At a simple level, the normal PC`s two most important components are its processor and its memory; with the latter consisting of two components - its RAM and its hard drive. Now, says Mark Lu, CEO of Rectron, modern advancements in solid-state memory technology have seen these two types of memory meld into one.
"The result has been the emergence of portable, very robust hard drives no bigger than a thumb," he says. "But these tiny, cost-effective units are capable of holding many more megabytes of data than either the hard drive or the RAM of the very first IBM PC when it was launched back in the early 1980s, and at a very small percentage of that earliest cost."
Lu explains that Rectron`s new, highly portable UR-Disk drive - a USB-based removable hard disk drive weighing in at a very lightweight 20g and available in 32, 64 and 128MB configurations - can be easily and conveniently transported in a pocket, wallet or even on a keyring, but could contain a large number of huge PowerPoint presentations with many megabytes of graphics, sound and data.
"Any digital data or information contained on a PC can be transported in this way, ranging from photographs, an hour or more of music in the form of MP3s or WMAs on the 64MB unit, interviews, graphics, videos, and so on," says Lu. "The possibilities are endless, both at work and at play, between the office and home and when travelling."
For Lu, the portability of the UR-Disk is a key element. It requires no extra drivers, technology, software or cables and it is compatible with any computer equipped with a USB port.
In the Windows 2000 environment, for example, the UR-Disk simply slips on to the end of a normal USB cable. The Windows 2000 PC recognises the unit as a hard drive, and is immediately ready for action, allowing users to write, copy, delete and move data to and from their PCs` hard disk drives to their UR-Disk.
"In other words, the UR-Disk will act like normal hard drive, and even allow scandisk, disk defragment tools and anti-virus applications to operate on it," he adds.
"This means users who want to transfer data from one computer to another, no longer need to mess around with large boxes of floppy disks or trying to swop out a PC`s hard drive, which is what often happens when large amounts of data is involved."
Transfer rates are very high, too - the UR-Disk can transfer data up to 12Mbps at full speed.
The Ur-Disk supports flash ROM (EEPROM) for ISP (in-system programming), which also allows users to change and update the system firmware anytime and anywhere through USB port.
Specifications:
* Colours: iMac Black, Orange, Purple, Blue, Green
* Size 80 x 30 x 15 mm
* Weight 20g
* Erase Cycles 1 000 000 times
* Data Retention Time 10 Years
* Read Transfer > 750Kbps
* Write Transfer > 450Kbps
* Acoustic Noise 0dB (at one meter)
* Shock Resistance 1000G (maximum)
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