Is that a hard drive in your pocket…
For some people, portability is everything. Instead of just using their hard drive as a back-up left safely at home, they want access to all their documents, spreadsheets, photos, and whatever other files they have wherever they are and whoever they’re meeting. I know a guy who works for an engineering firm who needs access to a lot of technical documents but doesn’t want to slow down his laptop by having them all stored on his local drive, so keeps them all on an external hard drive and takes this to meetings with him (leaving a back up safely stored elsewhere of course!).
If you do need to take your drive with you when you’re out and about, you’ll probably be after something that’s smaller than usual, lightweight and will slip into a jacket pocket, handbag or laptop bag without any trouble. You’ll also probably be interested in a drive that’s simply plug and play and doesn’t need an external power source to get it up and running (which would be one more thing to carry with you…).
Even if you don’t need to take your drive out and about with you very often, you still might be after one that’s small, lightweight and easy to store out of the way at home.
Fortunately there are loads of external hard drives that fit the bill across all budgets, and these are some of the best:
At just 5.0 by 3.4 inches, the Buffalo Juststore weighs in at a tiny 191g for the 320Gb model (also available in other sizes). It takes power from the USB 2.0 data connection and comes pre-installed with Buffalo’s TurboUSB software which boosts transfer speeds by up to 20% over other USB 2.0 drives.
Western Digital My Passport Essential SE (1TB): 
Roughly the size of a passport, this drive has proven amazingly popular with an average amazon rating of 4 stars on amazon.com from nearly a thousand reviews! This model can hold 1TB of data, and now supports both USB 2.0 and 3.0, backs up files on an incremental basis to minimise the time required and includes password protection and encryption.
The SimpleSave from HP is exactly what it says on the tin – a very simple device with is straightforward to use. The 500Gb version weighs just 200g, runs off its USB 2.0 connection and self-initiates when you plug it in.
The Iomega eGo Portable is perhaps one of the more stylish external hard drives available, and comes in a variety of colours. It also packs USB 3.0 to provide faster than average data transfer speeds of up to 5Gbps, and features Drop Guard Xtreme to safeguard it from damage as the result of, well, being dropped.
Samsung S2 Portable 3.0 HX-MTA64DA:
Don’t let the somewhat onerous name put you off, this Samsung drive is widely reviewed as a top performing portable hard drive, and only weighs 163g. It too has a USB 3.0 connection boasting transfer speeds of up to 5Gbps, and comes with preloaded software for plug-and-play back up.
The GoFlex describes itself as “ultraportable”, and comes in a variety of storage sizes (including a monster 1.5TB drive) and colours (red, silver, black, blue). Powered by USB connection, the GoFlex comes with USB 2.0 as standard but with the option to upgrade to USB 3.0, FireWire 800 or powered eSATA by pairing the device with the appropriate cable (sold separately)
The 500Gb version of this device weighs just 150g, and uses USB 3.0 bus powered connection to reach data transfer speeds of up to 5Gbps. Also has a green energy saving button to suspend the hard drive from spinning when not in use.
It’s important to note that some of the best external hard drives are deliberately not portable – in that they are designed for single location, generally desktop usage and come with external power supply (these tend to be bigger drives that require more power than a USB connection can supply). Having said that, the best external hard drives for portability reviewed here will tick all the boxes for when you need your files out and about… no questions asked!
Tagged: Best For Portability, Buffalo Juststore Slimline, external hard drive, featured, HP SimpleSave Portable HD, Iomega eGo Portable, portable hard drive, Samsung S2 Portable 3.0 HX-MTA64DA, seagate goflex, Verbatim Store n Go, Western Digital My Passport Essential
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