Freecom's Hard Drive XS 3.0 Is World's First USB 3.0 External HDD

USB 3.0 splashed down in earnest this past week at IDF in San Francisco, but aside from a webcam and a few prototype devices on the show floor, we've yet to hear of any real groundbreaking USB 3.0 products. Until now. Freecom, a lesser known maker of external hard drives and the like, has today confessed that it has a USB 3.0 external HDD in the pipeline, and unless we're missing something, that makes it the first to do so.

The Hard Drive XS 3.0 doesn't look all that special on the outside. It's just a plain portable HDD, with a regular exterior and no real flash to speak of. But as with beauty, it's the inside that counts. As the planet's first HDD to utilize SuperSpeed USB technology, this drive can reportedly transfer data at up to 130MB/sec, and it's also the smallest 3.5" desktop HDD available. Users can stuff up to 2TB within the enclosure, and as with every other USB 3.0 HDD that'll arrive in due time, this one is also backwards compatible with USB 2.0 equipment.


The Hard Drive XS 3.0 will be available in Europe from mid-November in 1TB, 1.5TB and 2TB capacities, with prices starting at 119 Euros for 1TB. If you're look to add USB 3.0 capabilities to your existing PC, a Controller Card for desktops will be offered for 25.95 EUR while an Express Controller Card will be sold for notebooks is 29.95 EUR.