Padlock hard drive encrypts data via keypad

Apricorn has announced the availability of its Padlock Secure Hard Drive, a portable external hard drive equipped with a built-in keypad that prevents unauthorized access. It’s available in 250GB – 500GB capacities from $99 to $159.

The drive weighs six ounces and integrates a USB cable. It features a 16-point omnidirectional shock mounting system. The drive features built in AES encryption — Apricorn makes the drive available in AES-128 or AES-256 bit hardware encryption, and while it comes pre-formatted for Windows, you can reformat the drive to work on the Mac without damaging or removing the encryption capabilities.

The system is designed to be set up with encryption without using any software — users key in a Personal Identification Number (PIN) using the keypad built into the drive to authenticate.