SimpleTech by Hitachi Signature Mini 250 GB USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive FS-U25/250C (Cayenne)

From Hitachi
	Price: $84.99
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Features - Portable, stylish 250 GB Hard Drive with USB 2.0 connection - Stylish design by Ferrari designer Pininfarina - Powered by USB bus; no AC adapter necessary - Backed by 3-year warranty and unlimited technical support - Measures 3.1 x 0.8 x 4.9 inches (WxHxD) Product Description Introducing the Signature Mini family of bite-size drives, bursting with tasty ingredients. Supple and resilient to the touch, with a velvety smooth grip, theyre designed by our friends at Pininfarina, the icon of Italian sports car design since 1930. Just plug one in, and inside youll find smart ways to protect and manage all your precious stuff. Includes both local and online backup for unbeatable, total protection. With Fabrik Local Backup software, you can set up automatic backups from your computer to your Signature Mini Drive, while Fabrik Ultimate Backup (2 GB free) provides secure, online backup thats safe from real world mishaps. It works in the background, for constant, near-real time protection without bogging down your computer. And who says the Signature Mini is just for storage. For all the photos, songs, and video in your life, Joggle helps you keep track of them wherever theyre stored. Online or on any drive, youll see all your stuff on a single screen and easily share it with friends and family everywhere. Amazon.com Product Description Thanks to the deliciously sleek styling by famed Italian car designer Pininfarina, the SimpleTech Signature Mini 250 GB USB 2.0 Portable Drive isn't just another external hard drive. The recipient of the same magic design touch and attention to fine details that helped turn Ferrari and Maserati into icons of the automotive world, the Signature Mini will certainly turn heads as you make your way through the day with your work files, or your latest videos, photos and songs. .caption { font-family: Verdana, Helvetica neue, Arial, serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; } ul.indent { list-style: inside disc; text-indent: 20px; } table.callout { font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, serif; margin: 10px; width: 250; } td.callout { height: 100 percent; background: #9DC4D8 url(http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/callout-bg.png) repeat-x; border-left: 1px solid #999999; border-right: 1px solid #999999; padding: 10px; width: 250px; } ul.callout { list-style: inside disc; text-indent: -12px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5em; } h5.callout { text-align: center; } The SimpleTech® Signature MiniTM offers: Slick, beautiful design by world-renown designer Pininfarina. USB bus-power that requires no bulky AC adapter. Fabrik Ultimate BackupTM for 2 GB of free secure online storage. 3-year warranty. The curvaceous Signature Mini was designed by Pininfarina of Ferrari fame. View larger. With just two ports, the Signature Mini is simple to use. In fact, you often only need one cable as the drive can be powered by the USB bus. Ferrari-Inspired Ultra-Portable Design Get used to the staring, because when you take this drive out into the public, heads will turn. With its Ferrari-inspired lines, this deliciously hot Cayenne-colored Signature Mini is as much a piece of fine art as a piece of robust hardware. Despite being a compact 3.1 x 4.9 x 0.8-inches (WxDxH), the drive won't be slipping out of your hands, thanks to its velvety texture that offers you a secure grip for your hands. And the drive's two rubber strips at the bottom will keep it from slipping across your desk. With the included USB 2.0 "Y" cable, the Signature Mini gets its power from your computer, meaning there's no bulky AC adapter to carry around or forget. Just grab the drive and cable, plug it into a computer, and you'll be ready to go. Powerful Local and Online Backup Options SimpleTech includes two backup options that will keep your mind at ease about your important data. In fact, SimpleTech's Signature Mini Drives are the first drives in the world to offer both local and online backup capabilities. With the included Fabrik Local Backup software, you can set up automatic backups from your computer to your Signature Mini. But for the ultimate in protection, the Signature Mini also offers the Fabrik Ultimate Backup solution that uploads your files to a secure, online server that will protect your data from real-world mishaps and offer near-real time protection without bogging down your computer. (Although the Signature Mini is both Mac and PC compatible, at this time the Fabrik Ultimate Backup solution is only available for Windows-based computers.) Fabrik's Ultimate Backup allows you to store up to 2 GB for free on one of its 448-bit encrypted servers, and for just a few dollars a month, you get unlimited capacity to securely store all of your important files and media collections offsite. Acting just like the drive's local backup software, you simply set Fabrik Ultimate Backup once, and it automatically and regularly backs up your content behind the scenes. All backups, to the external drive or online service, are unobtrusive. Once your initial content has uploaded, the software performs incremental backups, so only the smallest amount of data that has been changed or modified in your files will be updated. To keep your content private and confidential, all files are encrypted with 128-bit SSL encryption while in transit, with an option for a private encryption key. Fabrik's offsite 448-bit Blowfish encrypted servers are housed by a Fortune 500 company, ensuring file protection, security and peace of mind. So now, no matter what happens to your drive--a curious toddler, a spilled drink or natural disaster--your irreplaceable photos, music, videos and files are safe and secure both offsite and online. Joggle Software for Easy Media Sharing Also included is Joggle, a program that brings your photos, music, and videos together and displays it all in one easy-to-manage view. Joggle lets you view all your media files together on a single screen, and lets you access it securely from anywhere you're online. With Joggle, you can easily share your content with friends and family and embed sideshows and playlists into social Web sites including MySpace, Flickr, Facebook or personal blogs. You can even create an RSS feed for friends and family, all without making them register or login to sharing sites. The Signature Mini is backed by a 3-year warranty and free, unlimited technical support. What's in the Box Signature Mini Cayenne 250 GB external hard drive, quick-install guide, and high-speed USB 2.0 "Y" cable. Get a Signature Mini in your favorite color. Customer Reviews High Quality at Affordable Price Date: 2008-03-29 | Rating: 5 If you are looking for a high quality portable external USB-powered high capacity hard drive at an affordable price, this is your choice! Ownership: 5 days. Pros: 1. High quality as SimpleTech is using a Western Digital (WD) internal hard drive disk (HDD) known to be a state-of-the-art HDD. 2. As portable (small size and light) as WD passport. 3. USB-powered or bus-powered. As single USB port of some computers can not provide enough power, SimpleTech is providing you with USB 2.0 Y-cable (not provided with WD passport) which can be used to hook up your drive to two USB ports of your computer to get enough power. This drive also has a power port (power cable is not provided, however, WD passport has no power port at all) in case you prefer to use a power cable. However, My laptop (almost 5 years old now) does not need it! I hook up this drive to a single USB port of my laptop and it works. I am so happy after knowing this as I was afraid to buy this drive considering that it may not work with a single USB port (my laptop has only two USB ports so that I would run out of it and not be able to use any other USB device, like mouse at the same time)! Make sure you use the main USB (not the pigtail, take a look at the picture above). WD will make you buy an expensive Y-cable if you need it. Moreover, this Y-cable from SimpleTech is longer than USB cable from WD. 4. Highest capacity portable drive available as of today (comparable to WD 320 GB passport). 