Ideal for consumer and small to medium-size business (SMB) users, DataTraveler Secure USB drives are shipping immediately while the DataTraveler Secure - Privacy Edition drives, designed to support enterprise-level customers, will be available in January 2007.

Kingston today introduced a new line of rugged, waterproof USB 2.0 Flash drives featuring industry-leading hardware-based encryption to safeguard critical data. Joining the Kingston(R) DataTraveler(R) family are DataTraveler Secure and DataTraveler Secure - Privacy Edition drives.

Capable of withstanding harsh operating conditions, the new DataTraveler Secure and DataTraveler Secure - Privacy Edition USB drives feature titanium-coated stainless steel casings that are waterproof rated and conform to the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 60529 IPX8 standard to protect against water damage to depths up to four feet.

Access control and data protection are provided via 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) hardware-based encryption that enables information to be encrypted and decrypted by authorized users, without the need for special software. Performing at the top of their class with 24 MB/sec read and 10 MB/sec write speeds, the DataTraveler Secure and DataTraveler Secure - Privacy Edition drives are available in capacities up to 4 GB.

"Kingston continues to deliver a wide range of USB Flash drives to protect user data," said Mark Akoubian, product manager, Kingston. "DataTraveler Secure drives ensure data integrity under extreme conditions, without sacrificing performance. With hardware encryption and a complex password protocol the Kingston DataTraveler Secure - Privacy Edition will be the only 100% private USB drive on the market," continued Akoubian.