Fabrik Claims All-Green External Hard Drive

Those claims about the new SimpleTech [re]drive stem from the way it is manufactured and packaged, as well as from the materials and components used, said Matt McRae, vice president of marketing for the San Mateo, Calif.-based vendor.

The drives are also bundled with the Fabrik Ultimate Backup application, an on-line data backup service which uses the Mozy Consumer service from EMC.

Mozy was acquired by EMC early this year, and is now the base on which EMC is building a software as a service (SaaS) offering.

The materials used to manufacture the [re]drive are aimed at catching users' attention to the fact that this is one of the first-ever truly green storage products, McRae said.

The top and bottom of the case are made of bamboo, which is grown locally to the China-based factory where the drives are made, cutting down on transport costs, McRae said. The bamboo, which grows quickly and with little water, is steam-pressed, giving it a natural look without the need for varnish or chemicals. The top and bottom bamboo panels are structural pieces and integral parts of the external drives, and are not veneer, he said.

The front, back, and sides of the [re]drive are made of die-cast aluminum, and may be anywhere from a bit recycled to 100-percent recycled, depending on availability, McRae said. The aluminum sides are rippled to act as a heat sink, eliminating the need for a fan, cutting both electronic waste and noise, he said.

To save energy, the [re]drive has an Energy Star Level 4 power supply, and uses low-power drives from various manufacturers, McRae said. The storage device also has no on-off switch, but instead relies on signals from the PC to which it is attached to automatically shut off when the PC is off or in sleep mode, he said. "Most people let their computer fall to sleep, but most external hard drives continue to spin," he said.

Combined, the technologies allow the [re]drive to cut energy use by up to 90 percent compared to other drives, he said.

The packaging of the drive is also completely recyclable. No plastic bags or other non-recyclable materials go into the package. There is no separate user manual or quick-start diagram, but instructions are instead printed inside the box. And instead of foam pads to protect the drive during shipment, recycled newspaper is used, McRae said.

"We spent a lot of time on this because we wanted to make sure it's truly green," he said. "Even the master cartons to the retailer are made of 100-percent recyclable cardboard."

The [re]drive external hard drive is available to retail and direct market channels, and to solution providers through distributors such as Ingram Micro and Tech Data. A 500-Gbyte version is available with a list price of $160, with other capacity points possible depending on the availability of low-power drives, McRae said.