Gizmodo brings word of two new interesting entrants in the massive portable digital storage competition, LaCie's 500GB Firewire drive (Gizmodo: 500GB Firewire drive) and the Hopbit [insert gratuitous Lord of the Rings pun here], a Bluetooth-enabled 5GB portable drive (Gizmodo: The Hopbit). LaCie's new drive will store nearly a year's worth of Ogg Vorbis or MP3 audio tracks. The Hopbit let's you carry a significant amount of data in a convenient location (a briefcase or purse, for example) that can talk to nearby devices (such as a PDA or MP3 player).
Each announcement of devices like this must send shivers down the spine of Hollywood executives. Although these devices are new, relatively expensive, and geared toward those familiar with technology, their capabilities will soon be trickling down into mainstream consumer devices. Consumers expectations are being altered, and not in Hollywood's favor. Why should I have to maintain an easily accessible library of physical DVDs? Why shouldn't I be able to store my DVDs on something like LaCie's drive and scroll through a menu of my available movies and select? Why shouldn't I be able to take my Hopbit into my friend's car and have the music ready available to play through his stereo?
Hollywood executives might say they think such uses are fine, but it isn't technically feasible for the forseeable future to implement DRM that would give consumers the convenience they desire without inhibiting the controls Hollywood desires. Every nifty new portable storage device without DRM is a small victory for freedom.