MaximumPC 2006 09

F

lash-based USB keys are awesome, but

sometimes you need a little more stor-

age than a 4GB thumb drive delivers.

What’s a portable-storage maven to do? Enter

the USB hard drive.

—TODD HASELTON

VERBATIM STORE ‘N’ GO 4GB

Verbatim’s Store ‘n’ Go offers sassy looks

and an awesome software package named

Ceedo Mobile ,aunchpad When the drive is

inserted into a USB

port, something similar

to the Windows Start

menu appears in the

middle of the taskbar.

This menu lets you

run a variety of free

programs right off of

the drive itself. The

options include

"itTorrent IC1 !IM

as well as a handful

of media players,

photo editors, and

security downloads.

You can also use your

Firefox profile,

complete with bookmarks, cookies, and

preferences at any given computer.

The Store ‘n’ Go’s read/write speeds (469

and 623 seconds, respectively) were faster

than the Western Digital drive here, but more

than a minute behind the speedy PNY Attaché.

The Store ‘n’ Go is a little overpriced

at $130, since it has less capacity than the

other drives tested here. We like the soft-

ware bundle, though—and would be even

more enthused about it if it had some basic

encryption software.

WESTERN DIGITAL

PASSPORT POCKET 6GB

The Passport Pocket is slow. 7aY slow.

Its read speed of our 3GB test file (590

seconds) was two minutes slow-

er than the other drives’, and its

write speed (636 sec) was three

minutes slower than the PNY’s

(reviewed next). That’s ridiculous.

However, the Passport

Pocket redeems itself slightly

with the included 7D 3Ync soft-

ware (available from Western

Digital’s website). With the

software, you can sync desktop

folders and files, including IE and

Firefox Favorites, desktop wall-

papers, folders, etc. We weren’t

able to securely surf on other

computers; all of our temporary

Internet files were left behind.

The 7D 3Ync software also allows you

to password-protect the drive, a feature

none of the others in this roundup offer. The

drive also stores your contact information,

so in the event the drive is lost, the person

who finds it can easily return it to you.

The drive is very sturdy and solid, and

comes with a removable rubber case (not

shown) that fits like a wetsuit—it’s impos-

sible to get on or off. The USB port is very

well designed, however, with a swiveling

port head that makes plugging the drive into

a crowded USB port much easier.

Yes, it’s slow as hell, but it’s amazingly

affordable and highly portable. It’s also the

only drive here to sport encryption software,

and that’s a big feather in its cap.

PNY MAXFILE ATTACHÉ

The PNY drive not only sports the most

capacity in this roundup, it’s also the fast-

est. It blew the others out of the water in

our 3GB read/write test. Its read speed

(361 seconds) was an incredible minute

and a half faster than the Verbatim drive,

and its write speed (430 seconds) was an

ass-kicking three minutes faster than both

the Verbatim and WD models. It’s a good

thing this drive is fast, because it’s lacking in

almost every other regard.

The Attaché has an incredibly flimsy

“flick-out” USB head that rotates 180 degrees

for easy access, but feels like it could snap off

at the slightest touch. The rest of the unit is

just as chintzy, despite its advertised “durable

anodized aluminum housing.” It’s more like a

plastic, aluminum-coated housing.

The Attaché’s software package is easy

to review, since there isn’t one. These days

we expect any key to include software, but

the Attaché is just a storage bucket.

Sure, the Attaché offers blazing speed,

but that’s all. We prefer a more well-rounded

package when it comes to personal storage.

USB Hard Drive Huddle

More capacity than flash storage, but are they worth the cash?

WD’s drive is the only one here that includes any

encryption software, but it’s absurdly slow.

The Verbatim Store ‘n’
Go apes the iPod’s stark
exterior, but adds sass
with a few splashes of
teal. How cute.

$100 (6GB), http://www.wdc.com

WESTERN DIGITAL PASSPORT POCKET

SYNC

Good security options and

desktop synchronization.

SINK^8

Very slow; annoying rubber

casing.

$150 (8GB), http://www.pny.com

PNY MAXFILE ATTACHÉ

BOB BARKER

Faster than other drives

tested; cheap storage.

BARKING DOGS 

No bundled software; flimsy

USB head.

$130 (4GB), http://www.verbatim.com

VERBATIM STORE ‘N’ GO

ARTSY

Awesome Ceedo Mobile

,aunchpad software

included.

FARTSY 

Unnecessarily bulky; expensive;

annoying USB cable.

Speed is this

drive’s only

stand-out fea-

ture—it doesn’t

come with

software.

SEPTEMBER 2006 MA XIMUMPC 87

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