5. I bought it from Amazon marketplace (ZENCORP) for $ 97.99 plus $ 6.49 S&H (no tax). The merchant offered the best price as of that day. I ordered it on Friday, merchant shipped (from MD) it on Saturday via DHL, and I received (at CA) it on Monday with excellent packaging! You can not possibly get this awesome deal for WD 320 GB passport right now. 6. Plug N play just like WD passport. My laptop immediately recognized this drive (also 3 of my school desktops, all of them required only one USB port) when I hooked up for the 1st time. 7. Hot-swappable just like WD passport. 8. Great look! After all, designed by Pininfarina! To me, WD passport does not look any better. 9. USB port of this drive is naked which is good because I always felt awkward in handling WD passport's port (WDXMS2500CN, bought from Costco) as it has a flap on it. WD made USB port naked only in their newest model (WDME3200TN). 10. Blue light shows that HDD is connected to the computer as a local disk, flashes when working, red light shows that power is on! WD passport indicator light does not show you these details. 11. 3 years warranty, just like WD passport's. Very important. 12. Did not try the software, but back-up and other utilities like simple, automatic backups with Fabrik local backup and complete protection with Fabrik ultimate backup online service (2 GB free), joggle software for organizing photos, songs, and video come with it. Will comment after use. 13. Free tech support over the phone. WD's tech support is available for free only upto 30 days after you give them the 1st call. WD's tech support guys know (including the higher level, really annoying) as much as you do being an ordinary person with some standard technical understanding. 14. PC/Mac compatible just like WD passport. 15. Base has pad-like structure to protect the drive. 16. It is as quiet and fast as WD passport. Its stays cool just like WD passport. 17. Pre-formatted to NTFS as compared to FAT32 (WD passport). Most people use PC rather than Mac! Cons: Not many! I believe pros simply wins over cons. 1. As scratchable as WD passport. 2. 5400 rpm only, however, this is the highest speed available for all portable drives including WD's. 3. Capacity is not as high as that of larger drives. 4. No firewire 400/800 or eSATA or 10/100/1000 ethernet ports. You can not possibly expect these with portable drives. Make sure you buy a carrying case, the best being from case LOGIC (model # PHDC-1) in order to protect the drive and for carrying convenience. There are other portable drives in the market, say, WD, Seagate, Toshiba, Iomega, HP, Maxtor, but none of them are better than this one. I own this and I owned WD passport (WDXMS2500CN) and returned it. Did I say enough about this excellent gadget? Buy one and enjoy it!!! UPDATE: 11/20/2009: The drive is still working. Only problems are 1) occasionally, it does not work with some computers (even the recent ones) with a single USB connection, you have to use two ports. 2) sometimes, when I connect this with computer, this device behaves as if it were connected to a slow USB (1.1) port, therefore, copying files takes forever. I disconnect and reconnect this, and it behaves normal. I have been advised by ST representative (over the phone) that this may be a controller issue and I should go for an RMA. I will see. I still have valid warranty for some good time. UPDATE: 12/20/2009: I returned the drive to Hitachi for repair/exchange with an RMA. They got me a new drive (color is not black cherry now, but kind of red, still looks good) and I am happy to report that it looks like they have fixed the issues. So far I have hooked up this with 2 desktops and 1 laptop with success (in which the old drive was having issues). To return the drive, I have used flat-rate ($4.95) box from USPS, therefore, the guys who are complaining about this drive after purchase should do just like I did if the warranty is still valid (3 yrs). Snazzy and functional Date: 2008-03-22 | Rating: 5 I've had this drive about one month, and am very pleased with it. It's very small, yet huge in terms of capacity. It also looks cool (and even feels cool, like metallic velvet). It's extremely quiet (actually silent), and is plenty fast. No problems playing back recorded video through Media Center or Media Player. Smooth as silk even when fast-forwarding. Music of course and pictures come through perfectly. On my Toshiba Satellite notebook, it functions just fine connected to only one usb port. If your laptop is underpowered for some reason, you can either use both prongs of the supplied two prong plug (uses up 2 usb ports) or you can use a 5 vdc 1.0 A ac adapter (I think the same used by most other powered usb devices like cooling fans, usb hubs and such). This information is clearly stated in the foldout manual. Make sure you look at the manual to see which of the two plugs you should use if you only want to use only one plug to connect to your computer or notebook, since one plug carries both power and data, while the other is just a backup power carrier in case your usb ports are underpowered. Tech support responded within 1 day to the question I asked about whether it can be set to spin down when not in use (apparently not). It runs cool, so that's not really a problem. For the price, the style and the performance, I think this is a fantastic drive. no complaints, xactly what I was looking for Date: 2008-03-07 | Rating: 5 All I was looking for was a drive to supplement the minimal storage space on my Toshiba laptop. This worked perfect. I got it on sale at Circuit City for $119, which was a steal. I use it mostly to store MP4 files to load on my iPod Classic. Works great and can play movie files from it through my laptop no problem. Can't speak to the back up software that's included, haven't used it. Only negative thing I can say about it is that the cord has a pigtail USB connector if you need it for extra power, if you have low voltage USB ports. I don't so it just kind of gets in the way. Also, you have to make sure you have the primary USB plugged in to connect the drive, if you plug in only the pigtail, it won't load the drive to your computer. I marked mine so I wouldn't mistake it. That minor thing is really the only thing I can think of negative to say, and it wouldn't be negative if I had low voltage ports and needed it. Overall, I highly recommend it. SimpleTech Signature Mini Hard Drive Date: 2008-11-12 | Rating: 5 An exceptional product for any traveller--500 gigabytes that will fit in your pants' pocket! And no need to carry a cumbersome adaptor and cords: the mini hd connects directly to your pc for its power source. I take mine around the world, loaded with music and other entertainment. Great Hard drive Date: 2008-11-30 | Rating: 5 Bought this about 4 months ago.... The hard drive is small, and very very portable. Pro's 1) Transfer speeds are fast, (Avg.20MB/s / Peaks around 30MB/s) 2) Able to Run movies, music, anything off the drive directly without lags 3) Plugging in both USB cords, increased transfer speed - 1USB = 15MB/s - 2USB = 25-30MB/s 4) Able to run smooth even if running laptop on battery (own a 13inch Toshiba U300) 5) Takes about 3-5 seconds for a window to open to access the hard drive 6) Runs files off the hard drive same speed if it were run off computer (w/ 1 or both USB; doesn't mater) Cons' 1) Will be recognized on MAC and VISTA, however, If formated for VISTA and used on a MAC, the MAC user can only copy files from the Hard drive onto their MAC. They arent able to copy files onto the hard drive. - Out of box, the hard drive is Windows formatted. Need to follow easy to read instructions to convert to MAC 2)Nothing else at this point ****** Note: Havent used the software on the Hard drive itself for the Back up. Neither have I used the 2 gigs of online backup.

