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Features
Portable Storage
Carry it, store it, and back it up .
By Edison Carter
 I
still find it hard to believe you can carry around hundreds of
megabytes on a keychain or a tiny card. And yet you can. Only
a few years ago, governments and assorted bad guys would have
killed for this kind for technology. Never in the history of personal
computing has there been a greater need for data storage options.
As the crusty corpus of analog media draws its last wheezing breaths,
we each must deal with a sudden, massive overload of ones and
zeros. For many of us, our electronic files represent virtually
everything we do in both our professional and personal lives.
We work on common office documents, file our taxes online, digitize
our home movies and family photos, store software installers we
bought online, keep years of email correspondence with attachments,
and so much more. We're digital people now, and for all the wonderful
benefits we reap from this technological revolution, we are also
obligated to find simple and reliable ways to store it all for
the future ÷ for ourselves, for our kids, for the boss, and for
the taxman. As devotees of handheld computers, we face additional
challenges due to the increased vulnerability of our pocket-size
machines. The security issues involved in preventing bad people
from reading our personal files are daunting enough, but losing
the only copies of important documents can be devastating. Chances
are, the person who finds your communicator or PDA will have zero
incentive to return it to you, so you'd better have both a security
method in place and a backup storage system that is as close to
perfect as possible. I won't get into the security aspects of
handheld use in the feature, but I will be covering virtually
every kind of data storage option on the market, from flash cards
to cheap USB drives to awesome FireWire 800-powered external drives
with up to one terabyte (one thousand gigabytes) capacity.
Flash
Memory Cards
 Anyone
who depends on a handheld for more than rudimentary PIM functionality
soon finds out that the 16MB-64MB on most devices is just not
enough. Upload a pile of digital music files, a stack of hi-res
photos, three or four new applications, and a few hundred emails
and attached documents and you've exceeded the capacity your
PDA shipped with. The solution is simple: buy a big fat flash
card and load your documents and media on it, saving your precious
built-in memory for applications only. Current handhelds use
SD (SecureDigital), CF (CompactFlash), and either Memory Stick
or the smaller Memory Stick Duo card formats. All these formats
serve double duty in digital cameras, so take this into consideration
when choosing your cards and devices. It is extremely convenient
to standardize on one memory card for all your devices, and
less expensive in the long run. Though initially these memory
card formats had considerable price and performance disparity,
today they are all offered in high density, high performance
versions at prices per megabyte that are close enough to be
trivial. While it is annoying that there isn't a single universal
flash memory card standard, market diversity perpetuates competition
which ultimately lowers costs while increasing capacity and
performance.  The
latest trend is speed-rated cards, such as Lexar's High Performance
SD, CF, and Memory Stick Pro offerings, SanDisk's Extreme SD,
CF, and Memory Stick Pro cards, and Sony's Memory Stick Pro
line. All offer substantial speed improvements in handheld computers
and the latest digital cameras and are sure to please anyone
with a cutting edge device. Older devices not specifically tuned
to take advantage of high performance media will not offer the
same kind of benefits, so you may be better off with standard
performance cards. (If your handheld or camera uses Memory Stick,
be sure to check on Memory Stick Pro compatibility before you
buy any cards for it. My new Sony  Ericsson
P900 Communicator, for example, does not support Memory Stick
Pro Duo cards, only the older MS Duo format.) Then again, if
you think you will be upgrading to a hot new machine in the
near future (one that uses the same media format, of course)
then paying a little more today for a fast card is probably
a good move. Except in the case of Memory Stick Pro, which is
an incompatible new card format, memory cards of all speeds
and capacities will function just fine in the vast majority
of older devices without drama.
HANDHELD
RECOMMENDS:
SecureDigital
1.
SanDisk Extreme 512MB
2. Lexar 32X High Performance 256MB
3. SimpleTech Bonzai 256MB Upgradeable Flash Drive
4. SanDisk ãBlue Labelä 128MB |
CompactFlash
1.
SanDisk Extreme 1GB
2. Lexar High Performance 512MB
3. SimpleTech High-Speed 512MB
4. SanDisk ãBlue Labelä 128MB |
Memory
Stick
1.
