14 DAY TRIAL // As most end-users are well aware by now, USB 3.0 is probably the most underrepresented technology on the current IT market. The number of motherboard models with built-in USB 3.0 support is limited and even USB 3.0 express cards aren't available in a wide variety. The same is, more or less, also true for USB 3.0 flash drives and PQI decided to take a hold of this market while it's still still “warm” by introducing the Cool U366 USB 3.0 flash drive.
This announcement comes a week after PQI launched two other gadgets for the USB 3.0 standard, namely two portable storage devices, the 2.5-inch HDD H566 and SSD S533.
As consumers must know, the USB 3.0 interface is capable of achieving data read and write rates ten times better than those attainable by the USB 2.0 technology. This is allowed by the large bandwidth of 5Gbps. The flash drive launched by Power Quotient International Co. will further help in quenching end-users’ appetite for high-speed data transfer through its maximum read speed of 97MB/s (write speeds aren't mentioned).
The Cool product in question measures 87 x 22 x12 mm and is available in three storage capacities, specifically 16GB, 32GB and even 64GB. Also, similarly to all other devices built upon the new Universal Serial Bus standard, the U366 is backward compatible with the still mainstream USB 2.0 interface. Nevertheless, in such conditions, the drive won't even come close to the aforementioned 97 MB/s speeds.
The Cool U366 USB 3.0 flash drive is designed with an aluminum shell and has a clear plastic lid. PQI has, unfortunately, not disclosed any sort of details on the pricing or the availability of the product, leaving consumers to their own speculations and anticipations. Still, most signs seem to suggest the possibility of the actual launch occurring during or shortly after the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show.