SimpleTech by Hitachi SimpleDrive 500 GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive SP-U35/500 (designed by Pininfarina)

From SimpleTech
	Price: $89.99
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Features - Stylish, external 500 GB Hard Drive with USB 2.0 connection - Stylish design by Ferrari designer Pininfarina - Built-in slot for Kensington security lock - Backed by 1-year warranty and unlimited technical support - Measures 5.0 x 1.50 x 8.25 inches (WxHxD) Product Description SimpleTech 500 GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive (SP-U35/500) Amazon.com Product Description Thanks to the sleek, low-profile styling by famed Italian car designer Pininfarina, the SimpleDrive Desktop USB 2.0 External Hard Drive isn't just another external hard drive. The recipient of the same magic design touch and attention to fine details that helped turn Ferrari and Maserati into icons of the automotive world, the SimpleDrive Desktop will help turn your work space into a virtual art display while offering you up to 500 GB of backup storage for your computer files. .caption { font-family: Verdana, Helvetica neue, Arial, serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; } ul.indent { list-style: inside disc; text-indent: 20px; } table.callout { font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, serif; margin: 10px; width: 250; } td.callout { height: 100 percent; background: #9DC4D8 url(http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/callout-bg.png) repeat-x; border-left: 1px solid #999999; border-right: 1px solid #999999; padding: 10px; width: 250px; } ul.callout { list-style: inside disc; text-indent: -12px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5em; } h5.callout { text-align: center; } The SimpleTech® SimpleDriveTM offers: Slick Ferrari-inspired design by Pininfarina. High-speed USB 2.0 interface for data transfer at up to 480 Mbps. Fabrik Ultimate BackupTM for 2 GB of free secure online storage. 1-year warranty. The SimpleDrive was designed Pininfarina of Ferrari fame. View larger. Ferrari-Inspired Low-Profile Design for your Desk Get used to the staring when your colleagues visit your desk. This compact and elegant onyx black drive is as much a piece of fine art as a piece of robust hardware. But don't let the looks fool you. Beneath its cool and sleek exterior is a robust, high-capacity, single-drive solution that gives you the ability to store and backup tons of music, videos, photos and documents in a small footprint. Featuring plug and play simplicity, and Mac and PC compatibility, the SimpleDrive Desktop features a hi-speed USB 2.0 interface for fast transfer of data at up to a 480 Mb/sec data transfer rate. Whether you want to increase the capacity of your desktop, or back up your valuable files quickly and securely, the SimpleDrive Desktop will perform for you with style. A built-in Kensington security lock lets you lock down your drive while you're away, and a built-in capacity meter keeps you abreast of your storage situation at all times. Powerful Local and Online Backup Options The SimpleDrive Desktop includes two backup options that will keep your mind at ease about your important data. With the included OneClick backup software, you have the option of either backing up and protecting all your files and folders, or selected ones, with a single click, or automatically. Either way, you'll have the peace of mind knowing your digital world is safe and protected. But for the ultimate in protection, the SimpleDrive Desktop also offers the Fabrik Ultimate Backup solution that uploads your files to a secure, online server that will protect your data from real-world mishaps and offer near-real time protection without bogging down your computer. Fabrik's Ultimate Backup allows you to store up to 2 GB for free on one of its 448-bit encrypted servers, and for just a few dollars a month, you get unlimited capacity to securely store all of your important files and media collections offsite. Acting just like the drive's local backup software, you simply set Fabrik Ultimate Backup once, and it automatically and regularly backs up your content behind the scenes. The capacity meter shows you how much space is left at a quick glance. View larger. All backups, to the external drive or online service, are unobtrusive. Once your initial content has uploaded, the software performs incremental backups, so only the smallest amount of data that has been changed or modified in your files will be updated. (Although the SimpleDrive Desktop is both Mac and PC compatible, at this time the Fabrik Ultimate Backup solution is only available for Windows-based computers.) To keep your content private and confidential, all files are encrypted with 128-bit SSL encryption while in transit, with an option for a private encryption key. Fabrik's offsite 448-bit Blowfish encrypted servers are housed by a Fortune 500 company, ensuring file protection, security and peace of mind. So no matter what happens to your drive--a curious toddler, a spilled drink or natural disaster--your irreplaceable photos, music, videos and files will be safe and secure both offsite and online. The SimpleDrive Desktop measures a scant 1.50 x 8.25 x 5.0 (WxLxD), is backed by a 1-year warranty, and comes with free, unlimited technical support. What's in the Box 3.5 SimpleDrive Desktop External Hard Drive with One-Click Backup Software, USB 2.0 Cable, AC Adapter, Resource CD, and Quick Install Guide. The SimpleDrive comes in different storage capacities for every need. Customer Reviews Great drive for backup w/ sleek design. Date: 2007-08-20 | Rating: 5 A while back I got a great deal on this 500GB hard drive (not at Amazon). The drive is very sleek and comes in cool colors. I have the black unit and matches in well with the rest of my PC and A/V components. I use this drive as an external archiving device for my Dish Network (DN) ViP622 HD receiver. Recently, DN has enabled this feature on their ViPs. I was coming close to filling up the DVR and this simple and painless upgrade has been awesome. The receiver detected the SimpleTech with ease, formated the drive in 2 minutes, and from that point on I have about 490 GB worth of extra DVR space. Playing archived video either in SD or HD format is no different vs. playing direct from the receiver. Outstanding quality/no complaints! This drive comes in 750GB and 1TB capacities and should be a worthy upgrade for PC/Mac backup as well. FYI, There is another variation of this unit with also a FireWire port. Good External Hard Drive Date: 2007-11-22 | Rating: 5 I needed an external hard drive as my pathetic 80 gig hard drive I'd been using for the past 3 years was bursting at it's seams. So After looking around I saw this model on sale at Best Buy for $95.99, couldn't go wrong there, since it was 320 GIGS, it was a steel. Racing home, I pulled it out of the box, and lets get some things out of the way right now: 1. It has an on/off switch (yeah!) 2. The USB cable is really short. (About 2-3 feet) 3. It has a separate plug for the power supply. (Less drain on your USB). After straining with the short USB cord, I found a good setup on my desktop. Plugged it into the USB port, and plugged the power cord into the wall. Turned it on, and BAM! 320 Gigs added to the computer. No hassle. It is quiet, and very fast. I've only run into one small nuisance, it occasionally goes into sleep mode when not being used, and it takes about 6 seconds to start working again when waking up, so lets say it goes to sleep, and then you go to your computer, click on an mp3 file, you must wait for it to start up again before the file will play. But this only happens rarely. The light on the top spins clockwise whenever you are loading something off the hard drive, this looks cool, but may be an annoyance to those who don't like giant spinning lights. Overall, this is an excellent, dependable, fast hard drive, and by the way, it looks freakin awesome. Small, sleek and roomy Date: 2008-01-03 | Rating: 5 This is a small sleek and roomy external hard drive. If you are like most people these days, you have so many programs and so little room left on your computer's hard drive after installation especially if you have a large Itunes library like myself. It makes the whole computer sluggish. An external hard drive is a must have in order to backup important files and to keep your computer running at a quicker pace. Simple tech offers a sleek and light hard drive with a 320 GB capacity that can meet all your needs. It is not noisy and is easy to install and use. In another review, they stated that there were no instructions. Actually, there are instructions which are on the enclosed disk and can be opened with Adobe Reader. The setup software is preloaded on the hard drive and all you have to do is go to "computer" on your computer's menu and click on the external drive and bring up the setup menu. Once it is setup and the computer restarted, the program can be accessed their the program menu. I looked around and compared brands and prices and this was an excellent bargain for the amount of its storage capacity. Very useful! Date: 2007-11-14 | Rating: 5 I bought this to backup my movies and tv shows downloads. I thought that it would be a little slow to watch the videos straight from it because... well... because it's an external device. However, that was not a problem!! I can watch my videos directly from the Simpletech without compromising speed!!! It was a great buy!!! It's a lifesaver Date: 2007-12-14 | Rating: 5 This is a very good external Hard Drive for the money. It is fast and for the most part it is trouble free. The only "problem" I have had is that every so often it does not show up in "my computer." When that happens I just turn the power switch off and then back on and this forces windows to "see it" and it shows back up in "my computer." I have had to reformat my internal hard drives once since I got this external drive. It was a lifesaver because I had backed up all of my pictures and important files on the simpletech. I just used "Drag and Drop" to do my backups and restore also. Very Good external drive. Highly recommended.

