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Iomega eGo BlackBelt portable hard drive: 500GB that can survive 7 ft. drops

By | May 18, 2009, 6:00am PDT

Summary: Storage manufacturer Iomega today announced the worldwide availability of the next generation of its eGo portable external hard drives featuring a new rugged look, USB 2.0, and a suite of bundled data protection software. The new drives are available in four colors and up to 500GB in capacity. The new 2.5-in. eGo drives sport an anodized aluminum [...]

Storage manufacturer Iomega today announced the worldwide availability of the next generation of its eGo portable external hard drives featuring a new rugged look, USB 2.0, and a suite of bundled data protection software.

The new drives are available in four colors and up to 500GB in capacity.

The new 2.5-in. eGo drives sport an anodized aluminum shell about a half-inch thick (16 mm) and weigh less than 7 ounces (200 grams). The drives sport Iomega’s “Drop Guard” feature that the company says protects data from drops of up to 51 inches, or a little over four feet in height.

The flagship 500GB Iomega eGo BlackBelt drive, available in June, comes with a black “Power Grip Belt” and Iomega’s “Drop Guard Xtreme,” which the company says protects data from drops of up to 7 feet.

Naturally, all of the new USB 2.0 eGo Portable Hard Drives receive power from a computer’s USB port. The drives ship with a “Y” cable in case one USB slot on your old computer doesn’t have enough juice to power the whole drive.

As for those colors: A “Ruby Red” model is available in 250GB, 320GB and 500GB capacities; a silver model comes in 320GB; and a “Midnight Blue” model is available in 320GB.

Iomega’s bundled Protection Suite includes a free six month subscription to McAfee VirusScan Plus, Iomega QuikProtect backup software, EMC Retrospect Express backup software, and MozyHome Online Backup service.

The new Iomega eGo USB 2.0 portable HDs are compatible with Windows and Mac OS X.

The entire family of new eGo drives is available now, except for the 500GB BlackBelt model, which will be available in June.

Pricing:

  • 250GB Ruby Red, $84.99
  • 320GB Ruby Red, Midnight Blue and Silver, $94.99
  • 500GB Ruby Red, $134.99
  • 500GB BlackBelt, $139.99

All of the new USB-powered eGo models include a 3-year limited warranty and are available from Iomega.

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Andrew J. Nusca is editor of ZDNet and SmartPlanet.

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Andrew Nusca

Andrew J. Nusca does not hold any investments in the technology companies he covers.

Biography

Andrew Nusca

Editor

Andrew J. Nusca is an editor for ZDNet and SmartPlanet. As a journalist based in New York City, he has written for Popular Mechanics and Men's Vogue and his byline has appeared in New York magazine, The Huffington Post, New York Daily News, Editor & Publisher, New York Press and many others. He also writes The Editorialiste, a media criticism blog.

He is a New York University graduate and former news editor and columnist of the Washington Square News. He is a graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He has been named "Howard Kurtz, Jr." by film critic John Lichman despite having no relation to him. He lives in his native Philadelphia with his wife, cat and Boston Terrier.

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