Tools of the Trade: Drive time
October 02, 2008
A look at portable hard drives.
By Sarah Boehle
Company: Seagate Technology LLC
Product: Seagate FreeAgent Go
Price: $99.99-$179.99
How to Buy: www.seagate.com and in stores
Features: Seagate's FreeAgent Go not only provides up to 250GB of storage and all the file-toting capacity that implies, it also allows taking your desktop environment with you, including typical software applications, Web browsers, IM clients and contacts, passwords, cookies, and other settings. Security's a snap, too. Private data saves automatically to your FreeAgent Go drive—never to the borrowed computer on which you are working. Available with 80GB, 120GB, 160GB, or 250GB capacity. Includes a five-year manufacturer's warranty. Windows compatible.
Company: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Product: Hitachi Easy Hard Drive
Price: $139.99-$179.99
How to Buy: www.hitachigst.com/easydrive
Features: With 250GB of storage capacity, Hitachi's Easy Hard Drive can save tons of files, more than 80,000 digital photos, 89 feature-length movies, 250 video hours, more than 60,000 songs, or 125 games. USB-powered, there's no need for an external power source. Units also are available with 200GB or 160GB storage capacity. Includes a one-year manufacturer's warranty. Windows and Mac compatible.
Company: Olixir Technologies
Product: Mobile Data Vault 2LX
Price: $439-$668.95
How to Buy: www.olixir.com
Features: Boasting proprietary shock protection technology exceeding U.S. military standards—which require electronic devices to demonstrate functional survivability after repeated (26 times!) slamming against a hard surface—the Mobile Data Vault 2LX is one of the toughest portable hard drives on the market today. The unit is compatible with USB 2.0, Firewire, SATA interfaces or docking bay. Units come with storage capacities of 60GB, 80GB, 100GB, or 160GB. Includes a three-year manufacturer's warranty. Mac, Windows, and Linux compatible.
Company: Fabrik Inc.
Product: SimpleTech Signature Mini USB 2.0 Portable Drive
Price: $119.99-$199.99
How to Buy: www.simpletech.com and in stores
Features: With storage capacity options ranging from 120GB to 320GB and prices between $119.99 and $199.99, there's a SimpleTech Signature Mini to suit just about any budget. And with styling revved up by iconic Italian sports car designers at Pininfarina, this sleek, portable drive comes in a variety of flavor-inspired colors—from kiwi to bubblegum. Includes a three-year manufacturer's warranty and free technical support. Mac and Windows compatible.
|
RSS
