The Tornado

If you need a cheap, fast and easy way to transfer files between two computers in the same room, The Tornado is the way to go.

Pros

Cons

In today’s multiple-computer households and work environments, we frequently run into a big problem: a file on one computer needs to be on another computer and needs to be there now. Getting it there tends to be the problem; even with the multitude of transfer options out there (network, email, FTP server, USB key) there isn’t any really practical and easy method.

That’s where The Tornado comes in: a simple hub, shaped like the weather symbol for hurricane, that connects to two computers via USB 2.0 ports and opens a built-in file transfer interface, similar to Windows Explorer and called The Eye of the Tornado, on both computers. Drag and drop files or folders and The Tornado completes the transfer at an incredibly rapid pace (a 10 MB MP3 file in less than a second), making it a nearly perfect solution.

Nearly perfect, that is, but for two small flaws:

1. You need to keep the transfer interface open on both computers or The Tornado loses the connection.
2. Much like Windows Explorer, The Eye of The Tornado doesn’t allow you to select multiple folders when you’re selecting from the left (navigation tree) pane.

These flaws are very minor, however especially in light of The Tornado’s incredible usefulness for transferring files. Overall, The Tornado is an excellent product and I highly recommend it.