Kingston's First USB 3.0 Flash Drive, Up To 64GB In Size

Just recently the USB-IF made an announcement that over 100 USB 3.0 devices had become certified, and while we aren't certain if this Kingston drive made the cut, it's definitely on the list. Even if unofficially. Kingston, a major player in the memory and storage business, has just revealed their latest USB thumb drive, and it's a big one. Not physically, but internally.

The new DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 is a USB 3.0 hard drive with plenty of space. It's one of the few 64GB thumb drives out that can also offer USB 3.0 transfer rates. It also marks the very first USB 3.0 flash drive for Kingston, which is definitely an important milestone. We're hoping that many more will follow in the months to come, as this one has a read speed of 80MB/sec and a write speed of 60MB/sec.

If you need a smaller version, it's also available in 16GB and 32GB sizes. Pricing is $89 for the 16GB model, $138 for the 32GB model and $270 for the 64GB model.

Kingston Digital Launches USB 3.0 Flash Drive
 
DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 Supports Fast Transfer Rates

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced it is shipping its first USB 3.0 Flash drive. The Kingston® DataTraveler® Ultimate 3.0 Flash drive takes advantage of the faster USB 3.0 specification that has up to ten times the data transfer rates of the current USB 2.0 specification.

The DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 has a read speed of 80MB/sec. and a write speed of 60MB/sec. It is available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities. The combination of speed and size makes it ideal for data backup or fast transferring of large files including music, photos and videos. To ensure backwards compatibility, Kingston is also including a Y cable as some USB 2.0 ports require it to initialize USB 3.0 drives.

"USB 3.0 is the next major milestone in Flash memory for USB products and Kingston wants to have a solution in the marketplace for early adopters," said Andrew Ewing, USB business manager, Kingston. "The DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 is our first USB 3.0 Flash drive offering and is designed for enthusiasts who like to embrace new technology before it goes mainstream."

During internal testing, a 1 hour 44 minute movie (3.9GB) was written to the drive in 1 minute 13 seconds. Similarly, a 2 hour 23 minute DVD (4.4GB) transferred to the drive at a fast 1 minute 23 seconds(+).

The Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 USB Flash drive is backed by a five-year warranty, 24/7 tech support and legendary Kingston reliability. For more information visit www.kingston.com.

Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate 3.0 Features and Specifications:

    * Capacities*: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB
    * Requirements: system with USB 3.0 port
    * Backwards compatible**: with USB 2.0
    * Speed***: data transfer rates for USB 3.0 up to 80MB/sec. read and 60MB/sec. write;
          o USB 2.0: approximately 30MB/sec. read and 30MB/sec. write
    * Dimensions: 2.90" x 0.87" x 0.63" (73.70 mm x 22.20 mm x 16.10 mm)
    * Operating Temperature: 32 degrees to 140 degrees F (0 degrees to 60 degrees C)
    * Storage Temperature: -4 degrees to 185 degrees F (-20 degrees to 85 degrees C)
    * Practical: durable casing with a solid lanyard loop
    * Warranty: 5 Years


(+) Test system: Gigabyte P55A-UD4P motherboard; Intel Core i5 670 processor; 8GB HyperX (KHX1600C9D3K2/4G) system memory; SSDNow V+ (SNVP325-S2/128GB); Windows® 7 Professional x64

* Some of the listed capacity is used for formatting and other functions and thus is not available for data storage. For more information, please consult Kingston's Flash Memory Guide at kingston.com/Flash_Memory_Guide.

** Includes USB 2.0 Y cable. Some USB 2.0 ports may require the Y-cable to initialize the drive.