I'm not sure if that is accurate or not, but with measurements at 4.3 x 2.9 x .5 inches it is even smaller than the popular FreeAgent line from Seagate. The USB 2.0, self-powered drives are available in 250GB, 500GB and 640GB flavors for $75, $109 and $149 respectively.

Today, LaCie introduced the most compact 2.5" hard drive on the market – LaCie Rikiki, in metal. Measuring just a mere 110cm (cubed), its sophisticated form factor holds up to 640GB of media that you won't mind storing in a pocket or purse.

Encased in brushed, sturdy aluminum, the LaCie Rikiki, which means "tiny" in French, represents a resilient aesthetic that protects your media from everyday blunders and unwelcome fingerprints. Its lightweight design makes it a perfect companion for keeping your digital world close at hand.

"We are part of a generation that wants more from our electronics, but in the smallest form factor possible, and with a competitive price," said Anne-Sophie Marchand, Consumer Product Manager. "With the LaCie Rikiki, we have done just that by fitting high-performance and high-capacity in the palm of your hand, for under $100."

Leveraging the versatile USB 2.0 interface, the LaCie Rikiki is instantly compatible with your PC or Mac. Simply plug it in and you're ready to store and share your favorite media with high-speed performance. LaCie Rikiki also offers USB Boost software for enhancing speeds up to 33% (Windows® only).

LaCie Rikiki also comes with a simplified software suite – for quick setup and easy-to-use backup management – enabling complete configuration in just a few clicks. The LaCie Rikiki is an all-in-one solution for storage mobility.

Availability
The LaCie Rikiki will be available in 250GB, 500GB, and 640GB capacities through the LaCie Online Store, LaCie Reseller+, and LaCie Corner, starting at the suggested retail price of $74.99 (excluding VAT). For more information, visit www.lacie.com.

[LaCie]

The price isn't super-low, but these drives, which start at $85 for the 250GB model and top out with the 500GB, $135 dollar model, are decidedly accessible. They're all (in most cases) powered from a single USB port, and come with a decent suite of EMC backup software.

They're available in four colors (red, silver, blue and black) starting today. Press release below.

SAN DIEGO, May 18, 2009 – Iomega, an EMC company (NYSE: EMC) and a global leader in data protection, today announced the worldwide availability of a new generation of the exciting Iomega® eGo™ Portable Hard Drive, featuring new look USB 2.0-powered models with superior ruggedness and the broadest suite of bundled data protection software in the industry, and all backed with a three-year limited warranty. Available in four different colors and up to 500GB* in capacity, the new Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drive is the ultimate embodiment of style and function in portable drives today.

"The new Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drives are the perfect companions for home users and professionals that want to take their files anywhere with the assurance of a superior rugged portable drive that has style to spare and a compact form with flair," said Jonathan Huberman, President of Iomega and the Consumer and Small Business Products Division of EMC. "After two very successful years with the previous model, the new eGo drive sports a compact, sleek new aluminum enclosure in eye-catching colors and comes complete with a suite of backup and anti-virus software to protect your data and your laptop, netbook or personal computer. Top it all off with the best drop spec in the industry and the new eGo drive is the portable hard drive this summer for dads and grads and everyone else."

A key element of the Iomega Protection Suite is McAfee® VirusScan Plus, the market-leading anti-virus, anti-spyware software.

"In today's world of increasing attacks on consumers' data by the bad guys, it's as important to protect your external hard drive data as it is to protect your PC's local data," said Todd Gebhart, President, Consumer Products, McAfee, Inc. "Iomega is the first to recognize this fact and we're pleased to be partnering with them in this fight."

Cool Hardware with Superior Functionality

The new USB 2.0-powered eGo Portable Hard Drive comes in variety of colors and capacities: the bright Ruby Red model is available in 250GB, 320GB and 500GB capacities; the sparkling Silver model comes in 320GB; and the deep Midnight Blue model is available in 320GB. (Color and capacity combinations vary in international markets.)

Inside an anodized aluminum shell little more than a half-inch thick (16 mm) and weighing less than 7 ounces (200 grams) is a state-of-the-art 2.5-inch portable hard drive. Iomega's Drop Guard™ feature protects data on the new eGo drive from drops of up to 51 inches, or 40% above the industry average! The new 500GB Iomega® eGo™ BlackBelt Portable Hard Drive USB 2.0, available in June, comes complete with a black eGo Power Grip Belt and Iomega's Drop Guard™ Xtreme, which provides unparalleled protection for the drive from drops of up to 7 feet (2.1 mm) – over twice the industry average!

All of the new USB 2.0 eGo Portable Hard Drives receive power from a laptop or computer's USB port so there's no power supply to carry around. And unlike other portable hard drives, the new USB 2.0 eGo Portable Hard Drives ship with a "Y" cable which gives users the flexibility to use two USB ports to power the drive, if needed. And with up to 500GB of capacity, the new eGo drive can store up to 2,000,000 photos, over 9,250 hours of music or 750 hours of video**.

Most Powerful Software Package Bundle with a Portable Hard Drive Today

Bundled free of charge with the new USB-powered eGo Portable Hard Drives is the new Iomega Protection Suite, a one-stop portfolio of backup and anti-virus software giving users added protection for their photos, videos, music and other files.

