Europe’s leading storage specialist, Verbatim, chalks up yet another first  with its new 2.5" HDD that has an impressive 500 GB capacity.  Lightweight, small and as slim as a PDA, but with the storage capacity of a top-end laptop, this device weighs less than 170 grams and measures 8.45 x 13.45 x 1.6 cm. Priced at £149.99 it will be available from retailers in June.

Verbatim says that nowadays users set great store by simple operation, mobility, low  weight  and, increasingly, design of their storage media all combined  with good  capacity  storage. Kai Miroschnik, Business Unit Manager,  Multi  Media  & Peripherals, Verbatim EUMEA, commented, "Once again, we are one of the first  to launch a new development onto the market. The new 2.5" half terabyte hard  drive is  probably the world’s lightest. Given that we launched into the external hard drive  sector  just  under  a year ago, this innovation  makes  us  particularly proud."

The  drive  fits comfortably into the hand and comes in an elegant,  silver  and black casing. Verbatim 2.5" HDDs are extremely low-noise devices, operating with no fan.

Although  very  small the 2.5" device packs a lot of capacity, achieved  through three  overlaid 166 GB platters. This allows for the storage of enormous volumes of  data, both easily and quickly - whether from a  PC or Mac. The USB port  can transfer  data  at  up to 480 Mbit/s, while the combo version  also  features  a FireWire  connector that can support transfers of up to 400 Mbit/s. The Verbatim portable  hard drive is USB 2.0 bus powered and requires no external  power  for operation and no extra USB cable.

User-friendly backup software comes as standard with all Verbatim HDDs  and  the new 2.5’ 500 GB drive is no exception. Apple’s "Leopard Time Machine" feature is supported  for  regular  backups  while the  USB  models  use  Nero  BackItUp  2 Essentials" software for professional data backups.

The  new  500 GB 2.5" HDD from Verbatim will be available from retailers  priced

£149.99 (RRP) from June onwards. Keep an eye on GDN for a full review of the Verbatim 500GB drive soon.