TrekStor DataStation microdisk external hard drive

If you carry data around with you, a high-capacity USB memory stick is often enough but what if you need even more space? This drive from TrekStor takes a standard 1.8-inch notebook drive – the sort you'll find in most iPods – and places it in a compact but tough shell.

Weighing 26g and measuring 90 x 56 x 8mm, this is a small and compact device. It is available in a range of capacities but our test unit came with 80GB of space, which for the price isn't great compared to standard portable drives but the trade-off in size is worth the cost.

The design is minimal but is none the less usable for that. With only a mini-USB port connection on the drive, you may think it is limited but it can be used with either Windows or Mac OS X devices.

Simply plugging it into any available USB port will install it. You'll find an icon placed in My Computer, or the Desktop on a Mac.

We found it installed instantly and with 80GB of storage, this is a highly portable drive. When it comes to speed, we were able to copy 1GB of mixed files in 78 seconds.

The drive is supplied empty but a disc is included that holds drivers as well as Nero BackItUp 2 software, which is good news for a drive of this size as it means you can instantly back-up files with your main notebook or PC.