MaximumPC 2008 07

W

e thought only Western Digital was
dipping drives into the Skittles rain-
bow, but SimpleTech’s new line of USB
drives are just as colorful as their Western Digital
counterparts. The devices in the Signature Mini
line range in capacity from 120GB to 320GB and
come in seven colors. We tested the 250GB Mini
Kiwi, a 5,400rpm, 2.5-inch drive that’s one of the
fastest portable storage devices we’ve reviewed.
But this fruit is bruised. The ArcSoft backup

program failed to burn and

create images from CDs and

DVDs—it couldn’t fi nd the optical

drives on any of our Windows XP or

Vista rigs. The program also limits your

backup destinations to the Mini Kiwi.

Given its showy aesthetic, we were disap-

pointed that the device’s on signal is an ugly red

LED. Since the top of the Mini Kiwi looks like a

button, we’re also surprised by the lack of a one-

touch backup option.

The Mini Kiwi is

speedy but not great in

any other area. WD’s My

Passport Essential (Febru-

ary 2008) is comparably

fast and cheaper, and free

programs like Idlebackup

trounce the Mini Kiwi’s

bundled soft ware.

- DAV I D M U R P H Y

SimpleTech Signature

Mini USB 2.0 Portable Drive

It’s not easy being green

+ -

VERDICT

$180, http://www.simpletech.com

7

One of the fastest

portable drives we’ve

tested. Stylish color

options.

The disc-burning

software couldn’t

find our optical

drives.

LIONS

SIMPLETECH SIGNATURE MINI USB

TIGERS

The Mini Kiwi’s green

case comes in a matte

fi nish, not a polished

shine. We’d love to see

the latter someday!

SimpleTechSignature Mini^ WD My Passport Seagate Essential FreeAgent Go

Size 250GB 250GB 160GB

HD Tach Burst (MB/s) 35 35.1 35

HD Tach Rdm. Access (ms) 17.2 17.3 16

HD Tach Avg. Read (MB/s) 34.6 34.8 29

HD Tach Avg. Write (MB/s) 33 33.6 31.2

PCMark05 Overall 3,250 3,256 3,002

Best scores are bolded. HD Tach benchmarks taken using HD Tach 3.0.1.0.

BENCHMARKS