History 2003: USB Key without Flash, with HDD

USB flash keys have enjoyed considerable success, even if their capacities, while on the rise, remain somewhat limited.

Korean company Digitalway came up with the idea of designing a similar key with an embedded 1.5GB hard disk drive instead of a flash.

The new USB key, while slightly larger, has a more practical capacity.

The MPIO HS100 resembles a Zippo lighter on which the flip-lid can be entirely removed, revealing a USS 2.0 plug.

Its size is 43.6×84.5×14.8mm, the weight 56.5 grams. The unit draws electrical current directly from the USB interface.

The only difference from a flash key, then, is the size, a little greater, and the shock resistance, lower. In the end, however, it’s the price that matters: $199 from Best Buy, while 1GB flash keys currently sell for over $300. The one-inch disk drive comes from manufacturer Cornice.

This article is an abstract of news published on issue 192 on January 2004 from the former paper version of Computer Data Storage Newsletter.