14 DAY TRIAL // The market for external and portable storage devices now has a new member in the shape of a certain HDD line that I-O Data has designed, keeping the bulk of the consumer market in mind.
When it comes to external storage devices, portable hard disk drives definitely make up a large chunk of the total industry.
This is because the 2.5-inch form factor (and the rare 1.8-inch one) has turned out to be practical enough and easy to carry.
There is also the fact that hard disk drives have, in general, much more storage space than pretty much anything else, from flash drives to SSDs and Blu-ray disks.
Aiming to leverage the possibilities all of this provides, I-O Data designed the HDPV-UT line of portable HDDs.
Essentially, it is the company's latest USB 3.0-connected series of platter spinners, with storage capacities being two in number.
More specifically, the HDPV-UT can have 500 GB of storage space or 750 GB, the prices for each being of $140 and $178, respectively.
Either way, both of them, colored either Snow White, Platinum Gold or Piano Black, measure 85 (W) x 130 (D) x 14 (H) mm and weigh 180 grams.
For those that want a reminder, the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 standard works at up to 5 Gbps and is the same interface found in I-O Data's new Blu-ray drive.
What's more, in order to make its use convenient and its carrying pleasant, the new portable HDD has been given a soft rubber bottom and a scratch-resistant coating.
Finally, the built-in cable will make connecting to any host system easy, while the on-year warranty stands witness for the reliability all HDDs are expected to exhibit.
Nevertheless, prospective customers will have to wait a while before they can even think of ordering this newcomer because it will only start selling around the middle of June (2011).