External Hard Drives

Even though online data storage have experienced a great deal of popularity when it comes to storage, external hard drives are still essential and have a great deal of marked dedicated to themselves. One of the most popular storage brands is Seagate, and it has refreshed its successful GoFlex line with the FreeAgent GoFlex Pro. A unique feature about this device is that, Seagate has reengineered the device to separate the drive from bridge board that translates the device’s native SATA to another interface connection.

Design:

The design of the FreeAgent GoFlex Pro Portable Hard Drive 500GB, 750GB is very much similar to its other siblings in the FreeAgent Go series. For instance, its casing is about 0.55″ thick and sleek. You will be able to notice that the casing of the device actually divides the drive into two parts, one is the hard drive itself and the other us a proprietary cap that finishes with the USB 2.0 port. The drive comes in four colours of red, blue, silver and black.

Capacities available:

The GoFlex Pro comes in two capacity flavours of 500GB (STAD500200) and 750GB (STAD750200). The cost per GB is quite acceptable considering the enhanced functionality over the other standard hard drives.

Interface:

One of the most important factors to look for while shopping for an external hard drive is that, you should make sure that it has an interface that will work at its best at the fastest port available in your PC. Most of the time, the fastest port that the current consumers have is only the USB2.0 as the fastest port. Even though other faster ports such as FireWire 800, USB3.0 and eSATA have gained amazing popularity in the past couple of years with their impressive speed, most manufacturers put on a premium price tag if you wish for these extras, which most ‘everyday’ consumers cannot afford.

Personality cables:

Seagate seems to be having a solution for this issue with the FreeAgent GoFlex Pro that features the exchangeable “personality cables” that offers the port selection to its consumers. Hence, you will be able to purchase a range of Personality Cables for a very nominal price to fit eSATA, FireWire 800 and USB 3.0. The package includes the other docks and accessories that allow you to access data on the go with the help of the software licensed from Pogoplug.

User Interface and Ease of use:

Seagate has to be appreciated for just omitting the installation CD and just bundling all the software installation files in the drive itself. Hence, all of these installation files will be at your disposal wherever you go. Installation of the Memeo Software (about which we will see in detail shortly) is just a breeze on both OSs of Windows and Mac. As soon as installation is done, you will be able to notice that the Seagate Dashboard, which is also powered by Memeo, residing on the desktop serves to be the hub for viewing recent backups performed and also offers you with an overlying view of data available in the drive.

The insides:

Inside the Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Pro drive is a 2.5″ hard disk that spins at a rate of 7200rpm, providing it with the extra boost as far as speed is concerned. This is in comparison to the standard 5400rpm drives that are present in most of the other external hard drives, particularly when combined with a USB3.0 cable. Even though the above mentioned Personality Cables are pricier than the other standard off the shelf counterparts, they even provide you with the flexibility of buying the cables only that you will need. This also means that option is open for you to any future upgrades to your system. Seagate has also given a hint that a personality cable is in development that supports Light Peak, which is Intel’s latest cable technology that is expected to replace FireWire, SATA, USB, SCSI and HDMI as standard.

Compatibility:

If you have been keeping track of the Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex models, you will be aware of their unique advantage of the ability to access and exchange files between system running in both Windows and Mac OSs. For this the company has joined hands with Paragon Software group in order to embed the NTFS for Mac OS software into each of the models in the GoFlex drive. This has not caused any issues with installation and set-up, as it is as simple as one time installation when the drive is installed for the very first time and from there, you will be able to mount the drive on both PCs and Macs with complete write and read access sans any speed degradation. However, there is a small catch here, because this drive will not work with Time Machine if you are making use of the NTFS for Mac at the same time, since Apple demands all the external storage to be HFS+ formatted. Fortunately, Seagate gets over this issue by providing its own diluted backup back-up software via another partnership with the software developer Memeo.

Memo Backup:

Memeo is a file based backup system, which means that, on the dashboard, you have to specifically specify the folders and files that you need to save, and you also have the option to back up all the contents of the GoFlex drive at once.  This software is also capable of automatically updating with the version control technique, which means it will copy files in the background so that your backup data will remain to be up to date. The only glitch here is that, the file-based backups do not keep a record of the applications that you install in the system. However, Seagate makes sure that this feature is provided with the Premium Backup plan of Memeo for an one-time upgrade fee.

Performance:

To test the performance of the Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Pro 2.5″ Portable Drive, we compared it with similar drives such as LaCie Rikiki, Transcend StoreJet 25F, Hitachi SimpleTough and G-Tech G-Drive Mobile USB. The GoFlex Pro seems to be solid performer in both read and write tests and it can clearly keep up with the competition with its rivals. But the high speed gain can be noticed more when the drive is combined with USB3.0 and eSATA. The FireWire 800 reaches speeds of about 37MB/s, which is simply amazing.

