Fabrik has introduced what it claims is the world’s most environmentally friendly, energy-efficient USB hard drive, called SimpleTech [re]drive.
The San Mateo, Calif.-based Fabrik said Monday that its external drive with fast “Turbo USB 2.0” port can transfer data 25 percent faster than products with a standard USB 2.0 port. The drive, for Mac or PC, comes with the company’s automated backup software and is available in sizes of 250GB, 320GB and 500GB.
Fabrik said its drive uses up to 90 percent less power than competitors, which means a yearly drop of nearly 475 pounds of carbon-dioxide emissions, equal to taking 300,000 cars off the road for one year.
Enclosed with Bamboo
Backing up its eco-friendly claim, the SimpleTech is enclosed with bamboo, one of the earth’s most durable natural resources, and recycled aluminum. To avoid transporting the bamboo over long distances, Fabrik has the bamboo grown near its manufacturing facility. A thick aluminum casing is used for durability and saves energy by acting as a heat sink to cool the drive without a fan.
The SimpleTech comes with an Energy Star-labeled power adapter and uses as little packaging as possible. The setup guide is printed on the inside of the box, the backup software and a user guide are installed on the drive, and all the packaging is recyclable.
For disaster recovery, the backup software automatically saves copies of files on both the drive and on Fabrik’s encrypted servers. Virus protection is included for PC users to avoid transferring any infected files during backups.
The drive has a one-time setup process that allows users to decide which folders and files to save and when. The drive comes with 2GB of free online backup space, or for $5 a month, users can get unlimited backup capacity.
The 500GB drive lists for $160 and is available both online…