Hitachi on Monday added a new range of SimpleDrive external desktop hard drives available in up to a 2TB capacity. In addition to the new capacity, the disks have a Turbo USB 2.0 interface that is said to be 25 percent faster than the traditional spec. Hitachi includes its Fabrik backup software, which automatically copies over selected files from the host PC and includes 2GB of free online backup.
At the same time, other Hitachi SimpleTech-branded 3.5-inch drives will also get a new flagship capacity thanks to the 2TB, 7,200rpm Deskstar 7K2000 drive. This includes the Pro Drive, its dual-drive equivalent, the Duo Pro Drive, which can be set up for RAID 0 or RAID 1, and the Hitachi Internal Hard Drive Kit.
The Pro Drive has USB 2.0, FireWire 400, FireWire 800, and 3Gb/sec eSATA connetions, with capacities that range from 500GB ($120), 1TB ($170) and 2TB ($300). The Duo Pro Drive includes eSATA and USB 2.0 connections, with the 1TB priced at $200, the 2TB at $300 and the 4TB version at $500. The new 2TB Hitachi Internal Hard Drive Kit is priced at $250.
The new Hitachi SimpleDrive comes in 500GB, 1TB and 2TB capacities, each priced at $100, $130 and $250, respectively.