Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drive
Review - Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drive
by , 7:30 AM EDT, April 8th, 2008
As computers continue to become ever more portable, it stands to reason that external hard drives will follow suit. Reliability, versatility and durability are all important in a portable hard drive, and Iomega's eGo offers all three along with good looks, too. The eGo sports a flask-shaped metal shell that's available in several colors, 160GB or 250GB capacities, and with either a USB 2.0 or USB 2.0/FireWire 400 combo interface. It includes Iomega's DropGuard technology to help protect the drive if it gets dropped or bumped, and weighs just under a half pound. I tested the combo interface model (product number 34155).
The drive ships with FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 cables, which is a nice touch that I wish printer manufacturers would pick up on. Including the necessary cables means you don't feel nickel-and-dimed, and won't have to go back to the store to pick up another cable. As a bonus, the eGo comes with an extra USB cable with dual connectors: One for data, and a second for extra power. That's especially handy if your USB hub isn't pumping out enough juice to power the drive. It also comes with a copy of EMC's Retrospect Express so you can set up an automated backup schedule. The drive performs exactly as I like: Quiet and quick. It didn't vibrate at all even when sitting directly on the glass top of my desk, and hard drive chatter when reading or writing data was unnoticeable.
Read and write speeds over FireWire fell in line with my expectations. Drive Genius II from Prosoft Engineering showed a maximum throughput of 27.35MB/s and a minimum of 4.426MB/s on its Random Read test, and 24.615MB/s and 9.786MB/s on its Random Write test.
The eGo is also AirDisk and Time Machine-compatible, making it a nice compact add-on for an AirPort Base Station or Time Capsule. I found that the USB port on every Base Station I connected the eGo to offered enough power so that the dual-head USB wasn't necessary.
With all of those great features, what about the eGo could possibly disappoint me? The drive is just a little too big to comfortably fit in a pocket. A small complaint considering most people are more likely to toss the drive into a computer bag. The Bottom Line
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Observer Comments
"If the case was just a tiny bit smaller, it would fit perfectly in most pockets... Or maybe I just need to get bigger pants."
Is that a hard drive in your pocket, or are you glad to see me? (With respect to the memory of Mae West as Diamond Lil in She Done Him Wrong. West not only starred in the film, but wrote the screenplay.)
Comments are currently closed. Please email the author instead.
Recent Headlines - Updated November 10th
- Mon, 7:20 PM
- Rumor - Apple May Update iPod touch in December
- 6:45 PM
- Product News - MacUpdate Desktop Updated to 5.0.1 with New Features, Bug Fixes
- 5:16 PM
- Apple Releases Mac OS X 10.6.2 - Guest Account Bug Fixed, Much More
- 4:12 PM
- Games - New For iPhone: Star Rangers, Air Force Supremacy, Blood Beach, More
- 2:51 PM
- Apple Stock Watch - Radio Shack Jumps 14% on iPhone Deal, Apple Up 3%
- 2:25 PM
- Games - EA Scoops Up Social Games Publisher Playfish
- 1:51 PM
- Deal Brothers - Western Digital 1TB SATA Intellipower Hard Drive: $84.99
- 10:58 AM
- News - StarHub Signs Singapore iPhone Deal
- 10:36 AM
- Hot Forum Topic - Reader Speculation: What’s in Apple’s Tablet?
- 10:08 AM
- News - Apple Kicks Off New Credit Program
- 9:26 AM
- News - Apple Launches Reserve and Pick Up Program
- 8:49 AM
- News - ikee Worm Rickrolls Jailbroken iPhones
The Mac Observer Reader Specials
- TypeStyler For Mac OS X is Now Shipping! Download The Free Fully Functional 60 Day Tryout at www.typestyler.com
RamJet Memory: Mac Pro 8-core 8GB Kit $199.99, 4GB Kits $109.99! Sale on MacBook and MacBook Pro 8GB kits $549.99! New MacBook DDR3 2GB for $49.99. iMac and Mac mini 4GB Kits for $79.99! 1TB SATA Hard Drives for $109.99! Click here
OWC: Plug & Play Hardware RAID up to 8.0TB. High Performance, Data Redundant Solutions. FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB2, or eSATA. Hot Swappable Bays, Data Rates over 200MB/s. Click here
If you're using a Mac, then you've gotta check out Full Tilt Poker for Mac. This Full Tilt Poker bonus code does the unthinkable, it actually rewards!For the latest Apple products use Ciao, a price comparison website, to find laptops like MacBook Air. Then find the best prices on MP3 players and use our comparison tool to evaluate mobile phones like the Apple iPhone.
Laptop Hardware Provided by TechRestore - Overnight Mac & iPod Repairs.




