Kingston Unveils 1TB USB Flash Drive

A while ago, I posted about an upcoming flash drive boasting a landmark 2TB storage capacity. While that drive hasn't seem to have made it to market, Kingston showcased a similar device at CES this year, offering half the capacity but a more durable, perhaps more promising physical design compared to that Transcend Thin-Card. The DataTraveler HyperX Predator 3.0, as the company calls it, is so bulky that it may lift up the USB port side of your UltraBook or MacBook Air slightly while you have it plugged in.

Aside from that, the Predator 3.0 has, as hinted by that name, a USB 3.0 interface, and through there it offers transfer speeds of up to 240MB/s and 160MB/s, reading and writing respectively, though it is also backwards-compatible with USB 2.0 ports. One can slide the USB connector into the drive's metal case, so there is no cap to lose. Of course, then there is the capacity – one thousand gigabytes, purely on flash memory chips, all fitting comfortably in the palm of your hand has so far been unmatched. Kingston will also offer a tamer 512GB version of the drive for those who don't need as much capacity.

Obviously, new technology such as this never comes cheap. Kingston didn't quote a price for the 1TB version, but the 512GB variation has an MSRP of a whopping $1750! In stark comparison is a typical 2TB portable hard drive selling right now for just $150. Those who want more dependable flash memory to store their project files will probably find the Predator 3.0's price tag justifiable; otherwise I'm sure most people will just go for the hard drive. There is much life in ageing spinning magnetic platter technology yet.

In any case, Kingston representatives have said that the DataTraveler HyperX Predator 3.0 drives will hit the market sometime during this quarter. (Images via Tom's Hardware)

EDITOR'S NOTE:  At least the 512GB Predator 3.0 has now come available on Amazon.com, and the online merchant is currently selling them for $885.49, half off the MSRP price.