It all depends on what you are planning on using it for. In all honesty, not everyone is going to need a 500gb external hard drive. However, when you begin to consider how much abuse you put your personal computer through on a daily basis, you may start realizing just how much you may require such a device, but there are a few things you must consider before you head our your door!
The first thing is obvious: what do you do? If you are a photographer, then you are most definitely going to require a 500gb external hard drive, no questions asked! Your portfolios are going to be rather extensive when compared to the average image editor. You will have enhanced photos, projects that have more than one file, portraying both the final and the rough drafts. All in all, if you are a photographer, frankly, I am surprised you haven’t purchased a 500gb external hard drive yet. However, if you are like me… a writer, then a 500gb external hard drive may be a little overkill. I have been writing off and on over the past ten years, and the amount of files I have accumulated have not even come near exceeding my personal computer space. Text files are very much different from digital picture files by megabytes. All I own is a simple 10gb external hard drive, and that will continue to serve my needs for years to come.
The second thing that you must consider is whether or not you will need to carry your files to other locations. A 500gb external hard drive offers your files the ability to be transported from one location to another, especially of the hard drive carries with it the USB 2.0 connection interface feature! This feature allows your hard drive to be connected to any personal computer, receive power and start linking with the system to which it has been connected. This is just one of the many features that the 500gb external hard drive may offer users, however, that solely depends on which brand you purchase.
According to the information presented to you above, you should be able to extrapolate whether or not purchasing such an extensive external hard drive would be necessary. By examining your daily file creation and storage necessity, you will be able to determine rather quickly whether or not a 500gb external hard drive is required within your home office system and, more importantly, whether or not you will be able to come close to using everything that you have paid for. We all know that in today’s world, saving money is one of the more important things families can do right now. That said, there is such a thing as spending your way into poverty. These drives can cost anywhere between $50.00 to $100.00 more than your average external hard drive, and if you are not in true dire need of a large capacity, then why spend the money on something that will never be used?
Food for thought…
Filed under External Hard Drives Articles by on Jan 24th, 2010. Comment. 
The new Toshiba 500GB Portable Hard Drive delivers one of the largest digital storage units the market has ever seen, capable of housing up to 142,000 digital photos, 131,000 digital music files! Designed specifically for media use, the Toshiba 500GB Portable Hard Drive also provides users the capability of storing up to 410 downloaded digital films, making it possible for professional artists to either externally store or backup their project files.
Powered through a 2.0 USB connection interface, the Toshiba 500GB Portable Hard Drive has also been designed for transportation, allotting users an extraordinary sense of freedom!
Actual Customer Comments:
A portion of an actual customer review found on amazon.com
“Price is outstanding. Almost makes you want to buy two.”
A portion of an actual customer review found on newegg.com
“This is a great item to have if you want to back up your data for safe storage.”
A portion of an actual customer review found on bestbuy.com
Customers have been sharing their opinions over the Toshiba 500GB Portable Hard Drive, and all of them seem to lean more into the positive direction. One customer stated that this particular external storage unit motivated her to purchase more than one Toshiba 500GB Portable Hard Drive units. Another customer gave a slightly more negative comment, suggesting that the new Toshiba external hard drive is more of a storage device than an external hard drive. Though this customer stated that his experience was one of shear astonishment, he also stated that the external hard drive tends to become a little sluggish if using as one of your more primary sources of application storage.
The verdict:
Excellent! The new Toshiba 500GB Portable Hard Drive truly provides Toshiba claimed it would. According to the customers, this newer external hard drive model provides excellent services in way of data storage, file storage or even windows based file backups. The only negative comment found within the customer reviews deals with the users that attempted to use the Toshiba 500GB Portable Hard Drive as one of their main hard drives.
Order your Toshiba 500GB Portable Hard Drive Here!
Product Details:
Name: Toshiba 500GB Portable Hard Drive
Company Name: Toshiba
Product Information: Capable of storing up to 142,000 digital photos, or 131,000 digital music files, or 410 downloaded digital movies; Total file back up and recovery system for windows; Internal Shock sensory for Hard Drive structural security; USB powered for maximum flexibility.
Filed under Toshiba by on Jan 24th, 2010. Comment.
Well, yes. Yes, you could. But would you be getting everything that is available? When you purchase just any external hard drive, would you be coming anywhere near close to tapping into the technological advances that this particular field has been developing? This may not seem like such an important thing, but when you witness what our crazy world is going through for any amount of time, you will quickly agree with me that identity theft, file protection and economical advances have become more than just luxuries… they have become necessities. This is what you must look for….
One of the main things you must look for in a external hard drive is its ability to encrypt your private files. Many of the identity theft scams during the past few years have been the direct result of people not protecting their digital files at home. One family experienced as a result of them not shredding their files before throwing them into the trash. This may seem irrelevant to the situation I am presenting, but when you think about it, ask yourself what would happen if somebody broke into your home and stole one of your external hard drives, particularly the external hard drive that had your band information stored. Or, in a more common scenario, what would happen if you were filling out an online application and had to store the file on your external hard drive because you were completing it in a public location. As soon as you get out of your seat, you accidentally drop your external hard drive… what then? If your external hard drive does not have a 128 bit encryption feature at least, you run the risk of strangers getting face to face with your personal information and, if these strangers have yet to grasp a sense of morality, your financial future as well.