SimpleTech SimpleDrive SP-UF35/1TB 1 TB USB 2.0/FireWire External Hard Drive (designed by Pininfarina)

From SimpleTech Technology
	Price: $231.99
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Features - Stylish, external 1 TB Hard Drive with USB 2.0 and FireWire connection - Stylish design by Ferrari designer Pininfarina - Built-in slot for Kensington security lock - Backed by 1-year warranty and unlimited technical support - Measures 5.0 x 1.50 x 8.25 inches (WxHxD) Product Description The sleek lines and ultra-low profile styling of this SimpleDrive were designed by Pinifarina, the very same design firm that gives Ferrari sports cars their stylish lines.Don't let its beauty fool you. SimpleDrive is a high-performance external hard drive ideal for storing and backing up your music, video, photos and more. Amazon.com Product Description Thanks to the sleek, low-profile styling by famed Italian car designer Pininfarina, the SimpleDrive Desktop USB 2.0/FireWire External Hard Drive isn't just another external hard drive. The recipient of the same magic design touch and attention to fine details that helped turn Ferrari and Maserati into icons of the automotive world, the SimpleDrive Desktop will help turn your work space into a virtual art display while offering you up to 1 TB of backup storage for your computer files. .caption { font-family: Verdana, Helvetica neue, Arial, serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; } ul.indent { list-style: inside disc; text-indent: 20px; } table.callout { font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, serif; margin: 10px; width: 250; } td.callout { height: 100 percent; background: #9DC4D8 url(http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/callout-bg.png) repeat-x; border-left: 1px solid #999999; border-right: 1px solid #999999; padding: 10px; width: 250px; } ul.callout { list-style: inside disc; text-indent: -12px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5em; } h5.callout { text-align: center; } The SimpleTech® SimpleDriveTM offers: Slick Ferrari-inspired design by Pininfarina. Dual FireWire and USB 2.0 interface allows for wide compatibility and fast data transfer. Fabrik Ultimate BackupTM for 2 GB of free secure online storage. 1-year warranty. The SimpleDrive was designed Pininfarina of Ferrari fame. View larger. Ferrari-Inspired Low-Profile Design for your Desk Get used to the staring when your colleagues visit your desk. This compact and elegant charcoal gray drive is as much a piece of fine art as a piece of robust hardware. But don't let the looks fool you. Beneath its cool and sleek exterior is a robust, high-capacity, single-drive solution that gives you the ability to store and backup tons of music, videos, photos and documents in a small footprint. Featuring plug and play simplicity, and Mac and PC compatibility, the SimpleDrive Desktop features both a high performing FireWire 400 interface and a hi-speed USB 2.0 interface for fast transfer of data at up to 400 Mb/sec for FireWire and 480 Mb/sec for USB. (Although USB 2.0 runs at a higher signaling rate than FireWire 400, USB transfers data in bursts, while FireWire offers a steady data transfer and is generally considered superior than USB 2.0 for the movement of multimedia data and large files.) Having both interfaces allows for a wider range of compatibility, virtually guaranteeing that the drive will work wherever you take it. Whether you want to increase the capacity of your desktop, or back up your valuable files quickly and securely, the SimpleDrive Desktop will perform for you with style. A built-in Kensington security lock lets you lock down your drive while you're away, and a built-in capacity meter keeps you abreast of your storage situation at all times. Powerful Local and Online Backup Options The SimpleDrive Desktop includes two backup options that will keep your mind at ease about your important data. With the included OneClick backup software, you have the option of either backing up and protecting all your files and folders, or selected ones, with a single click, or automatically. Either way, you'll have the peace of mind knowing your digital world is safe and protected. But for the ultimate in protection, the SimpleDrive Desktop also offers the Fabrik Ultimate Backup solution that uploads your files to a secure, online server that will protect your data from real-world mishaps and offer near-real time protection without bogging down your computer. Fabrik's Ultimate Backup allows you to store up to 2 GB for free on one of its 448-bit encrypted servers, and for just a few dollars a month, you get unlimited capacity to securely store all of your important files and media collections offsite. Acting just like the drive's local backup software, you simply set Fabrik Ultimate Backup once, and it automatically and regularly backs up your content behind the scenes. The capacity meter shows you how much space is left at a quick glance. View larger. All backups, to the external drive or online service, are unobtrusive. Once your initial content has uploaded, the software performs incremental backups, so only the smallest amount of data that has been changed or modified in your files will be updated. (Although the SimpleDrive Desktop is both Mac and PC compatible, at this time the Fabrik Ultimate Backup solution is only available for Windows-based computers.) To keep your content private and confidential, all files are encrypted with 128-bit SSL encryption while in transit, with an option for a private encryption key. Fabrik's offsite 448-bit Blowfish encrypted servers are housed by a Fortune 500 company, ensuring file protection, security and peace of mind. So no matter what happens to your drive--a curious toddler, a spilled drink or natural disaster--your irreplaceable photos, music, videos and files will be safe and secure both offsite and online. The SimpleDrive Desktop measures a scant 1.50 x 8.25 x 5.0 (WxLxD), is backed by a 1-year warranty, and comes with free, unlimited technical support. What's in the Box 3.5 SimpleDrive Desktop External Hard Drive with One-Click Backup Software, USB 2.0 Cable, AC Adapter, Resource CD, and Quick Install Guide. The SimpleDrive comes in different storage capacities for every need. Customer Reviews Simple Tech SP UF35 1TB External Hard drive Date: 2009-05-19 | Rating: 5 This hard drive is very quiet and has performed well for me. I have not had any problems and have been very satifired. great Date: 2009-01-11 | Rating: 5 the delivery time was amezing, the product was good and work really good.I wont have a problem buying from you again. thanks Works for me Date: 2008-12-26 | Rating: 4 Purchased the drive 8 months ago, reformatted it to work with my MacBook Pro and so far, it backs up my files just fine. Just make sure to "eject" the drive before disconnecting it to avoid damaging the drive. Not worth the trouble, highly not reccomended Date: 2009-06-06 | Rating: 1 I bought this product expecting it to last longer than six months. Within the first week I had problems with the drive shutting itself off after about an hour, so I contacted support only to be met with a reply of "Send it back and we can give you a new one." Now, six months later, the drive has given out entirely, and will not even turn on. I tried contacting support again, this time with no response a full week later. I have filed my product for return, and do not intend to buy another. Can anyone say "150gb of unrecoverable data down the tubes"? In short, this product comes packaged with one faulty drive, several gray hairs, no product support, and six months of broken use until it gives out and you can rejoice in the fact that you can go buy a drive from a better manufacturer. Horrible, find another way to back-up important data Date: 2009-11-16 | Rating: 1 I thought I got a bargain for this Terabyte drive. My OS is Windows Vista 32-bit. After a few months, my Dell XPS410 cannot detect the USB drive anymore. I have been scouring the Internet for this product's manufacturer-driver. The Simpletech website itself does not even have it. I have also been turning this item on and off until it pops-up, I even tried tweaking it using the Disk Management console, under the Administrative Tools of the Control Panel. I have already put alot of important data in this thing, but apparently I won't be seeing them again. 1TB SimpleDrive USB 2.0 External Hard Drive (designed by Pininfarina)

