Sonnet (www.sonnettech.com) has announced the Fusion PCIe Flash Drive, a rugged, pocket-size solid-state drive (SSD) storage device with 256GB or 512GB storage capacity — and the newest member of Sonnet’s growing family of Thunderbolt 2 technology products.

The Sonnet flash drive serves as an alternative to USB thumb drives and portable SATA-based hard disk drive and SSD storage products. It connects to a compatible Mac or Windows computer, or at the end of a Thunderbolt device daisy chain, via an attached 0.5-meter Thunderbolt cable. 

Measuring 1.75 inches wide by 4 inches deep by 0.8 inches tall and small enough to fit in a user’s pocket, the Fusion PCIe Flash Drive’s enclosure is crafted out of aluminum. This is designed to transfer heat from the SSD and allowed Sonnet to design the device without a fan to enable silent operation. The design also enabled the device to be bus-powered and require no power adapter.

Sonnet expects to make the new drive available in June 2015 at an manufacturer’s suggested retail price of US$499 for 256GB and $799 for 512GB.