Warranty and Support:

Seagate offers its FreeAgent GoFlex Pro three years warranty for parts and labour. It is disappointing that Seagate has not offered 5 years warranty that came with the original FreeAgent Go, but let us not talks too much about it because most hard drives come with just one year warranty. For support, the Seagate Website has quite a comprehensive list of forums, driver downloads, knowledge bases, installation help and FAQs that aids you with any sort of troubleshooting.  You also get live support through chat, email and phone from 6am to 8pm in weekdays.

Verdict:

With the FreeAgent GoFlex  external hard drive, Seagate has kept its promise to provide more features than its rivals at similar cost per GB. Considering its current price tag, the GoFlex Pro is obviously one of the cheapest drives in the market. Though it will not be able to displace LaCie Rikiki from the top place, you also have to note here that this LaCie offering has just the USB2.0 port with 2 years limited warranty and very simple automated backup software. At such an affordable price tag, the Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Pro external hard drive is well deserved of a “recommended” from externalharddrives.org.uk and a try from the budget minded consumers who like to stay ahead of connection curve.

FreeAgent GoFlex Pro External Hard Drive - Product Specification Table

Manufacturer	Seagate
Model Name	Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Pro
Model Numbers	500GB: STAD500200 750GB: STAD750200
Colour/Finish	Black
Type	Ultra portable drive
Dimensions (W x D x H)	82 x 14 x 112 mm
Weight	160 grams
Capacities Available	500GB and 750GB
Interface	USB 2.0
Other interface options	USB 3.0, eSATA and FireWire® 800
Folder sync software	Yes
Spindle speed	7200rpm
Software	Preloaded premium backup software with encryption and synchronisation
Encryption	Powerful encryption technology
Compatible OS	Windows and Mac
System Requirements	Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP (32-bit & 64-bit) operating system or Mac OS X operating system 10.4.9 or higher USB 2.0 or 3.0 port For the USB 3.0 interface: SuperSpeed USB 3.0 port (required for USB 3.0 transfer speeds or backward compatible with USB 2.0 ports at USB 2.0 transfer speeds)
Box Contents	GoFlex Pro ultra–portable drive GoFlex Dock Preloaded premium backup software with encryption and synchronisation GoFlex USB 2.0 or 3.0 interface adapter 18-inch USB 2.0 or 3.0 cable Quick Start Guide
Warranty	Three–year limited warranty

Overview:

Pros:

• Innovative idea of cloud connection and USB thumb drive
• Efficient, eco-friendly packaging
• Quality construction from premium materials
• Stylish design
• Package includes all essential stuff
• Easy to understand settings
• The management interface is a visual treat
• 3GB of free online storage

Cons:

• The USB cables in package are short
• Very little options for configuration
• Absence of file filtering options
• Inability to hide sub directories
• Requirement of 2 separate online accounts
• Minimalistic web interface
• Limited search options
• Absence of user defined hierarchical file organisation
• Default back-up of Windows user directory including browser cache and temp folder
• Impractical stylish 3D wall

Review:

If you have heaps of pictures and videos and just go mad when you have to find a specific one, synchronise it between a lot of areas and even access it online, then Hitachi’s LifeStudio Mobile Plus External Hard drive might just have the right solution for you and we also have to mention here that it is quite a brave attempt at solving these issues. It sports Hitachi’s LifeStudio application that automatically pops out the digital media content such as music, images, videos and docs and organises and presents them in a very clear and ‘easy to find stuff’ manner. This is a highly appealing option for the mainstream consumers.

The LifeStudio Mobile Plus is a portable hard drive that possesses magnetic connectivity to a 4GB USB key that has been included in the box. As the name indicates, this device is a ‘Portable’ version of the Hitachi LifeStudio Desk Plus. We can be sure of this fact as both of these drives seem to come with identical file management and backup suite that has about 3GB of free cloud storage. There is no doubt that this concept will work, but the part of ease of use and simplicity has to be seen and experienced to be believed. Read on to find out more about this external hard drive.

Design:

Trio parts:
The Hitachi LifeStudio Mobile Plus Portable Hard Drive has quite an interesting design as it comes about in three parts of the external hard drive itself, a docking station as well as a USB key. As we mentioned in the intro, the key is attached to the docking station with the magnet and it can also be removed quite easily. All three pieces are colour coordinated (blue, graphite, and black), and both the hard drive and USB key have built-in access lights. The drive is pretty compact like most of the other 2.5″ portable hard drives. In comparison to the other external hard drives such as the Western Digital My Book and Buffalo Drive Station, the LifeStudio has quite an avant grade design. The LifeStudio Mobile Plus is available in two beautiful shades of graphite and platinum.

The Thumb Drive:
When all the three packages are put together, the entire package looks pretty bulky and this is exactly when the USB drive comes in handy. It is a great idea, especially for students who can carry small amounts of data to class. Yet, if you already have a USB drive, then this might sound redundant except when you may want to use it as a microSD card reader.

