Just as the 250 GB SimpleDrive model, this 500 GB version comes wrapped in a tapered case that is styled by designer Pininfarina. It weighs 2 pounds and its measurements are 8.2 X 5.1 X 1.5 inches. We are dealing with a drive that is aimed at changing between systems and not taking on a trip with you. The 500GB SimpleDrive portable hard drive manufactured by SimpleTech is not as portable as a Maxtor OneTouch 4 mini or as big as a 750 GB FreeAgent Pro by Seagate. On the other hand one factor that is highly important and is good stands in the listed price ($169.99) and this provides a great price per gigabyte factor.

We see a very useful one click backup button on the top of the drive that features the SimpleTech logo and is surrounded by a capacity meter that is very useful as it lets you know how much free space you have. When less than 10 percent of storage capacity is free you will also see it flashing, which basically means you should think about freeing some space. The 3.5 inch hard drive spins at 7,200 RPM and comes with 8 MB of cache buffer while connecting to personal computers through USB, located on the back of the case near a DC jack and a power switch.

Installation is very simple as we have TotalMedia Backup and Record and TotalMedia Backup included on the drive and all you have to do is click a setup icon and the drive will be installed on the host system. With TotalMedia Backup & Record you can create high quality backups of music, videos, photos or you can even archive office, excel files, e-mails, web pages and a lot more. You can then also use Advanced Backup, which allows you to select certain files for backup in an interface that is very similar to Explorer. You can add comments, use passwords for protection and you can also backup your data on DVDs or CDs with the yse of ArcSoft, which tell you how many you will need to backup your selection. Schedule backups how often you want and you can then use the One-Click button to do everything immediately and not wait for the given time. We even have a very good Restore option that recovers files you might have lost.

One downside noticeable is that the software present can not create a full and bootable backup of an operating system. System settings are not backed up although you can create a disc image and burn it on DVD and CD. You can even rip and burn audio CDs while even creating a video DVD from the classic Video_Ts folder.

This SimpleDrive is quite fast because of the 7,200 RPM present. We are dealing with one year of warranty, which is not at all that much but we also have toll free phone support and you even get a free 2GB online storage account at myfabrik.com, although this will not make it all that special for people just looking for a portable hard drive, even if it is a free bonus. The conclusion is that the SimpleDrive 500 GB Portable Hard Drive from SimpleTech is quite useful and comes with quick transfer, great design and a price that is quite impressive.

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