Iomega jumped into external solid state drives market place today with a new External SSD Flash Drive. The drive uses a 1.8-inch SSD that outperform a stardard hard drive, even at USB 3.0 speeds. Iomega claims peak read speeds of 191MB per second and peak writes of 130MB. Those specs make great use of the USB 3.0 port.
The drive is still USB 2.0 compatible and has the option of 256-bit hardware encryption. Iomega bundles Windows antivirus software and cross-platform backup software, since it supports both Macs and Windows systems. (see below for full details on bundle) The drive comes in a metal enclosure which can survive a drop of up to 10 feet.
The Iomega Protection Suite Includes:
- v.Clone software, an Iomega exclusive, captures a complete virtual image of your PC -” including the operating system, all applications, your settings, and all your files to your Iomega hard drive. Access the cloned copy and use it seamlessly on another computer, just as if you’re working from your own PC. When you reconnect, automatically sync your data to your primary PC, so that files are always up to date
- A complementary 1-year subscription to Trend Micro Internet Security for the PC, or Trend Micro Smart Surfing software for Mac.
- Iomega QuikProtect: backup software for simple scheduled file-level backup of data to hard drives and network-attached storage devices (for Windows and Mac desktops and notebooks).
- Roxio Retrospect Express software: backup all of your data plus applications and settings (for Windows and Mac desktops and notebooks).
- MozyHome Online Backup service: Convenient online backup service with 2GB of online capacity for free (unlimited online storage for $4.95/month). MozyHome Online service allows Windows and Mac users to restore their most important data from any computer with internet access, at any location in the world.
Price and Availability
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.