If you are like me, you have a lot of old hard drives lying around – some of them still in use, some of them rarely used and some not at all. Whenever I have the need to quickly access one of them, the main question is always how to best connect them to my Mac or PC.
Vantec has a clever solution for this. Simply insert any 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch SATA I/II hard drive into Vantec’s NexStar Hard Drive Dock, connect it via USB2.0 or to an eSata port and you are ready to view, transfer, copy, or backup files.
Price: $46.99 (without hard drive), Amazon: $36.97
LaCie’s Rugged external hard drive series has long been a favorite for many photographers. Despite the dorky orange color, they are offered with single (USB) and triple (USB, Firewire 400 and 800) interface, can be operated in bus-powered mode, are fast and hold lots of pictures with capacities up to 500GB.
Recently, LaCie announced the LaCie Rugged XL hard drive with a capacity of 1TB. Suited for speed-intensive applications or for large-scale backups, the LaCie Rugged XL is compatible with both Mac and PC environments. In addition, it supports two key interfaces: Hi-Speed USB for universal compatibility, and the extreme speed of eSATA 3Gb/s. The new drive also includes a complete software bundle for easy formatting with LaCie Setup Assistant, as well as Genie Backup Assistant software for Windows users and Intego Backup Assistant software for Mac users.
Price:
LaCie Rugged 500GB: 165.99, Amazon: 147.99
LaCie Rugged XL: to be announced
