July 13th, 2009
Hitachi SimpleTOUGH external HDD is water-resistant, shockproof to 9.8 ft.
Hitachi on Monday unveiled three new products: the water-resistant and shock-resistant SimpleTOUGH portable USB drive; a colorful palette of SimpleDRIVE Mini 2.5-in. external hard drives; and the SimpleNET NAS adapter for sharing existing USB drive content over a home or office network.
(If the SimpleTech name sounds familiar, it’s because Hitachi recently acquired SimpleTech manufacturer Fabrik.)
As you might expect, the USB-powered Hitachi SimpleTOUGH is designed for serious mobility, and is engineered to sustain a three meter drop (9.8 feet) and able to withstand the pressure of a one-ton class commercial truck. It’s “ready for the great outdoors,” the company says, and offers a “never-lose” foldaway USB cable, ergonomic profile, and a topside LED for power status. It sells for $99.99 for 250GB, $119.99 for 320GB, and $149.99 for 500GB.
Meanwhile, the USB-powered Hitachi SimpleDRIVE Mini Portable USB 2.0 Drive takes the looks of its SimpleTOUGH brother but loses the bulk. With a similar design, the SimpleDRIVE is available in multiple flavors: red wine in 250GB, blue dusk in 320GB or carbon fiber at 500GB. The drives sell for $89.99 for 250GB, $109.99 for 320GB and $139.99 for 500GB.
Finally, the Hitachi SimpleNET is a small network adapter that allows you to share and access existing USB hard drive content over a home or small business network. The USB drive appears as a drive on the network so you can share content with everyone on your network. You can also connect up to two USB drives at once. The SimpleNET adapter is available for $79.
Andrew J. Nusca is an associate editor for ZDNet and SmartPlanet.
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