NEW ADDITIONS TO SONY GIGA VAULT LINE DOUBLE CAPACITY AND PROVIDE i.LINK DIGITAL INTERFACE OPTION
LAS VEGAS (CES, Booth #N109), Jan. 7, 2004 - Consumers can now double the amount of data they carry in their shirt pocket and enjoy the flexibility of a new i.LINK ™ (IEEE 1394) digital interface with two new additions to Sony's Giga Vault line of portable hard disk media products.
The new offerings include an 80 GB capacity hard disk media unit and the option of an adapter with an i.LINK (IEEE 1394) digital interface that also provides compatibility with Mac operating systems not available on earlier Giga Vault models.
"Giga Vault was designed for mobile consumers, as well as business and AV professionals, and these line extensions offer a host of possibilities for anyone who needs to transport, back up or edit large amounts of media-rich data," said Michael Lucas, director of marketing for consumer and convergent media products in Sony Electronics' Media and Applications Solutions Division. "By doubling the storage capacity to 80 GB, users can carry practically every file on their desktop computer in their pocket, and the i.LINK compatibility adds a new level of flexibility."
Designed to be scalable, the Giga Vault device is a two-piece unit in which the media is separate from the original USB 2.0 or the new i.LINK adapter "caps." Therefore, a user who moves mainly between two locations can simply purchase a second adapter cap. A user who works between many Mac or Windows-operated computers can interchange the same media between two adapters. The scalable design also offers the opportunity to add more storage capacity as needs increase.
The new Giga Vault media and adapters will be offered in the same lightweight (less than 10 ounces), shock-absorbing form factor as the original product first introduced last January. The media ships with a software package that helps in managing a wide range of media files - from video to JPEGs to MP3s. Users can label files, sort them, create slide shows with accompanying audio, play back video and create back-up files.
New Giga Vault 80 GB hard disk media will be available with either USB2.0 or i.LINK adapters as kits for a suggested list price of $379.99 through retail outlets and www.sonystyle.com beginning this month.
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