Active Media shows external SSDs with USB 3.0 speeds
updated 01:20 pm EDT, Mon October 5, 2009
Active Media intros USB 3.0 external SSDs
Solid state and USB storage drive maker Active Media Products recently introduced its Aviator 312 line of USB 3.0 external solid state SSDs. The drives are available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities and support read speeds of as much as 240MBps and write speeds of 160MBps. The drive is one of the first USB devices to reach its peak speeds through the USB 3.0 interface, which allows transfer speeds of up to about 5Gbps, or about ten times faster than USB 2.0.
The A312 SSD is meant to be portable, as it is less than 3 inches long and about a fifth of an inch thick. It also ships with a carrying pouch and a USB 3.0 Micro-B cable that lets users connect it to any USB port. No other external power source is required.
Amazon will begin offering the drives before year's end, with prices set at $89, $119 and $209 for the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models, respectively. Using the Aviator will need a computer with a mainboard that recognizes the faster port standard.