Power and Cables:
Being a mobile drive, the LifeStudio draws power straight out from the USB ports. In order to cope up with the low power ports, Hitachi has included a Y cable with 2 USB cables. Unfortunately, the USB cable in the package is a bit short, so you make have to use an extension cable so that you can connect the LifeStudio Mobile Plus to a PC.

Interface:
The Hitachi LifeStudio Mobile Plus Portable hard drive comes in three capacities of 250GB, 320GB and 500GB. The thumb drive has a 4GB microSD card as storage, which can be upgraded to up to 32GB. Interface wise, you get neither the USB 3.0 nor FireWire. Since you get only the USB2.0 interface, it makes it rather out of date in comparison to the USB3.0 based external hard drives getting more famous.

Features:

The hard drive partition:
The external hard drive has two separate partitions. You will be able to format the first partition into the file systems you wish, such as NTFS, FAT32 or HFS+. But the second partition is read only type that is formatted in form of a CD ROM that has Hitachi’s LifeStudio and Backup software. Out of the box, the LifeStudio Mobile Plus is formatted in FAT32 file system and allows both Mac OS and Windows to have complete access to it. The drives coming preformatted in FAT32 for the sake of flexibility is not new is because Buffalo Tech did the same for its MiniStation Cobalt drive. However, we liked the way Seagate handled it with its GoFlex Family, where the drive is reformatted in the uncompromising NTFS file system, and also offers free software that allows Macs to read and write to NTFS.

Installation and Set-up:
Installation and set-up of the drive is hassle free and the process will take just a minute. As we just mentioned, the offered USB cable is quite short, but they got detected immediately once connected. Both the drive and USB stick appear as removable media on your system. The bad news is, the drive cannot handle files larger than 4GB. It is not a huge thing to worry about as the installer has a function that aids in formatting the drive for more advanced file systems. Next, all that is left to do is, just install the software from the virtual CD drive. This software has a fancy interface that looks like Apple’s Cover Flow, by displaying stuff in chronological order.

With the LifeStudio Mobile Plus 250GB/320GB/500GB hard drives, Hitachi attempts to bring about a fresh approach to the storage process, by offering a streamlined 3D representation of your data. This is a great external storage solution to make it quite easy for you to find the thing you want and whenever you wish among your digital mess. The bad news is, this software does not support network storage or allow much for any customisation. This 3D scrolling Cooliris interface essentially looks like a wall of photos and videos that you can just scroll through. The photos and videos are organised by date, so that you do not have to search in names. The LifeStudio Software is also capable of searching tags on your photos and videos if you had actually added them to your photos.

An immediate update?
The installation of software is swift and quite issue free. We found it quite strange that as soon as the process of installation is complete, the setup actually runs a mandatory update check and immediately comes up with a newer version. Why did it not do it before the installation of the first one? Though this might sound like some nitpicking, you might change this thought after we say this as there is a very annoying aspect involved in the process of updation. In spite of just installing the application, the LifeStudio app has to be complete and that is automatically uninstalled prior to the installation of the new version. So, this is very time consuming and should have been implemented in a much more efficient way. Though the update is welcome, it is a very lengthy procedure.

Hitachi Backup:
Hitachi’s backup software is one of the simplest backup solutions we have seen. The process of backup is done in the background and you will hardly witness any drop in performance levels of the system. This application can be used even in very less powerful systems. As far as the options available on the software is concerned, there are not many actually. In fact, we can blame the simple nature of the suite for the reductions in functionalities. We feel that it would have been better if the users had been given the option to select the directories to backup. Since it lacks any type of filter, this kind of superficial approach simply means pointless and wasteful data transfers. For instance, the complete Windows User Directory is opted for online backup by default. This means, your browser cache and temporary data is completely backed up and synchronised, which is absolute nonsense.

USB Backup:
There is a sync utility built into the Hitachi software that allows you to choose a folder on your system to sync to the USB stick. The best part is, if you make any changes to the files in the folder or add files to the folder, they will sync automatically with the folder on the USB stick. Hence, you will always have the most essential files with you. You will also be able to set the sync one way, for instance, the USB copy takes priority during changes, system takes priority or, just the 2 way sync where your files are always the latest irrespective of where you make the amends. Note that, you will have to set at least a basic understanding of backup to set up the utilities backup. The software actually does not automatically go out and search for file types like videos, photos, or music and the sync function only tracks the folder you specify. For instance, if you drop a file on to the USB key’s main directory, it will not sync back to your system. You will have to choose the particular folder you had set to sync, which is obviously an unnecessary chore.

Online Storage:
To make use of the online web storage facility offered, you should have a Hitachi user account, which is easy to set up and does not ask you for lot of information. You have about 3GB of online storage for free, but if you want more, you gotta pay. The online storage option is a little confusing on many aspects. There is no direct access to the folder hierarchy as well as listing of files. Alternatively, you have to put up with a list of most recently uploaded files. The files are classified based on media types and if the type does not fit in any of Hitachi’s small selection of default formats, you will be able to find it only with its file name. But who memorises file names? Hence, this minimalistic solution will not allow you to access your data through the Web, making this cloud based archive quite an online graveyard.

