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Samsung Electronics announced the launch of a suite of slimline USB Flash drives available in three ergonomic form factors, each equipped with the company’s NAND flash technology. All of the USB 3.0 drives are compatible with USB 2.0 and come in metal-based design equipped with Samsung’s NAND flash and furnished with Samsung’s 5-proof technologies and a five-year warranty starting on the date of purchase.
Of the three form factors, the bar type offers a modern look with a champagne-colored metal casing and a streamlined spherical end, which allow users to insert and extract the drive from devices and can double as a key ring to help prevent loss.
Measuring 40mm long and weighing less than 9 grams, the drive is specifically designed for use in PC devices and is available in three capacities, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB.
“Samsung’s philosophy behind the design of these drives is to create a premium line of USB drives. Our USB drives are made from anodized aluminum so they are strong in their build quality, but also have a professional look to them,” Jason Gastman, senior manager of IT memory marketing for Samsung Electronics America, told eWEEK. “We took this direction [because] we wanted to have something unique in the marketplace and cater to business professionals. In addition, our drives are rugged and reliable.”
Gastman said that the new drives have 5-proof technology: They are waterproof, shock proof, temperature proof, magnetic proof and X-ray proof.
The FIT is the most compact and is designed for use in ultraslim notebooks or in automobiles equipped with USB ports for data or music storage.
The FIT drive is less than 20mm long and weighs just over 2.0 grams. It also offers sequential read speed of up to 130MB/s in both 32GB and 64GB capacities.
The DUO is specifically designed for smartphone, tablet and PC users on the go who require added flexibility for standard and micro USB ports, and comes with an attached cap that protects the micro USB.
The drive provides sequential read speed of up to 130MB/s and is compatible with Android devices with a micro USB 2.0 interface, is available in 32GB and 64GB capacities, is less than 37mm long and weighs less than 6 grams.
“Portability and lightweight products are important. USB Flash drives are a portable product when you really think about it. They are on people’s key rings, in briefcases or book bags,” Gastman explained. “They take quite of bit abuse as they are always transported everywhere. This is also the reason we incorporated our 5-proof rugged and reliable technology.”
“Since USBs are portable and people travel with them, we wanted to build USB drives that are rugged and dependable,” he noted. “People rely on USB flash drives to hold their confidential information or personal family photos. Therefore, we created a product that can stand the test of time. We want consumers to feel confident that their information will always be safe and accessible.”