I once had a desktop PC that had a removable drive bay, but carrying around the drive, much less docking it in another system was a pain in the you know what…but not anymore.
At CES this past January, Seagate introduced USM (Universal Storage Module) which “is a standard specification to accept a complete, powered external storage device into consumer electronic devices. Modules designed according to the SATA USM specification will enable consumers to instantly access their music, movies, photos and other content from a variety of consumer electronics products, and to seamlessly transfer content between devices. “
…and Antec is the latest to incorporate it into their system chassis.
At Computex, Antec announced the new Sonata IV and DF-35 chassis with built in removable drives bays for the Seagate GoFlex Ultra-portable drives. According to Antec’s press release, “The GoFlex module is built into the chassis, but will also be available as a standalone retail kit. The pre-installed adapter plate fits within one external 5.25-inch drive bay and accepts Seagate’s new 2.5-inch ultra-portable, multi-platform external hard drive…With this integrated support, users can now take advantage of the removable GoFlex external hard drives’ flexibility and high-performance capabilities…” Read the entire announcement here.
What does this mean?
For consumers, it may mean greater flexibility and organization of data. Think about it. In addition to a cleaner desk top with less cables and docks, you have interchangeable GoFlex drives that you can slide in and out of your system for…
- by file format (video, music, photos, games, backup, etc.)
- by family member (mom, dad, susie, tommy, etc)
- by use (home finances, work documents, etc)
- by archive (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, etc)
For professionals the same benefit applies when it comes to interchangeable drives…
- by client
- by employee
- by year
- by backup schedule
What’s more, as more consumer electronics and professional system adopt the USM standard, the door opens to new and exciting ways to display content, to move content around in the home and at work, or anywhere you want to share it. That’s pretty cool.
Makes me want to buy a desktop PC. What about you?
Related Posts:
Seagate GoFlex removable media? It’s coming…
Install a GoFlex in a PC, TV, DVR…you name it
Seagate rocks! Maybe I’ll wait to buy one of these PC’s to go along with my two excellent GoFlex drives!
[…] a SATA standard for a Universal Storage Module (USM) that I have blogged about in the past here, here, and here. Basically, it enables quick and easy transport of portable storage from one system […]