Cooliris 3D Wall:
As we had mentioned in the introduction, the latest LifeStudio Mobile Plus Hard Drive make the whole job of organising and searching for digital media a whole lot easier. Hitachi’s LifeStudio Application suite makes use of the same cooliris 3D wall idea that is usually found on the Android smartphone’s Gallery app. Every media content has a great deal of convenience of accessing editing and managing them via centralised piece of software that possess support for uploading images to Picasa, Flickr and the all important Facebook. For instance, once you sign into your account, you can view your Facebook photo albums or even that of your mates from within the interface of the software through the 3D wall. This 3D Wall is dubbed as ‘My Life’ and we reckon the novice users such as mums and dads will be particularly enamoured with the visual, web 2.0 style interface. It does not stop there as you can even upload photos from your system to Facebook and even leave comments without having to leave the LifeStudio interface. As you can imagine, you will need an internet connection for this to work and, the disappointing thing is, the software randomly displays ads in the lower left corner.

iPhone App:
Finally, on the front of software, the apps available for the iPhone allow you to access this data online for later. But unfortunately, these apps are not free. The Cooliris allows you to view your data content. If you like it or not, it is for you to decide. While it can be easy to view simple data content structures, checking a large photo collection can be a bit challenging. However, it did a great job of quickly finding all digital content organising it a way that is simple to find, especially with images. Without any changes to the original location of data, the suite puts everything in a single place and groups it by date and then displays it on a 3D wall, making it simple to spot the photo you are looking for.

Two accounts:
Though the login button on the main display as nothing to do with the Cloud, it needs a separate Cooliris account. We could not help the feel that the registration process could have been smoother. You might encounter some error messages, but at the end of it you will get confirmation links at the time of registration , unfortunately all the registration confirmation emails fell on the spam folder. We fear the novice users will depend on properly delivered mails. Hitachi could have also provided an alternative visualisation method on the wall. Consumers who are achieving just a few photos and music will get used to it quite quickly. However, the advanced users with a range of file types that are all not multimedia types, will get really pissed off with the absence of any overview.

Performance:

Even if a drive turns out to be a style icon and is filled with features, what good is it, if the hardware turns out to be slow. It is disappointing that this drive does not support USB3.0, and you tested it with only USB2.0 connection and it seems to perform well compared to other USB2.0 drives. Its write speed of 29.8Mbps is excellent, but has a blow average read speed of 30.4Mbps. Though the integrated hard drive of Hitachi LifeStudio is not a big quickie to offer any sort of a smooth user experience, but the overall experience is good. It is the same case with the USB stick too. The USB thumb has some grave limitations with read performance. However, when it comes to writing, it is pretty fast. Again, this flash drive might not be the fastest around, but it is just enough for everyday use. There were no issues with the drive while using it and it also managed to stay cool and quiet even during extended operations.

Package:

We make sure that we do not miss the part of packaging in our reviews, because sometimes, you will really be able to judge a book by its cover, especially considering that this packaging is entirely responsible for securing the drive throughout its shipping and retailing. The packaging also gives you an idea on how eco friendly the manufacturer may be and, on this perspective, Hitachi has scored full points by making quite an exemplary package that has avoided all the unnecessary plastic and has gone with an apt cardboard. You will not find any installation CDs as the hard drive has been configured as a virtual CD that offers you with all of the required software. However, a small printed installation guide is essential and you will find one in the package which aids the consumer through a few installation steps. In addition to this, there are 2 USB cables, a docking station and the 4GB USB stick.

Warranty:

Hitachi offers its LifeStudio Mobile Plus three years warranty for parts and labour. Hitachi has a dedicated Web site for the LifeStudio family; here you will find lots of information about the drive, including how to use it and how to fix it.

Verdict:

In short, we can say that the Hitachi LifeStudio Mobile Plus is quite and innovative break from the mundane world of external hard drives. Even here at externalharddrives.org.uk, we have said and written a lot about data protection, so we are quite glad each time a manufacturer tries something really new in this market with a great degree of real innovation. As you can imagine, backing up of data to an external hard drive or a network storage solution is not anything new. Virtually, everybody on earth, who can use a computer, has a USB thumb drive and even saving of data on the web has become somewhat old school. Yet, when someone has offered these entire features in one simple, user friendly, easy to use and budget-friendly package, we have to give the device big thumbs up.

The Hitachi’s LifeStudio Application software is one of the best we have seen and the integrated USB thumb drive offers you with quite an easy and flexible way for portability of essential information and media. On the other side, as a user, you would expect the interface to be quite quick and intuitive. The major bane of this Hitachi drive is that, it lacks in filtering and demands that you backup unnecessary and useless data like the browser cache. This needs some tweaking and the web interface can also do with some customising. The Hitachi LifeStudio Mobile Plus external hard drive is most likely to suite the casual and personal users. The lack of a number of file selection options means it is inappropriate for even semi professional users. At a budget price tag, the LifeStudio Mobile Plus is a great deal with the kind of features it offers.

