This Story Posted:
July 7th, 1999

 
 

[7:00 AM]
Cross-Platform USB Hard Drives Available Now
Fantom Drives announced the addition of two new USB Hard Disk Drive models, along with support for PCs running Windows, to its line of USB Data Storage Solution products. According to Fantom Drives:

Answering the growing need of computer users to share data between multiple computer platforms, Fantom Drives has extended the reach of personal data storage by delivering its popular USB Hard Disk Drives to the users of PCs running Microsoft Windows. Through the installation of Windows software "drivers", the Fantom Drives USB Hard Disk Drive can be formatted for use on a PC to provide a safe and flexible data backup solution or supplementary data storage. When used in conjunction with the MacOS's built-in cross-platform file translation software, data can also be transferred between Macintosh and Windows PCs as easily as if working with a simple floppy diskette.

Fantom Drives has also expanded its USB Hard Disk Drive product line with the addition of two larger capacity 10GB and 16GB models. Priced at $299 and $459, respectively, both new USB Hard Disk Drives are available immediately. Identical in physical dimensions and similar in performance to its 4.3GB and 8.4GB cousins, both drives offer larger capacity data storage in the same attractive "translucent blue" enclosure used by other Fantom Drives USB products.

USB is a new advanced way for computers to interconnect with peripherals such as printers, storage, and communications devices. Operating at 12 megabits per second, information is sent over USB at up to 100 times faster than prior generation serial connections. In addition, USB offers even better "plug and play" features for users, including the ability to "hot plug" devices in and out while the computer is running - without the need to reboot the computer. The USB standard is being adopted by the entire personal computer industry and Fantom Drives is committed to providing solutions compatible with a variety of personal computer platforms.

More information on the new drives can be found at the Company's web site. The drives are available now and prices as follows:

  • 4.3 GB USB Hard Disk Drive, US$259.00
  • 8.4 GB USB Hard Disk Drive, US$289.00
  • 10 GB USB Hard Disk Drive, US$299.00

The Mac Observer Spin: It's great to see more and more companies offering cross platform solutions. Apple's step into the USB market has proven to be a successful move in making interoperability between operating systems more and more seamless. And this is only the beginning.

Fantom Drives