SimpleTech SimpleDrive External Hard Drive Designed by Pininfarina Review

Reviewed by K.C. Kim

http://www.simpletech.com/

* Slim, compact & stylish (designed by Pininfarina)

* Hi-Speed USB 2.0

* One-Click™ backup button

* Built-in capacity meter

* Plug n' Play and Hot-Swappable

* Free and unlimited technical support





The sleek lines and ultra-low profile styling of the new SimpleDrive™ were designed by Pininfarina, the very same design firm that gives Ferrari sports cars their stylish lines.



Don’t let its beauty fool you. SimpleDrive is a high-performance external hard drive ideal for storing and backing up your music, video, photos and more. And with Hi-Speed USB 2.0, setup is a snap and data transfer rates are fast and reliable.



One-Click™ backup enables you to back up and protect all or selected files with a single click, providing the peace of mind knowing your digital world is safe and protected. And the built-in capacity meter allows you to view the utilized disk space.



Capacity: I still remember when 10GB hard drive was consider big. That’s not the case today. Beefier drives like the Simpletech SimpleDrive go up to a huge 500 GB capacity. With 750GB and 1TB drives in the near future.



500GB SimpleDrive External Hard Drive - Designed by Pininfarina 500 GB Onyx SP-U35/500

250GB SimpleDrive External Hard Drive - Designed by Pininfarina 250 GB Pearl SP-U35/250

160GB SimpleDrive External Hard Drive - Designed by Pininfarina 160 GB Fire SP-U35/160



Just to give you an overview of how much you can store on this external drive. Here is a chart



Capacity** Songs** Photos** Video** HD Video**

160GB 40,000 117,000 173 Hrs. 15 Hrs.

250GB 63,000 183,000 271 Hrs. 30 Hrs.

320GB 81,000 238,000 347 Hrs. 38 Hrs.

500GB 127,000 366,000 542 Hrs. 60 Hrs.

750GB 190,000 550,000 813 Hrs. 88 Hrs.



**Results based on average compression. Actual results will depend on device model, quality and compression. HD video is based on 720p or 1080 video output with 8.3GB/hour recording date





Included in the box:

USB 2.0 3.5” External Hard Drive with One-Click Backup Software

USB 2.0 Cable

AC Adapter

Resource CD



Requirements: Both Windows and Mac users will be happy to know that the drives works with both.



Macintosh

• Available USB 2.0 or 1.1 Port

• Mac OS v9.0 or later, built for Mac OS X



Windows

• Available USB 2.0 or 1.1 Port

• Windows 2000/XP and Vista



Intro: I always thought that my 80 GB hard drive would be good enough space to have everything on it. But as the programs, games, videos, mp3, documents add up I found very little space left over. This is the beauty of an external drive. No opening up your pc to install. Simply connect it to the usb2.0 port and you have just added tons of space.



Next I just didn’t want any external hard drive. I wanted one that would look just as sleek as my laptop. The SimpleTech was the solution. Unlike its competitors which look big, bulky, boxy and take up space. The SimpleTech is simply big on features yet small and compact with a wonderful design.







Design: The SimpleDrive does not look like your average external hard drive. This is due to the fact that it was design by Italian design team Pininfarina, the same design firm behind the Ferrari sports cars. Which translate to sleeker curves, stylish colors, and world class design that you want to show off to others.







Installation: First take the ac charger and connect it to the back of the drive. Next connect the USB2.0 cable to the PC. The drive should show up under my computer. Next install the software that is on the external hard drive. There is a PC and Mac version. I chose PC version of Total Media Backup & Record. One reboot later and you’re done. Now you can use the drive any way you want.



Function: The software included can provide backup, restore, and DVD/cd burning software. You can also drag and drop data into the drive and make folders just like your internal drive.









Backup: Easily backup data from your PC to your SimpleDrive External Hard Drive. You can backup videos, audio, photo, email, and more and even schedule daily, weekly, or monthly backups.



Extras: Included with the drive is a free 2GB account on myfabrik.com





Conclusion: The amount of storage you get for the price of under $100 for the 160GB model is amazing. As well as the other drives price competively. The design is by far the best I’ve seen for an external drive and backup solution is essential to take care of files that can’t be replaced in the off chance your computer hard drives fail. So if you want more space for your laptop or PC then the SimpleTech SimpleDrive might be right for you as well as bring up a touch of style and design.



Rating 9 out of 10



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