SimpleTech PRO1000Q Pro Drive 1 TB Quad Interface External Hard Drive (Grey)

From Hitachi
	Price: $157.99
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Features - High-performance storage and backup - Quad interface for plug and play flexibility: USB 2.0, FireWire 400, FireWire 800, and 3Gb/sec eSATA - Compact design stacks or stands upright - Award-winning Fabrik backup software, including 2GB free online backup - Security lock slot Product Description As pure high-performance storage, the SimpleTech Pro Drive by Fabrik makes any red-blooded storage heart pump a little faster. Its blazing fast eSATA interface provides up to 3GB per second data transfer rate and its massive capacity makes it perfect for power users and digital media enthusiasts. With local backup and Fabrik Ultimate Backup, you get the same two-level protection the pros use. So, no matter what happens to your drive - a spilled drink, a curious toddler, a theft, or a natural disaster - you know your files are safe and secure online and off-site. Free 2GB online account, or for less than five dollars per month, upgrade to unlimited online capacity that is fast, affordable, and secure. A stackable design ensures a snug fit with Fabrik¿s Simple and Duo Pro Drives, so you can add more storage without taking up more desk space. USB 2.0 and eSATA interface. Its capacity is 1TB. Manufacturer Product Description SimpleTech Pro Drive™ – Works Like a Pro. Plug n' Play Simple. High performance storage and backup up to 3X the speed of USB 2.0. With four built-in ways to connect (USB 2.0, FireWire 400, FireWire 800, and 3Gb/sec eSATA) and award-winning backup software included, Pro Drive is a smart investment that delivers everything you need to succeed. High performance desktop hard drive for professionals and prosumers QUAD interface for plug n' play flexibility: USB 2.0 Turbo, FW400, FW800, 3Gbps eSATA SimpleTech Pro Drive Works Like a Pro. Plug n' Play Simple. High performance storage and backup up to 3X the speed of USB 2.0. With four built-in ways to connect (USB 2.0, FireWire 400, FireWire 800, and 3Gb/sec eSATA) and award-winning backup software included, Pro Drive is a smart investment that delivers everything you need to succeed. Compact, Intelligent Design Its compact design lets you stack multiple units or stand them upright to optimize your desk space, and a built-in security lock helps ensure your drive remains where you left it. Also includes Fabrik Ultimate Backup™ which works in the background to automatically save copies of your precious files on encrypted, secure servers – for ultimate online backup protection that's safe and protected from life's little disasters. Prosumers and small businesses who need professional-grade storage and backup of critical files, documents, and media collections Features and Benefits High-performance storage and backup Quad interface for plug and play flexibility: USB 2.0, FireWire 400, FireWire 800, and 3Gb/sec eSATA Compact design stacks or stands upright Award-winning Fabrik backup software, including 2GB free online backup Security lock slot Friendly, free unlimited technical support PC and Mac compatible 3 year warranty What's in the Box Pro Drive Quad Interface External Hard Drive USB 2.0 Cable FireWire 400 Cable AC Adapter Fabrik Local Backup Software Fabrik Ultimate Backup™ Service (2GB free)† Free technical support 3-Year warranty* * Warranty period may vary based on regulations of the country where this product is purchased. Subject to certain terms and conditions Customer Reviews Cheap, lots of space, and reliable so far (Mac & XP) Date: 2009-08-14 | Rating: 5 I bought this on sale for under $100, and I haven't had a single regret about the purchase. I've had no connection issues with Mac or Windows XP, granted I've only been using this for a couple weeks now. My only complaint is that FireWire 800 and eSATA cords are not included. Let me explain how I'm utilizing this bad-boy. I currently have 3 partitions. I have a 450GB partition for basic Mac storage (this is where I keep a full image backup and other files that I don't need access to all the time), a 400GB partition for a Time Machine backup, and a 100 GB partition for XP. I left the extra space for a potential linux partition or what have you for a later point in time. I'm using a generic Dynex eSATA II ExpressCard adapter ($20) and Belkin eSata cable with my MacBook Pro, and this hard drive flies. I moved 25GB in less than 10 min. I've had no problems with nightly run backups, and the Time Machine implementation works without any problems. I debated going with a bus powered drive, but I decided I liked the reliability of an external power source. I haven't had near the problems I've had with portable bus powered drives. Pro Drive is a GREAT item! Date: 2009-01-11 | Rating: 5 This was not only fast and EASY to install, it works GREAT and is fast and easy to use. Great drive, great price Date: 2009-01-09 | Rating: 4 I'm using this drive with Time Machine and it has worked very well. I have had a couple instances where I plugged it in, turned it on and it would not mount. There is a chance that it was the computer but If I unplugged it and plugged it back in it would mount and backup fine. It hasn't done this to me in a few weeks now, since 10.5.6 actually.... You can have the drive upright or using the included rubber thingies it can lay on it's side, I liked having the choice. It's Firewire 800, so once I get a firewire 800 cable I can get those speeds. That's really my only problem, it did not come with a firewire 800 cable. So far so good with a nice surprise Date: 2009-09-11 | Rating: 4 I bought this drive on clearance from Best Buy just over a week ago for $96. I liked that it had all four interfaces but I was a little leery that a 1TB drive with four interfaces would already be on clearance. I had the clerk open the box in the store so I could see what cables it came with. USB & Firewire 400, no eSATA or Firewire 800. Best Buy wanted $50 for a Firewire 800 cable so I figured I just use it with USB until I could order a Firewire 800 cable. I took it home and hooked it up to my 13" MacBook Pro and it recognized it with no problems. I formatted the drive and did a surface scan just to make sure everything was OK and it came back with no problems. I partition the drive into three partitions: one 250gb for SuperDuper, one 650gb for Time Machine, and one 100gb for general storage. I like SuperDuper a lot for backup but they claim that you will not be able to boot your Mac from any drive under USB and only certain drives thru Firewire. I proceeded to back up my Mac using the USB interface and everything worked fine. Two days later I left on a trip and while I was on the trip my hard drive in my Mac crashed. Dead hard drive. When I got home I hooked up my drive and ProDrive and much to my surprise, my Mac booted from the SuperDuper image right thru the USB interface! That was great and at least allowed me to continue using my computer to troubleshoot the hard drive. As it turns out the hard drive is bad and my Mac is at the Apple store getting it replaced. So far I haven't had any problems with the ProDrive at all and I'm very glad to see that it boots thru USB. I don't have my FW800 cable yet so I can't atest to the speed there and I dinged the drive one start for not coming with all the cables. Cheap Storage = Average to Difficult Reliability and Usage Date: 2009-08-25 | Rating: 3 I bought 4 of these hard drives at Fry's to back up a feature film I shot in HD and I have had a difficult time with them mainly because of their cheap hard ware. But having said that there are no other 1 Terabyte sized external hard drives with 4 different interfaces (usb 2.0, firewire 400 and 800, and sata) in the $130.00 price range, plus I now have all 4 drives with an exact copy of my 700 gigabyte movie files working and functioning as back up in triplicate form with 1 drive functioning as an editing drive. Basically the problems with these drives is that they cannot be daisy chained together via Firewire 800 because they only feature 1 firewire 800 port, but you cannot connect 2 drives at a time via firewire or they will unmount each other. I ran into this problem at first and thought it was a simple matter of the drives format settings, but I now believe that it is the cheap firewire bus in each drive that will not allow multiple simpletech drives to copy via firewire. I have been transferring footage and movie files on my powerbook g4 via firewire 800 and 400 and using my additional 2 terabyte acomdata external drive as a gate keeper of files when copying between 1 simpletech drive to the next simpletech drive. I also ran into a lot of problems formatting the drives for mac os x, but I've now learned that it was user error setting up the formatting options wrong. Basically I tried to use the mac disk utility to format the drives for mac os extended, but kept getting a partition error no matter how many times i reformatted the drive. I was able to trick a couple of the drives into formatting by partitioning them into two drives, one formatted as mac and the other smaller drive as ms-dos, but still this solution didn't work all the time. Then I discovered if you click more options in the disk utility you can choose the type of base formatting you want and when i choose the guid format that allows macs to see the drives then the re-format would work. These simpletech drives have hitashi hard drives under the hood, which is a pretty good and reliable company for hard drives, so I knew if I fiddled around enough with them that I could get them to work. If you are looking for a cheap external storage device, these simpletech drives will work, but if you are trying to make exact backs up of everything you will run into a lot of problems with these drives, but they are workable if you have an additional third party external drive to act as gate keeper or if you have enough storage space on your desktop or laptop to transfer over between drives. If you are backing up on pc then these drives run nice and smoothly with their fat 32 formatting, but if you want a mac format you'll run into a lot of trouble with very few online resources to help you out.

