Buffalo hits 500GB heights with mini-drive

NEWS

Buffalo Technology has increased the capacity of its small-format hard disk drives with the announcement on Thursday of a 500GB drive, compact enough to fit in your pocket.

The latest MiniStation TurboUSB drive follows the company's preferred format of 2.5-inch, but has an increased capacity of 500GB with an option of 400GB. The drive uses a standard USB 1.1 and 2.0 connection for linking with a PC and is available immediately through most retail outlets. Amazon.co.uk is advertising the 500GB drive for £207 and the 400GB option for £155.

Disk drives continue to stuff bigger capacities into smaller and smaller packages. Earlier this month, BitMicro announced a 1.6TB drive in a small format, but it was a larger 3.5in drive than the one offered by Buffalo.

Although aimed at the consumer market, the MiniStation is bound to find users in commercial areas and government. Portable drives have become increasingly popular for organisations who wish to allow employees to work at home or at different sites as needed.

However, allowing the employee to "take home the office" on a portable disk drive can be a dangerous option, as shown by the recent spate of high-profile data losses. The Buffalo drive does have security software with encryption software for Windows, the company says.

Buffalo advertises the drive as shock-proof. It is compatible with all Windows systems (2000, XP and Vista) and all Mac OS X, including Leopard, the company says in a statement. It includes a wraparound cable for easy storage, a toughened outer casing with "shock-absorbent internal design" and Memeo AutoBackup Software for backup options, including regular system backup, scheduled backup and password protection.

Buffalo MiniStation TurboUSB drive

The Buffalo latest MiniStation TurboUSB drive will accommodate 500GB in a standard unit that should go anywhere, the company says

Post your comment

In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in

Log in or create your ZDNet UK account below

Will not be displayed with your comment

By signing up for this service, you indicate that you agree to our Terms and Conditions and have read and understood our Privacy Policy. Questions about membership? Find the answers in the Membership FAQ

ZDNet UK Live

apexwm

Fedora is the same way as well. The yum update system uses "presto" which shrinks the amount of data needed for download. It's a great system....

4 hours ago by apexwm on Can you believe it - 2765 kB will be freed?
cybfor

Updated ID cards considered for 2012: [zdnet.co.uk] The government is considering introducing a new generation of ID... http://dlvr.it/KpBZ

cybfor

Google, Viacom trade blows in YouTube copyright spat: [zdnet.co.uk] Google and the US media giant Viacom have issued... http://dlvr.it/Knht

CIMITL

Be sure to include an audio option - eg. a beep tone - to intensify and reiterate the action. This will greatly benefit some consumers and give...

5 hours ago by CIMITL
DataSecurityUK

Data disposal is really important to get right. There are standards set by UK and US federal governments to ensure that data is kept secure. If...

6 hours ago by DataSecurityUK
chaycon1

Online Fiber Optic Certification Join a talented group of professionals, who are dedicated to Fiber Optic Networking technology. The online course...

8 hours ago by chaycon1 on BT launches 40Mbps fibre-based broadband
chaycon1

Online Fiber Optic Certification Join a talented group of professionals, who are dedicated to Fiber Optic Networking technology. The online course...

8 hours ago by chaycon1 on Google to build gigabit broadband to the home
J.A. Watson

Hi Dava, I'm glad to hear from you, and glad that you see things from the other side. I think that is the most important point of the whole...

8 hours ago by J.A. Watson on Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx) and the Latest Tempest
dava4444

please please please please please please kill that spam bot.

9 hours ago by dava4444 on ZDNet UK: faster, smarter, still IT all the way
253chelisa253

hi

9 hours ago by 253chelisa253 on How security will look in 10 years
lezlow

it is only greedy[microsoft]?

10 hours ago by lezlow on Researchers break into BitLocker
dava4444

it didn't post the link it's 'Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Lynx Beta-1 First Look' on youtube :) Dava

12 hours ago by dava4444 on Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx) and the Latest Tempest
dava4444

Hi James I disagree, Ubuntu needs a GUI update and this one IMO is quite good. your pics show a low res. here's a high res. on YouTube* The...

12 hours ago by dava4444 on Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx) and the Latest Tempest
dava4444

Hi any news on the comment bot? knocking me back from my own blog is a bit cheeky lol *Mulder to Scully* "I think it has an agenda.." I know, I...

13 hours ago by dava4444 on ZDNet UK: faster, smarter, still IT all the way
benny boy

if you look at the Brentwood exchange on samknows it servers 21,000 residential propertiesm, Lowestoft serves 31,000! Come on BT sort yourselves...

13 hours ago by benny boy on BT fibre broadband coming to 69 more towns
pbreddit

[programming] H.264 - a sting in the tail http://reddit.com/bfu4q [zdnet.co.uk]

reddit

H.264 - a sting in the tail [programming] 13 points, submitted by zigzag [zdnet.co.uk] http://reddit.com/bfu4q

cybfor

Malware infects second Vodafone HTC phone: [zdnet.co.uk] A second Android-based HTC Magic from Vodafone has been... http://dlvr.it/KhKx

miyabi81

Chatter preview http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/application-development/2010/03/17/salesforce-opens-up-chatter-developer-preview-40088348/

cybfor

US gov t considers undercover social networking: [zdnet.co.uk] The Obama administration has considered sending... http://dlvr.it/Kh3L

Featured white papers

Achieving PCI Compliance for:Privileged Password Management & Remote Vendor Access

For multi-store outlets, including retail, banking, grocery, gas, hospitality, convenience stores and others, reducing (or avoiding) the cost of in-store system support and maintenance while maintaining compliance with PCI and other requirements has become a strategic challenge.

Download now

Web 2.0 Security Threats: How to Protect Your Enterprise Network

Speaker: Dr. Chenxi Wang, Principal Analyst, Security and Risk Management, Forrester Research, Inc. As Enterprises are increasingly connected to the Internet and as hard organizational boundaries are fast disappearing, security professionals are facing fresh challenges in Enterprise computing.

Download now

MindManager - Tutorial for New Users - Short

This tutorial is for new MindManager users and teaches you how to get started, by creating maps, reading maps and organizing your information.

Download now