As far as storage accessories go, these are among the less forgettable

Jan 23, 2013 09:44 GMT  ·  By

There are so many optical drives and HDD/SSD enclosures on the market that most don't stick in the minds of prospective customers, press release or no. I-O Data might manage to help its latest items avoid that fate.

The company has formally launched, in Japan, the DVRP-U8H DVD writer, as well as the HDPD-AUT line of shock-resistant drive enclosures.

First off, we'll cover the DVRP-U8H portable DVD writer, which measures 137 x 154 x 20 mm, or 5.39 x 6.06 x 0.78 inches.

It weighs 300 grams (0.66 pounds) and communicates with PCs, be they desktops or laptops, via USB 2.0.

The slim external drive can burn DVDs at up to 8X speeds and has a price of 6,405 JPY (US $72.3 / 54.55 Euro).

Also, it has a warranty of 1 year and ships in a bundle with Roxio Creator DVD authoring software and Nero 12 Essentials.

And now we finally arrive at the HDPD-AUT drive enclosures, which may just be more memorable than the DVD writer by virtue of being shock-resistant.

And by shock-resistant, we mean they can survive physical blows and drops, not electrical shocks, and prevent the drive within from resulting damage as well.

The protection is provided through a combination of shock-absorbing material (polycarbonate body and polyurethane thermoplastic elastomer membranes lining the inner sides) and a 3-axis G-sensor.

The sensor can detect a drop in progress and quickly stop the drive platters from spinning, if the item happens to be running. That way, the platters won't be scratched by accidental contact with the scribing head.

The USB 3.0-connected HDPD-AUT will be sold alone or with 500 GB or 1 TB drives in black and silver colors. Since they measure 84 x 120 x 19 mm (3.30 x 4.72 x 0.74 inches), the HDDs within need to be 2.5-inch units (SATA 6.0 Gbps) of up to 9mm thick.

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I-O Data DVRP-U8H DVD writer
I-O Data HDPD-AUT drive caseI-O Data HDPD-AUT drive case
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