SimpleTech SimpleDrive 500 GB USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive FV-U35/500

From Hitachi
	Price: $109.99
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Features - Simple, plug and play storage - Fabrik Ultimate Backup for unbeatable online protection - High Speed USB 2.0 interface - PC and Mac Compatible - Security lock slot Product Description Simple Drive's plug and play design gets you up and running in minutes. Whether you're looking to bump up your capacity, back up your most precious stuff, or both.With local backup and Fabrik Ultimate Backup, you get the same two-level protection the pros use. So, no matter what happens to your drive - a spilled drink, a curious toddler, a theft or a natural disaster - you know your files are still safe and secure online and off-site. Fabrik Ultimate Backup keeps encrypted copies of your files on SimpleTech's dedicated off-site servers. And it's always working even when you're not, so you get constant, near real time backup that won't slow down your system.And, SimpleDrive's secure stackable design ensures a snug fit with Fabrik's Pro Drive and Duo Pro drive so you can always add more storage without taking up more desk space. Customer Reviews Great product, reliable many uses Date: 2008-01-07 | Rating: 5 My son and I have 10 of these SimpleDrives. They have worked flawlessly for over a year in a number of different ways. Primarily we use them to backup of files, extend the file capacity of our laptops. I formatted one fat32 and have put ghost images of my laptop on it for recovery. I did recover from a ghost image once and it worked. I also formatted one fat32 and put 200GB of photos in folders on it. I then connected it to my Kodak Eashshare Digital picture frame. All these uses have worked great. I just order more SimpleDrives as we need more space. Reliable and affordable for my very basic needs Date: 2009-12-14 | Rating: 5 I have had my drive for about two years. I purchased the drive to use as backup storage for my PC files (primarily photo, video, music library and document files). I have not had any problems since I've had the drive. The SimpleTech external hard drive has been very easy to use and totally reliable for my purposes. Not very good Date: 2008-02-08 | Rating: 2 I bought this drive hoping for the best, there was one five star review, the picture looked good and the price was right. Well the drive works, however the enclosure is very cheap feeling and my unit had 2 loose screws inside! I don't think they held anything together as everything inside seemed secure, but obviously this says something for build quality! The case is 100% plastic, painted silver. In short it works, but I don't have much faith in the reliability. It seems awfully cheap, hopefully the actual drive inside is decent. I have to decide if returning this is worth the hassle.

SimpleTech by Hitachi SimpleDrive 1 TB Turbo USB 2.0 Desktop External Hard Drive S1000U (Black)

From Hitachi
	Price: $124.99
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Features - Elegant, easy-to-use Turbo USB 2.0 external hard drive with 1TB storage - Plug and play add-on storage with integrated vents for quiet, reliable performance - Turbo USB is up to 25 percent faster than USB 2.0 - Includes award-winning Fabrik backup software - Measures 5.25 x 7.3 x 1.95-inches; 1 year warranty Product Description The reliable SimpleTech S1000U 1TB SimpleDrive Turbo USB 2.0 External Hard Drive proves that simple is better. Featuring a sleek design with soft lines and plenty of space for storing new files or backing up photos, music, and other precious data, the SimpleDrive is ready to use the moment you plug it in. It cannot get any simpler than that. Amazon.com Product Description The reliable SimpleTech S1000U 1TB SimpleDrive Turbo USB 2.0 External Hard Drive proves that simple is better. Featuring a sleek design with soft lines and plenty of space for storing new files or backing up photos, music, and other precious data, the SimpleDrive is ready to use the moment you plug it in. It can't get any simpler than that. .caption { font-family: Verdana, Helvetica neue, Arial, serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; } ul.indent { list-style: inside disc; text-indent: 20px; } table.callout { font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, serif; margin: 10px; width: 250; } td.callout { height: 100 percent; background: #9DC4D8 url(http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/callout-bg.png) repeat-x; border-left: 1px solid #999999; border-right: 1px solid #999999; padding: 10px; width: 250px; } ul.callout { list-style: inside disc; text-indent: -12px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5em; } h5.callout { text-align: center; } The SimpleTech® SimpleDriveTM Turbo USB 2.0: Features a curvy, elegant look. Uses Turbo USB for speeds up to 25% faster than USB 2.0. Fabrik Ultimate BackupTM for 2 GB of free secure online storage. Is backed by a 1-year warranty. The attractive design has vents to keep the drive cool without a fan. View larger. View ports on back. Sleek, Speedy, and Easy to Use The sleek, black and gray SimpleDrive is an elegant addition to your workstation. Soft, curvaceous lines add visual appeal, while integrated vents keep the drive cool without the use of fans, resulting in quiet, unobtrusive, and reliable performance. With the ability to sit horizontally or stand upright in the included cradle, this SimpleDrive easily slips into whatever space you have available. Measuring just 5.25 x 7.30 x 1.95 inches, it's also compact enough for travel. With the SimpleDrive there's no complicated set up or software to deal with. Just plug the drive into your computer and start saving videos, music, photos, and other data immediately. In fact, you don't even have to turn the drive on or off: it automatically powers on or off with your computer, a convenient feature that also saves you energy. With the SimpleDrive's Turbo USB 2.0 interface, data moves up to 25% faster than over a USB 2.0 connection. And since it's also compatible with USB 1.1 ports, you won't have to worry about using this drive with older computers. Award-Winning Local and Online Backup Options SimpleTech includes two backup options that will keep your mind at ease regarding important data. With the included Fabrik Local Backup software, you can set up automatic backups from your computer to your SimpleDrive. For ultimate protection, the SimpleDrive also offers the award-winning Fabrik Ultimate Backup solution, so you can upload your files to a secure, online server and protect your data from real-world mishaps. This provides near-real time protection without bogging down your computer. (Although the SimpleDrive is both Mac and PC compatible, at this time the Fabrik Ultimate Backup solution is only available for Windows-based computers.) Fabrik's Ultimate Backup allows you to store up to 2 GB for free on one of its 448-bit encrypted servers, and for just a few dollars a month, you get unlimited capacity to securely store all of your important files and media collections offsite. Acting just like the drive's local backup software, you simply set Fabrik Ultimate Backup once, and it automatically and regularly backs up your content behind the scenes. All backups, to the external drive or online service, are unobtrusive. Once your initial content has uploaded, the software performs incremental backups, so only the smallest amount of data that has been changed or modified in your files will be updated. To keep your content private and confidential, all files are encrypted with 128-bit SSL encryption while in transit, with an option for a private encryption key. Fabrik's offsite 448-bit Blowfish encrypted servers are housed by a Fortune 500 company, ensuring file protection, security, and peace of mind. So now, no matter what happens to your drive -- a curious toddler, a spilled drink, or natural disaster -- your irreplaceable photos, music, videos, and files are safe and secure both offsite and online. The SimpleDrive comes with unlimited free technical support, and it is backed by a one-year warranty. What's in the Box SimpleDrive Turbo USB 2.0 External Hard Drive, USB 2.0 cable, AC Adapter, and desk cradle. Customer Reviews Rugged fast and inexpensive Date: 2009-03-17 | Rating: 5 I bought this drive several months ago and it has exceeded my expectations. It is plug and play and has fast transfer. If it locks up I unplug it and plug it back in and it is ready to go. I recently bought a 1TB Western Digital My Book drive and it has been a nightmare compared to this one. It worked for a couple days and then quit. I think it was not able to be unplugged and plugged back in without getting errors. It gave me the "Blue Screen of Death" and while the videos remained and could be played on my Phillips DVD player my XP computer still says Death every time I try to plug it in. XP has an icon in the lower right tray to safely remove hardware, and I use it now. I am buying another one of these as it has been so reliable. Simple Tech External Hard Drive Date: 2009-03-08 | Rating: 5 I received the item quickly and it was exactly as advertised. I plugged it into a power source, then my computer, and was backing up files within 15 minutes of receiving the item! Works great and Fast Date: 2009-02-16 | Rating: 5 This works great. I have had it for almost 6 months. I love that it keeps cool, and transfer data fast. Also that it turns off when the computer turns off or if you unplug it from the computer. A little Pricy but so far very reliable. Simple Tech easy backup Date: 2009-02-18 | Rating: 5 I purchased this product, plugged it in, followed the directions and my computer is now backed up. It looks good on my desk and is very quiet. Good value and I feel more secure having a backup. This is what you need Date: 2009-04-15 | Rating: 5 I'm using this drive to back up 2 computers. The drive was very easy to set up, just plug it in and away you go. The price was right and it even came with the backup software. Glad I went with this drive. I just backed up a computer for the 2nd time and it took maybe 60 seconds, only backing up any additional files and files that had changed. Great product.

