Introduction

Well, today I'm gonna show ya something besides the typical case review :o). I'm gonna give ya a look at the 64mb version of the EasyDisk Protable USB HDD. You've probably seen this product already in the numerous 16mb version reviews. Jesse over at easydiskusa has arranged for VH to get the only 64mb version to be reviewed!! Big thanks to Jesse for that!! Let's get right into the main question you may have if you have not seen this cool little product yet:

What Is EasyDisk??

EasyDisk is basically a portable USB hard drive used for storage and transportion of data and applications. Lightweight and compact, the EasyDisk is incredibly small and can fit right into your pocket! Requires no cables, power supplies, or batteries.

EasyDisk acts as a removable hard drive when plugged into a USB port. EasyDisk is truly plug-n-play on Operating Systems that support USB 1.1, like Windows ME, 2000, and XP. The OS will detect the device and add it as a free drive letter. Windows 98 requires a driver to be installed and then it functions normally. The Windows 98 driver ships on a floppy disk with the product or can be easily downloaded from "downloads" section.
EasyDisk uses durable solid state storage, there are no moving parts making it shock resistant so it can withstand the bumps and grinds of everyday use. EasyDisk is much more convenient than bulky zip drives or external hard drives and floppy drives.

Save your work, MP3 music, videos, pictures, applications, games, save anything on your computer and take them from home to work to school to your family, to your friends! Since your computer sees EasyDisk as a removable hard drive, you can save, delete, and move files endless numbers of times without worries.

EasyDisk comes with a 3 foot USB extension cable for convenient use on systems that are stored where the USB ports are not easily accessed. EasyDisk is also packaged with a holder that can be clipped to a bag or even your belt.

EasyDisk capacities shipping currently are 16Mb, 32MB, 64MB, and 128MB. 256MB modules started shipping 9/1/2001 and 512MB EasyDisk will be available soon after.

EasyDisk is a must for anyone that uses a computer.

System Requirements

• Windows 98/SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000, or Windows XP operating system.

• USB 1.1 or higher port.

• AMD or Intel Pentium 133mhz or better based computer.

• EasyDisk Driver for Windows 98

General Specs

• Dimensions L x W x H: 81mm x 23mm x 12.5mm (3.19” x 0.91”x 0.49”)

• Weight 16grams (0.56ounces) – approximate

• Data Transfer Speed - Reading speed:950KB/S (computer configuration dependent)

• Data Transfer Speed - Writing speed: 600KB/S (computer configuration dependent)

• Includes Windows 98 driver

• Includes 3’ USB cable

• Includes EasyDisk carrying case with clip

• Full specs here
  

What's Included

Looks like I bought a "Special Edition" Bic lighter in a commemorative box.......heheheh. This thing is small and light!

Size Comparison

Like I said...It's the size of a bic Lighter. (3.19” x 0.91”x 0.49”)

Installation Options

You can slap the Easydisk directly into an open USB port in a notebook, or into the rear of your PC.

You can also make use of the included 3' USD extension cable. Very handy indeed!

 

My Installation

Installation?...heh...well there isn't much of an installation diagram here folks. Uhmm...plug it in and enjoy! It doesn't matter if you plug the usb into your PC first, or you plug the easydisk into your usb extension cable. But once you do both and your easydisk is connected to the PC, you'll notice that you know have another "removable drive" listed in your "my computer" ( assuming its windows based). Also if you are using older then WindowsMe, you'll want to quickly install the drivers that are included with the floppy driver disk. I am currently running WinMe on this machine and my system auto-detected the easydisk and loaded it up in seconds. After it detects and adds it, it'll put a small icon in the taskbar of your system letting you know you've got an active "hot drive" installed. Also take note that before unplugging the easydisk, you should shut it down using the task bar icon so you won't corrupt any info saved on the easydisk usd hdd.

I ran a few primitive benchmarks while copying files to and deleting files from the easydisk. I found that It was indeed getting very close to 1MB/sec thruput. I went from an empty easydisk and copied a 60meg file over my hard drive and it took exactly 60 seconds. Not bad at all. It's faster than setting up a cd to burn it right?....hell yea! Plus you can just plug this into any other compatible machine at your buddies house or whatever....pretty cool. Plus you'll be the envy of your buddy with such a small, and high-tech device in your posession. :o)

Conclusion

I gotta tell ya. I really dig this thing. It takes seconds to set it up to be fully functional. The transfer rate is plenty fast. The portability is its biggest advantage. Imagine throwing all your hardware drivers on this thing and storing them when you need to format......How about getting your 56k buddy, that lives right down the street, that 50mb ra3 update so you can play FAST!.....The possibilities are endless with this easydisk. And , although this is only the 64mb version, Easydiskusa is now shipping the 256mb versions!...That's alot of storage for something so incredibly small.

And it's so darn easy to use: If you are using Windows 98 or 98/SE, install the EasyDisk driver (included ). If you are using Windows ME, Windows 2000, or Windows XP you do not need to install any drivers.It will auto-detect and be fully functional as a seperate HDD in seconds!! Throw a few files on it, unplug it, then plug it in to your other sytem or to a buddies system.....thats it.

I'm really impressed with this little unit. The retail price of the 64mb easydisk that I received is $139. Go here to check the pricing of all available models. If you're looking for something like this, DO NOT HESITATE to visit EasyDisk USA and learn more about how you can get one. Big thanks to Jesse at easydiskusa for sending VH the 64mb easydisk portable USB HDD.