FIREWIRE 400/USB 2.0 POWERED HUB STORAGE SOLUTION
 
I like the minimalist front of this beauty but the back -- that's the telling bit! Here's a small footprint, high performance Plug & Play external powered hub storage solution that NewerTech have become known for.

It has some unique features which will make it an ideal companion for SSD-equipped notebook owners, I think and that's why we have requested a review unit to put it to the test. They come in different configurations but why anyone would bother with less than 1TB on a unit like this is a puzzle to me...
Check out some more details below.

From the Press Release:

Stores 1 Million Photos, 350,000 MP3 songs, or 500 DVD Quality Movies
Features One Central Plug & Play Access Point for Connecting Multiple Devices
 
August 6, 2008 Woodstock, IL -- Newer Technology, Inc. (NewerTech®) http://www.newertech.com, the leading developer of PC, Macintosh®, iPod®, and iPhone® performance upgrades and accessories, today announced the new miniStack® v2.5 FireWire® 400/USB 2.0 powered hub storage solution, a new addition to the award-winning NewerTech miniStack line of small footprint, high performance Plug & Play external powered hub storage solutions.
 
NewerTech miniStack v2.5 is ideal for data intensive uses, such as Audio/Video editing, digital photography, MP3 music libraries, and high-speed back-up.   Built for performance, it employs the latest generation Oxford 934 bridge chipset; a 7200RPM Serial ATA (SATA) drive; up to 1.0TB of storage capacity; and up to 32MB of disk cache to quickly store and retrieve up to 1 million JPEG photos, 350,000 MP3 songs, or 500 DVD quality movies.
 
Centralized Desktop Hub Works with Macs and PCs to Connect All Devices
 
miniStack v2.5 functions as a centralized desktop hub for connecting multiple digital devices, such as scanners, printers, memory card readers, digital cameras, and iPods, simultaneously and clutter-free.
It features a unique ergonomic rear and side port configuration of three FireWire 400 (one uplink and two additional) and four USB 2.0 (one uplink and three additional) ports.  With its interface flexibility and compact design, miniStack v2.5 is the ideal portable external hard drive storage solution to move among multiple Macintosh® computers and laptops and virtually any Windows® or Linux®-based computer with a USB or FireWire port.  The easy-to-use miniStack v2.5 is also perfect for booting your OS on any system with FireWire 400 or USB 2.0 boot-support.
 
In addition, Mac users can add miniStack v2.5 to an Airport Extreme® wireless network via USB to wirelessly share files, perform Time Machine backups, and share other devices, like printers.  Plus, miniStack v2.5 is A/V rated for high-performance home entertainment systems and sharing content with Apple TV®.
 
miniStack v2.5 Features:
 
• Up to 1.0TB (1,000GB) of bootable Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive capacity
• Up to 32MB of data cache
• Oxford 934 bridge chipset
• Compact, 6.5”x 6.5” x 1.5” size
• Three FireWire 400 ports, two rear/one side (one uplink, two additional)
• Four USB 2.0/1.1 ports, three rear/one side (one uplink, three additional)
• External Auto Switching 100~240v 50/60Hz 3 amp UL listed power adapter
• Auto-Power on/off automatically with computer
• Intelligent thermal monitoring for minimal fan power consumption and whisper quiet operation
• Fully bootable via FireWire or USB with OS boot support
• Interface connecting cables included
• Kensington security slot
• Includes ProSoft Engineering® Data Backup 3, NovaStor NovaBACKUP®, and Intech® SpeedTools Utilities™ software (a $200 retail value)
 
miniStack v2.5 is available immediately in seven pre-configured models priced starting at $104.99 from NewerTech’s exclusive distributor, Other World Computing, at www.macsales.com, as well as through the retail channel.  For more information, see http://www.newertech.com/products/ministackv2_5.php.
 
miniStack v2.5 Pricing:
80GB capacity, 8MB cache for $104.99a
160GB capacity, 8MB cache for $112.99
250GB capacity, 8MB cache for $127.99
320GB capacity, 16MB cache for $137.99
500GB capacity, 16MB cache for $149.99
750GB capacity, 32MB cache for $199.99
1.0TB capacity, 32MB cache for $279.99
0GB Enclosure Kit for $79.99
0GB Enclosure Kit with Software bundle for $89.99