SanDisk 2GB Memory Stick Pro
2. Sony 1GB Memory Stick Pro
3. Lexar 64MB Memory Stick (with read/write LED)
4. SanDisk 128MB Memory Stick
5. Sony 256 X2 Memory Stick (128MB in two discrete banks)
6. Sony 512MB Memory Stick Pro Duo (with MS adapter) 6.
Sony 64MB Memory Stick Duo (with MS adapter) |
USB
Flash Disks
 For
pure convenience, USB-based flash disks ÷ A.K.A. memory keys,
USB keys, and data fobs ÷ are unbeatable. They are ultra-compact
combinations of 32MB to 256MB of non-volatile flash memory and
a generic USB interface that works with any modern personal
computer. When inserted, they come up as a small hard drive,
or large floppy disk ÷ whatever way you prefer to think of them.
Drag your recent files over, eject, and you've got a handy,
medium-capacity backup you can carry on your keychain. These
 devices
have become very popular due to their low price and high utility.
Iomega makes one small enough to wear on a necklace or use as
a zipper pull, and LaCie even offers one cleverly built into
a watch.  All
current models we tested were compatible with USB 2.0, which
means they will also work in older USB interfaces if necessary.
HANDHELD
RECOMMENDS:
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1.
Iomega 64MB Micro Mini
2. Lexar 128MB JumpDrive Sport (with rubber gasket)
3. SimpleTech Bonzai 256MB Upgradeable Flash Drive
4. LaCie 128MB Data Watch 5. Targus 128MB USB Flash Drive
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Portable
Hard Drives
 Everything
written above in regards to data security and backing up handhelds
applies equally to laptop computers. The only difference is
in the size of the drives and the need for greater capacity
backup media. Since it is a pain to upgrade the internal hard
drive of most laptops, many people have found that an external
drive is a better solution. The typical laptop drive is in the
20GB to 60GB range. An optimal solution is to buy an external
USB or FireWire drive of at least double the capacity of your
internal. You can then create a perfect clone of your main drive
and have the rest for infrequently accessed files, such as old
document archives or infrequently used applications.  When
you leave home or the office for an extended period, make a
quick clone and be on your way, secure in the knowledge that
you're covered in case of loss or damage to your rig. Get an
insurance rider specifically for the value of your laptop and
you have one less thing to worry about. Due to the recent proliferation
of laptops, portable drives have gotten smaller and more convenient.
Most use the 2.5" drive mechanisms laptops use, so they are
quiet and power managed, though not particularly speedy compared
to the 3.5" parts used in desktop computers. You may still want
to opt for a desktop-class drive mechanism, just for the higher
capacity, longevity, and performance such units will yield.
If you never intend to travel with your external drive, then
size and weight don't matter. You can never have too much hard
drive capacity, so look for a desktop external with the right
connectors and get that laptop backed up pronto.  Since
all the drives we tested are technically ãportable,ä if you
expect to travel regularly with your external drive then you'll
appreciate the simplicity of bus-powered drive enclosures. We
had no trouble powering all these drives from our Acer T1100
Tablet PC's USB 2.0 ports. Unfortunately, even though this year's
Apple PowerBook G4s support high-speed USB 2.0 connections,
they do not supply enough bus power to operate an external hard
drive. PowerBook owners should be sure to buy a FireWire-based
unit to avoid carrying an AC adapter along.
