Iomega unveils external SSD drive with USB 3.0
updated 09:45 am EDT, Fri October 15, 2010
Iomega outs External USB 3.0 SSD
Iomega threw itself into external solid-state drives today through the External SSD Flash Drive. The storage uses a 1.8-inch SSD that lets it occupy a very small footprint but still outperform a rotating hard drive: it claims peak read speeds of 191MB per second and peak writes of 130MB. The drive is accordingly outfitted with a USB 3.0 port that can handle the added speeds.
The drive is still USB 2.0 compatible and has the option of 256-bit hardware encryption. It supports both Macs and Windows systems, though Iomega bundles them with Windows antivirus software and cross-platform backup software. By the nature of the flash storage, it should be skip-proof compared to a rotating drive and comes in a metal enclosure that should survive a drop of up to 10 feet.
Versions come in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB capacities at prices of $229, $399 and $749. The entire External SSD line is due to ship in early November.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2010
Nice!
I wonder how you measure performance numbers on an SSD drive? I've heard that they're great at random reads/writes, but slower for larger file copies. Still, it would be nice not to have to worry about bumping my drive and thinking that the head just plowed a furrow through my platter. :)