, phones, tablets, and so on.
Also, the IDrive Wi-Fi features a 3,000mAh battery, meaning you can bring it along for mobile access to (and backup of) your files. (Of course, because it's a connected drive, you can also access files even when the drive stays home.) I didn't find any mention of how long that battery will last you between charges, and it's not immediately clear whether the Android and iOS apps can stream, say, a video or music library from the drive.
Most Wi-Fi-enabled hard drives can do that, but it's clear the focus here is on backup -- and the IDrive appears to make that easy and affordable. Indeed, similar drives sell for at least $100, if not $130-150, and not all of them include an online component. Here you're getting one for just $60, plus another 1TB of cloud backup. What's not to like?
Bonus deal: Need a printer? Adorama is offering a helluva deal: the HP OfficeJet Pro 6230 for $34.99, shipped, when you apply promo code CTCHSKATE1 at checkout. It features automatic duplex (i.e. two-sided) printing and supports direct wireless printing from laptops and mobile devices, even if it's not connected to a network. The 6230 sells elsewhere for at least $75 and includes USB, Ethernet and Wi-Fi connectivity options. I happen to know supplies are fairly limited, so if you're interested in this, act fast.