Mac add-on specialist Sonnet has launched its Tempo Serial ATA ExpressCard in the UK. Aimed at Apple's MacBook Pro line, the card allows laptop users to hook up a pair of eSATA-enabled hard drives.

The slimline card contains a 3Gbps SATA controller, though since the ExpressCard slots in MacBook Pros connect via the notebooks's USB 2.0 infrastructure rather than the PCI Express bus - the ExpressCard standard supports both - data transfer is limited to a maximum of 480Mbps.

Still, the card provides a degree of future proofing, allowing you to use eSATA drives now ahead of the inevitable day when Apple introduces a machine with an integrated eSATA port.

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The Tempo supports the connection of SATA port multipliers, allowing up to ten drives to be connected. It also works with Mac OS X's own RAID sub-system allowing two drives to be used as one for greater data security.

Sonnet's ExpressCard is available from a range of Mac specialists, including Apple's own online store, for around £120.

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