Power Quotient International Co., Ltd. (PQI) is proud as one of the first few manufacturers to officially announce USB 3.0 portable storage devices. As a continuation and evolution of the existing USB 2.0, USB 3.0 strives for backward compatibility with USB 2.0, stability, speed and universality. USB has had a long history with modern day personal computers and few will doubt its stability as it has proved itself worthy in the past decade. Its universality is unrivaled and can be found on all consumer motherboards, PDAs, cameras, camcorders, etc. The biggest improvement of USB 3.0 is that it dramatically boosted its maximum bandwidth to 5Gbps/sec (625MB/sec) which is perfect for modern day HD multimedia files that can reach 20~30GB capacities in a single file.

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PQI USB 3.0 products to first hit the shelves are portable hard disk drive H566 and Solid State Disk S533. The H566 will have a USB 3.0 ready connection and houses an 8MB cache 5400rpm 2.5 inch hard disk drive with capacities in 320 / 500 / 640GB. It has a read speed of 105MB/sec and a 99.9MB write speed which translate into quadruple the performance of its USB 2.0 predecessors. PQI also announces a USB 3.0 Express Card embedded with two USB 3.0 ports. It can be used with the USB 3.0 devices.

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LaCie, a leading provider of professional storage solutions, in collaboration with Symwave Inc., a leading silicon supplier of system solutions for SuperSpeed USB devices, today announced the industry’s first dual hard disk RAID storage solution based on the new SuperSpeed USB (3.0) standard. LaCie’s 2Big USB 3.0, a dual-disk RAID 0/1 storage solution, powered by Symwave’s USB 3.0 standard-compliant dual SATA and RAID bridge controller, reaches the highest throughput ever achieved in a USB 3.0 external storage product – setting a new standard in the dual disk market. The 2Big USB 3.0 will be available in up to 4TB capacities and is bundled with award-winning backup software for both Mac and PC users.

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"LaCie has a strong worldwide brand and a proven track record for developing high-performance and innovative storage solutions. This collaboration with LaCie, which coincides with our SW6318 USB 3.0 dual-SATA product announcement is yet another first in the industry and for Symwave," said John O’Neill, Vice President of Marketing at Symwave. "The end user experience of external storage is undergoing a very significant upgrade with the launch of USB 3.0 products. We are pleased to be leading the market transition with such a strong partner like LaCie."

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Seagate Technology today announced the Momentus® Thin drive, the world's thinnest 2.5-inch hard disk drive for ultra-portable and entry-level laptops, high-end netbooks, backup devices and consumer electronics. At a wafer-thin 7mm in height – 25 percent slimmer than traditional 9.5mm 2.5-inch laptop hard drives – the Momentus Thin drive gives original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and system integrators significantly lower cost-per-gigabyte storage than solid state and 1.8-inch drives, enabling a new breed of entry-level thin laptops.

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Of all netbook computers available today, 90 percent feature 9.5mm 2.5-inch laptop drives because solid state and 1.8-inch hard drives are largely cost-prohibitive for this market. The Momentus Thin drive provides the lowest-cost storage for netbooks and thin laptops, enabling computer makers to offer systems that reach a broader market.

"The Momentus® Thin drive promises to help computer makers differentiate on mobile-computing form factor and better compete in the fast-growing markets for thin laptop PCs and netbooks," said Dave Mosley, executive vice president of Sales, Marketing and Product Line Management at Seagate. "Seagate is committed to helping its OEM and system integrator partners meet market demand for thinner laptop PCs and plans to expand storage capabilities for thin laptops as demand for these slimmer models continues to grow."

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Today, LaCie introduced the most compact 2.5" hard drive on the market – LaCie Rikiki, in metal. Measuring just a mere 110cm, its sophisticated form factor holds up to 640GB of media that you won’t mind storing in a pocket or purse.

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Encased in brushed, sturdy aluminum, the LaCie Rikiki, which means "tiny" in French, represents a resilient aesthetic that protects your media from everyday blunders and unwelcome fingerprints. Its lightweight design makes it a perfect companion for keeping your digital world close at hand.

"We are part of a generation that wants more from our electronics, but in the smallest form factor possible, and with a competitive price," said Anne-Sophie Marchand, Consumer Product Manager. "With the LaCie Rikiki, we have done just that by fitting high-performance and high-capacity in the palm of your hand, for under $100."

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Verbatim is launching the Pocket Drive, a 250GB portable 1.8” Hard Disk Drive in a stylish black aluminium casing which is small enough to slip easily into a trouser or jacket pocket. The Pocket Drive is available in stores now.

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Anyone who needs to regularly carry large volumes of data with them, seek solutions that are reliable and easy to carry. Being palm sized, weighing just 85g, and cased in a sturdy protective black aluminium housing, the Pocket Drive from Verbatim does just that.

As well as its visual benefits and storage capabilities despite its small size, the Pocket Drive also offers pre-installed backup and synchronisation software. The Dmailer backup software with data encryption is used for backups while the Verbatim Sync software allows data to be synchronised with ease, for instance between the home PC and the external hard drive. The Sync software works with files of all types and provides synchronisation of mail boxes and web site details such as the favourites that are saved in the Browser.

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