Buffalo intros portable SSD with 240GB RAID
updated 03:30 pm EST, Wed December 10, 2008
Buffalo external 240GB SSD
Japan's Buffalo Technology on Wednesday announced the upcoming release of its 240GB portable solid state drive, the LS-WSS240GL/R1. The unusual dual-drive RAID can be connected directly to computers via a USB port or networked via its Ethernet connection for sharing. Buffalo has included a web access function to the drive, allowing iPhone 3G and iPod touch users to access content on the networked LS-WSS240GL/R1 via the devices' web browsers. It's not made clear if other Internet-enabled handsets or computers are capable of accessing the drive, though this is expected.
The LS-WSS240GL/R1 offers DLNA support and can run as a home media server when on the same local network as similarly compatible devices like the PlayStation 3. It also works as its own iTunes server for nearby Macs and PCs. Buffalo points out the drive has no internal fan, making it much quieter than conventional, rotating hard-disk drives and eliminating sources of noise when playing back multimedia files.
Buffalo has also included a direct copy function with its SSD drive, allowing users to upload photos, videos and other content stored on their digital cameras by connecting them via the USB port.
The LS-WSS240GL/R1 can be set up in a mirroring (RAID 1) setup to help protect users' data by writing it to each 120GB SSD. Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard's Time Machine automatic backup functionality is known to work with the drive.
The LS-WSS240GL/R1 will be available late this month in Japan, priced at the equivalent of about $1,145. Buffalo sells to the US but hasn't yet made plans to export the drive elsewhere.