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Hitachi LifeStudio Mobile Plus Hard Drive - Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Hitachi
Model Name	Hitachi LifeStudio Mobile Plus
Model Numbers	320GB (Graphite): 0S02717 320GB (Platinum): 0S02728 500GB (Graphite): 0S02723 500GB (Platinum): 0S02733
Drive type	Portable drive
Form factor	2.5 inch
Dimensions (H x W x D)	5.35″ x 3.35″ x 3.17″
Weight	0.86lbs (0.39kg)
Colours available	Graphite & Platinum
Interface	USB 2.0 compliant, USB 1.1 compatible
Capacities available	250GB, 320GB and 500GB
Hard disk type	Mechanical
System requirements	Windows: Computer system running with Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 and an available USB 2.0 or USB 1.1 port Macintosh: Mac computer running OS X 10.5 or newer with an available USB 2.0 or USB 1.1 port
Compatible OS	Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Mac OS X Tiger® or Leopard
Data transfer rate	USB 2.0: up to 480Mbit/sec; USB 1.1: up to 12Mbit/sec
Microsoft Certifications	Compatible with Windows 7
Web browsers	Internet Explorer (7 or newer), Mac Safari (4 or newer)
Software included	Hitachi LifeStudio Suite Hitachi Backup
Power Source	USB bus
Package contents	2.5″ external hard drive” 4GB USB key USB dock USB cable LifeStudio softare Hitachi Backup software
Warranty	3 years

The development of external hard drives has become much faster these days, thanks to some innovative technology that strives on fast data transfer speed and increased capacity just like the newest range of Buffalo MiniStations. A real performer, the MiniStation 1TB external hard drive from the house of Buffalo boasts the technological edge of the Japanese expertise. The Buffalo mini station consists of two series viz. the HD-PXT and HD-PET and the 1.0TB version falls under the HD-PXT series. The following review is a compilation of some of its key design and performance parameters.

Features:

The Buffalo MiniStation 1.0TB External Hard Drive (product code: HD-PC1TU2/B-EU) is only bigger than a pack of cards. As for the looks, it seems that it has been well thought out by the manufacturer and is made and designed to pretty high standards. The blackish hard drive is pretty compact and small, given the capacity of 1TB and making it all the more distinct is the casing which is shock resistant, despite the light and plasticky feeling you may get with it.

The plastic border of the casing does bend when forced, but the question is why would one bend it purposely and how often? Let truth be told, we have not tested the durability of this external hard drive yet, but the sheer feel of the case suggest that it could most  definitely take a fall on the mat or even concrete, given the drive should descend from a reasonable height. The Buffalo MiniStation 1.0TB version looks bigger than the Buffalo 500GB and 320GB hard drives in its own rights. Overall, the design instils a sense of confidence in its capability to endure the rigours of travel and everyday rugged use, in stark contrast to drives that look more like plastic boxes or cans rattling unsteadily around inside.

FlexConnect: If looks fail to deceive you, the build quality of the drive deserves appreciation. There is a permanent USB lead that stows away tidily into a slot found on the side - a nice bit of touch. The drive features an integrated FlexConnect cable management system that ensures you never lose the cable again. If your laptop case is inundated with far too many leads, this actually is a welcome option as you need not have to carry another one. It does give you an additional extension. But the icing on the cake is the shock resistant body which provides protection to your precious data from the shocks and knocks of everyday life.

Performance:

Things that make a real difference to the overall scheme of things include ‘Turbo Pc’ and ‘Turbo Copy’ features. This feature, primarily windows software can transfer huge amounts of data and copy performance in high speed and that is almost double the speed that a USB2.0 portable hard drive can normally give you.  And there is the RAM disk, though we were not so keen on it, just in case it meddles with the data that is already stored on there. The Buffalo MiniStation 1TB USB Hard Drive that comes in the FAT32 file format has to be formatted to the NTSC filing system.

Easy set up:  Setting up the Buffalo Ministation is easy and is ready for immediate use straight out of the box. You can just plug and play on your PC. And mind you there are no drivers or power supply needed to establish connection as it is USB powered and can connect via Mac or PC.

Data transfer rate: The data transfer rate of 480Mbps offered by the Buffalo HD-PXT 1TB MiniStation SATA Hard Drive is not as fast as some of the other USB/hard drives storage medium, but it could have been no good either, so it must only be said that the data transfer rate is reasonable. We hope it stays free of errors for a long time.

Storage capacity: We did a bit of testing with its storage capacity by copying the C: drives of 2 laptops, about 16 USB memory sticks in addition to some SD cards (in fact a dozen of them) onto it and we were not able to make considerable inroads onto its seemingly huge capacity of 1TB. If you are a film nut, the external hard drive is only 48% full when it holds about 125 films and that is plenty for you.

