Customer Reviews

SmartDisk USBFLB80 FireLite 80 GB 2.5-Inch USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

(Footnote - I recommend the FireWire Firelite over the USB one, simply because of better performance - however, all of their drives seem great)

As a filmmaker, I depend heavily upon Final Cut Pro and editing footage

I beat the heck outta my external drives ---- I store all of my film footage upon them, digitized, and then edit them to death ----- so my drives go through tremendous abuse

My interest in FireLite's were sparked because I liked the small size, that enabled me to edit my footage over my laptop, but then plug the drive into my faster desktop, for better editing ----- but I could keep the footage and files together, in one drive

This FireLite disk has been incredible -

1. SPEED --- Don't believe the SPEED hype ---- this drive was VERY VERY fast --- while 7200 RPM is preferable, I really didn't see much of a speed difference, and I'm working with footage that needs some heavy rendering

*if you need a drive with great speed though, then get the FireWire 800 FireLite - which I most recommend

2. DURABILITY --- This drive is TOUGH ---- I have thrown it in my backpack and allowed it to feel the greatest depths of abuse ----- it has never broke down on me, no matter how many times I've dropped it or punched it (accidently)

3. SIZE ---- of course, this drive weighs NOTHING --- you'll find it amazing that you can keep so much film footage in something that weighs less than an common iPod

4. BATTERY ---- I don't know about windoze, but on a Mac, this thing needs no external AC plug ins --- its powered off of the laptop bus - less wires make editing more fun!

5. PERFORMANCE ---- and of course, the performance of this baby is simply terrific ---- I'm happy to do all of my Final Cut Pro editing upon it

That's about it ---- I'm surprised that I haven't seen more people with SmartDisks, but I think that's gonna change soon

It's a terrific product ---- and for people who really need speed, get the FireLite (which is the same small size) with FireWire 800 --- the speed difference will help greatly for editing

Happy editing! Happy buying!

I puchased the 80 gig FireLite just short of a year ago. I am looking at other portable drives and was surprised at those who say the drive won't work on some computers.

I have used in on 2 Acer Laptops (XP) and 2 Dell desktops (XP) with no problems. I have also used it on 2 old Dell Latitudes with USB 1.1 connections. I have never had a trouble with power or recognition.

The only reason I am considering a Western Digital or Seagate is the price. The FireLite is quite a bit higher that the Western Digital and has a form fitting case.

I did get some garbage files on it once that I couldn't delete. They didn't take up much space but drove me crazy. Since this drive is for backup only, I fixed the problem by reformatting it. Maybe someone who knows more about computers than I do could have preserved the data but since I'm well backed up multiple times, reformatting was simple.

John

Being an Interactive Media Design Major who commutes is a huge pain! Especially when you have to carry around a large bag full of books, and other educational things. Ontop of that, having a large hard drive to lug in order to save your work, just equates to lots of backpains.

So I tried bringing CD-Rs to school to burn my work, which took ages to do and didn't work as well. I was also spending about $200 or so every few months on CDs. But now, after the purcahse of my SmartDisk, (which was almost the same price as my CD purchases) life has gotten to be SO much easier. There's no tangle of wires when I plug it in (because you don't need an AC adapter)!

I use both a Mac (PowerBook G4) laptop as well as a Dell PC at home. At school, I use G5 Macs or more Dell PCs, and my little SmartDisk transfers files wonderfully between all these computers.

My SmartDisk is sleek, fast and helpful to have. In fact, some of my classmates are looking into having one of their own since seeing me use mine.

I got this 80Gb drive specifically to back up my music collection. Since then, I've managed to fill up another 20 Gb, and I plan on getting another.

Installation and backup was easy and fast. Usage is transparent, as far as my fussy computer is concerned it's just another drive.

I plan on getting a larger one soon, since I'm sure that my music collection will continue to grow, and I write and edit my own songs, which takes a great deal of disk space.

The research I did seemed to indicate that this is a robust unit in a market that seems to be filled with drives that suddenly just drop dead. I haven't had mine long, but it seems fairly robust. I don't know how it would react to being bounced around in a backpack on a daily basis, but as far as mine, which just sits on a table, it's been great.

I would reccomend this unit to anyone looking for an easy Windows XP USB external drive.

cheers,

clockspinner

Nice looking, easily detected, worked without any problem for a month so far, and fast. Two thing I wished it has; 1) A short USB cable together with the long one for easy mobility. 2) Indicator light is red or green instead of light blue which is very difficult to see, I like to see it blinking while I am using the drive.

This drive is very portable and quickly adds on a good amount of storage. Although it only spins at 4200 RPMs, it's high speed connection is good and it's hard to notice is slow unless you are filling the drive in one shot. Since this is USB powered, it's makes it very travel friendly and I can breath a sigh of relief that I know where all my data is. It comes with a PS2 power option as well. Nice job SmartDisk.

I have a 40 gig and an 80 gig of this particular device. Both are USB models.

I would like Firewire, but my laptop does not have Firewire access so I need something that will work between the two without extra equipment.

See my review of the problems with the 40 gig.

However, this drive has performed flawlessly. I hesitate to recommend it because of problems with the 40 gig.

BE VERY CAREFUL and ensure this device does not get dropped or jarred. A short drop of less than 2 feet could do it in. SmartDisk does not offer data recovery and other companies that can retrieve the data do so at a very high co$t to the con$umer. If you really need your data, the price is worth it, but.... just ensure you are cautious with your handling and it will last years, as mine has. But the lessons learned from the 40 gig...... It is portable, but not shock resistant to sharp stops.

The 80GB Firelite portable has worked flawlessly for me throughout several months of travel all over the world. Since purchasing this drive I have carried it with me to Taiwan, China, Korea, Finland and several trips inside the US. I am far from over-protective of my gear and this drive has survived everything I or the airlines could throw at it without a single hiccup.

Installation on my XP machine was as simple as plugging it in and letting it automatically install itself. I had none of the power problems mentioned by others on this page, but I carry a high-powered Alienware notebook, so I wouldn't expect any trouble. The device does come with an alternative PS2 mouse or keyboard port power connector which would allow people with older notebooks to get power without buying a separate power supply.

I highly recommend this product, and will be buying a larger version of this drive as soon as they make one available.

I own a few Smartdisk HD's. I bought this drive expecting it to have a firwire port like all firewire HD's. It doesn't. Other than that it is a great HD with only a USB 2 port and a great deal that is hard to beat.

I love it! Although my laptop's usb 1.1 port was not sufficient to power this hard drive, when used in conjunction with the provided ps/2 cable, it worked great. I do wish it came with a cover, though. Otherwise awesome and a good price!