Hitachi announces first USB 3.0 external drives

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST) has announced a new line of Hitachi Touro Pro desktop and mobile external hard drives, which offer both local backup and cloud storage functionality. The Touro Pro line is an all-in-one solution to help protect, transport, and store your photos, music, videos, and documents for easy access from anywhere.

The Touro Mobile Pro Portable Drive (500GB for $110 or 750GB for $130) has the following features: sleek mobile design, 7200 RPM drives, local and cloud backup, cloud access anytime, upgrade for more cloud storage and apps, USB 3.0 interface, and USB powered. The Touro Desk Pro External Drive (1TB for $130, 2TB for $180, or 3TB for $230) has the following features: stackable desktop design, 7200 RPM drives, local and cloud backup, remote access anytime, upgrade for more cloud storage and apps, and USB 3.0 interface.

With a few clicks, the Hitachi Touro Pro local backup software will backup your photos, music, videos, and documents from your computer directly to the drive. Once installed, backups run quietly and automatically every 30 minutes, though you can schedule custom backups on a time or day that's convenient for you.

In addition to simple local backup features, the Touro Pro family's online storage option ensures your data is always accessible in the cloud, allowing you to access and share files from any browser, tablet, or smartphone. When using the cloud service, all content is stored in its natural format (no proprietary formatting), so files are easy to view, download, and share. You can even share your online content with others by just sending them a link. To start you off, you'll get 3GB of online storage for free. For more storage, there is an option to upgrade to 250GB for only $49 per year (you'll also get Hitachi's iPhone and iPad apps).

"Unbound by convention, Hitachi GST was the first to blend personal storage with cloud backup. We're liberating our customers from the limitations of today's technology and giving them free reign about where they store and how they access their digital content," Mike Williams, general manager of Hitachi GST Branded Business Group, said in a statement. "Our new intelligent storage products and services continue to redefine how we connect to our content -, while providing data protection, simplicity and ease of use for just about anyone."