Another thing to consider is space. Let’s say that you are an artist and need a backup file for your projects. Whether you are a graphic designer, photographer or a writer, you are going to need to store your files on a separate drive, even if it is for back up purposes. If you are a photographer, then you are really going to need a lot of space, that is, if you are going to be backing up your entire portfolio. That said, external hard drive systems come in various sizes and shapes, and if you are not careful, you might be getting a 500 GB external hard drive, which would take you only a few months to fill (maximum), or a 1TB external hard drive, which is exactly what you will need for your future endeavors to be preserved.
The point is – be extra careful what you purchase. Yes, you could purchase any external hard drive, but when it comes down to it, are you purchasing an external hard drive that will full meet your needs?
Filed under External Hard Drives Articles by on Jan 22nd, 2010. Comment.
You might be asking yourselves, “how will a 1tb external hard drive purchase bring me any ounce of freedom?” Well, it wont, per say, but when you think about all of the features that come inherently with a 1tb external hard drive, you might think otherwise.
The main thing that is offered by the 1tb external hard drive to users is, quite obviously, space. This particular kind of external hard drive usually comes with features that greatly enhance the users’ ability to take advantage of all the most technologically advanced software available. For example, 1tb external hard drive systems usually come with an encryption system, either a 128 bit or a 256 bit, offering a whole new level to personal security. These systems are needed in order to maintain your individuality from those that see absolutely nothing wrong with invading personal space, stealing files for the sole purpose of taking identification numbers and making a commercial benefit.
The 1tb external hard drive system can also come with Energy Star technology, saving more than just your personal identity. When you use the older external hard drive models, you would normally have to plug them into the wall, despite the fact that you connected it to your home computer with a USB cord. Now that technology has started to research more green methods in providing for the general public, the more modern 1tb external hard drive systems have a specially powering tool that runs through the USB 2.0 connection interface, empowering the 1tb external hard drive through its connection with your personal, home office computer system. That said, the levels of energy conservation are actually far more than one may believe, think or imagine! I use a 1tb external hard drive with a USB 2.0 connection interface, and it wasn’t until a few months after initially hooking it up that I started to see a real difference in my electric bill every month. The Energy Star hardware really saves you money, as well as the hassle of transporting your 1tb external hard drive from one location to another, as it can be simply connected through any USB port and be instantly powered and ready to go.
Another amazing feature that comes with the 1tb external hard drive is the level of available file storage. Many of the brands that offer 1tb external hard drive systems also offer consumers the ability to access an online storage site, offering a digital backup to any one of the many files that may carry with it a rather sensitive piece of personal information. This backup site is built right into the corporate company’s website, making it extremely safe and trustworthy to store sensitive information on, though, if you have an encryption system already in place, this particular connection may or may not be a necessary feature.
Author’s Box: this article and all of the information therein, was taken from the author’s personal experience with, and market research of 1tb external hard drive systems.
Filed under External Hard Drives Articles by on Jan 20th, 2010. Comment.
The Iomega Prestige 1TB External Hard Drive is one of the industry’s largest external storage units, providing a 1 TB hard drive, as well as EMC Retrospect Express (Microsoft compatible) / Retrospect Express HD (Macintosh compatible) transfer system. With the Iomega Prestige 1TB External Hard Drive being powered through Energy Star power saver technology, Iomega is also paving the way in the lessening of our carbon footprint.
The Iomega Prestige 1TB External Hard Drive was designed with a sleek / stylish exterior for easy office décor integration, providing one of the most attractive looking external storage devices on the market.
Actual Customer Comments:
A portion of an actual customer review found on amazon.com
“Solid value and great performance…no complaints!”
A portion of an actual customer review found on reviews.cnet.com
“Bought this hard drive 3 months ago and after one month of having it, it just stopped working.”
A portion of an actual customer review found on bestbuy.com
Based on the customer reviews, the Iomega Prestige 1TB External Hard Drive has been facing a few difficulties. One customer stated that the unit ceased to function properly after only a few months of use, saying that the hard drive itself was unable to be detected by his personal computer. Another customer stated that the Iomega Prestige 1TB External Hard Drive runs slightly slower than some of the other external hard drives. Having said that, the majority of the customers have been sharing their excitement over this newer Iomega model, saying that the 1 TB hard drive truly provides state of the art file backup services, rendering their previous external units useless when compared to the new Iomega Prestige 1TB External Hard Drive.
Order your Iomega Prestige 1TB External Hard Drive Here!
The verdict
Average. Though the Iomega Prestige 1TB External Hard Drive provides an excellent amount of storage, there have been reports of the hard drive itself failing to meet the customers’ needs. Functionality and décor have also been praised by the majority of customers, saying that there was little need for any other backup filing systems after purchasing the Iomega Prestige 1TB External Hard Drive.
Product Details:
Name: Iomega Prestige 1TB External Hard Drive
Company Name: Iomega
Product Features: USB 2.0 interface, stylish exterior for additional office décor, Powered by Energy Star – power saving technology, EMC / HD License for smooth file backup storage.
Filed under Iomega by on Jan 19th, 2010. Comment.