Seagate 5Gb USB2.0 Pocket Hard Drive review

24 February 2005 12:00 GMT / By Stuart Miles

First came the floppy, then the CD, then the USB memory stick. Over the past ten years our data requirements have become bigger and bigger. No longer is a 1.4Mb disk big enough to carry around files on, heck we get bigger emails than that most of the time.

In steps the Seagate 5Gb USB2.0 Pocket Hard Drive. An ultra-mini hard drive that will store more data that your iPod mini. It was only a matter of time of course before one of the hard drive manufactures offered this as a unit, after all there are numerous hard drive-based MP3 players on the market that offer the same if not more memory.

In keeping with those players the Pocket Drive is small, so small and circular and roughly the same size as a yo-yo (0.71in H x 3.03in D). In keeping with the yo-yo theme you can twist the case to reveal a USB2.0 socket making it easy to connect to a PC or Mac.

There are no drivers needed for the Pocket Drive making it easy to connect to any device whether that is a computer or USB bridge device for connecting a digital camera.

The USB2.0 cable also acts as the power lead meaning this really is a portable device and you won’t have to worry about an addition power cable and even larger power pack.

For those paranoid about their data falling into the wrong hands the Pocket Drive comes with a password utility, however annoyingly this is only available for the PC.

Performance wise the drive won’t be as fast as an internal one, but then that’s not the point here. The speed for those in the know, is still a respectable 3600rpm (a standard internal drive would be double this - 7200rpm) but the 2Mb cache is enough to mean that transferring files to and from the unit is quick and easy.

Verdict

This drive is highly portable as well as being easy to use. The fact that it's powered by the included USB cable which then tucks away within the device for travelling is an even nicer touch. To give you an idea of the size it should allow you to store around 2500 4 megapixel images on it with no problems. This makes it easily big enough for most applications. The price is attractive as well and will probably be more useable that buying the same amount of memory on a flash card. It might be boring, but for those not wanting to bastardise their MP3 player with data this is a good way of carrying around those large files with you wherever you go.

Score

Review Recap

Made by: Seagate
Price as reviewed: £100
The good: Its size, it works
The bad: USB cable could have been longer
Quick verdict: A 5Gb drive the size of a yo-yo with its own USB2.0 cable built in, what more could you want from a storage device.
Score
Winner