Product ReviewsRemovable Storage
Unibrain is marketing its ME2 hard drive as 'probably the smallest external hard drive in the world', and it could well be. Its dimensions of 10.2 x 6.2 x 1.3cm make it roughly the same size as packet of aspirin and only slightly heavier. It comes in 20GB and 40GB capacities, is finished in metallic silver and has two LEDs on its top. Although the case of the Unibrain ME2 is made of plastic, like most portable hard drives, it feels robust and carrying it around in a bag or pocket shouldn't cause it any problems. The drive uses a 1.8in mechanism, which is the same size as the hard drive in the iPod. It's aimed at users who want an easily portable hard drive for mobile backups or transferring files between computers and connects to your Mac using USB 2. And that could be where problems arise. If
However, if you have an older Mac, you'll need to either buy a USB 2 PCI Card (if you're using a Power Mac) or use the ME2 at much slower speeds. In our tests using a USB 1.1 interface on a 12in PowerBook, we recorded a sustained average transfer rate of 0.94MBytes/sec. This is obviously significantly slower than using a USB 2 interface. A FireWire drive will transfer files at similar speeds to USB 2 connections. The ME2 ships with a mini-USB-to-USB 2 cable and the drive draws its power from the USB interface. So far so good. With a USB 2-equipped Mac, particularly a portable, this tiny hard drive may be very tempting. However, it becomes much less so when you consider that at £199 for the 20GB, it's only £20 less than the 20GB iPod. The 40GB model, at £246, is slightly better value, but when you consider that an 80GB pocket drive only costs around £175, you can see that you're paying a high premium for the reduction in size. If the trade-off is worth it to you, then the ME2 won't disappoint; otherwise, you would be better off with a slightly bigger drive, or an iPod if you don't already have one. By Kenny Hemphill |
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