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Rating: Summary: Probably the best portable hard drive on the market today Review: I have both this Iomega HDD 20GB portable hard drive and another 20GB drive from Archos, and I recommend that you buy the Iomega. Sure, this Iomega drive is not the fastest, smallest, or cheapest 20GB portable drives out there, but it comes with a driver that simply works.I had so much trouble getting the Archos drive to work, and even to this day, it occasionally drops the annoying BSOD bomb, always at the most inopportune time. The Iomega drive, on the other hand, feels much more solid and actually works beautifully each time. The 4200-RPM spin rate is a bit low, but considering that you'll never get close to the 480-Mbps rated speed of USB 2.0 -- in fact, the max I get is about 1/10 of that! -- the rotational speed is not a bottleneck. Overall, I would recommend an IEEE 1394 portable hard drive because of its real-world higher I/O throughput. But since USB ports are much more common, a USB drive is also more convenient. And in this category, I heartily recommend this Iomega product as well as the 30GB version. Oh, one last thing, on the power issue: on my main desktop, an Acer P3, sometimes I can use the Iomega hard drive without the power cord. Not always, though. In any case, it's also a good idea to carry the AC adapter with you. Same goes for IEEE 1394 external drives.
Rating: Summary: Probably the best portable hard drive on the market today Review: I have both this Iomega HDD 20GB portable hard drive and another 20GB drive from Archos, and I recommend that you buy the Iomega. Sure, this Iomega drive is not the fastest, smallest, or cheapest 20GB portable drives out there, but it comes with a driver that simply works. I had so much trouble getting the Archos drive to work, and even to this day, it occasionally drops the annoying BSOD bomb, always at the most inopportune time. The Iomega drive, on the other hand, feels much more solid and actually works beautifully each time. The 4200-RPM spin rate is a bit low, but considering that you'll never get close to the 480-Mbps rated speed of USB 2.0 -- in fact, the max I get is about 1/10 of that! -- the rotational speed is not a bottleneck. Overall, I would recommend an IEEE 1394 portable hard drive because of its real-world higher I/O throughput. But since USB ports are much more common, a USB drive is also more convenient. And in this category, I heartily recommend this Iomega product as well as the 30GB version. Oh, one last thing, on the power issue: on my main desktop, an Acer P3, sometimes I can use the Iomega hard drive without the power cord. Not always, though. In any case, it's also a good idea to carry the AC adapter with you. Same goes for IEEE 1394 external drives.
Rating: Summary: Excellent Portable HDD (USB 1.1/2.0) by Iomega Review: The Iomega 20GB Portable HDD (USB 1.1/2.0) is an excellent portable HDD. This HDD can be connected using USB 1.1 or USB 2.0. However, it is not recommended to connect it to a USB hub. It is recommended to connect it using the USB slot on the rear of the computer. Iomega only recommend format this HDD FAT32. There is no carrying case sold by Iomega for this HDD, however, many third parties have carrying cases that fit this HDD. The drive build into the case is only a 4200RPM hard drive but it is fast using USB 2.0 and reasonable fast using USB 1.1. Iomega sells a Firewire module for this unit that comes complete with a Firewire module and a Firewire cable... I am using this HDD for carrying data from home to office, therefore, 20GB is large enought for what I am using it for. I will purchase a larger external HDD for data storage. SimpleTech has a SimpleDrive Deluxe model that comes complete with carrying case, power adapter, USB 1.1/2.0 cable, and a Firewire cable, all in one package.
Rating: Summary: Compact, fast but not USB-Powered Review: This portable hard drive is a great solution if you are looking to carry files from computer to computer. 20 GB is a decent amount of space in my opinion and hookup is a breeze. The only drawback is that it is not USB-Powered like the portable Zip drive. That means you have to carry the power adapter around too, which makes it less portable in my opinion. Extra adapters can be purchased from the iomega website. Leave one at home and the other at the office and you will have complete portability.
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