Chris Hopen and Parvez Anandam think consumers should be able to take their photos, movies, music and other digital files with them wherever they go. And their new Seattle startup company, HomePipe Networks, has just released a new service for users of laptops, smartphones and netbooks called Secure Home Access that does just that.

"HomePipe enable(s) secure access to all your personal content wherever it lives -- at home on a Windows machine or at work on a Mac or at home on a network drive," said Hopen, who previously co-founded and served as chief technical officer at Aventail.

At this point, the company has introduced two iPhone applications -- one which is free and a premium version which costs $2.99. The company also is working on a monthly subscription service, which Hopen said will cost no more than an "ATM fee" to participate.

In addition to the iPhone/iPod apps, Hopen said that consumers can access the files via any Web browser. And he said users can essentially turn home computer storage into "cloud storage" -- kind of like MobileMe iDisk though the cloud storage actually equals the capacity on your home computer.

Hopen said that HomePipe is unique from the competition -- which includes services such as Box.net -- since there's no storage limit. "The only storage limit is the size/amount of storage you have in your home network or home computers," he said.

The PogoPlug

A few online storage and sharing services have already hit the wall, namely Xdrive and Omnidrive. But Hopen said the closest competitor to what they are doing is PogoPlug from Cloud Engines, the San Francisco firm which makes a $129 device that allows users to access files wherever they are. (It too has an iPhone app, though Hopen says his service is easier to use since it doesn't require a separate device).

HomePipe was self-funded by Hopen for several months, but he recently brought on financing from about a half dozen angel investors. Hopen declined to say who is backing the company or the amount he's raised to date.

A filing with the SEC indicates that the company recently raised $215,000 of a $500,000 round. Among the directors listed in the filing are David Pool, Stephen Dunn and Richard Bohrer. Chief Technical Officer and co-founder Parvez Anandam, who previously worked at SonicWall, Aventail, Microsoft and Symantec, also is listed in the filing along with Hopen.

There's certainly a problem to be solved here. At a dinner party last night, one of the guests was asking me about services which would allow him to access his large collection of digital music while spinning tunes at local pubs.

Hopen, for one, thinks it is a hurdle that many computer users face.

"People want and should be able to play their favorite song, see photos, or watch a movie when it's convenient for them," said Hopen. "The rapidly growing home access service market is as simple and as large as making Internet access two-way."