Buffalo Technology has announced the availability of its first external solid-state drive. The MicroStation connects using USB and is capable of storing up to 100GB of data - 32GB and 64GB versions are also available - within a compact and lightweight chassis.
While those capacities are modest by the standards of a spinning drive, there are other features inherent to SSDs that might tempt buyers, such as portability, shock resistance and power consumption. As for performance, Buffalo claims up to 35GB/s transfer rates if used with the company's proprietary TurboUSB technology - certainly not the fastest we've seen.
Other features include a wrap around cable for neater storage, Buffalo's Secure Lock Ware Encryption for Windows and Memeo AutoBackup software with password protection. The new drives don't come cheap, though. Prices are quoted as being around $172 for the 32GB model, $346 for the 64GB model and $513 for the top-end 100GB version.