SimpleTech by Hitachi Signature Mini 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive FS-U25/320H (Black Cherry)

From SimpleTech Technology
	Price: $100.99
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Features - Portable, stylish 320 GB Hard Drive with USB 2.0 connection - Stylish design by Ferrari designer Pininfarina - Powered by USB bus; no AC adapter necessary - Backed by 3-year warranty and unlimited technical support - Measures 3.1 x 0.8 x 4.9 inches (WxHxD) Product Description Introducing the Signature Mini family of bite-size drives, bursting with tasty ingredients. Supple and resilient to the touch, with a positive velvety rip, they¿re designed by our friends at Pininfarina, the icon of Italian sports car design since 1930. Just plug one in, and inside you¿ll find smart ways to protect and manage all your precious stuff. Includes Fabrik Local Backup software for setting up automatic backups on your Signature Mini, and Fabrik Ultimate Backup for secure, online storage that¿s safe from real world mishaps. Amazon.com Product Description Thanks to the deliciously sleek styling by famed Italian car designer Pininfarina, the SimpleTech Signature Mini 320 GB USB 2.0 Portable Drive isn't just another external hard drive. The recipient of the same magic design touch and attention to fine details that helped turn Ferrari and Maserati into icons of the automotive world, the Signature Mini will certainly turn heads as you make your way through the day with your work files, or your latest videos, photos and songs. .caption { font-family: Verdana, Helvetica neue, Arial, serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; } ul.indent { list-style: inside disc; text-indent: 20px; } table.callout { font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, serif; margin: 10px; width: 250; } td.callout { height: 100 percent; background: #9DC4D8 url(http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/callout-bg.png) repeat-x; border-left: 1px solid #999999; border-right: 1px solid #999999; padding: 10px; width: 250px; } ul.callout { list-style: inside disc; text-indent: -12px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5em; } h5.callout { text-align: center; } The SimpleTech® Signature MiniTM offers: Slick Ferrari-inspired design by Pininfarina. High-speed USB 2.0 interface for data transfer at up to 480 Mbps. Fabrik Ultimate BackupTM for 2 GB of free secure online storage. 1-year warranty. The curvaceous Signature Mini was designed by Pininfarina of Ferrari fame. View larger. Ferrari-Inspired Ultra-Portable Design Get used to the staring, because when you take this drive out into the public, heads will turn. With its Ferrari-inspired lines, this delicious Black Cherry-colored Signature Mini is as much a piece of fine art as a piece of robust hardware. Despite being a compact 3.1 x 4.9 x 0.8-inches (WxDxH), the drive won't be slipping out of your hands, thanks to its velvety texture that offers you a secure grip for your hands. And the drive's two rubber strips at the bottom will keep it from slipping across your desk. With the included USB 2.0 "Y" cable, the Signature Mini gets its power from your computer, meaning there's no bulky AC adapter to carry around or forget. Just grab the drive and cable, plug it into a computer, and you'll be ready to go. Powerful Local and Online Backup Options SimpleTech includes two backup options that will keep your mind at ease about your important data. In fact, SimpleTech's Signature Mini Drives are the first drives in the world to offer both local and online backup capabilities. With the included Fabrik Local Backup software, you can set up automatic backups from your computer to your Signature Mini. But for the ultimate in protection, the Signature Mini also offers the Fabrik Ultimate Backup solution that uploads your files to a secure, online server that will protect your data from real-world mishaps and offer near-real time protection without bogging down your computer. (Although the Signature Mini is both Mac and PC compatible, at this time the Fabrik Ultimate Backup solution is only available for Windows-based computers.) With just two ports, the Signature Mini is simple to use. In fact, you usually only need one cable as the drive can be powered by the USB bus. Fabrik's Ultimate Backup allows you to store up to 2 GB for free on one of its 448-bit encrypted servers, and for just a few dollars a month, you get unlimited capacity to securely store all of your important files and media collections offsite. Acting just like the drive's local backup software, you simply set Fabrik Ultimate Backup once, and it automatically and regularly backs up your content behind the scenes. All backups, to the external drive or online service, are unobtrusive. Once your initial content has uploaded, the software performs incremental backups, so only the smallest amount of data that has been changed or modified in your files will be updated. To keep your content private and confidential, all files are encrypted with 128-bit SSL encryption while in transit, with an option for a private encryption key. Fabrik's offsite 448-bit Blowfish encrypted servers are housed by a Fortune 500 company, ensuring file protection, security and peace of mind. So now, no matter what happens to your drive--a curious toddler, a spilled drink or natural disaster--your irreplaceable photos, music, videos and files are safe and secure both offsite and online. Joggle Software for Easy Media Sharing Also included is Joggle, a program that brings your photos, music, and videos together and displays it all in one easy-to-manage view. Joggle lets you view all your media files together on a single screen, and lets you access it securely from anywhere you're online. With Joggle, you can easily share your content with friends and family and embed sideshows and playlists into social Web sites including MySpace, Flickr, Facebook or personal blogs. You can even create an RSS feed for friends and family, all without making them register or login to sharing sites. The Signature Mini is backed by a 3-year warranty and free, unlimited technical support. What's in the Box Signature Mini Black Cherry 320 GB external hard drive, quick-install guide, and high-speed USB 2.0 "Y" cable. Get a Signature Mini in your favorite color. Customer Reviews High Quality at Affordable Price Date: 2008-03-29 | Rating: 5 If you are looking for a high quality portable external USB-powered high capacity hard drive at an affordable price, this is your choice! Ownership: 5 days. Pros: 1. High quality as SimpleTech is using a Western Digital (WD) internal hard drive disk (HDD) known to be a state-of-the-art HDD. 2. As portable (small size and light) as WD passport. 3. USB-powered or bus-powered. As single USB port of some computers can not provide enough power, SimpleTech is providing you with USB 2.0 Y-cable (not provided with WD passport) which can be used to hook up your drive to two USB ports of your computer to get enough power. This drive also has a power port (power cable is not provided, however, WD passport has no power port at all) in case you prefer to use a power cable. However, My laptop (almost 5 years old now) does not need it! I hook up this drive to a single USB port of my laptop and it works. I am so happy after knowing this as I was afraid to buy this drive considering that it may not work with a single USB port (my laptop has only two USB ports so that I would run out of it and not be able to use any other USB device, like mouse at the same time)! Make sure you use the main USB (not the pigtail, take a look at the picture above). WD will make you buy an expensive Y-cable if you need it. Moreover, this Y-cable from SimpleTech is longer than USB cable from WD. 4. Highest capacity portable drive available as of today (comparable to WD 320 GB passport). 5. I bought it from Amazon marketplace (ZENCORP) for $ 97.99 plus $ 6.49 S&H (no tax). The merchant offered the best price as of that day. I ordered it on Friday, merchant shipped (from MD) it on Saturday via DHL, and I received (at CA) it on Monday with excellent packaging! You can not possibly get this awesome deal for WD 320 GB passport right now. 6. Plug N play just like WD passport. My laptop immediately recognized this drive (also 3 of my school desktops, all of them required only one USB port) when I hooked up for the 1st time. 7. Hot-swappable just like WD passport. 8. Great look! After all, designed by Pininfarina! To me, WD passport does not look any better. 9. USB port of this drive is naked which is good because I always felt awkward in handling WD passport's port (WDXMS2500CN, bought from Costco) as it has a flap on it. WD made USB port naked only in their newest model (WDME3200TN). 10. Blue light shows that HDD is connected to the computer as a local disk, flashes when working, red light shows that power is on! WD passport indicator light does not show you these details. 11. 3 years warranty, just like WD passport's. Very important. 12. Did not try the software, but back-up and other utilities like simple, automatic backups with Fabrik local backup and complete protection with Fabrik ultimate backup online service (2 GB free), joggle software for organizing photos, songs, and video come with it. Will comment after use. 13. Free tech support over the phone. WD's tech support is available for free only upto 30 days after you give them the 1st call. WD's tech support guys know (including the higher level, really annoying) as much as you do being an ordinary person with some standard technical understanding. 14. PC/Mac compatible just like WD passport. 15. Base has pad-like structure to protect the drive. 16. It is as quiet and fast as WD passport. Its stays cool just like WD passport. 17. Pre-formatted to NTFS as compared to FAT32 (WD passport). Most people use PC rather than Mac! Cons: Not many! I believe pros simply wins over cons. 1. As scratchable as WD passport. 2. 5400 rpm only, however, this is the highest speed available for all portable drives including WD's. 3. Capacity is not as high as that of larger drives. 4. No firewire 400/800 or eSATA or 10/100/1000 ethernet ports. You can not possibly expect these with portable drives. Make sure you buy a carrying case, the best being from case LOGIC (model # PHDC-1) in order to protect the drive and for carrying convenience. There are other portable drives in the market, say, WD, Seagate, Toshiba, Iomega, HP, Maxtor, but none of them are better than this one. I own this and I owned WD passport (WDXMS2500CN) and returned it. Did I say enough about this excellent gadget? Buy one and enjoy it!!! UPDATE: 11/20/2009: The drive is still working. Only problems are 1) occasionally, it does not work with some computers (even the recent ones) with a single USB connection, you have to use two ports. 2) sometimes, when I connect this with computer, this device behaves as if it were connected to a slow USB (1.1) port, therefore, copying files takes forever. I disconnect and reconnect this, and it behaves normal. I have been advised by ST representative (over the phone) that this may be a controller issue and I should go for an RMA. I will see. I still have valid warranty for some good time. UPDATE: 12/20/2009: I returned the drive to Hitachi for repair/exchange with an RMA. They got me a new drive (color is not black cherry now, but kind of red, still looks good) and I am happy to report that it looks like they have fixed the issues. So far I have hooked up this with 2 desktops and 1 laptop with success (in which the old drive was having issues). To return the drive, I have used flat-rate ($4.95) box from USPS, therefore, the guys who are complaining about this drive after purchase should do just like I did if the warranty is still valid (3 yrs). Snazzy and functional Date: 2008-03-22 | Rating: 5 I've had this drive about one month, and am very pleased with it. It's very small, yet huge in terms of capacity. It also looks cool (and even feels cool, like metallic velvet). It's extremely quiet (actually silent), and is plenty fast. No problems playing back recorded video through Media Center or Media Player. Smooth as silk even when fast-forwarding. Music of course and pictures come through perfectly. On my Toshiba Satellite notebook, it functions just fine connected to only one usb port. If your laptop is underpowered for some reason, you can either use both prongs of the supplied two prong plug (uses up 2 usb ports) or you can use a 5 vdc 1.0 A ac adapter (I think the same used by most other powered usb devices like cooling fans, usb hubs and such). This information is clearly stated in the foldout manual. Make sure you look at the manual to see which of the two plugs you should use if you only want to use only one plug to connect to your computer or notebook, since one plug carries both power and data, while the other is just a backup power carrier in case your usb ports are underpowered. Tech support responded within 1 day to the question I asked about whether it can be set to spin down when not in use (apparently not). It runs cool, so that's not really a problem. For the price, the style and the performance, I think this is a fantastic drive. no complaints, xactly what I was looking for Date: 2008-03-07 | Rating: 5 All I was looking for was a drive to supplement the minimal storage space on my Toshiba laptop. This worked perfect. I got it on sale at Circuit City for $119, which was a steal. I use it mostly to store MP4 files to load on my iPod Classic. Works great and can play movie files from it through my laptop no problem. Can't speak to the back up software that's included, haven't used it. Only negative thing I can say about it is that the cord has a pigtail USB connector if you need it for extra power, if you have low voltage USB ports. I don't so it just kind of gets in the way. Also, you have to make sure you have the primary USB plugged in to connect the drive, if you plug in only the pigtail, it won't load the drive to your computer. I marked mine so I wouldn't mistake it. That minor thing is really the only thing I can think of negative to say, and it wouldn't be negative if I had low voltage ports and needed it. Overall, I highly recommend it. SimpleTech Signature Mini Hard Drive Date: 2008-11-12 | Rating: 5 An exceptional product for any traveller--500 gigabytes that will fit in your pants' pocket! And no need to carry a cumbersome adaptor and cords: the mini hd connects directly to your pc for its power source. I take mine around the world, loaded with music and other entertainment. Great Hard drive Date: 2008-11-30 | Rating: 5 Bought this about 4 months ago.... The hard drive is small, and very very portable. Pro's 1) Transfer speeds are fast, (Avg.20MB/s / Peaks around 30MB/s) 2) Able to Run movies, music, anything off the drive directly without lags 3) Plugging in both USB cords, increased transfer speed - 1USB = 15MB/s - 2USB = 25-30MB/s 4) Able to run smooth even if running laptop on battery (own a 13inch Toshiba U300) 5) Takes about 3-5 seconds for a window to open to access the hard drive 6) Runs files off the hard drive same speed if it were run off computer (w/ 1 or both USB; doesn't mater) Cons' 1) Will be recognized on MAC and VISTA, however, If formated for VISTA and used on a MAC, the MAC user can only copy files from the Hard drive onto their MAC. They arent able to copy files onto the hard drive. - Out of box, the hard drive is Windows formatted. Need to follow easy to read instructions to convert to MAC 2)Nothing else at this point ****** Note: Havent used the software on the Hard drive itself for the Back up. Neither have I used the 2 gigs of online backup.