TurboPC:  The best part of the feature is that the transfer speed can be increased making use of the computer memory to maximum writing and reading process into HDD, besides caching while the actual process of data transfer happens. This feature also makes use of the standard internal HDD in the PC to caching which will go on to improve the speed of your computer. To be honest, it is only fair to say that we did not notice any considerable difference in speed.

Turbo Copy: This is another feature that carries a lot of currency in the context of performance and can optimize or enhance the default windows copying function.

Full Disk Encryption: There is a Full Disk Encryption for Windows, a high performance, comprehensive hardware solution to protect all your data (swap files, user files, hidden files, system files, etc) from unauthorised access on laptops, desktops and removable media. And here you have an encryption process that is hard to crack. The Buffalo MiniStation 1TB  Portable Hard Drive is compatible with Mac OS X and Windows operating system.

SecureLock Manager: The Buffalo MiniStation comes loaded with the powerful SecureLock Manager software which means the administrator can adjust a wide range of security levels depending on the needs of the user. For convenience and ease of use, this feature can automatically remember all the passwords, getting rid of the need to enter one every time you access the drive. With the availability of access only via a pre-determined password, as a user you can have total peace of mind over the storage of data which is safe, secure and hidden.

Picasa software: You will also get Picasa software from Google alongside the product that helps you organize and edit digital movies and photos, no matter where they dwell on your computer.

The cons:

The built-in software on the partition of the drive has received some negative user views, but as for us, we did not have any problems, so you could either go for it or ignore it. When the external drive is connected to the PC/Mac, you will see two drives with the first disk consisting of disk tools. You cannot remove the first drive as it is hardwired into the drive. And this means you cannot expect to format the whole disk as a single drive.

Another minor issue is that it does not come with any soft case or pouch and any user would like the case to remain dust free or unscratched. But it does the job of giving that extra bit of protection against the plastic borders, so spending a few pounds on buying an additional soft case should do no harm to you.

Warranty:

The Buffalo MiniStation 1.0TB is covered under a manufacturer’s warranty of 2 years against manufacturing defects, which starts from the original purchase date.

Verdict:

Weighing 165g and measuring 114mm (W) x 77mm (H) x 17mm (D) in size, the drive does what it actually says on the tin with fairly good shock protection against accidental bumps and knocks, sound back-up and transportation of music, digital images and other invaluable files without eating up too much of space on your PC’s hard drive. And if you make use of the secure lock it is simply good as it keeps the nosey sort of people out. These said, the manufacturer should give you an option to make the MiniStation into a clean, single drive, particularly for domestic use or at least Buffalo should be pretty transparent about what it is built short of. All in all, we found this to be a little beauty that stands up to the daunting tests day after day.

Buffalo MiniStation 1TB USB2.0 External Hard Drive - Product Specification Table

Manufacturer	Buffalo
Model Name	Buffalo MiniStation 1.0TB External Hard Drive
Model number	HD-PC1TU2/B-EU
Dimensions (W x H x D)	114 x 77 x 17mm
Enclosure type	Portable
Colour	Black, White, Red
Weight	165g
Hard disk drive capacity	1TB
Hard disk interface	Serial ATA
Data transfer rate (max)	480Mbps
Standard Compliance	USB 2.0
Number of ports	1
Connector Types	USB Mini-B
OS Support	Windows 7 (32/64), Windows XP, Windows Vista (32/64), MAC OS X 10.4 or later
Cables Included	1 x mini USB 2.0
Software bundle included	TurboPC/Turbo Copy, Full Disk Encryption, SecureLock Manager, Picasa
Power Consumption	2.5W (Max)
Operating Temperature	5ºC -35ºC; Relative Humidity: 20%-80%
Power Supply	AC 100-240V (External) 50/60Hz
Warranty	2 years

Overview:

Pros:

• Tiny Structure
• Sleek, durable, anodised black finishing
• Speedy transfer rates
• Plug and play
• Excellent value
• Included backup software
• 10GB 1-year membership to Wuala online storage

Cons:

• Sharp corners
• Inconvenient short chord

Review:

Having reviewed a few of previous generation portable hard drives of LaCie, we had a feeling that LaCie seems to give more importance to the design and look of the device rather than enhancing its insides for productivity. They were quite chunky and were not able to keep up with the competition when it comes to both data transfer speeds and cost per Giga byte. However, luckily, LaCie seems to have redeemed itself with its Rikiki external hard drive. Being one of the tiniest portable hard drives in the market, it looks great and a solid performer too. Read on to find out if this is the external hard drive you have been looking for.

Tiny form factor:

As we had mentioned in the introduction, LaCie has never had any issues when it comes to giving an attractive look to its products. For instance, the LaCie LanaKey USB flash drive and the Classic Rugged All-Terrain Hard Drive were absolute rippers when it comes to design, and the Rikiki USB3.0 is no different. The Rikiki is, as its name indicates, which is a French colloquial for tiny, is one of the tiniest external hard drives we have ever tested, measuring just (H x W x D) 4.6” x 2.9” x 0.52”. It is thinner than My Passport Elite of WD, about an inch less than Iomega eGo, and even Seagate Free Agent Go. You will not be able to get anything smaller than this, except if you are looking at any solid state device. LaCie seems to have learned its lesson from its previous models and has dropped the weight of the Rikiki to a very manageable 176grams.

