Just seven centimetres in diameter, Seagate's Pocket Drive is the world's smallest external hard drive, with the highest storage capacity in its class

Seagate Technology (NYSE:STX), the world's leading hard drive manufacturer, has announced that its palm-sized USB 2.0 Pocket Hard Drive, with storage capacities of 5GB or 2.5GB, a diameter of just seven centimetres and weighing about 63 grams, is now available at retail outlets in Europe. The 5GB version is expected to cost around ?199 including VAT. The 2.5 GB drive is expected to sell for around ?149 including VAT.

The 5GB Seagate USB 2.0 Pocket Hard Drive can hold around 80 hours of digital music, 2,000 high-resolution 5-megapixel photos, 4.5 hours of MPEG-4 DivX format video or thousands of business files, making this robust and durable device a cost-effective alternative to USB thumb drives. Inside the stylish round shell, a 1-inch hard drive spins at 3,600 rpm. A retractable USB 2.0 cable rolls into the shell and enables hot-pluggable, plug-and-play functionality. The design features an integrated LED that lights up blue when the drive is reading or writing. The round, rugged design also features rubberized feet that keep it still on desktops.

The Seagate Pocket Hard Drive comes with a G-force protection system that protects the device's sensitive components from shock. The Seagate Pocket Hard Drive also comes with a software toolkit for enabling data security and easy content management, letting users password protect access to their hard drive.

The Seagate USB 2.0 Pocket Hard Drive is now available in retail stores. In addition to the statutory two-year warranty period in the EU, Seagate provides free lifetime technical support, even after the warranty expires.