OWC Announces Bus Powered Mercury Elite-AL Pro Dual Mini Portable "Quad Interface" Storage Solution With Selectable Hardware RAID

14 models starting at $179.99 feature two hard drives or SSDs for up to 2.0TB of RAID 0/1/or Span data backup/storage, FireWire 800, FireWire400, USB 2.0, & eSATA interfaces, and no AC adapter needed for Plug and Play simple use with any Mac or PC

December 16, 2010, Woodstock, IL -- Other World Computing (OWC®) http://www.macsales.com, a leading zero emissions Mac® and PC technology company, announced today it has expanded its award-winning storage solution line with the new Mercury Elite-AL Pro Dual mini bus powered portable hardware RAID storage solution. Featuring 14 pre-configured models with hardware RAID-1 "mirrored" redundancy for "live activity" data protection; or RAID-0 "stripe" for maximum data transfer speed, the Mercury Elite-AL Pro Dual mini contains two 2.5" hard drives or OWC Mercury SSDs for up to 2.0TB of capacity, a "Quad Interface" of FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2.0, & eSATA connections for Plug and Play data transfer speeds up to 300MB/s with Mac and PC computers.

Big Capacity In Easy To Transport Design

Measuring the approximate size of a portable CD player - 5.6" (D) x 6.1" (W) x 1.1" (H) - the bus powered (no AC adapter needed) Mercury Elite-AL Pro Dual mini's unique flat side by side two drive design enables it to fit into laptop, photography, and other gear carrying bags easily and without adding any bulk. With 14 models offering two 2.5" SATA hard drives with up to 2.0TB of capacity or two award-winning OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSDs with up to 800GB of capacity, the Mercury Elite-AL Pro Dual mini delivers big storage performance in an under two pound, fanless solution.

Convenient Yet Flexible Hardware RAID Settings

The Mercury Elite-AL Pro Dual mini comes conveniently factory set for Plug and Play use in one of two RAID levels: RAID-1 for writing the same information in real-time to two matched 2.5" SATA drives up to 1.0TB for "live activity" data redundancy; or RAID-0 for "striping" data up to 2.0TB across both drives for the highest speed backup. Users that desire a change to either RAID level setting, including the SPAN option, can do easily via switch selectors.

Compatible With New And Legacy Macs And PCs

With a "Quad Interface" of two FireWire 800, one FireWire 400, one USB 2.0, and one eSATA ports and high quality connecting cables included, the Mercury Elite-AL Pro Dual mini doesn't require any complicated set-up and is ready for Plug and Play use with legacy Macs, the latest 2010 Mac models, and PCs. It provides data transfer speeds up to 300MB/s and can be moved between different systems utilizing its supported interfaces with complete interoperability for maximum data backup performance and flexibility.

The Mercury Elite-AL Pro Dual mini is available immediately from OWC in 14 pre-configured hard drive and Solid State Drive (SSD) models with up to 2.0TB of storage capacity starting at $179.99 MSRP from http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/EliteALmini/RAID/eSATA_FW800_FW400_USB and are compatible with Apple OS 8.6 and later including all versions of Apple OS X and Windows 98SE or later operating systems. Solutions come ready for Plug and Play ease of use with interface connecting cables, a $100 retail value disk utility software bundle (http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/solutions/software_bundle/), and an industry leading three year complete solution warranty.

For more information on the complete OWC Storage Solution line, visit:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/

"Since its introduction over a decade ago, the Mercury Elite line of external drives has offered unique, flexible, and high performance solutions," said Larry O'Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing. "This new, side by side drive design is going to have great appeal for users needing portable RAID storage and backup performance."

"The Mercury Elite-AL Pro Dual mini is exactly what we've been looking for to handle our demanding, in-the-field data storage and back up needs," said Matt Breneman, Co-Owner of Bull Stock Media. "As the official photographers and stock agency for the Professional Bull Riders Inc., we require a slim profile drive that packs easily in our gear bags, yet delivers big capacity backed by RAID-1 assurance. This new drive from OWC is the perfect solution."

About Other World Computing (OWC)

Other World Computing (OWC) has been providing quality hardware products and support to the computer industry since 1988 and features one of the largest online catalogs of computer, iPod®, iPhone®, and iPad™ enhancement products through its e-commerce portal http://www.macsales.com. As an Apple Certified Developer, OWC also provides extensive US based technical support for Macintosh users around the world as well as Internet access via http://www.fastermac.net and http://www.owc.net

OWC's industry awards and recognition include: Crain's Chicago Business 2009 "Fast 50" List of 50 Fastest Growing Companies in the Chicago Area; Inc. 5,000"Fastest Growing Privately Owned Companies in America" list honoree 2007-2010; Reseller Ratings Elite Member 2009 & 2010; Better Business Bureau Top Rating of A+ 2010; Reflex Packaging Commitment to Excellence Recycling Award 2009; Computerworld MagazineTop Green-IT Companies for 2008; and McHenry County Economic Development Corporation 2008 Business Champion Award.