Apricorn Aegis Mini Ultraportable 1.8” Hard Drive – Getting Perpendicular!

reviewed by Robert Pritchett

Would you like a super mini external hard drive and boast you have one of the Hitachi technology units? How about one that comes with various software apps to make thing s just a little easier for either Macs or Windows systems?

You just have to see the Get Perpendicular! presentation to appreciate the technology used to make this kind of drive possible: http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/research/recording_head/pr/PerpendicularAnimation.html and yes, the presentation is loosely based on the Schoolhouse Rock genre: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schoolhouse_Rock!

http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/research/recording_head/pr/index.html

The standard technology lays bits out horizontally while the engineers at Hitachi figured out how to make them stand up instead of laying down on the job, thus producing a denser storage function in the process.

Apricorn named their product Aegis to symbolically represent a shield or a protection. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aegis

The hot-swappable Aegis Mini pocket sized, ultra-portable 1.8-inch external drive with USB 2.0 or FireWire connection options, uses that Hitachi technology.

 The unit we reviewed is a 30 GB system that runs quietly and has a blue LED that flashes when data is transferred to and from it. It can also be obtained in 60 and 80 GB versions. Imagine an 80 GB “pocket drive”!

I learned that the FireWire unit costs more and the throughput is actually slower than with the USB versions (480 Mbps for USB and 400 Mbps for FireWire throughput). I guess I never paid that much attention to the differences before. One listener to the Mac ReviewCast episode 80, wrote back feedback and pointed out that this was not based on sustained throughput, where FireWire outshines USB 2.0 and justifies the cost difference (which is $10 USD). So if you have a portable that doesn’t have a FireWire port, you can still use this technology.

The package also has an extender cable (one meter in length), but it comes with a shorter “pigtail” that can be anchored against the side of the unit when not in use. There is a little retaining clip that holds the plug in place. It also comes with a carrying pouch and we are told the enclosure uses rugged 16-point omni-directional shock mounts, but the warranty for the device is only 1 year, so be careful if you are thinking of using it for a hockey puck. Besides, it only weights 3.5 ounces, dripping wet.

In using special torx screws with a central nib, this device is not intended for consumer maintenance either. There are also no air vents, as if it were hermetically sealed, which I doubt is the case. And it never runs hot.

The included CD is multi-platform with software for both non-Mac and Mac systems. Apricorn calls the apps the Data Protection Software Suite and includes backup, synchronizing, encryption software and proprietary hard drive health monitoring software developed by Apricorn engineers.

The Data Protection Software Suite contains:

Macintosh - Apricorn Encrypter, ShirtPocket, SuperDuper!, Qdea Synchronize! X

Windows - EZ Gig II Backup & Disaster Recovery, Second Copy 2000 Synchronizing, Cryptainer Encryption

The outside of the unit is 2.7 W by 0.7H by 3.4L inches and the drive itself runs at 4,200 rpm with a 2 MB memory cache. To hear the drive you have to pick it up and put it next to your ear. It really is that quiet!

If you need something with more capacity than a flash drive and want a unit that requires no extra power except that give by the FireWire port, than this would be a lot of fun to have and hold. If you don’t think you need the extra software for either platform, then there are other drives that cost less – but compare that to how many thumb drives you would need for the price. The only thing that comes close are the digital camera micro drives, with 16 GB tops, from IBM. This unit puts those to shame in both price and performance. So get one of these units and go sing the Get Perpendicular! song…