The Iomega Protection Suite includes:

* McAfee® VirusScan Plus: a free six-month subscription to this market-leading software that protects your PC with anti-virus, anti-spyware, 2-way firewall, and web security protection (PC only).
* Iomega QuikProtect: backup software for simple scheduled file-level backup of data to hard drives and network-attached storage devices (for Windows and Macintosh desktops and notebooks).
* EMC® Retrospect® Express or Express HD: backup all of your data plus applications and settings (for Windows and Macintosh desktops and notebooks).
* MozyHome™ Online Backup: Convenient online backup service with 2GB of online capacity for free (unlimited online storage for $4.95/month). MozyHome Online service allows you to restore your most important data from any computer with internet access, at any location in the world.

All of the software elements in the Iomega Protection Suite are accessible via easy download to new eGo Portable Hard Drive owners.

Compatibility

The new Iomega® eGo Portable Hard Drive USB 2.0 models are compatible with Microsoft® Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP, and Windows Vista™, and Mac OS X 10.4 or above. MozyHome software is available for Windows XP and Windows Vista, along with Mac OS X 10.4 and above. EMC Retrospect software is available for both Windows and Mac OS X operating systems.

New eGo Portable Hard Drive Accessories

Available for purchase at www.iomega.com are two new accessories for the new USB-powered eGo Portable Hard Drive: a durable black carry case, and the Iomega Power Grip Belt (like the one on the eGo BlackBelt Drive), available in black and translucent colors.

Pricing, Availability and Warranty

The Iomega® eGo™ Portable Hard Drive USB 2.0 family of drives are available today, except for the new Iomega® BlackBelt Portable Hard Drive 500GB USB 2.0, which will be available in June. The 250GB Ruby Red eGo model is priced at $84.99; the 320GB Ruby Red, Midnight Blue and Silver eGo models are $94.99; the 500GB Ruby Red is $134.99; and the 500GB BlackBelt eGo model is $139.99. (All pricing is U.S. suggested retail.) All of the new USB-powered eGo models include a 3-year limited warranty, and are available from online retailers, VARs, resellers and select retailers, as well as at www.iomega.com.

In June, Iomega will announce additional new eGo Portable Hard Drive models with multiple interface combinations.

According to a TD Daily interview with a representative of the USB Implementers Forum, when USB 3.0 devices hit shelves in late 2009, we can anticipate transfer speeds of only 1200Mb/s. That's roughly a quarter of USB 3.0's potential, though still more than double USB 2.0 max speeds. So USB 3.0 will still be faster (and more power efficient) than current USB tech at launch, but it won't be fully hulked out just yet. [TG Daily and image]

BUFFALO TECHNOLOGY UNVEILS THE WORLD’S THINNEST EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE

The Super-Flat MiniStation Shinobi is Designed for High Performance Data Storage while Fitting into Your Shirt Pocket

AUSTIN, TX – September 22, 2008 – Buffalo Technology, a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of wired and wireless networking, storage and memory solutions today unveiled the super-slim MiniStation Shinobi. At a mere 5mm (.2 inches) thick and weighing in at just 2oz, the robust MiniStation Shinobi is a lightweight in size but a heavyweight when it comes to features. Designed for the active professional, Buffalo’s new ultra-portable drive includes easy-to-use backup and sync software, mobile applications such as Firefox and Thunderbird for on-the-go email and web browsing as well as Buffalo’s SecureLockMobile software to prevent unauthorized access in the event the drive is lost or stolen.

Featuring a unique, self-contained cable management system, the sleek, new MiniStation Shinobi offers users the ability to backup and take their favorite music, videos, photos or mission critical files in an ultra-slim drive that can withstand the trials and tribulations of the road.

“Innovative, easy-to-use products with quality features is what Buffalo is known for,” said Ken Higgins, vice president of sales at Buffalo Technology. “With the new MiniStation Shinobi, we are continuing to push the envelope with more compact, design conscious storage solutions that will not only meet, but exceed the ever evolving needs of our customers.”

The MiniStation Shinobi is Mac and PC compatible and is the perfect grab-and-go storage solution, whether it’s for doing a presentation overseas or a casual lunch meeting down the street. Buffalo’s unique TurboUSB technology enhances data transfer rates of up to 20% faster than other standard drives and ships with Memeo’s AutoBackup and Auto Sync software allowing consumers to securely and automatically manage and backup their digital assets in real-time.

Pricing and Availability

The MiniStation Shinobi is backed by a limited one-year warranty that includes toll-free 24/7 technical support and will be available in October at estimated street prices of $119.99 for the 30GB (HD-PT30U2) and $169.99 for the 60GB (HD-PT60U2).

[Buffalo

Today, Toshiba unveiled a 200GB USB-powered 2.5-inch portable drive, for the reasonable price of $230. It's got a sweet black finish and a ruggedized case, and like I said, it draws power from the USB jack so you don't need to carry around an extra AC adapter. There is one hitch, though, something not mentioned in the press release or other reports: More than likely, the drive spins at 4200rpm. If you've been in need of an ultraportable cyclone of crazy A/V data access, you're just gonna have to settle for 160GB or wait some more. Sorry. –Wilson Rothman

Toshiba Unveils 200GB Pocket Drive [PC Magazine]