Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drive : Don't Leave Home Without It

I haven't always been so diligent at backing up my computer even though I've had an external desktop hard drive for this very purpose for a few years. What can I say? I'm a Mac user, and have never had a problem. (Pardon me, while I knock on wood.) I also tend to work on my couch or in bed since I use a laptop, so going into another room to use the backup hard drive just seemed like too much work. (Yes, I am that lazy.)

Still, past performance is no guarantee, and even though I have total faith in my Mac, there are other reasons to backup my hard drive--theft, fire, destruction! What if someone broke into my home and stole my PowerBook? What if I dropped my laptop while yanking it out of its protective case to send it through the airport security x-ray? What would I do?

First, I'd cry because I love my PowerBook. Then I'd just boot up my Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drive and carry on with my business. It would be that simple.

There's a lot to love about Iomega's slim, lightweight eGo Portable Hard Drive. It's sleek and simple design appeals to my Mac aesthetic standard. It weighs about half a pound, and it slips easily into one of the gadget pockets in my favorite computer backpack. The eGo is also incredibly easy to use. I just plug it into my PowerBook and get connected and get power with one cord. That saves space and weight in my pack. The drive has ports, and comes with the appropriate cords, for USB 2.0, Firewire 400, and Firewire 800.

I tested the Mac Edition, which comes preformatted for OS 10.4-10.6. (Likewise, the PC version comes preformatted for Microsoft operating systems.) The first thing I did when I received this drive was partition it using Disk Utility so that I could use part of it as a bootable hard drive and part of it as data storage. So easy. It just took a few minutes. Then I downloaded free cloning software online, and set it up so that every evening after I go to bed, my computer hard drive gets "cloned" to my Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drive. Cool.

The other nice thing about this drive is that I was able to set it up so that iTunes runs on it. All of my music, and the software, is stored on my eGo, so I freed more than 10GB of my computer hard drive! That move alone has given my aging laptop a longer life because I can easily have all the storage I want.

The Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drive comes with a variety of nice perks, including free backup software, free online storage at Mozy, and a three-year warranty! Iomega claims that the eGo is capable of withstanding a 51" drop. I'll have to take their word on that because I just couldn't bring myself to intentionally risk this sweet little red storage device.

The Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drive is available in Ruby Red, Midnight Blue, and Silver in 320GB, 500GB and 1TB. Also available in BlackBelt (this color comes with a special protective encasing, in 500GB and 1TB). The Mac edition eGo comes in Ruby Red (500GB), Alpine White (250GB), Midnight Blue (320GB), and BlackBelt (1TB).

Bottom Line: I love this handy hard drive. It's attractive, entirely packable/portable, and simple to use. It's really the perfect computer accessory for people like me who want the security of a back up hard-drive with no fuss.--E.D. (Sept. '10)

BUY ONLINE: $89.99-219.99, depending on capacity, click to shop at Amazon. Click to shop at CompUSA.

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