Most stylish external hard drives
Style is – invariably – going to be down to the individual. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that. One person’s work of modern art is another’s random splashes of paint. However, when it comes to external hard drives, you’d be right to think that anything other than just another black, rectangular box would look sufficiently good to be called stylish, regardless of your own personal taste. Certainly, some manufacturers have now cottoned on to the fact that people want more choice about how their external hard drives look as well as how they function – be that through colours, materials, finish, shape, whatever.
Here – through my eyes and in my most humble opinion – are some of the most stylish and best external hard drives on the market today:
LaCie USB 3.0/ USB 2.0 500GB Mobile Drive by Starck: 
We start with perhaps an unexpected collaboration between world famous designer Philippe Starck and hard drive manufacturer LaCie. There’s no doubt that this drive has a unique look versus other external hard drives, about as far from an ugly black box as you can get! You don’t need to worry about the the performance specs either – that SuperSpeed USB 3.0 will transfer your files at approx. 10 times the speed of USB 2.0 devices, whilst continuing to be USB 2.0 compatible means that connectivity with older devices won’t be an issue. Nice drive, great looks – as you’d expect from M. Starck!
Platinum MyDrive Portable External Hard Drive Range:
Next up is a whole range of drives from from Platinum, the MyDrive range. It’s fair to say you’d probably struggle to find a more colourful set of external hard drives anywhere else – so if it’s colour you’re after this might be the right drive for you. This drive comes in (ready for it…) red, blue, yellow, green, white, violet, silver, transparent red, transparent blue, transparent yellow, transparent green, transparent orange and just plain transparent! Oh, and you can get it in black, if you really want to. The range comes in sizes from the relatively small 750GB drive to a chunky 1TB one, and a mix of USB2.0 and 3.o connection, to suit different needs.
Yes it’s quite a mouthful, but this drive from A-Data is worth the effort. You can choose the external silicone casing in either “passion” red or “serene” black, it’s lightweight and relatively small in comparison to some other drives. Not only does this drive look great, it’s been water and shockproof to military standards so will be able to withstand the most active of lifestyles… not sure if you’re planning on canyoning to work any time soon, but if you are this is the drive I’d recommend! The SH14 boasts USB 3.0 transfer speeds up to 5GB/sec and comes in 500MB, 750MB and 1TB sizes.
Prestigio have finally produced a classy looking external hard drive that would look nicely at home in any professional environment. The Data Safe II drive comes in a brown or black “leatherette” case to complete the pro look, is small and lightweight, and is a remarkable leap forward from earlier more peculiar looking models! It has one-touch backup functionality, is simply plug and play to use and comes in a variety of sizes from 250 to 750MB.
As we’ve already seen, LaCie really seem to have pushed the boat out when it comes to design collaboration(see Philippe Starck designed drive above). This model has been designed in partnership with Porsche and whilst still probably too boxy for some will appeal to lovers of brushed aluminium and sleek, sharp edges. Fast cars means fast drives, and the marketing chat describes this one as “built for speed”, using SuperSpeed USB 3.0 transfer for your files, claiming to be able to copy across a 700MB video in just 7 seconds. It’s got decent storage too, either 1TB or 2TB depending on the model, but on the downside does require an external power source. Read more >>>
As you can see, when it comes to the best external hard drives, at least some manufacturers are putting in a bit of effort and coming up with something a bit more original than a dull black box… so get out there and dare to be different!
Tagged: A-Data ASH14-1TU3-CRD, featured, LaCie P'9230, LaCie USB 3.0/ USB 2.0 500GB Mobile Drive by Starck, Platinum MyDrive Portable External Hard Drive Range, Prestigio Data Safe II
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