Addonics has just introduced its Snap-In series of hard-disk drives enclosures that let computer users hot-swap their 2.5-inch drives between systems. The portable hard-disk drive enclosure allows users to directly pop the drive in, no matter whether the computer is already turned on or not.

The drive enclosure is extremely user-friendly. Users can directly insert the drive inside the 2.5-inch bay, then start using it on the fly. To maximize the installation efficiency, Addonics' enclosure needs no additional tools or screws for the installation part.

Called the Snap-In ExDrive25, the unit acts and looks like a CF card reader, except for the fact that it works with fully-fledged 2.5-inch drives. Users can insert or eject the hard-disk drive at any time, without having to install additional software or to perform system reboots.

The elegant aluminum casing is scratch-proof and acts like a large-scale heatspreader. Addonics built the enclosure using its patented shock mount mechanism in order to protect the installed hard-disk drive from physical shocks.

As for the connectivity part, the drive can be linked to the host computer using either eSATA or USB 2.0 connectors for increased data transfer rates and maximum compatibility. More than that, the Snap-In ExDrive25 is also bootable when connected to an eSATA port, which makes it the ideal tool for performing backups or disaster recovery tasks.

However, since the eSATA connector cannot supply the enclosure with power, or at least, not just yet, you would have to purchase an external power adapter for about $15 (codename AAPAC5V).

Addonics is also providing another model of the Snap-In drive, that is especially tailored for desktop systems, and comes with dual 2.5-inch SATA hard drive slots. The whole enclosure can be easily mounted inside a desktop computer on a standard 3.5-inch drive bay.