Iomega Intros Super-Thin eGo Helium Drive

Iomega's new eGo Helium portable hard drive might not be lighter than air, but it packs 320 GB into just seven ounces and 0.63 inches.

Super-thin notebook computers like the MacBook Air might be all the rage with travelers and other folks who scrutinize every ounce of gear they have to carry…but storage vendor Iomega doesn’t think that means they haev to go without portable hard drives for storage. The company has just announced its new eGo Helium portable hard drive, which packs 320 GB into a case measuring just 0.63 inches in height and weighing just seven ounces . And it runs off bus power and is conveniently styled to closely match the look of the MacBook Air. Coincidence? We think not.

“The eGo Helium extends [the eGo portable drive line's] strong commitment to delivering style with substance,” said Iomega VP of marketing Peter Wharton, in a statement. “What makes eGo Helium such an effective piece of industrial design is the way it dresses up a highly functional 320GB hard drive device into a durable and sleek package with plenty of storage capability, making it an easy-to-use ‘eye-catcher’ that’s small enough to go anywhere.”

The eGo Helium drives are formatted with the Macintosh HFS+ file system, but (of course) Windows users can reformat to NTFS, FAT32, or whatever strikes their fancy. (Don’t fret: Mac users have been reformatting Windows drives for years: turnabout is fair play.) The drives ship with Retrospect Express backup software and the MozyHome online backup client (with 2 GB of online storage free, and unlimited online storage for $4.95 a month). The drive also features Iomega’s Drop Guard feature to help protect the drive from falls as high as 51 inches.

The eGo Helium should be available in October for a suggested retail price of $149.99.