History 2000: Smallest Storage Device

It’s no larger than a key, and it’s called the Q drive.

The tiny unit, formerly known as the Thumbdrive, was launched by Ei Corp., a subsidiary of Agate Technologies, a Californian public company specialized in portable storage solutions.

The device contains 16 to 128MB of flash memory and plugs directly into an USB port.

Pricing starts at $70.

Announced transfer rates: 35MB/s in read mode, twice that in write mode.

For the moment, it operates under Windows, but soon will be compatible with MacOS and Linux Solaris.

D&H Distribution has ordered $375,000 worth for shipment to CompUSA. Ei also received a $400,000 order from an undisclosed Japanese vendor.

This article is an abstract of news published on issue 154 on November 2000 from the former paper version of Computer Data Storage Newsletter.