Buffalo Technology, one of the global leader in manufacturing cutting edge storage solutions, has unleashed the world’s first external drive solution to feature Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 connectivity, the Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt/USB 3.0 portable hard drive (HD-PATU3). This new portable storage solution is ideal for PC and Mac users who are looking for portable external storage drive that offers the fastest connectivity speeds to-date. The MiniStation Thunderbolt/USB 3.0 comes in two variants, a 1TB model (HD-PA1.0TU3) and a 500GB model (HD-PA500TU3).
The new Buffalo MiniStation features Thunderbolt technology with speeds up to 10Gbps, that is two times faster than a USB 3.0 interface. While it also has a USB 3.0 interface for those who do not have a Thunderbolt unit to connect it with. The USB 3.0 interface is also backwards compatible to USB 2.0 and USB 1.0. It is pre-formatted for Mac and is compatible with Mac OS X Time Machine for easy complete data backup. But if you are a PC user, you can reformat it to FAT32 or NTFS for Windows OS.
The MiniStation Thunderbolt (HD-PATU3) is built with a sleek aluminum body, stylish, compact and clean-looking, like the pictures in this page depicts it. It has an indirect disk access LED indicator located beneath the drive that illuminates its supporting surface. You also do not need an external power source since it draws its power from the USB 3.0 port or Thunderbolt port.
Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt Specifications
Dimensions (W x H x D): 80.5mm x 130mm x 22.5mm
Weight: 9.28 oz
Internal Hard Drives: 1
Capacity: 500 GB or 1 TB
Thunderbolt Ports: 1 (cables included)
Thunderbolt Speeds: Max. 10 Gbps
USB Interface: USB 3.0 / USB 2.0
Connector: Micro B Type
Number of USB Ports: 1
USB Speeds: Maximum of 5Gbps for USB 3.0, and maximum of 480Mbps for USB 2.0
Power Supply: DC 5V (Bus-powered)
OS Support: Mac OS X 10.5 – 10.7, Windows 7 (32/64-bit), Windows Vista (32/64-bit), Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 (32-bit), Windows Server 2003 R2 (32-bit), Windows Server 2008 (32/64-bit), Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit)
According to Brian Verenkoff of Buffalo Technology: “Creating, storing and moving digital content on the go has always been a challenging proposal for all types of users as either the interface was incompatible or too slow or the storage solution was physically too large,” “Collaborating with Intel to deliver the world’s first dual-interface Thunderbolt and USB storage solution as well as the world’s first portable Thunderbolt hard drive reaffirms Buffalo’s pioneering spirit and engineering excellence.”
Jazon Ziller of Intel’s Thunderbolt Marketing added: “Thunderbolt delivers unparalleled performance, flexibility and simplicity to personal computing,” “Products like the Buffalo Technology MiniStation Thunderbolt / USB Portable Hard Drive help highlight what Thunderbolt makes possible.”
Price and Where to buy
The Buffalo MiniStation Thunderbolt HD-PATU3 1TB model (HD-PA1.0TU3) is currently priced at around $230 USD while the 500GB version (HD-PA500TU3) is priced at around $175 USD. Both these products received a 5 out of 5 star rating, and it is one of the recommended external portable storage solutions in the market. It comes with a 24/7 technical support (for US and Canada) and a 3-year warranty.
Need more storage capacity? Another storage storage solution to feature Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 is the Drobo 5D.
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