Yet Another CES Goodie: Verbatim's 2.5-Inch Portable HDD

Once a year, the IT world is hysterically screaming three initials: CES. The Consumer Electronics Show may seem more important than Christmas itself and mass-media is not the only one to take it seriously. The consumer electronics producers have the opportunity of showcasing a year's work for the year to come. The rule is simple: you don't show, then you don't exist.

Verbatim could not miss that opportunity and has cooked a new line of 2.5-inch external hard drives the size of a palm to be shown at the upcoming event. The company has announced that the line will be comprised of four hard drives to have the same features but different capacities: 120, 160, 250 and 320GB.

The drives are compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems and connect to the computer using either a USB interface or combo USB/FireWire interface. The combo interface is particularly important for users who would like to transfer their files between a Mac and a PC computer, as the device becomes interoperable.

"Part of Verbatim's corporate strategy is to capitalize on this trend with an expanded line of external HD products that meet the diverse storage needs of consumers and businesses around the globe," said Charles Klinker, Verbatim Director of Marketing for SmartDisk products. "SmartDisk's advanced technologies are ideal complements to the inherent reliability, optimized performance and competitive pricing that resellers and consumers have come to expect from Verbatim brand products."

The SmartDisk drives do not require external power sources; they are powered via bus. Verbatim's new series feature a 5400 rotation per minute spindle and can deliver transfer speeds of up to 480 MB per second when operating on a USB port and up to 400 MB/s for FireWire connections without an AC power adapter.

The palm-sized external drives from Verbatim are due to arrive on the market until the end of the month at a starting retail price of $99.