The computer revolution has slowed down in the recent months. Frankly, there has not been any real need for a computer upgrade/purchase. There are lots of great new CPUs to choose from, AMD having a very inexpensive, yet compelling performer and Intel with its latest P4’s/developed P4 motherboards and Tutilian. An advancement in the video industry continues as well, currently nVidia's GeForce 3 Ti500 vs. ATI's Radeon 8500. However, there is no software at the moment that requires such demanding hardware. Thus people tend to spend their money on other products. Computer accessories for example. Transferring files between notebook and PC hasn’t been fully thought out and developed. There are various ways, but some more efficient than others, some more expensive than others, and some faster than others. This is where the EasyDisk USB hard drive comes into play.
Company: EasyDisk USA
Product: 16MB EasyDisk USB HD
Availability: Now, online and in retail stores
Price: $59.00 for this model
Overview: The computer revolution has slowed down in the recent months. Frankly, there has not been any real need for a computer upgrade/purchase. There are lots of great new CPUs to choose from, AMD having a very inexpensive, yet compelling performer and Intel with its latest P4’s/developed P4 motherboards and Tutilian. An advancement in the video industry continues as well, currently nVidia's GeForce 3 Ti500 vs. ATI's Radeon 8500. However, there is no software at the moment that requires such demanding hardware. Thus people tend to spend their money on other products. Computer accessories for example. Transferring files between notebook and PC hasn’t been fully thought out and developed. There are various ways, but some more efficient than others, some more expensive than others, and some faster than others. This is where the EasyDisk USB hard drive comes into play.
Comparison's and Advantages of EasyDisk
| Easydisk vs Competition | Size | Speed | Notes |
| EasyDisk 16mb vs Floppy | 11 Floppies | 950kb/sec vs 500kb/sec | EasyDisk wins in speed, size, and portability. |
| EasyDisk 32mb vs Floppy | 32 Floppies | 950kb/sec vs 500kb/sec | EasyDisk wins in speed, size, and portability. |
| EasyDisk 64mb vs Floppy | 65 Floppies | 950kb/sec vs 500kb/sec | EasyDisk wins in speed, size, and portability. |
| EasyDisk 128mb vs Zip 100 | 1 vs 1 | 950kb/sec vs 1400kb/sec | Need to have a zip drive on every computer. |
| EasyDisk 128mb vs LS120 | 1 vs 1 | 950kb/sec vs 1200kb/sec | Need to have an LS120 on every computer. |
| EasyDisk 256mb vs Zip 250 | 1 vs 1 | 950kb/sec vs 1400kb/sec | Need to have a zip drive on every computer. |
| EasyDisk 512mb vs CDRW | Nearly 1 vs 1 | 950kb/sec vs Dependent on the cdrom | Need to have a cdrw on each machine to write data. |
The EasyDisk USB hard drive is exactly as its title suggests. A USB hard drive that is compact, and easy to use. It comes in different memory sizes, starting from 16 to 256MB. (a 512MB version is on its way) The drive uses Compact Flash memory. Today, we'll be testing out the 16MB model. The unit comes with a vinyl leather protective case and detachable strap. It also includes a very useful USB extension cord.
Leather Carrying Case and Strap!
Kinda dull looking USB ext. cord… but hey it works.
Official Specs
| Model: | ED1016/ED1032/ED1064/ED1128/ED1256/ED1512 |
| Capacity: | 16MB/32MB/64MB/128MB/256MB/512MB |
| Hardware: | IBM PC or Compatible PC or Notebook with USB interface |
| Operating System: | Windows 98/SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP |
| Drivers: | Only Windows 98/SE needs the EasyDisk driver. |
| Power Supply: | No external power supply, USB power supply (4.5V to 5.5V) |
| USB Host Interface: | Universal Serial Bus 1.0/1.1 (USB 1.0/1.1) |
| Operating current: | <50mA |
| Suspend current: | <300uA |
| Data retention: | Over 10 years |
| LED Indicator Light: | Light on: Connected and working |
| Flashing: reading and writing data |
| Reading speed: | 950KB/S (3MB/S with Windows cache) |
| Writing speed: | 600KB/S (2MB/S with Windows cache) |
| Operating temp. | -40 degrees Celsius to +70 degrees Celsius |
| Storage temp. | -50 degrees Celsius to +85 degrees Celsius |
| Relative Humidity Under Operation | 5% to 95% |
| Relative Humidity Under Storage | 1% to 98% |
| Dimension | LxWxH: 81mm x 23mm x 12.5mm |
| Weight | 15g approximate |
| EMI Compliance | FCC (Class B), CE |
|
Installation and Performance: Under newer OS's, ME, 2K, and XP, the EasyDisk installation could not be any simpler. All you do is plug it in. Under ME and 2K, an explorer window will pop up showing the contents of the drive, much like any other removable drive (ie: zip). XP does its own thing, asking you different options for what you want to do when you connect the device from then on =). As for 98, upon connection, Windows will ask you to install drivers. Just pop in the driver disk and you’ll be on your way. Installing the EasyDisk couldn’t be any, well, easier, for lack of a better term.
However, more importantly is the speed of the drive. I ran a Sandra test:
Score: 728
As you can see, the drive performs fairly decent, faster than a Zip disk. Of course these external drives will never come close to a regular IDE hard drive. However, for transferring word documents and small music files etc., this type of removable storage is definitely a good alternative.
Pricing: The EasyDisk isn’t going to beat Zip disks at permanent storage, that’s for sure. The sheer cost of one of these things with decent storage isn’t one to toy with.
On the other hand, the EasyDisk USB Hard drive is a small, compact, light, easy-to-use, and very nifty looking device that makes data portability simple.
Conclusion: In a nutshell, the EasyDisk portable USB drive is perfect for those that travel often with their notebooks, but still need some way to transfer files between notebook and PC. Or for somebody who does a lot of work at home and brings it to work, or vice versa. Compact flash is fairly cheap now, making the EasyDisk look uninvitingly expensive. For $189, you could buy a 16x10x40 CD-RW and lots of CD-R's to use, or purchase a VERY cheap 64MB Smart Media card and card reader. Yet still, the EasyDisk is an innovative product that any computer enthusiast enjoy q=).
Thanks for joining us here today at OCA. We hope you have enjoyed the EasyDisk review. If you have any flames, props or suggestions about this article. Head over to our Forums to discuss it.
| DISCLAIMER: The content provided in this article is not warranted or guaranteed by Developer Shed, Inc. The content provided is intended for entertainment and/or educational purposes in order to introduce to the reader key ideas, concepts, and/or product reviews. As such it is incumbent upon the reader to employ real-world tactics for security and implementation of best practices. We are not liable for any negative consequences that may result from implementing any information covered in our articles or tutorials. If this is a hardware review, it is not recommended to open and/or modify your hardware. |
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