Verbatim SmartDisk Portable Hard Drive review

Can the floppy masters do hard drives?

8 April 2008 12:30 GMT / By Stephen Patrick

Verbatim is better known for it's media discs but it's no surprise that it offers an increasingly diverse range of external storage devices. Taking a standard notebook 2.5-inch drive and placing it in an external box is nothing new but Verbatim has managed to offer something a little different.

Designed with mobile travellers in mind it has a solid design. The case is silver and black and fits neatly in the hand. The shell is rigid and as there are no sharp corners, it slips into your travel bag without getting snagged.

It connects to your notebook using USB 2.0 and can be used with Windows or Mac OS computers. Installation is simply a case of installing the drive, as the drivers are contained on the drive itself.

Our review unit came with a 250GB of space but it's possible to opt for 320GB (£130 inc. VAT). The disc is a Samsung 5400rpm drive, so can read/write files with a fair degree of speed. We tested with 1GB of assorted files and found the drive could copy the files over in 80 seconds, which is quick enough for most purposes, even for storing large media files.

When it comes to extras, you'll find that Nero BackItUp has been included on the drive. It’s not the latest version available but it allows you to back up your files, either to the drive itself or to an online site.

Verdict

While the Verbatim Portable Hard Drive offers nothing you won't find on any number of external portable drives, we liked the design of this unit and with a decent transfer speeds it makes a great option for those who need to quickly copy and share large files.

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Review Recap

Made by: Verbatim
Price as reviewed: £130
The good: Well built, easy to use
The bad: Not the fastest drive on market
Quick verdict: An unassuming drive that packs plenty of space and back-up software on-board for the price
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