MicroNet Technology has released its new miniMate, an external hard drive and port hub designed to sit under the Mac mini and mimic its look. The miniMateis drive spins at 7200rpm, offering 80GB, 160GB, 250GB or 400GB of extra storage, and it comes with four USB 2.0 and three FireWire 400 ports. While it acts as a USB 2.0/FireWire 400 hub, it can only operate as one or the other, depending on which interface is used to connect it to the computer.
The miniMate ships with a seven-inch FireWire 400 cable and a nine-inch USB 2.0 cable. Its power supply is external, allowing it to cool down without the need for a noisy fan. The miniMate is supposed to sit under the Mac mini, given Appleis warning that anything placed on top of the diminutive computer could hamper the optical driveis operation.
 |
Pricing is US$149 (80GB), $179 (160GB), $249 (250GB) or $499 (400GB). The miniMate works with any Mac running Mac OS X v10.1.5 or higher, as well as any PC using Windows 98SE, 2000, ME or XP.