Iomega Entering Into USB 3.0

Iomega announced the worldwide availability of a new generation of single-drive Iomega eGo portable and desktop hard drives, including a new smaller Compact model with up to 1TB in capacity, new SuperSpeed USB 3.0 portable and desktop models, and new high capacity FireWire 800 Mac edition portable and desktop HDDs with up to 2TB of capacity. Bundled free of charge with all of Iomega’s new eGo drives is the Iomega Protection Suite, one of the broadest collections of data protection software in the industry.

eGo Charcoal Portable Hard Drive, USB 3.0

"The new Iomega eGo desktop and portable hard drives are the embodiment of style and function as well as perfect companions for home users and professionals who demand fast, dependable storage in a classy desktop HDD or a superior rugged portable drive that has style to spare and the best drop spec in the industry," said Jonathan Huberman, president of Iomega Corporation and the Consumer and Small Business Products Division of EMC. "At Iomega, we believe in total solutions, which is why all of our new eGo models come complete out of the box with arguably the best suite of backup and anti-virus software to protect your data and your laptop, netbook or personal computer. Put it all together and Iomega takes direct-attached storage to another level of flair and functionality."

New Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drives
Iomega now has two different USB interface versions of its award-winning eGo Portable Hard Drive: the new 500GB SuperSpeed USB 3.0-powered eGo Portable Hard Drive, and three capacity flavors of the new Iomega Compact Edition USB 2.0 eGo Portable Hard Drive. All eGo portable models are perfect for slipping into a laptop bag or pocket to take anywhere your laptop goes. The USB interface eGo portable models require no external power supply.

The new charcoal gray Iomega SuperSpeed USB 3.0 eGo Portable Hard Drive features transfer speeds up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0 models, allowing you to save your photos, music, videos and other files in a fraction of the time it would take with USB 2.0 interface speeds. The new 500GB SuperSpeed USB 3.0 eGo drive works with the 3.0 standard offered on native USB 3.0 Windows laptop and desktop computers. Of course, the USB 3.0-powered eGo Portable Hard Drive is also backward compatible for USB 2.0. Conversely, Iomega offers USB 3.0 adapter cards (sold separately) to insert into your USB 2.0 laptop or desktop so you can experience native USB 3.0 transfer speeds of up to 5 gigabits per second.

The new Iomega USB 2.0 Compact Edition eGo Portable Hard Drive sports a sleek, smaller enclosure than the previous generation of eGo portable hard drives, making it one of the smallest 2.5-inch HDD portable hard drives in the market today. Available in durable Ruby Red, Midnight Blue and Silver enclosures, the new Compact Edition eGo Portable Hard Drive is offered in 320GB, 500GB and 1TB capacity sizes.

Iomega has also just announced the new Iomega 1TB eGo BlackBelt Mac Edition Portable Hard Drive, which features dual FireWire 800 ports and one USB 2.0 port. The new 1TB eGo BlackBelt Mac Edition Portable Hard Drive includes a backward compatible FireWire 800 to 400 cable for those users who only have FireWire 400 ports on their laptop or desktop computers. The new eGo BlackBelt Mac Edition drive also includes Iomega’s Drop Guard Xtreme, utilizing the Iomega Power Grip band, which helps protect the BlackBelt eGo drive from accidental drops of up to seven feet – or twice the industry drop average. The new Iomega BlackBelt Mac Edition Portable Hard Drive is expected to be available at Apple Stores in June.

To appreciate how much data can be stored on a high capacity portable hard drive, an Iomega eGo portable hard drive with 1TB of capacity can hold up to 400,000 photos, over 250,000 songs or 385 hours of video.  

Iomega has other existing eGo models for the Mac user, including the Iomega eGo Helium Portable Hard Drive, an ideal match for the MacBook Air notebook; and the Iomega Triple Interface eGo Portable Hard Drive, which features FireWire 800, FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 ports.  The Helium and Triple Interface eGo models are HFS+ formatted for seamless compatibility for the Mac user.

