Fabrik on Monday launched an eco-friendly external hard drive that the company claims can transfer data at speeds 25% faster than products with standard USB 2.0 ports.

The SimpleTech drive communicates through the company's faster "Turbo USB 2.0" port. Standard USB 2.0 hardware transfers data at 480 Mbps.

The drive offers 500 GB of storage for personal computers running Apple's Mac OS X or Microsoft's Windows. The product comes with Fabrik's automated backup software, which, besides storing data in the drive, can also connect to the company's online backup service.

In trying to make its product more "green" than those of competitors, such as Western Digital, Fabrik has built the enclosure of its SimpleTech drives in bamboo and recyclable aluminum. In addition, the drives ship in recyclable packaging and include an Energy Star power adapter. Energy Star is an international standard for energy-efficient consumer products.

"At Fabrik, we're making an effort to support the environment, while adapting our products to better meet consumer needs and interests," Matt McRae, VP of marketing for Fabrik, said in a statement.

For Windows users, the new drive includes virus protection to help prevent the transfer of infected files before the backup occurs. Virus updates are available at no additional charge. The backup software can also be used to create a disaster-recovery CD.

Fabrik offers access to its online backup service through the SimpleTech software. The service is available at no charge for up to 2 GB of storage, or $5 a month for unlimited storage. Fabrik also offers online backup as a standalone service.

The SimpleTech Turbo USB 2.0 is available through retail stores and online retailers. The manufacturer's suggested retail price is $160.

Fabrik also makes SimpleTech drives with capacities of 250 GB and 320 GB. The products use an external power supply, weigh 4.8 ounces, and are 7.5 by 2.2 by 5 inches in size.