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08/08/2004 |
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Amacom USB Drives Don Bradbury rates a pair of speedy expansion disks
While PC internal hard drive capacities expand apace – and for some provide all the disk space they require - there are others who need nay demand added external capacity of a substantial nature. Data and program overflow is just one of several reasons you might want to add external disk capacity to a PC. Backup and disaster recovery, data sharing between work and home and storing MP3, presentation, graphic, game or video files are others that spring to mind. Two offerings from Amacom Technologies are the IOdisk and Flip2Disk. The former was offered in 40GB form. The latter had with no less than 60GB to play with. Each comes in a range of capacities to suit most people’s needs.
While the IOdisk came with only a USB 2.0 connection (backwards compatible with USB 1.1 of course, though without the speed advantage), the Flip2Disk offers a range of connections. You choose which one you want at purchase time and can add others later. The review example of the Flip2Disk came with a USB 2.0 lead although you can get any of seven interfaces: viz PCMCIA flip card, PCMCIA 16 or 32 bit cable, Firewire, USB 2.0, Parallel or DiskStation. IOdisk Small enough to fit in a shirt pocket, and with a neat case to carry it around, this device installed easily after the driver had been located on the CD. Green and red LEDs that show power and activation status, a (non-standard) USB2 cable and a power take-off adapter complete the package. The power take-off cable provide for those rare cases where a PC’s USB port cannot provide sufficient power for the drive and it’s in the usual form of a piggy-back PS/2 adapter. It was not required on the test machine though. The drive ran smoothly powered directly by the USB socket. Data transfer on the test PC was measured at 10.8MB/min. This compared with 7.7MB/min from a USB 1.1 port. Nowhere close to the full theoretical speed advantage of the port but this was anticipated. So much depends on the rest of the system when data transfer speeds are measured that the 40x speed advantage of USB 2.0 over 1.1 is basically a pipe-dream. The disk properties, as displayed by Sandra Pro, were as shown below
Hot-swappable, minimally stylish, easily installed and operated and offered with a range of capacities, the IOdisk could prove a good buy for those with the need for extra disk storage in external form. Flip2Disk This Amacom offering is more sophisticated in that you have options over the data transfer interface though you pay a price for that. Admittedly the price includes excellent FlipBack backup and recovery software and the device has Shoc Bloc shock absorption as well as a rather swish leather case in which to transport it as well as a carry strap.
But ranging the interface means that again you finish up with a non-standard interface socket on the drive. Unless you transport that as well as the drive, you’ll need another cable for use at the ‘other end’. Use at the ‘other end’ is of course one of the main selling points of external drives; they can be carried around and run on different machines. So in some ways it’s a shame that the port is not of standard configuration. Having said that, this AMACOM design is better and more secure than the standard USB termination; the cable clips into place and so is less likely to be accidentally displaced (at least at the disk drive end). Data transfer rate tested on the same PC as the IOdisk was measured at 11.9MB/min. Slightly faster than the IOdisk, but again, nowhere close to the theoretical. Happily, this disk also ran directly off a USB port (2.0 or 1.1) with no complaints, and that bodes well from the transportability point of view. Again you have a piggy-back PS/2 power take-off cable included for those cases where it’s necessary. Drive information was as shown below, though the maker’s state that Toshiba 2.5 inch disk technology is in use with this device.
With green power and yellow activation LEDs, the Flip2Disk here in 60GB capacity form could be a useful buy for those with the need. In conclusion These two devices have the advantage - unlike some other external drives - of running happily directly off a USB port (at least they did on the test machine). The Flip2Disk scores over its stable companion by offering an excellent range of interface options and also a good software package but the higher price has to be justified. The IOdisk is simpler and smaller, and could be all the external disk expander requires. Both offer crucial transportability as well as capacity and both are recommended if you don’t mind on-CD user manuals. After all, there’s not that much to say about a disk drive, is there? As ever, look out for substantial discounts on PC devices of this nature, and compare prices with alternative manufacturers. |
