Verbatim has just introduced the SWOVA128G external SSD, which functions similarly to the old CD-R discs: it can be written to, but cannot be erased or modified.
SWOVA128G will be the storage choice for important, fixed data that needs to be secured against accidental deletion or modification.
A long time ago, anyone around 40 or older has likely seen the Verbatim brand on CD discs. Back then, people used CD-R (Compact Disc-Recordable) discs to write data; once completed, these discs were called CD-ROM (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory), meaning they could only be read and not written to again. Later, CD-RW (Compact Disc-ReWritable) discs were invented, which could be written and erased at least 1,000 times. CD-R appeared in the WORM (Write Once Read Many) storage format, meaning you write once and can read as many times as you want. With today’s technology, CD-R has become obsolete, but Verbatim is bringing the SWOVA128G to the market for those who need the functionality of these optical discs.
The Verbatim SWOVA128G with 128 GB capacity comes with a 10-year warranty. It is a NAND Flash-based storage device using a USB 3.2 Gen 1 connection. This portable SSD is equipped with MLC memory chips that have been tested to pass selected standards, allowing it to operate normally in temperatures ranging from -35 to 50 degrees Celsius. The write-protection capability of the SWOVA128G is controlled via software and currently only works on Windows 10 and 11 (requires .NET 4.8). If you plug the SWOVA128G into a computer that does not have the specific Verbatim software installed, the drive will always be in a read-only state, and you can only write additional data (if space is available) through this software. Of course, “what is written is permanent”—once data is written, it cannot be deleted or renamed, similar to how we used to write multi-session CD-Rs in the past. On the upside, if you store important data here, the SWOVA128G is immune to all types of ransomware in existence.
The SWOVA128G comes pre-formatted as exFAT, and if you only need to read the data on the drive, you can use any device running MacOS, ChromeOS, iOS, Android, or Windows (which supports exFAT). Currently, the product does not have a retail price yet, and I am not sure what specific use case people will have for writing data to this drive—do you have any ideas?
Reference: Tinhte
