Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drive Review

Sooner or later almost every computer user ends up buying an external hard drive. Whether you need more Storage for all your digital photos, ran out of space on your laptop's hard drive from buying songs on iTunes, or if you just need something to transfer your files when you switch computers, a USB hard drive is probably the simplest solution. Is Iomega's latest version of the eGo Portable Hard Drive an improvement over previous models? Let's take a look.

Build and Design
In terms of the basic external shape and dimensions the new Iomega eGo Portable Hard drive is thinner (0.625 inches versus 0.75 inches) and lighter (0.4 pounds versus 0.48 pounds) than the previous generation of Iomega eGo Portable drives. The biggest difference is that the new eGO features a tapered edge on all sides making the external drive enclosure look thin and maybe even a little sexy for a standard 2.5" notebook hard drive with a single USB port.

• Dimensions (HxLxW): 0.625"x5.375"x3.51"
• Weight: 0.4 lbs/0.18 kg
• USB "Y" cable (USB-A and USB-A to mini-USB) length: 12"

The size and shape are impressive, and although the new eGo isn't the smallest external hard drive I've seen, it certainly is one of the smallest. The aluminum enclosure comes in your choice of several colors: Ruby Red, Midnight Blue, Silver, or black in the USB 2.0 enclosure or Ruby Red, Midnight Blue or Alpine White in the USB 2.0/FireWire 400/FireWire 800 enclosure). All of the various colors should keep their shine for several years thanks to the glossy automotive-quality paint job used by Iomega.

My only negative comment about the design is that I dropped the eGo several times during the review period because the glossy finish on the drive is almost "slippery" after some oil from your skin is applied to the surface.

The Iomega eGo Portable hard drives are available in three capacities at the time of this writing: 250GB ($84.99), 320GB ($94.99) and 500GB ($134.99). Iomega also offers a 500GB BlackBelt eGo model priced at $139.99. The "BlackBelt" edition includes a black Iomega Power Grip band ... an X-shaped black rubber band that covers the exterior of the eGo portable hard drive to provide extra shock protection in case of a drop or other impact. The standard eGo drive is rated to survive a drop from 51 inches (4.25 feet) and the eGo BlackBelt is rated at 84 inches (7 feet) ... more than twice the industry average.

Given how simple the "Power Grip" band is and how little it raises the cost of the drive, I'm a little disappointed that Iomega didn't include the Power Grip band as a standard feature on all eGo Portable Hard Drives. Considering that the glossy exterior made it easy for me to accidentally drop the drive, added shock protection seems essential. That said, the Power Grip band is available separately on the Iomega website for $14.95 (on sale for $9.95 at the time of this writing).

The exterior of the drive is extremely Spartan with only the mini-USB port and an activity light located on one side of the drive. The blue LED activity light stays constantly lit when the drive is plugged in and idle, then it flashes on and off when the drive is active. There's nothing wrong with a simple activity light, but it might have looked better if Iomega used color-coordinated LEDs for the various drives; blue LEDs for blue-colored drives, red LEDs for red drives, and then white LEDs for white, silver, or black drives.

Iomega includes a "Y" cable for connecting the eGo Portable Hard Drive to older notebooks or budget netbooks that might require two USB connections in order to power an external hard drive.

Bundled free of charge with the Iomega eGo drive is the "Iomega Protection Suite" ... a software package including a free six-month subscription to McAfee VirusScan Plus, Iomega QuickProtect file-level backup software, EMC Retrospect Express HD for complete system backup, and a free 2GB account for the MozyHome online backup service.