Buffalo has released what it claims is the country's first external solid-state drive.

Buffalo's MicroStation: compact

The MicroStation line has a maximum 100GB raw storage capacity - 32GB and 64GB versions are also available - that connects using a USB 2.0 which wraps round the drive.

Wrap-around USB cable

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The drive's a compact 89 x 57 x 14mm and weighs just 60g. Buffalo claimed the drive has a top transfer rate of 35MB/s, though it didn't say whether that's a read speed or for writing - we'd say it's the former.

One advantage of SSDs are their resilience to rough and tumble, which probably explains why Buffalo feels sufficiently confident to ship each MicroStation with a two-year warranty. They also come with Memeo AutoBackup software.

They don't come cheap, though. The 32GB MicroStation costs £115, the 64GB model £230. The 100GB drive wil set you back £344.

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