Iomega Gives Portable Storage an eGo Boost

Iomega has rolled out a new set of eGo portable hard drives with USB 2.0 interfaces and capacities up to 500 GB.

Storage vendor Iomega has announced a new generation of its eGo Portable Hard Drives, featuring a new streamlined look and capacities up to 500 GB. The new drives are available in four different colors (varying by market), although it looks like the Ruby Red model is the one most likely to top out at 500 GB, and is also available in 250 and 320 GB capacities. Other colors seem to be available in 320 GB capacities.

The new eGo drives use 2.5-inch hard drives and can be powered off a USB 2.0 port—so no external power adapter is required. The drives also feature a Drop Guard feature that protects the drives from falls of up to 51 inches—a BlackBelt version of the drive, coming next month, will come with a grip belt and Drop Guar Xtreme, which purports to be able to survive calls of up to 7 feet.

"After two very successful years with the previous model, the new eGo drive sports a compact, sleek new aluminum enclosure in eye-catching colors and comes complete with a suite of backup and anti-virus software to protect your data and your laptop, netbook or personal computer," said Iomega president Jonathan Huberman, in a statement. "Top it all off with the best drop spec in the industry and the new eGo drive is the portable hard drive this summer for dads and grads and everyone else."

The drives work with Windows, Macs, and Linux PCs, and come with IoMega QuikProtect and EMC Retrospect backup for Mac and WIndows, MozyHome online backup, and McAfee VirusScan (Windows only).

The drives are available today, except for the BlackBelt drive which will land in June. Suggested pricing for the 250 GB Ruby Red model starts is $84.99, with the 320 GB models carrying a $94.99 suggested price. The 500 GB Ruby Red drive will be priced at $134.99, with the BlackBelt going for $139.99. All drives comes with a three-year limited warranty.