Imation's removable HDD adds innovative USB interface

Possibly in response to the rapidly shrinking desktop PC market in the United States, Imation's Odyssey removable hard disk storage system line has expanded to include a portable USB interface.

Imation says its Odyssey line was designed for small and home offices for backup and data security, so it's no surprise that its peripherals should be pared down in size, if only to meet the shrinking footprint of the computer.

The Odyssey Removable Hard Disk solution uses pluggable 2.5" SATA hard drives
in the same way cassette backup did in the past, with a desktop docking station that allows cartridge-style insertion and removal of the drives. Capacities in the Odyssey system range from 40 GB to 250 GB.

The 2.9" x 3.15" x 1.26" USB interface replaces the need for the 5.25" x 7.84" x 2.04" external docking station which also carries a retail price of approximately $150 USD (An internal docking station is somewhat smaller and retails individually for $99 USD). The mobile USB adapter will be available in February for $29.99.

Imation claims data transfer speeds at 32 MB/second and a life expectancy of over 5,000 insertions and removals.