Iomega has announced the availability of its 40GB external hard drive that is small enough to fit into a shirt pocket and weighs 99 grams.

The new Iomega USB 2.0 Mini Hard Drive is the first Iomega hard drive to receive 100 percent of its power from a standard USB data port, allowing mobile professionals to travel light and still have plenty of storage capacity for all their important files.

Chris McPherson, managing director, Asia Pacific, Iomega Pacific, said, "The Iomega Mini Hard Drive is host-powered, small, and weighs next to nothing, so it is a great choice for mobile professionals and students."

"Other external hard drives require an external power source, tethering you to the nearest available AC wall outlet. The Iomega Mini Hard Drive gives the user more freedom and flexibility. You won't find a simpler product on the market," said McPherson.

Since the Iomega Mini Hard Drive is based on 1.8-inch hard disk technology, it is smaller and more energy-efficient than most other portable drives. The 4200-rpm drive has a rugged aluminium enclosure and features a USB 2.0 interface for plug-and-play simplicity with any compatible Windows or Macintosh computer.

A blue drive light signals disk activity, and an on/off switch allows laptop users to power down the device without disconnecting it. Each drive comes with a sleek leather travel case, USB cable, and software CD, including MusicMatch Jukebox music management software and Adobe Photoshop Album SE for digital photos.

The Iomega Mini Hard Drive requires a Pentium processor or higher with Microsoft Windows Me/2000/2000 Pro/ XP Home or Professional; MAC G4 or G3 or iMac computer with built-in USB connection and Mac OS 9.0 or above.

From TechTree