Hitachi launches portable USB 3.0 hard drives with cloud storage

HARD DRIVE MAKER Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (HGST) has released a pair of USB 3.0 portable hard drives with cloud based storage.

HGST updated its Touro range of portable hard drives with USB 3.0 connectivity for both 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch models. The hard drives also come with 3GB of online cloud storage that will allow users to backup and share files.

HGST's Touro Desk Pro comes in 1TB, 2TB and 3TB capacities while the Touro Mobile Pro is available in 500GB and 750GB capacities. Both models support USB 3.0 and are backwards compatible with USB 2.0. They are available in a piano black finish with HGST offering a two year warranty on all units.

As for HGST's cloud storage, the firm offers customers the opportunity to upgrade the 3GB to 250GB for £30 ($50) a year. We asked HGST what will happen to its cloud storage service once the firm becomes part of Western Digital, however HGST was unable to get back to us by press time.

HGST was the first company to build in cloud storage on its portable hard drives, and it even has IOS applications to retrieve data from its cloud storage service. While it is a very welcome addition allowing for easy backup and sharing, users might be wary of using a service that is tied to a particular manufacturer.

HGST has priced its Touro Mobile Pro from £67 ($110) and the Touro Desk Pro from £79 ($130). µ