Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drive with USB 3.0 Hands on Review

Iomega has been known to provide wonderful hard drives which are rugged, efficient and wonderfully designed, and with the new eGo USB 3.0 Hard Drive, they upped the speed dramatically.

iomega ego portable hard drive usb 3.0 image
The eGO Portable Hard Drives grant the great portable storage gadget we have grown to love, with all the needs one would be looking from a portable drive: plenty of storage, compact design, beautiful finish and added protection against drops and mishaps.

When we got our hands on the Iomega eGo, we were first awed by the beautiful finish for such a practical gadget. The Ruby Red one grants an amazing color that makes it stand out, intriguing and some could even consider it a fashion item. Moreover, it includes the DropGuard extreme feature which takes a burden off, for it will protect the hard drive from a drop of up to 7 feet. There are various sizes to choose from: 320Gb, 500Gb, and even 1TB for those that are in need of that much storage with portable practicality. Our model was 500Gb, and it was plenty to start loading movies, mass music and high resolution design projects for taking it with us on the go.

portable hard drive review iomega ego

So let’s get into the major and exciting upgrade in the new eGo’s from Iomega…the speed. Iomega has updated the eGo with the USB 3.0, which for those fortunate enough to have the capabilities…the difference is amazing. We personally had to use the ExpressCard adapter, but it still provided great results. We loaded on a number of seasons of Dexter and Sopranos (for the few who haven’t seen them) many South Park episodes, including some classic HD movie versions such as Apocalypse Now, Blade Runner and the Godfather Trilogy (added Godfather 3 just to add extra bulk). Overall..it was quick…really quick and thus…exciting 🙂

iomega ego portable hard drive usb 3.0 versions

Iomega specs state that it has the capability of transfer speeds up to 5 Gbits/s, but it varies between each system, the kind of files transfered, the number at one time and so on. But let’s just say that those who download movies, games, music, heavy software and want a quicker solution, USB 3.0 really aims to please and with it…the eGo Portable Drive delivers.

As in compactability and feel, the eGo is 12.9cm x 9.0cm x 2.2cm for the 500Gb, so it is very comfortable and easy to carry in your pocket. It also includes a Power Grip Band, which adds to the DropGuard feature, for even further protection and hold onto the gadget.

iomega ego portable hard drive review

The Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drive comes with Hardware Encryption: 256-Bit AES Encrypted Storage Controller, The Protection Suite software license for PC, and Trend Microâ„¢ Internet Security (1 year Free via download). You can view full specs and features at Iomega.

The best part is that Iomega is retaining the same price for the USB 3.0 Upgraded portable hard drive as they had for the same with USB 2.0 right before the new model was released. This is a great added value for those who were just in store to get their hands on one, and for those that are simply looking for more speed, it could be a great exchange to become your new main portable hard drive.

iomega ego portable hard drive usb 3.0

For other cool Hard Drive posts, check out the NES Contra Cartridge Hard Drive Mods, the Buffalo HDD Dualie iPhone Dock or the External USB SATA Drive Dock.