Newer Technology has announced its new miniStack v2.5, an upgrade to its Mac Mini form factor hard drive/powered hub. The miniStack offers three FireWire 400 ports (one in and two out) and four USB 2.0 ports (one in and three out) and now features a SATA interface with the latest Oxford 934 bridge chipset. It is available now at Other World Computing with up to 1TB of hard drive space. Prices range from an enclosure kit with no hard drive for $80 to a 1TB miniStack at $280.

The miniStack offers both rear and side ports for both USB 2.0 and FireWire and is bootable across both connections for computers that feature FireWire- or USB-boot capabilities. The drive features thermal monitoring for minimizing fan usage and has a Kensington security slot for mobile security. The miniStack v2.5 is compatible with Mac OS X 10.2.8 and above, and Windows 2000 and above.