The partnerships between various technology developers and sports teams are becoming increasingly popular nowadays, as they provide numerous benefits for both parties involved. And the latest example of the successful outcome of such a business relationship is the Ducati Edition USB Flash Drive launched by SanDisk, a device whose design is directly inspired by Ducati's racing motorcycles currently competing in the MotoGP.

Thus, the new flash drive sports the same glossy red chassis and black trim as the Ducati Corse team motorcycles. Moreover, it features the Ducati Corse logo on top, as well as a red tail light that illuminates whenever the drive is inserted into a computer's USB port. And it looks like Ducati's representatives are very proud of the device's design, as Alessandro Cicognani, Ducati Corse marketing and licensing manager points out. "Ducati and SanDisk share a passion for bringing together performance and design. That's why Ducati was proud to welcome SanDisk as a sponsor of our MotoGP team back in January, and why we're delighted today that SanDisk has created a product so closely mirroring our commitment to excellence."

However, there's more to this thing than initially meets the eye. Thus, on the inside, the drive provides 4 GB of storage space and front-of-the-pack read and write speeds of 20 megabytes per second, which, according to the company, is the fastest of the SanDisk portfolio of consumer USB drives. Moreover, the drive sports a custom lanyard, as well as SanDisk's RescuePRO Deluxe software for recovering data that is accidentally deleted. The drive is compatible with Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista and versions 10.1.2 or better of the Mac operating system.

"There has never been a USB flash drive that looked like this," said Greg Rhine, senior vice president and general manager of the Consumer Products Division at SanDisk. "The SanDisk Extreme Ducati Edition USB Flash Drive is fast and functional, but it's also a way for everyone to share the excitement of Ducati motorcycles and Ducati's long history as a racing champion."

According to the company, the drive has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $124.99 in the United States and is expected to be available in North America and Europe in August and worldwide in September. The drive will be sold through high-end niche retailers, high-end department stores, Ducati network shops and other outlets, including on-line and it will certainly enjoy quite a high level of success, especially among Ducati fans.

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