HANDHELD RECOMMENDS:
Desktop
(Windows/Apple, AC-powered)
1. LaCie Big Disk Extreme 500GB (FireWire 400/800)
2. Maxtor OneTouch 250GB (USB 2.0/FireWire)
3. LaCie Extreme 250GB (FireWire 400/800)
4. SimpleTech SimpleDrive 400GB (USB 2.0)
5. Wiebetech 200GB GB+ (USB 2.0/FireWire) |
Laptop
(Windows, bus-powered)
1. LaCie 250GB USB 2.0, Designed by F. A. Porsche
2. LaCie Mobile 40GB USB 2.0, Designed by F. A. Porsche
3. SimpleTech SimpleDrive 80GB (USB 2.0/FireWire)
4. SmartDisk FireLite 80GB (USB 2.0 model)
5. Codi External Hard Drive 40GB (USB 2.0) |
Laptop
(Apple, bus-powered)
1. Other World Computing Mercury 60GB (FireWire)
2. SimpleTech SimpleDrive 80GB (FireWire/USB 2.0)
3. SmartDisk FireLite 80GB (FireWire model) |
Removable
Drive Media
Though most savvy techies feel that the best backup method is
an external hard drive, there are alternatives that may work
better for you. Optical disk media is cheap, reliable, and ubiquitous,
but CD-Rs hold only 700MB and DVD-R tops out at 4.7GB. For today's
big hard drives, only DVD-R should be considered, even though
the blank media is still a bit pricey compared to CD-R. As blank
optical media costs continue to drop, however, these disks will
become the cheapest mass backup solution for the common computer
user on a budget. While CD-R drives and media have stabilized
on a single standard, DVD media is still a bit of a mess. All
you really need to know is that there are two principal versions:
DVD-R and DVD+R. We recommend buying a drive that writes to
both types of disk and we have listed our favorite external
mechanisms below. If you'd prefer something considerably faster
and more automated than optical drives, consider Iomega's new
REV drive. These diminutive cartridges are essentially sealed
removable hard drives, so speed and capacity is quite good.
The current rev (if you'll pardon the inevitable pun) holds
up to 35GB uncompressed or 90GB compressed using the supplied
software. That makes REV a great solution for backing up a laptop,
since 80GB drives are still rare and 100GB laptop drives have
not even begun to ship as of this writing.  Even
when they do ship and if you do buy one, it'll take you awhile
to fill it up, so 90GB should work well for you until higher
capacity REV media ships from Iomega, probably next year. Our
testing of a USB 2.0 REV went smoothly, though we did not receive
the Mac version of the software and had to limit ourselves to
our trusty Acer T1100 Tablet PC notebook. Both the Iomega and
Norton Ghost software worked well, though the user interfaces
could use a little additional polish. Still, for a version 1.0
product, it's very well executed and worth a serious look. Where
all spinning removable storage falls down is in the durability
department, with one exception: Fujitsu's DynaMO magneto optical
drives technology. DynaMO has been around for a long time and
has built a following in the medical, industrial, and military
spaces due to the inherent ruggedness of the media. The only
limitation is capacity, which on our test unit topped out at
1.3GB per disk cartridge. Thus, we don't recommend DynaMO as
a technology to back up an entire hard disk; rather, it is suitable
for archiving or transporting critical files only, particularly
when the media is likely to be subjected to high temperatures,
shock, vibration, dust, extreme cold, and other hazards that
would turn most hard drives into doorstops.  The
unit we tested is USB 2.0 bus-powered and requires no special
driver installation under Mac OS X, so it is extremely friendly
and easy to use for this platform. Windows users need to install
a driver, but it works perfectly once installed. If all you
want to do is back up your hard drive, you may prefer a dedicated
system like the CMS Automatic Backup System Plus. This is a
laptop-class hard drive, available in capacities up to 80GB,
that is powered from your USB or FireWire port, packaged with
special software for Macs and Windows that fully automates the
backup process for you. For non-technical laptop users, this
is a solid solution that's worth checking out. If you buy grandma
a laptop for Christmas, get her one of these as well.
HANDHELD RECOMMENDS:
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1.
Iomega 8X DVD±R/±RW & CD-R/RW Drive (USB 2.0)
2. Sony 8X DVD±R/±RW & CD-R/RW Drive (USB 2.0/FireWire)
3. LaCie 8X DVD±R/±RW & CD-R/RW Drive (USB 2.0/FireWire)
4. Iomega 35GB/90GB REV Removable Drive (USB 2.0)
5. Fujitsu DynaMO 1300U2 Pocket Drive (USB 2.0)
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FOR
MORE INFORMATION: www.lacie.com, www.maxtor.com,
www.smartdisk.com, www.simpletech.com, www.codi.com, www.cms.se,
www.macsales.com, www.weibetech.com, www.sandisk.com, www.lexarmedia.com,
www.sony.com, www.iomega.com, www.targus.com, www.fujitsu.com
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