Pictured below is Silicon Power's latest "pioneering product", the eSATA/USB SSD.
The gadget, essentially a USB Flash drive that replaces the standard USB 2.0 interface with an eSATA connector, is able to provide read and write speeds of 92MB/s and 48MB/s, respectively. That's around eight times quicker than your run-of-the-mill USB drives, and it's available in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB capacities.
A high-capacity drive that measures just 79.2mm x 29.8mm x 10.95mm, weighs 16g, and offers quicker-than-USB speeds seems to have all the winning ingredients.
But, there's a problem. Unlike USB, eSATA ports don't carry power, so plugging the drive into just an eSATA port won't be enough to bring it to life. That's precisely why you'll find a Mini USB port on the drive's rear - you'll first need to attach it to your system's USB port using the supplied Mini USB cable in order to power it up.
Last we heard, the Serial ATA International Organisation was hard at work on a Power Over eSATA standard. We've yet to see the results, though, and until we do, eSATA remains a gimped alternative to USB on mobile devices such as this.
Official press release: Silicon Power releases eSATA/USB SSD featuring 8 times the write speed of the normal USB
