Google Offers Higher Capacity Minis

To celebrate the first birthday of the Google Mini, a search appliance designed for small to medium-sized businesses, Google on Thursday announced two larger capacity systems designed to meet the growing search needs of its customers.

"We've been delighted – even a bit overwhelmed – with its success," the company said in a statement announcing the new systems' availability. "Thousands of Google Minis now search websites and intranets all over the world. And they continue to find more and more content for customers everyday."

Customers of the Google Mini include the University of Oklahoma, Northwestern University, the National Climatic Data Center, the City of Casper, Wyoming, and left-leaning magazine The Nation among others.

The original 100,000 document version remains available for $2,995 USD. However, customers can now select from two additional versions: a 200,000 document model for $5,995 USD, and a 300,000 document version for $8,995 USD.

Current users can upgrade by purchasing more capacity, Google said. The new Mini models are available immediately.

According to the Google Web site, the Mini is capable of searching over 220 different file formats and requires less than an hour to set up. The device comes with a year of support, software updates and hardware replacement coverage. A second year of support can be purchased for $995 USD per unit.