Sleek and Sharp:

You will not find any flashy design graphics or rubber wings to protect the drive. Instead, LaCie seems to have opted for the minimalistic path by encasing the 2.5” hard drive with a dent resistant brushed aluminium casing, which is not only stylish, but also protects it from hazards of everyday transportation. The design is fairly simple but a refined Network Space 2, the Rikiki elevates the “black box” to a form of art. The sharp edges and brushed grains give the drive more character than anything you will be able to mould out of plastic.

Even though Rikiki USB 3.0 External Hard Drive will fit in your pocket, you would not want to do so because of its angular design. Its corners are very sharp and might easily damage your denim as time goes by. We recommend any bag that you carry around for the Rikki. The drive is otherwise bare except for a USB 3.0 port and a small LED on top of the drive when the drive is powered, besides the subtle LaCie embossing on each plastic end cap. On the bottom of the drive there are 4 axel screws, we were unable to remove them because they have a small ball inside them that prevents you from getting a screwdriver in them.

Package:

The Rikiki 2.5″ Portable Hard drive comes in a retail clamshell package that is open on the front so you can take a look at the drive. Also there are ruler diagrams on the top and side of the drive to let you know just how small it is. On the back of the drive there is a list of features and package contents. You will find a 6” USB chord in the box that works perfect on laptops with accessible USB ports, however, we feel that the desktop PC users might need to look for a longer cable. Mini USB-to-USB cable connects the LaCie Rikiki external drive to the system. While testing, we found ourselves wishing for the integrated USB cables that happen to have disappeared from the LaCie drives after the Stark mobile.

Capacities and Compatibility:

The drive is available in two flavours of capacities such as 500GB and 1TB. It is compatible with the latest version of Windows® XP, Windows Vista®, Windows 7 / Mac OS X 10.5, 10.6.

Set-up:

The Rikiki Hard drive (500GB, 1TB) automatically launches the LaCie setup assistant when it is plugged into the system for the first time. This will give you some brief overview information about the different partitions and formatting types such as NTFS, HFS+, and FAT32. Once that is done, it formats the drive as per your requirements.  The LaCie Rikiki drive is not geared towards either Windows or Mac OS when you first use it, you can format it for one or the other or both.  First you name the backup and select the backup location. Next you select the files / folders you want to backup and finally set the backup schedule and you are done, it’s that simple!

Software:

As far as the software in concerned, inside the drive you will find a copy of the LaCie Genie Backup Assistant, a simple backup tool that makes use of a folder based backup and incremental restoration points in order to keep all your valuable data safe. You can schedule whole system backups, or update your most important files more regularly through the friendly interface. Like most bundled backup programs, you need the software to restore your files. The Rikiki also comes with 10GB of free online storage, which is a useful addition. Many of the online storage services provide just two GB space for free; so we feel that they have been quite generous in this regard. Since the Wuala file transfer application offered if based on Java, make sure you have it installed in your system.

Performance:

Rikki’s performance with its USB3 was quite good in our challenging tests of file transfer. It managed to write the small files at a quick 79mbps and its read was even faster at 34mbps. Though the smaller files rate is a little slower, the rates of 48mbps for write and 45mbps for read is still much better than even the fastest USB2 drives around. These results are very impressive for a disk with spindle speed of 5400rpm.

Noise and Heat:

When attached to a laptop, we found we were conscious of the drive vibrating, though we did not notice any operational noise. Since the drive is made out of aluminium, it not only makes the drive look good, but keeps the drive cool all along too.

Warranty:

LaCie Rikiki USB3.0 portable hard drive comes with two years warranty for parts and labour.

LaCie Rikiki USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive - Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	LaCie
Model Name	LaCie Rikiki USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive
Model Numbers	500GB: 301949 1TB: 301952
Drive Type	Portable Hard Drive
Dimensions (H x W x D)	75 x 118.5 x 18.8 mm / 2.9 x 4.6 x 0.74 in.
Weight	190 g / 6.7 oz.
Casing	Anodized aluminium
Capacities available	500GB and 1TB
Interface	USB 3.0 (USB 2.0-compatible)
Read/Write Speed	USB 3.0: up to 5Gb/s (600MB/s) USB 2.0: up to 480Mb/s (60MB/s)
Power Source	USB 3.0
Software included	LaCie Setup Assistant; LaCie Backup Assistant (PC and Mac®), 10GB Wuala Secure Online Storage (1 year included)
System requirements	Computer with a USB 3.0 or USB 2.0 port High-speed internet for online storage Latest version of Windows® XP, Windows Vista®, Windows 7 / Mac OS X 10.5, 10.6 Minimum free disk space: 600 MB recommended For USB 3.0 Mac Compatibility: Mac Pro with LaCie USB 3.0 PCI Express Card (requires available PCI Express slot) MacBook® Pro with LaCie USB 3.0 ExpressCard/34 (requires available ExpressCard/34 slot)
Mac Compatible	Yes
Package contents	LaCie Rikiki USB 3.0 USB 3.0 cable (USB 2.0 compatible) Quick Install Guide
Warranty	2-Year Limited Warranty

