Addonics Brings Mobility, Hot Swap Capability and Multi-Interface Compatibility to Hard Drives With ``Drive Cartridge'' Product Family.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- New Life for Hard Drives and the Fastest Removable Storage Available

Addonics Technologies has announced a new family of mobile, hot-swappable, and multi-interface hard drive solutions, which gives the hard drive a new future and provides users with the most flexible and fastest means of removable storage.

The Addonics Drive Cartridge is a removable storage product family designed to utilize standard hard drives -- 3.5" IDE, 2.5" IDE and 3.5" SATA drives as the storage media. The Addonics Drive Cartridge consists of all the necessary components for users to install their own choice of hard drive. The Drive Cartridge takes advantage of the hot swap capability of new storage interface standards and operating systems such as Windows 2000 and XP. Unlike other removable storage, which is often based on proprietary media, the Addonics Drive Cartridge can be easily accessed by any computer or computing device.

The variety of removable data storage media has exploded in the last decade, which has seen removable storage technologies constantly being replaced with newer storage systems that are not always backward compatible with the old media, according to Addonics. In addition to more expensive media, the limited install base of many proprietary removable storage types limits the portability of the data stored in these devices. Addonics Drive Cartridge solution utilizes an industry standard hard drive as the storage media, which is supported by several large suppliers. As a result, Addonics Drive cartridge solution offers the lowest cost per Mbytes storage, the largest capacity per media and the fastest performance in removable storage. Since the hard drive is the standard in practically all computers, users now have good assurance that their choice of removable storage will not become obsolete or phased out.

The Addonics Drive Cartridge family consists of models for using three different types of hard drives -- 3.5" IDE, 2.5" IDE or 3.5" SATA. Currently, 3.5" IDE hard drives offer the lowest cost per Mbyte storage. The maximum capacity per drive has now reached 400 GBytes -- large enough to store more than 80 DVD movies. Smaller size 2.5" hard drives offer portability and low power features, which can be powered directly from USB or Firewire port of most computers. Serial ATA interface has a maximum throughput of 150 Mbytes per sec. An Addonics Drive Cartridge system configured for SATA offers the fastest removable storage on the market.

Almost any level of computer user can configure an Addonics Drive Cartridge system. The Drive Cartridge is inserted inside the Cartridge Cradle, which can be mounted inside a standard drive bay of any desktop PC, equipment or installed as an external Drive Cartridge System.

Since the Drive Cartridge media is a standard hard drive, no special format utility or software is required to prepare the Drive Cartridge. For systems with legacy OS and hardware, an IDE Cartridge Cradle can be installed to access the data in the Drive Cartridge.

When the Cartridge Cradle is connected to Serial ATA externally, the computer can be booted directly from the Drive Cartridge and be used as an ordinary hard drive with no degradation in performance compared to the internal hard drive.

The Drive Cartridge can also connect directly to any computer without the Cartridge Cradle. The Addonics USIB Interface cables designed for the Cartridge Cradle can also be used to connect the Drive Cartridge directly to the computer. The connection flexibility of the Drive Cartridge enables it to be used practically by any computer regardless of interface or OS.

List price of the Addonics Drive Cartridge System starts from $23 for the internal SATA version using 3.5" Serial ATA hard drive, model #: AENRHDSA35 and from $59 for the internal USB version using 3.5" IDE hard drive, model #: AEDCUS35U.

Depending on the interface connection, the Addonics Drive Cartridge can be installed in systems with Windows 2000/XP/Me/98SE Windows 3.1/NT 4.0, DOS, Linux, Solaris, and Mac operating systems.

Addonics products are available through the company online store www.shopaddonics.com, major catalog companies, resellers, VARs and distributors, including StorageUSA.com, Newegg.com, Amazon.com, PC Connection, CDW, Buy.com, Provantage.com, Insight, Ingram Micro, and Ma Labs.

Addonics Technologies Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets a broad line of external and mobile storage products. Addonics is headquartered at 2466 Kruse Drive, San Jose, CA 95131, Phone: [phone]. Visit Addonics at www.addonics.com.

All products/company names are either trademarks or trade names of their respective holders.