$120-$130 • www.iomega.com
New USB 3.0 external hard drives have a theoretical data-transfer rate of 5 gigabits per second -- roughly 10 times faster than USB 2.0 drives.
While makers of hard-drives started shipping USB 3.0 drives this year, computers must have a USB 3.0 port to achieve the performance benefits. And most do not.
But there are work-arounds. For laptops, you can add an ExpressCard adapter (if your notebook has an ExpressCard slot); desktop users can install a USB 3.0 adapter card.
And it can be worth it to use the 3.0 technology, as a recent performance test by a reporter of two Iomega 500-gigabyte 2.5-inch external drives revealed. One was a $130 SuperSpeed eGo USB 3.0 Portable Drive, and the other a $120 eGo Radical Skin USB 2.0 drive. The test involved installing a $40 SuperSpeed USB 3.0 PCIE adapter card in the desktop, and then creating a 10-gigabyte folder of Office documents, videos, and photo files.
The USB 3.0 drive transferred the 10-gigabyte folder in 6 minutes, 31 seconds; the USB 2.0 drive took 22 minutes, 14 seconds to copy the same folder. In other words, the USB 3.0 drive copied the data roughly 3.5 times faster. USB 3.0 technology will cost you more, but it is worth the investment if you frequently copy large files.
CHARGING GADGETS ON THE GO
$135 • www.tumi.com
Tumi, the maker of high-end travel bags and accessories, will soon offer a wave of new gadgetry for its travel customers.
Some of the company's latest products include a USB cell phone charger kit, a 4GB SD card reader, a mini-portable projector that can run display video from an iPhone and the Mobile Power Pack, which can be used to charge mobile phones and music players.
The power pack, which was recently updated, goes beyond the traditional by allowing travelers to charge a device up to five times before the power pack needs recharging itself. Most portable power kits will charge a phone only once before requiring its own wall outlet.
