Freecom Mobile Drive XXS 160GB
A tiny 160GB hard disk with a tiny price… but a big flaw
We were all set to give this little portable hard disk a glowing review. It's tiny, has a cute black rubbery finish and it's cheap. Unfortunately, it also has a fatal flaw.
The reason the Freecom Mobile Drive XXS is so small is that it's basically just a bare hard disk wrapped in a slightly kinky, velvety rubber sheath. And unlike any other drive we've seen before, there's not even any space taken up by an interface to convert a hard disk's SATA connection to USB.
Instead, this is a special Samsung hard disk where the circuitry for the bridge is built into the drive; it doesn't have a SATA connector, just a mini-USB port. Essentially, this is little bigger than a bare 2.5-inch hard disk. Just the millimetres-thick rubber case protects the drive, giving it very small overall dimensions.
MusicRadar Rating
Pros
Very cheap. Very compact. Clever SATA-less drive. Bus-powered
Cons
Minimal protection. Only a short cable supplied
Verdict
A bold, competitive effort, but we'd just be too worried about damaging it and losing data
Review Policy
All MusicRadar's reviews are by independent product specialists, who are not aligned to any gear manufacturer or retailer. Our experts also write for renowned magazines such as Guitarist, Total Guitar, Computer Music, Future Music and Rhythm. All are part of Future PLC, the biggest publisher of music making magazines in the world.
Specification
OS requirements
Apple Mac OS 10.4 or later Microsoft Windows 2000 Microsoft Windows XP Microsoft Windows Vista
Capacity
160
Internal/External
External
Interfaces
USB
Drive speed
5400
Drive width
2.5in
Features
Apple Time Machine compatible
