Solid-state drives are a viable alternative to the classical hard-disk, as they offer improved speeds and lower power consumption. Impressive progress made in the field allowed companies to release solid-state drives that can easily replace hard-disks, with no extra system modifications or additional hardware. The only problem is that the actual SSDs are somewhat limited in storage capacity. The largest solid-state drive features a 64 GB capacity and has been recently announced by Samsung.

Things have changed, yet. Buffalo Japan has come with their newest product, industry's first 100GB Solid-state drive. The SHD-UHRS series of SSDs is scheduled to hit the retailers' shelves at the end of this month in multiple "flavors": 32GB, 64GB and 100GB. The biggest surprise is the disk's connectivity. Although SATA II interfaces are the most common interconnects for solid-state drives, Bufallo's products are external drives that use a USB 2.0 connector.

The solid-state drive is the size of a business card and is placed in a fashionable aluminum enclosure. The high-capacity disk drive is small enough to fit into your pocket. The disk records data on a hybrid configuration flash memory that combines the reliability and speed of SLC (Single Level Cell) NAND flash with the cost-effectiveness of MLC (Multi Level Cell) NAND.

The drive includes a TurboUSB feature, that, when enabled, improves the effective data transfer. This feature is available only when the disc is connected to a USB 2.0 compatible port. Since there are no mobile parts, the drive takes shocks and vibrations extremely well. The extremely low power consumption allows the disk be powered up via the computer USB port, which eliminates the hassle of carrying an extra power adapter.

The disk comes bundled with the Acronis True Image LE software that allows easy data backup. The Secure Lock Mobile software allows the user encrypt the drive's data, to avoid important data disclosure in case the drive gets lost or stolen.

There is a single problem though: the 32 GB model sells for $310, while the 100 GB version is priced around $950.