SanDisk introduced a new flash storage drive on Wednesday that also automatically backs up data to the Internet.
When consumers store documents, photos, and music onto SanDisk's new Cruzer Titanium Plus USB flash drive, it will back up that digital information to a Web service offered by a start-up company called BeInSync, which stores data on Amazon.com's computers.
The new storage drive, which SanDisk said it believes is the first of its kind, is the latest in a wave of devices that link up with the Internet to offer new features to products that were previously considered standalone, or offline, devices.
For example, Amazon's new electronic book reader, Kindle, comes with wireless access, allowing users to directly download books, newspapers, and blogs. Sony's competing reader does not have a wireless connection and requires users to link to a computer to upload books onto the device.
The Cruzer, which retails for $59.99 and goes on sale in March, will come with 4 gigabytes of storage and provide six months of free online backup. After that period, a user pays $29.99 a year to continue the online storage service.
After an initial registration, when the user is online and the drive is plugged in, the information will sync automatically with an online storage account.
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