Toshiba's Digital Products Division announced on Tuesday two new products in its storage solution portfolio: the Canvio Desk Desktop External Hard Drive and the Solid State Drive (SSD) PC Upgrade Kit. Both are available now on Toshiba Direct starting at $119.99 and $109.99, respectively.
Toshiba's compact Canvio Desk Desktop External Hard Drive, seen above, arrives in 1 TB, 2 TB and 3 TB capacities. It’s both USB 3.0- and USB 2.0-compatible, and comes with its own preloaded backup application -- NTI Backup Now EZ -- which offers password protected backups, the ability to schedule automatic backups, as well as file, folder and full system backup and recovery.
The specs are the same across all three models, featuring a 5700 RTM rotational speed, an average seek time of 14 ms, a cache buffer of 32 MB, and a sleek black enclosure. Files can be transferred up to 5 Gb/s via the USB 3.0 port and up to 480 Mb/s via the USB 2.0 port -- the USB 3.0 cable is even included with the drive. The Canvio is formatted NTFS-style for Windows XP, Vista and 7 and must be reformatted for use with Mac OS® X Tiger®, Leopard® or Snow Leopard.
Prices for the three external drives are $109.99 for the 1 TB version, $159.99 for the 2 TB version, and $199.99 for the 3 TB model.
As for Toshiba's new Solid State Drive (SSD) PC Upgrade Kit, shown above, it comes with all the tools needed to update the drives in any notebook and personal computer. The list of ingredients includes the drive itself, a USB 2.0 data migration cable and cloning software to easily assist with data transfer from existing drives to the new SSD, a SATA signal cable, a SATA power cable, a bracket and screws, a quick start guide, and a CD packed with the user's manual and the cloning software.
"This Upgrade Kit drastically improves PC performance, allowing for faster boot-up and operation speeds," Toshiba said on Tuesday. "Additionally, compared to standard hard drives, SSDs do not have moving parts, offering improved durability and resistance to vibration and shock, so users can have greater peace of mind that their drive is less prone to damage or crashes. SSDs also consume less power than a standard hard drive, so users can spend less time looking for a power outlet and more time working and playing."
Toshiba's upgrade kit arrives in three flavors: 60 GB for $109.99, 120 GB for $209.99, and 240 GB for $309.99. The drives feature an average read speed of 557 MB/s and an average write speed of 526 MB/s. All three connect via the SATA 3 interface and measure 100.0(L) X 69.85(W) X 9.5(H)-mm.
For more information about the upgrade kit, head here. Toshiba offers additional details regarding its new Canvio external hard drives here.
