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Iomega eGo Portable and Desktop Drives Get USB 3.0

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Storage developer Iomega has unveiled new updates to its eGo line of portable and desktop hard drives—and they feature speedy USB 3.0 interfaces that can offer up to 10 times the transfer speeds of everyday USB 2.0 drives.

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The new Iomega SuperSpeed USB 3.0 eGo Portable Hard Drive features a 500 GB capacities and runs off bus power—so there’s no need for a separate AC adapter, weights just 0.4 pounds, and is just 5/8ths of an inch thick. The drive sports USB 3.0 connectivity, but is backward compatible with USB 2.0 and 1.1 connections so the drive can be used with older gear—albeit at slower transfer speeds. Folks who don’t have a USB 3.0 port on their computers can add one via an ExpressCard accessory if the transfer speed matters that much to them in the real world. The drive carries a suggested retail price of $129.99.

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On the desktop front, the new USB 3.0 eGo Desktop Hard Drives are available in 1 and 2 TB capacities; they’re pre-formatted with the NTFS file system and feature an 8 MB cache; unlike the eGo portable drive, these desktop drives do need an external power adapter, but at least it’s Energy Star certified so it doesn’t waste as much power when the drive is off or disconnected. The 1 TB version carries a suggested retail price of $149.99, while the 2 TB version goes for $229.99.

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Iomega has also rolled out a Mac edition of its eGo Desktop hard drive; it’s USB 2.0 but also sports a FireWire 800 port along with a FireWire 800/400 conversion cable; it runs $159.99 for the 1 TB version and $249.99 for the 2 TB edition. The company has also rolled out a 1TB Mac edition of its eGo BlackBelt portable drive: also USB 2.0, but with dual FireWire 800 ports and a FireWire 400 converter cable. It should land in Apple retail stores this June for $229.99.

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