Storage on a keyring

Using Universal Serial Bus technology to connect storage devices is not new, but connecting the media directly to a USB port is an innovation boasted by the new Mini USB Drive from Iomega.

Mobile users will be able to plug in a device the size of a car key, which comes with a keyring, into their USB ports to use as a normal drive with 64MB or 128MB capacity, according to the company.

The Mini USB Drive will compete with other miniaturised storage media options such as the Sony Memory Stick. The Iomega product will have the advantage of not requiring a second piece of hardware to upload data, since the media and rive are integrated into the one unit.

Users will be able to password-protect the drive. The drive can work in either USB or USB2.0 ports, and runs under Windows 98 and above, and Macintosh OS 8.6 and above.

The product will be released later in November, but Iomega said pricing has not yet been finalised.

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