14 DAY TRIAL // USB 3.0 is slowly making its presence felt in the computer market, as an increasing number of manufactures are announcing new products that have been designed to take advantage of the performance and features of the new connectivity interface. On that note, Active Media Products has just announced the introduction of its new USB 3.0-enabled Aviator 312 external solid state drive. Boasting the new USB 3.0 interface, the Flash-based storage product is expected to provide users with increased performance and backwards compatibility with previous USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 standards.
“Aviator 312 SSDs are a ground-breaking product with performance that is eight to ten times faster than today's fastest USB 2.0 flash drives,” said Jerry Thomson, vice president of sales at Active Media Products. “For anyone who doesn't have hours to waste copying large files there's nothing that comes close to the Aviator 312's speed.”
The new Flash-based, high-performance storage solution has been designed to provide customers with a choice for a 16GB, 32GB and 64GB SSD, which makes use of an MLC (multi-level cell) NAND Flash memory chip. The drive measures 70 x 54 x 5 mm and is compatible with the previous generation of USB interfaces, a feature that will be available on all USB 3.0-enabled devices. In terms of performance, the new drive is said to be capable of delivering up to 240MB/s and 160MB/s for read and write, respectively. These performances can only be achieved when the USB 3.0 interface is available on both the host and the respective device.
The new drive is scheduled to become available later this quarter for a price point of US$89, US$119 and US$209, respectively. The drive will add to a couple of other USB 3.0 devices, including the recently announced Freecom drive.