With the everlasting need for storage space, the hard drives are getting bigger by hour, and now we have moved on to an era where we have multi terabyte hard disk drives. However, when you wish to access data when on the move, we all look for something that has just enough storage space, small in size and one that also has some excellent built quality for portable use. The Buffalo MicroStation 32GB SSD is one such external hard drive, which not only huge space to save heaps of data, it is also designed for rough handling and is yet compact enough to be carried around. The solid state devices are up and prices are going down, so Buffalo seems to have developed this device, which is half way between a USB external hard drive and a USB memory stick, which is otherwise dubbed as a Hybrid Portable Silicon disk.

Design and Durability:

While its MicroStation Portable Silicon Disk 100GB predecessor was not too pleasant to look at, the latest MicroStation 32GB SSD has a look of the 21st century EHD. It has a very stylish design with a glossy black finish. To be short and sweet, it has a design that nobody can look and say “It looks outdated”. The words ‘small’, ‘lightweight’, ‘compact’ and ‘portable’, also suite the description of the MicroStation.  The dimensions of (H x W x D) 98 x 57 x 13mm and weight of 62 grams just justifies this. One of the biggest advantages of being SSD based is that, the chances of the drive crashing on the go is very rare, as the drive does not have any moving parts inside it.

Capacities available:

The Buffalo Microstation Portable SSD is available in two capacity flavours of 32GB and 64GB. The 32GB MicroStation retails for around £99, almost double what the Attache is now going for. Since the drives are SSD based, it goes without saying that they are quite expensive when compared to the standard USB hard drives.

SSD:

We can imagine Buffalo’s team thinking “Solid state devices are being increasingly used in notebooks, so why not put one in an external storage device”. And, that thought has resulted in the MicroStation 32GB Portable Solid State Drive.  It is around in the name of USB Flash storage and there are millions of them out there. While most of them are cheap, they are not particularly quick. However, there are a very few premium performance oriented Flash drives you will be able to purchase.

Performance:

While being based on SSD technology helps the MicroStation with portability and durability, it lets it down when it comes to performance. You will not get the full bang of SSD drives because of its USB2.0 interface. When we transferred a 4.2GB file from PC to drive and vice verse, the Buffalo MicroStation took almost 2 minutes and 43 seconds and 3 minutes and 23 seconds. When compared to Toshiba’s SecuRed 200GB drive, which took about 2 minutes and 37 seconds and 3 minutes and 19 seconds to perform the same task, the rate of the MicroStation is quite on the slower end. Though running Buffalo’s Turbo USB software helps a little to improve the performance, the MicroStation still seemed to be slower than a Toshiba Drive. However, there is one way by which you could get the MicroStation 32GB SSD to perform faster: that is, if you are running seek-intensive software directly from the drive, thanks to the device’s 0.6ms random access time.

Warranty:

Buffalo MicroStation 32GB SSD (product code: SHD-PE32U2/BK-EU) comes with 2 years warranty for parts and labour.

Verdict:

Though the Buffalo MicroStation 32GB SSD has a very desirable design and SSD technology, its high price tag, combined with limited performance, makes it hard for us to recommend the drive. Just as the flash drives are perceived to be slow they are also perceived to be of low capacity; again you will also find some high capacity models in the market ranging for capacities of 32GB up to 256GB. This also makes Buffalo’s 32GB and 64GB MicroStations look less attractive than they might when kept alongside a 2GB thumb drive that will set you back only a couple of quid. A similarly priced pocket size external Hard Disk Drive will give you oodles more storage space.

Buffalo MicroStation 32GB External Hard Drive - Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Buffalo
Model Name	Buffalo MicroStation SSD
Model Number	32GB: SHD-PE32U2/BK-EU 64GB: SHD-PE64U2/BK-EU
Form factor	2.5 inch
Colour	Black
Dimensions (W x H x D)	57 x 13 x 98 mm
Weight	62g
Capacities available	32GB and 64GB
Interface	TurboUSB
Data Transfer Rate	Max 480Mbps
Seek time	0.6ms
Noise	lack of moving parts allows for silent operation
Power	USB Powered
Power consumption	Max 1.5W
Power features	Low power consumption for mobile laptops
Software included	Secure Lock Mobile software for Windows PC Memeo Autosync
Compatible systems	Windows7 (32/64bit), Windows Vista(32/64bit), Windows XP, Windows 2000, MAC OS X 10.4 or later
Package contents	Includes hard drive and all necessary cables
Warranty	Two years RTB