If you're looking to transport data between PCs, you're going to need a portable storage solution. But what are the options and which one should you choose? CNET.com.au's Portable Storage Guide has you covered.
There are three main types of portable storage device -- travel drives, external hard drives and flash drives. Each type offers distinct advantages and disadvantages, depending on the desired use.
The typical flash drive is known by many names -- thumbstick, USB stick, memory stick -- the vast majority of which connect through USB, although some notable exceptions have hooked into Firewire. They're small enough to slip into your pocket, and span from 256MB to 16GB in storage capacities, with 32GB just hitting the market. The term "flash drive" comes from the technology used to store your data -- the solid-state flash memory, meaning it has no moving parts and is more likely to survive a drop.
External hard drives are typically faster and much larger in capacity than flash drives -- from 250GB to 1TB as of the time of writing. They are usually powered from the wall, and tend to function as a backup solution more than portable storage -- but sometimes you really do need to cart that much data around! Unlike a flash drive they have mechanical parts, as they are simply a desktop hard drive stored in an internal case -- making them susceptible to damage when dropped. These can come with a number of interfaces -- USB2.0 (with 480Mbps theoretical maximum speed), IEEE 1394 400/800 (400Mbps and 800Mbps), and eSATA (3Gbps), the fastest of them all. Something to take note -- although USB2.0 has a higher maximum theoretical speed than IEEE 1394 400, the latter tends to give higher sustained transfer rates as it doesn't get cycles stolen away from it by the rest of the system.
At this point some of you may be asking what IEEE 1394 is -- this is the interface that Apple calls Firewire, and which Sony calls i.Link. For all intents and purposes they are one and the same, it's just that Apple and Sony have trademarked their names!
The final type of portable storage devices is a compromise between the first two -- the travel drive. This is still generally small enough to fit in a pocket (although probably uncomfortably!) and is actually a laptop hard drive encased in a plastic/rubber protective shell. By and large connection is via USB or 1394, and they can be powered directly from the USB/1394 port. In some cases USB ports may not provide enough power, and so they are outfitted with an optional power cord.
While things have improved massively over the years, the smaller size and increased ruggedness of a flash drive still comes at a cost. Whereas a 4GB flash drive will set you back around AU$70-100, you can pick up a 120GB magnetic based travel drive for around AU$170. Things will improve as flash becomes more widespread and cheaper to manufacture, but the tipping point probably won't happen until 2009 and solid state hard drives hit the mainstream.
With the formalities out of the way -- let's check out your options for today's portable storage.
Corsair Flash Voyager (16GB) 
Corsair's ruggedised stick just got bigger.
Corsair Flash Survivor (16GB)
Corsair's Survivor is a flash drive that's nigh on impervious, and sports 200m water resistance.
Seagate FreeAgent Go (160GB)
The Seagate FreeAgent Go is a handsome looking portable, with a variety of backup and security applications, that appears to provide good value for money.
Maxtor OneTouch 4 Mini (160GB)
The Maxtor OneTouch 4 Mini is a great option for working on the go, with fast write speeds as well as backup and restore software.
Western Digital Passport (250GB)
If you're consistently moving large amounts of data between places and burning DVDs is starting to get your goat, you could do a lot worse than picking up one of these incredibly useful devices.
Iomega Portable Hard Drive (160GB)
Iomega's portable hard drive is standard fare, but this is the exact reason it should appeal to most.
LaCie Mobile Hard Drive, design by F.A. Porsche (160GB)
LaCie's latest external hard drive is a winner on price and performance.
Seagate FreeAgent Pro External Hard Drive (750GB)
Seagate's excellent FreeAgent Pro is highly recommended to users with backup needs but are terrified by the concept of NAS drives. It doesn't hurt that it's a speedy little drive as well.
Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus (500GB)
The Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus is a good choice for the average home user who wants a fast and simple to use external hard drive for backup and storage. Mac users will want to find a different restore utility to use with it.
Western Digital My Book Studio Edition (1TB)
The My Book Studio Edition is a welcome addition to the My Book family, and should find a home on many Mac and PC users' desks.
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Phill
17/10/2007 12:33 PM
Useful site for someone looking at getting into portable hard drives for the first time (like me). A couple of questions? is the unit simply a file storage? can you run programs from it (we are looking at having our DVD transfer and storage on this unit to free space on our laptop) or do you need all programs resident on the PC? does having a device like this slow the PC speed down? Please assist direct to phill@pgarchitect.com.au
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