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163 of 166 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Portable Hard Drive, August 19, 2009
This review is from: Iomega eGo Mac Edition 500 GB USB 2.0/FireWire 400/800 Portable External Hard Drive 34629 (Ruby Red) (Electronics)
I got this portable hard drive recently to use for Time Machine with my MacBook Pro. Some notes and observations so far:
1) First off, the hard drive's ruby red color is not as bright as the Amazon photo. It's a darker red, which I prefer.
2) As with most portable hard drives, it is very quiet. Sitting a foot or two away from it, you should barely hear it, if at all.
3) This hard drive does not spin down after a certain amount of inactivity (unlike, for instance, a WD Passport, which spins down after 10 minutes or so of inactivity). You may or may not prefer this, depending on what you use it for. I use mine as a Time Machine, which backs up my hard drive every hour. I prefer the fact that it doesn't keep spinning down and spinning back up every hour (many argue that this is worse for a hard drive than simply leaving it on all the time, but there are varying opinions on this).
4) I wouldn't say the hard drive runs hot. It feels warm to the touch when idling all day like mine. However it may get hot if being used for constant data access. The only time it has felt somewhat hot is when I did the initial ~200GB backup of my hard drive.
5) This hard drive works well for daisy chaining. I have it connected to my MBP via Firewire 800, and I have a Firewire 400 external hard drive connected to the Iomega. NOTE: If you have the Iomega connected to your computer via USB, you cannot daisy chain a Firewire device.
6) Size-wise, it is a bit bigger than my (USB-only) WD Passport but it is still fairly compact.
7) The exterior feels like plastic, but the box says that the case is made from aluminum, so I'll trust that it is.
8) The light on the back of the drive is VERY bright. It actually projects light onto my wall. The color of the light may vary. I bought two of these drives from two different Best Buys... One has a blue light, the other has a white light. Either way, I found the light to be pretty annoying, so I simply covered it up with a small piece of black electrical tape. Works well.
9) Comes with a USB cable, Firewire 400 cable, and Firewire 800 cable.
10) One review noted: "No on-off switch, drive does not stop when computer sleeps, does not stop when computer turned off!". As far as bus-powered 2.5" portable hard drives go, I have not seen any with an on-off switch, although some may exist. If you want that, you will probably want to go with a 3.5" external desktop drive. HOWEVER, I think it is important to note that the Iomega WILL power down when the computer is sleeping or shut off. I was worried when I read this review because I thought the drive would keep spinning when I put my computer to sleep, but this is not the case. The only thing that stays on is the light. It will only turn off when you unplug the drive from the computer.
Overall, this drive works perfectly as a Time Machine. It is fast, small, quiet, not too hot, and unobtrusive. After the initial backup, you should barely notice successive backups (unless they are really big ones). The price is also great for a portable hard drive with three different connectivity options. The only thing I can't review is hard drive longevity... Only time will tell. Here's hoping that it lasts for a long time.
--UPDATE February 5, 2010--
Hard drive is still working extremely well for me as a Time Machine. A few new notes and observations:
1) A lot of people have been reporting that the top of their cases are detaching, which is pretty discouraging. I've been lucky, as the only problem I've had is that one of the front corners has come up about 1-2 millimeters. However, the top of the case is still in place and secure for the most part. I bought another one of these hard drives for my father, and the top of his case has not detached at all. I should note that I leave my hard drive on all day and sometimes overnight, whereas my father only turns his on every once in a while (when he turns his computer on), but it is generally turned off. I did buy my hard drives from Best Buy... Perhaps they received a shipment of units that were of better quality than what Amazon received?
2) This is a strange one... My hard drive runs SIGNIFICANTLY cooler than when I first got it. It hardly feels warm at all, even though it's spinning away all day. I don't really understand why, but I can't complain.
3) My thanks to A.W. Jester for pointing out that you must register online to get the 3 year warranty. I had missed this at first!
This product seems pretty hit-or-miss based on the workmanship. On the one hand, I'd have a hard time recommending it based on the other reviews I've read. On the other hand, I would recommend it based on my own experience. It's a great value for the price if you're lucky enough to get a good one.
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70 of 73 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Must register for the 3 year warranty!, August 25, 2009
This review is from: Iomega eGo Mac Edition 500 GB USB 2.0/FireWire 400/800 Portable External Hard Drive 34629 (Ruby Red) (Electronics)
Notice that you MUST register online to get the 3 years warranty! Don't forget this since
IOMega is hoping you will miss it in the user manual otherwise it is only one year.
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48 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Red Hot Top Casing Detachment, November 3, 2009
This review is from: Iomega eGo Mac Edition 500 GB USB 2.0/FireWire 400/800 Portable External Hard Drive 34629 (Ruby Red) (Electronics)
Upon initial usage, transferring 250GB worth of data in about 4 different transfers, I found the hard drive edges to be temperature hot. I floated the hard drive to add air circulation at the bottom. Not even an hour has passed since initial usage, the top casing separated slowly from the body. I could see the glue stretching. I push it down gently to stick it back, but within seconds, it rose up again.
Immediately I contacted Amazon for an exact replacement. Today the second Iomega Ego came, and I repeated the same procedure, but this time floating the drive to avoid overheating. It did not help: Although the top casing did not separate as badly as the first one, it did pop up. With the first product, I thought it was just quality control issue, and it was a fluke; but now that the problem is repeated with this second product, I do not think it is a coincidence.
Iomega is an early supporter of Mac and Apple, and I like supporting Apple partners; but unless they design this better, I would not get this particular product. I travel a lot and in need of a sturdy portable hard drive. Wrapping this beautiful Ruby Red drive with a duct tape beats the original aesthetic intention of the designer.
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