While Western Digital already has a green line of environmentally friendly desktop hard disks and some SSD manufacturers are making claims about the efficiency of their SSDs for laptops, Fabrik has started shipping what it claims to be the world’s most environmentally-friendly external hard disk, according to this PC Magazine report.
Rather than just pop an eco-friendly hard disk into an external case, the company has gone further by using enclosing the disk in a combination of thin sheet bamboo and recyclable aluminium. The drive is fan-less and passively cooled by the aluminium chassis. When plugged in, it powers up depending on usage and does not have a power switch. As pretty much expected, the company chooses its hard disks from Western Digital's Green series and each drive includes an Energy Star-qualified power supply.
For the packaging, the company uses just a small amount of corrugated cardboard for the box and a small amount inside to secure the drive in place during transit. No plastic bags, printed manuals or discs are included. Instead, a quick-user guide is printed on the inside of the box and the full user manual and backup software are included on the hard disk itself.
The SimpleTech SimpleDrive comes in capacities ranging from 320GB to 1TB with prices ranging from $99.99 to $259.99. It connects using TurboUSB technology, which the company claims will push USB to its limit to give up to 25% faster throughput than standard USB hard disks. The company's Signature Mini portable drive series comes in capacities ranging from 160GB to 500GB. Each drive gives the user access to 2GB of free online storage; however the user can get unlimited online storage for $5 per month.
