Iogear has slimmed down the equipment required to transfer files on an external hard drive with the launch of its 1.8" USB 2.0 and combo external ION hard drives. The devices allow consumers to store documents, pictures, music and videos in one compact enclosure.

The external drives are compatible with both Mac and PC platforms and offer high data transfer rates of up to 480 Mbps (USB 2.0) and 400 Mbps (FireWire). Both the USB 2.0 and Combo ION Drives are backward compatible with USB 1.1 specifications, according to Iogear.

Prices for the drives begin at $200 for the 20 GByte USB 2.0 version and top out at $350 for the 40 GByte USB combo version. The drives can be purchased from major catalog resellers, online resellers and selected retail outlets, Iogear said. (THG)