14 DAY TRIAL // A few years ago, the mere idea of external hard disk drives didn't really incite many followers, mostly because there were very few interfaces capable of communicating with such a device and all of them were too slow for practical use. This all changed with the invention of the USB 1.1 interface and, later, with its reincarnation as the currently mainstream USB 2.0. Of course, this second iteration has already evolved into the 3.0 SuperSpeed standard. This latest technology, however, seems to be too fast for the industry, which is why it is just a niche market, for now.
CMS is one company that has decided not to jump too far ahead and, thus, designed its latest ABSplus external hard drive with the well-established and mature USB 2.0 connection. Using the 2.5-inch form factor, the drive packs no less than an entire terabyte (1TB) of storage space inside a compact case, which measures only 1.125 inches (H) x 5.0-inches (L) x 3.0 inches (W).
The speed at which the platters spin is of only 5,400RPM, but this is hardly a factor considering that 7,200RPM would be somewhat wasted on a maximum transfer rate of 480Mbps. Essentially, CMS intends this new creation to be used for backup purposes, which is also the reason for bundling it with the BounceBack Ultimate software.
The Bounceback Ultimate confers upon the new storage unit the ability to copy all files from the host PC, which means that, in case of system failure, booting the system will be possible off the ABSplus. Such backup operations can be easily configured and automated. Not only that, but through the implementation of CDP (continuous data protection), the drive is always kept up-to-date. Finally, the device has a high shock resistance, which allows it to survive up to 1,000G.
Priced at $230 Euro, the ABSplus is accompanied by a three-year warranty and may be found here.