USB 3.0 is the
latest standard for flash drive technology. Samsung, since its acquisition of
Seagate, has decided to spice up the market for USB 3.0 external hard disks by
introducing 3 new as yet unnamed products that sport a colourful appearance and
boast of disk space ranging from 500GB to 1TB. They are not particularly OS X
friendly, but they offer great portability.
This comes as a
response to G-Technology’s similar range of products. The major reason that
G-Technology is viewed as a serious competitor to Samsung is because this
product is well suited to both Windows and Macs. The 2012 era MacBook Air and
MacBook with Retina Display come loaded with the OS X 10.7 Lion which has “Time
Machine” as a major feature. This feature revolves around using a specially
configured USB 3.0 external hard disk to take constant, timed back-ups of your
computer’s state. This allows you to restore your PC to an earlier state in
case you lose data, or your computer comes under attack.
To date, Mac
users have not had a lower end option in the hard disk segment with existing 1
TB storage devices with FireWire ports and RAID 0 configuration cost close to
$850. G-Technology’s HDDs have FireWire ports, they are compatible with OS X
versions and even support devices like the iPad and iPhone. Further, their
reduced price tag and superior performance make them a great buy. They are
available with storage spaces that range from 500GB to 2 TB and cost lesser
than $350.
Design wise, the
G-Drive is beautiful. It resembles an aluminium brick, yet its fine finish and
fully functional design is a treat to behold. As it sits on two folded and
curled aluminium tabs in place of legs, its underside is exposed. This leaves
the heat sink exposed to air, and keeps the drive cool even while it works at
full tilt. The cables provided are unique in the fact that no other
manufacturer offers the same variety of cables. The drive ships with 1x 3Gbit
eSATA cable, 2x FireWire 800 (9-pin) cable, a 1x USB2.0 cable and a FireWire
400 port. Via FireWire, speeds up to 75 to 90 Mbps should be possible. The best
part of these cables is that they are each over a metre long and not the
restrictive 15cm variety of cables.
All in all, the
G-Drive from G-Technology easily offers the best value for money on external
HDD for serious users, while the Samsung drives may suit home users, or users
who value portability over continuous reliability.
Author's Bio: Travis Ramsy likes writing articles related to Technology News, Gadget Reviews and How To. He also does guest posting for buycharter.com - a site that offers savings and current information on charter cable, as well as charter.com services.
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