SimpleTech Signature Mini FS-U25/250BG 250 GB USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive (Bubblegum)

From SimpleTech Technology
	Price: $114.99
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Features - Portable, stylish 250 GB Hard Drive with USB 2.0 connection - Stylish design by Ferrari designer Pininfarina - Powered by USB bus; no AC adapter necessary - Backed by 3-year warranty and unlimited technical support - Measures 3.1 x 0.8 x 4.9 inches (WxHxD) Product Description Introducing the Signature Mini family of bite-size drives, bursting with tasty ingredients. Supple and resilient to the touch, with a positive velvety grip, they¿re designed by our friends at Pininfarina, the icon of Italian sports car design since 1930.Just plug one in, and inside you¿ll find smart ways to protect and manage all your precious stuff. Includes Fabrik Local Backup software for setting up automatic backups on your Signature Mini, and Fabrik Ultimate Backup for secure, online storage that¿s safe from real world mishaps. Amazon.com Product Description Thanks to the deliciously sleek styling by famed Italian car designer Pininfarina, the SimpleTech Signature Mini 250 GB USB 2.0 Portable Drive isn't just another external hard drive. The recipient of the same magic design touch and attention to fine details that helped turn Ferrari and Maserati into icons of the automotive world, the Signature Mini will certainly turn heads as you make your way through the day with your work files, or your latest videos, photos and songs. .caption { font-family: Verdana, Helvetica neue, Arial, serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; } ul.indent { list-style: inside disc; text-indent: 20px; } table.callout { font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, serif; margin: 10px; width: 250; } td.callout { height: 100 percent; background: #9DC4D8 url(http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/callout-bg.png) repeat-x; border-left: 1px solid #999999; border-right: 1px solid #999999; padding: 10px; width: 250px; } ul.callout { list-style: inside disc; text-indent: -12px; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5em; } h5.callout { text-align: center; } The SimpleTech® Signature MiniTM offers: Slick, beautiful design by world-renown designer Pininfarina. USB bus-power that requires no bulky AC adapter. Fabrik Ultimate BackupTM for 2 GB of free secure online storage. 3-year warranty. The curvaceous Signature Mini was designed by Pininfarina of Ferrari fame. View larger. Ferrari-Inspired Ultra-Portable Design Get used to the staring, because when you take this drive out into the public, heads will turn. With its Ferrari-inspired lines, this delicious Bubblegum-colored Signature Mini is as much a piece of fine art as a piece of robust hardware. Despite being a compact 3.1 x 4.9 x 0.8-inches (WxDxH), the drive won't be slipping out of your hands, thanks to its velvety texture that offers you a secure grip for your hands. And the drive's two rubber strips at the bottom will keep it from slipping across your desk. With the included USB 2.0 "Y" cable, the Signature Mini gets its power from your computer, meaning there's no bulky AC adapter to carry around or forget. Just grab the drive and cable, plug it into a computer, and you'll be ready to go. Powerful Local and Online Backup Options SimpleTech includes two backup options that will keep your mind at ease about your important data. In fact, SimpleTech's Signature Mini Drives are the first drives in the world to offer both local and online backup capabilities. With the included Fabrik Local Backup software, you can set up automatic backups from your computer to your Signature Mini. But for the ultimate in protection, the Signature Mini also offers the Fabrik Ultimate Backup solution that uploads your files to a secure, online server that will protect your data from real-world mishaps and offer near-real time protection without bogging down your computer. (Although the Signature Mini is both Mac and PC compatible, at this time the Fabrik Ultimate Backup solution is only available for Windows-based computers.) With just two ports, the Signature Mini is simple to use. In fact, you usually only need one cable as the drive can be powered by the USB bus. Fabrik's Ultimate Backup allows you to store up to 2 GB for free on one of its 448-bit encrypted servers, and for just a few dollars a month, you get unlimited capacity to securely store all of your important files and media collections offsite. Acting just like the drive's local backup software, you simply set Fabrik Ultimate Backup once, and it automatically and regularly backs up your content behind the scenes. All backups, to the external drive or online service, are unobtrusive. Once your initial content has uploaded, the software performs incremental backups, so only the smallest amount of data that has been changed or modified in your files will be updated. To keep your content private and confidential, all files are encrypted with 128-bit SSL encryption while in transit, with an option for a private encryption key. Fabrik's offsite 448-bit Blowfish encrypted servers are housed by a Fortune 500 company, ensuring file protection, security and peace of mind. So now, no matter what happens to your drive--a curious toddler, a spilled drink or natural disaster--your irreplaceable photos, music, videos and files are safe and secure both offsite and online. Joggle Software for Easy Media Sharing Also included is Joggle, a program that brings your photos, music, and videos together and displays it all in one easy-to-manage view. Joggle lets you view all your media files together on a single screen, and lets you access it securely from anywhere you're online. With Joggle, you can easily share your content with friends and family and embed sideshows and playlists into social Web sites including MySpace, Flickr, Facebook or personal blogs. You can even create an RSS feed for friends and family, all without making them register or login to sharing sites. The Signature Mini is backed by a 3-year warranty and free, unlimited technical support. What's in the Box Signature Mini Bubblegum 250 GB external hard drive, quick-install guide, and high-speed USB 2.0 "Y" cable. Get a Signature Mini in your favorite color. Customer Reviews High Quality at Affordable Price Date: 2008-03-29 | Rating: 5 If you are looking for a high quality portable external USB-powered high capacity hard drive at an affordable price, this is your choice! Ownership: 5 days. Pros: 1. High quality as SimpleTech is using a Western Digital (WD) internal hard drive disk (HDD) known to be a state-of-the-art HDD. 2. As portable (small size and light) as WD passport. 3. USB-powered or bus-powered. As single USB port of some computers can not provide enough power, SimpleTech is providing you with USB 2.0 Y-cable (not provided with WD passport) which can be used to hook up your drive to two USB ports of your computer to get enough power. This drive also has a power port (power cable is not provided, however, WD passport has no power port at all) in case you prefer to use a power cable. However, My laptop (almost 5 years old now) does not need it! I hook up this drive to a single USB port of my laptop and it works. I am so happy after knowing this as I was afraid to buy this drive considering that it may not work with a single USB port (my laptop has only two USB ports so that I would run out of it and not be able to use any other USB device, like mouse at the same time)! Make sure you use the main USB (not the pigtail, take a look at the picture above). WD will make you buy an expensive Y-cable if you need it. Moreover, this Y-cable from SimpleTech is longer than USB cable from WD. 4. Highest capacity portable drive available as of today (comparable to WD 320 GB passport). 5. I bought it from Amazon marketplace (ZENCORP) for $ 97.99 plus $ 6.49 S&H (no tax). The merchant offered the best price as of that day. I ordered it on Friday, merchant shipped (from MD) it on Saturday via DHL, and I received (at CA) it on Monday with excellent packaging! You can not possibly get this awesome deal for WD 320 GB passport right now. 6. Plug N play just like WD passport. My laptop immediately recognized this drive (also 3 of my school desktops, all of them required only one USB port) when I hooked up for the 1st time. 7. Hot-swappable just like WD passport. 8. Great look! After all, designed by Pininfarina! To me, WD passport does not look any better. 9. USB port of this drive is naked which is good because I always felt awkward in handling WD passport's port (WDXMS2500CN, bought from Costco) as it has a flap on it. WD made USB port naked only in their newest model (WDME3200TN). 10. Blue light shows that HDD is connected to the computer as a local disk, flashes when working, red light shows that power is on! WD passport indicator light does not show you these details. 11. 3 years warranty, just like WD passport's. Very important. 12. Did not try the software, but back-up and other utilities like simple, automatic backups with Fabrik local backup and complete protection with Fabrik ultimate backup online service (2 GB free), joggle software for organizing photos, songs, and video come with it. Will comment after use. 13. Free tech support over the phone. WD's tech support is available for free only upto 30 days after you give them the 1st call. WD's tech support guys know (including the higher level, really annoying) as much as you do being an ordinary person with some standard technical understanding. 14. PC/Mac compatible just like WD passport. 15. Base has pad-like structure to protect the drive. 16. It is as quiet and fast as WD passport. Its stays cool just like WD passport. 17. Pre-formatted to NTFS as compared to FAT32 (WD passport). Most people use PC rather than Mac! Cons: Not many! I believe pros simply wins over cons. 1. As scratchable as WD passport. 2. 5400 rpm only, however, this is the highest speed available for all portable drives including WD's. 3. Capacity is not as high as that of larger drives. 4. No firewire 400/800 or eSATA or 10/100/1000 ethernet ports. You can not possibly expect these with portable drives. Make sure you buy a carrying case, the best being from case LOGIC (model # PHDC-1) in order to protect the drive and for carrying convenience. There are other portable drives in the market, say, WD, Seagate, Toshiba, Iomega, HP, Maxtor, but none of them are better than this one. I own this and I owned WD passport (WDXMS2500CN) and returned it. Did I say enough about this excellent gadget? Buy one and enjoy it!!! UPDATE: 11/20/2009: The drive is still working. Only problems are 1) occasionally, it does not work with some computers (even the recent ones) with a single USB connection, you have to use two ports. 2) sometimes, when I connect this with computer, this device behaves as if it were connected to a slow USB (1.1) port, therefore, copying files takes forever. I disconnect and reconnect this, and it behaves normal. I have been advised by ST representative (over the phone) that this may be a controller issue and I should go for an RMA. I will see. I still have valid warranty for some good time. UPDATE: 12/20/2009: I returned the drive to Hitachi for repair/exchange with an RMA. They got me a new drive (color is not black cherry now, but kind of red, still looks good) and I am happy to report that it looks like they have fixed the issues. So far I have hooked up this with 2 desktops and 1 laptop with success (in which the old drive was having issues). To return the drive, I have used flat-rate ($4.95) box from USPS, therefore, the guys who are complaining about this drive after purchase should do just like I did if the warranty is still valid (3 yrs). Snazzy and functional Date: 2008-03-22 | Rating: 5 I've had this drive about one month, and am very pleased with it. It's very small, yet huge in terms of capacity. It also looks cool (and even feels cool, like metallic velvet). It's extremely quiet (actually silent), and is plenty fast. No problems playing back recorded video through Media Center or Media Player. Smooth as silk even when fast-forwarding. Music of course and pictures come through perfectly. On my Toshiba Satellite notebook, it functions just fine connected to only one usb port. If your laptop is underpowered for some reason, you can either use both prongs of the supplied two prong plug (uses up 2 usb ports) or you can use a 5 vdc 1.0 A ac adapter (I think the same used by most other powered usb devices like cooling fans, usb hubs and such). This information is clearly stated in the foldout manual. Make sure you look at the manual to see which of the two plugs you should use if you only want to use only one plug to connect to your computer or notebook, since one plug carries both power and data, while the other is just a backup power carrier in case your usb ports are underpowered. Tech support responded within 1 day to the question I asked about whether it can be set to spin down when not in use (apparently not). It runs cool, so that's not really a problem. For the price, the style and the performance, I think this is a fantastic drive. no complaints, xactly what I was looking for Date: 2008-03-07 | Rating: 5 All I was looking for was a drive to supplement the minimal storage space on my Toshiba laptop. This worked perfect. I got it on sale at Circuit City for $119, which was a steal. I use it mostly to store MP4 files to load on my iPod Classic. Works great and can play movie files from it through my laptop no problem. Can't speak to the back up software that's included, haven't used it. Only negative thing I can say about it is that the cord has a pigtail USB connector if you need it for extra power, if you have low voltage USB ports. I don't so it just kind of gets in the way. Also, you have to make sure you have the primary USB plugged in to connect the drive, if you plug in only the pigtail, it won't load the drive to your computer. I marked mine so I wouldn't mistake it. That minor thing is really the only thing I can think of negative to say, and it wouldn't be negative if I had low voltage ports and needed it. Overall, I highly recommend it. SimpleTech Signature Mini Hard Drive Date: 2008-11-12 | Rating: 5 An exceptional product for any traveller--500 gigabytes that will fit in your pants' pocket! And no need to carry a cumbersome adaptor and cords: the mini hd connects directly to your pc for its power source. I take mine around the world, loaded with music and other entertainment. Great Hard drive Date: 2008-11-30 | Rating: 5 Bought this about 4 months ago.... The hard drive is small, and very very portable. Pro's 1) Transfer speeds are fast, (Avg.20MB/s / Peaks around 30MB/s) 2) Able to Run movies, music, anything off the drive directly without lags 3) Plugging in both USB cords, increased transfer speed - 1USB = 15MB/s - 2USB = 25-30MB/s 4) Able to run smooth even if running laptop on battery (own a 13inch Toshiba U300) 5) Takes about 3-5 seconds for a window to open to access the hard drive 6) Runs files off the hard drive same speed if it were run off computer (w/ 1 or both USB; doesn't mater) Cons' 1) Will be recognized on MAC and VISTA, however, If formated for VISTA and used on a MAC, the MAC user can only copy files from the Hard drive onto their MAC. They arent able to copy files onto the hard drive. - Out of box, the hard drive is Windows formatted. Need to follow easy to read instructions to convert to MAC 2)Nothing else at this point ****** Note: Havent used the software on the Hard drive itself for the Back up. Neither have I used the 2 gigs of online backup.