Iomega Prestige Portable Hard Drive

Best Price:
The biggest problem with portable hard disks is that carrying them around means they are more likely to get damaged. Most small, portable hard disks are simply laptop disks slotted into a plastic case with a USB connection tacked onto the back. They are given little or no extra protection to cope with the bashing that they’re likely to receive while on the move. So why not encase your portable hard disk with something altogether more sturdy? This disk from Iomega comes in an aluminium shell and features Drop Shock technology, so it ought to be able to take more punishment than most.

Features:
The dual protection of the aluminium case and the shock absorber means this disk can take more knocks than many of its rivals. The device comes with a USB 2.0 cable that lets you hook the device up to your computer. The cable is split so that, should you be running a laptop on a battery or find yourself in some other low-power situation, you can insert both USB plugs into the computer and give it a power boost. Alternatively, if you don’t want to rely on your batteries, you can get an optional power adapter. The Iomega comes with its own back-up software, which you have to download using a voucher supplied with the unit.

Performance:
You’d expect a disk that looks this flash to be adept in the speed department too. We tested it against a selection of hard disks that were comparable in size and form factor, and it performed similarly well. If, however, performance is your most important consideration, you may find that a larger external disk offers increased speed, although you’ll also have to carry around extras like a power supply.

Ease of use:
There’s little to get in the way of you using this device. Because the back-up software is a download, there’s no space taken up on the disk so, if you’re not intending to use the disk for back-up purposes, you won’t have to remove any programs to free up space. If you do fancy the back-up software, however, you’re going to have to do the work of downloading and installing it yourself. Beyond that it’s very simple – string the cable between your disk and your computer and Windows will pick it up and automatically list it with the other disks in your system.

Value for money:
There’s a slight premium on this disk in terms of price but you can’t upgrade from plastic to aluminium and expect to pay the same. Having said that, there’s an economy of scale in getting one of the larger capacity disks, with the 250GB model falling in at 28p per gigabyte, while the 320GB and 500GB units drop to 25p per gigbyte. This compares reasonably well to its rivals.