OWC Reveals 6Gb eSATA and Bus-Powered USB 3.0 Portable Drive

Other World Computing (OWC) has expanded its Mercury Elite Pro mini line to include the first eSATA 6G and bus-powered USB 3.0 portable external drive.

Available in 13 different hard drive or OWC Mercury SSD-equipped capacity configurations up to 1.5TB, the new USB 3.0/2.0 and eSATA 6G ‘triple interface’ model delivers up to 600MB/s data rate storage/backup performance to Mac and PC users in a Plug and Play, mobile footprint. The Mercury Elite Pro mini and other OWC storage solutions were shown in Other World Computing’s at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Portable and Bus-Powered for Mobile Lifestyles
Measuring a compact 5.5′ L x 3.8′ W x 1.1′ H, the Mercury Elite Pro mini offers portable storage capacity up to 1.5TB – enough space for up to 1.5 million JPEG photos, 750 DVD movies, 115 hours of digital video, or 526,000 MP3 songs – in its fanless, aircraft grade brushed aluminum enclosure. Because it’s bus-powered, the Mercury Elite Pro mini doesn’t require an AC adapter, so it’s for in-the-field business professionals, creative/entertainment professionals, students, and anyone else needing to backup data, transport large files between computers, gain additional storage capacity, and even perform video editing and live music recording.

Performance and Flexibility
Designed to emulate the larger desktop-sized Mercury Elite-AL Pro, the Mercury Elite Pro mini portable storage solution line offers a choice of 2.5" SATA hard drive mechanisms up to 7200RPM; or ‘faster in a flash’ OWC’s Mercury brand SSDs for demanding A/V, digital photography, professional music, graphics, general data, and Time Machine-ready storage needs. 6Gb eSATA, the fastest interface offered for portable drives, offers up to 600MB/s, while the USB 3.0/2.0 port can be utilized for bus power. The Mercury Elite Pro mini can also be used with digital cameras and camcorders with USB 3.0/2.0 data ports for fast, on-location backups of images and video.

The Mercury Elite Pro mini comes backed by free lifetime US-based 24/7 technical support and a three-year warranty which includes a 48-hour repair turnaround time with complimentary Level 1 data recovery during the first year of ownership.

"When the highest speed and maximum portability are the key criteria for an external drive, there is no equal to the new Mercury Elite Pro mini USB 3.0 and eSATA 6G model," said Larry O’Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing. "With 13 different configurations offering choices of capacity and drive type, there’s a model for any particular need and/or budget."

Key Features:

• for digital photography, professional music, graphics, general data, and Time Machine USB 3.0/2.0 and eSATA 6G interfaces;
• bus-powered via USB 3.0 data transfer speeds up to 600MB/s;
• uses a 2.5" SATA hard drive up to 7200RPM or SSD;
• interface cables included;
• portable size at 5.5in (L) x 3.8in (W) x 1.1in (H);
• Brushed aluminum, impact-resistant, heat-dissipating enclosure Super-quiet, fanless operation

Pricing, Availability
The Mercury Elite Pro mini USB 3.0 and eSATA 6G model is available from OWC as well as select retailers, in capacities ranging from 0GB Kits from $64.99 MSRP, hard drive configurations up to 1.5TB from $114.99 MSRP, and SSD based solutions up to 480GB from $159.99 MSRP. All Mercury Elite Pro mini solutions come with all interface connecting cables, an over $100 retail value disk utility software bundle and a three-year warranty.