Freecom announced a portable hard drive that provides faster data-transfer rates using the latest USB 3.0 standard. The XS 3.0 Hard Drive is based on USB 3.0, which gives data transfer rates nearly 10 times quicker than USB 2.0. USB ports are commonly used to connect host devices, such as PCs, to other devices such as printers and storage drives. Freecom’s XS 3.0 portable hard disk can transfer data at 130MB per second.

USB 3.0 devices will be very useful for those who transfer data very extensively. The hard drive will be available in capacities of 1TB, 1.5TB and 2TB and the price of the 1TB model is US$175 (€119). The drives will initially be available in Europe starting mid-November. But we have to wait until 2010 until we see many USB 3.0 devices.