Aside from the advanced ruggedness of the Drop Guard Xtreme feature on the eGo BlackBelt model, all of Iomega’s other eGo portable hard drives include Iomega’s standard Drop Guard protection, which protects the drive from accidental drops up to 51 inches – or 40% better than the industry average!  

New Iomega eGo Desktop Hard Drives
Iomega now has two new eGo desktop hard drive models for the user who needs plenty of storage capacity with interface options and an esthetic that looks great on the desk, whether at home or at work.

The new Iomega USB 3.0 eGo Desktop Hard Drive utilizes the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface to transfer large video files and other multi-media files faster than ever before. Users need a PC with a USB 3.0 port for the best performance; however the drive is backward compatible for USB 2.0 use. (Iomega sells separately a USB 3.0 PC Express Adaptor for PCs with USB 2.0 ports only.)  Available in 1TB and 2TB capacities, the charcoal gray Iomega USB 3.0 eGo Desktop Hard Drive is powered by an ENERGY STAR qualified power adaptor that requires less power and is better for the environment.

Also new is the new Iomega Mac Edition eGo Desktop Hard Drive, a 3.5-inch HDD in a sleek silver enclosure that features two fast FireWire 800 ports, one USB 2.0 port, and three cables: a USB 2.0 cable, a FireWire 800 cable and a FireWire 400 to 800 conversion cable. The new eGo Mac Edition desktop drive is HFS+ formatted and is available in 1TB and 2TB capacities.

With up to 2TB of capacity, the new Iomega eGo Desktop Hard Drives can store up to 800,000 photos, over 500,000 songs or 770 hours of video.  

The Most Powerful Software Package
Bundled with a Hard Drive Today
Included free of charge with all of Iomega’s eGo portable and desktop hard drives is the Iomega Protection Suite, a one-stop portfolio of backup and anti-virus software giving users added protection for their photos, videos, music and other files.  

The Iomega Protection Suite includes:

• A complementary 12 month subscription to Trend Micro Internet Security for the PC, or Trend Micro Smart Surfing software for Mac.
• Iomega QuikProtect: backup software for simple scheduled file-level backup of data to hard drives and network-attached storage devices (for Windows and Mac desktops and notebooks).
• EMC Retrospect Express software: backup all of your data plus applications and settings (for Windows and Mac desktops and notebooks).
• MozyHome Online Backup service: Convenient online backup service with 2GB of online capacity for free (unlimited online storage for $4.95/month). MozyHome Online service allows you to restore your most important data from any computer with internet access, at any location in the world.

All of the software elements in the Iomega Protection Suite are accessible via download to new eGo Drive owners.

Pricing, Availability and Warranty
The new Iomega eGo portable and desktop hard drives are available worldwide today. The new 500GB Iomega SuperSpeed USB 3.0 eGo Portable Hard Drive is available for $129.99. The new Iomega USB 2.0 Compact Edition eGo Portable Hard Drive is $94.99 for the 320GB model, $114.99 for the 500GB model, and $199.99 for 1TB model. The new Iomega USB 3.0 eGo Desktop Hard Drive is available for $149.99 for the 1TB model, and $229.99 for the 2TB model. The new Iomega Mac Edition eGo Desktop Hard Drive is available for $159.99 for 1TB model, and $249.99 for the 2TB model. The new Iomega 1TB BlackBelt eGo Mac Edition Portable Hard Drive, expected to be available at Apple retail stores in June, is $229.99.

The Iomega USB 3.0 ExpressCard Adapter for USB 2.0 laptops is available for $39.99, and the Iomega USB 3.0 PCI Express Adaptor for PC desktops is $39.99.

All pricing is U.S. suggested retail.  

All of the new Iomega eGo portable and desktop models include a 3-year limited warranty (with registration), and are available from online retailers, VARs, resellers and select retailers.