Computers these days tend to come with very large hard drives, and it can be tempting just to drop all of our photos, music, documents and other files on them until they're full. However, you need to be wary; the more you put onto a single drive, the more you can lose in one fell swoop if the drive itself fails – and over time, every single hard drive will fail. The answer is to get into the habit of backing up your data. We've looked at nine different drives that offer both backup and portable storage capabilities.

The drives we've examined can be split up into three broad categories. Firstly, there are USB Flash Drives, so named for the type of memory (flash) that they use for storing data. These have no moving parts and are usually quite robust, but you pay quite a bit more per GB of storage due to the higher manufacturing costs of Flash media. There's also a current upper ceiling for USB Flash drives at 8GB.

USB hard disks come in two basic styles, more determined by their power needs than anything else. Smaller drives (usually using 2.5-inch hard disks as found on notebook PCs) can often be powered purely from your USB ports, although some models will require the use of two USB ports for full power. Larger 3.5-inch drive models usually carry more capacity, but require a dedicated AC adaptor and power point to fire up at all. Frequent travellers or those out in the field with nothing but a notebook may find USB-powered to be the way to go, whereas home office types will find the extra storage on an AC-powered unit preferable.

Tested and Rated
Prices listed are those found at online retail stores at press time. You will save by shopping around. Be sure to check warranty details carefully. NetGuide is not responsible for changes in availability or pricing.

LaCie Little Disk (60GB)
NZ approx. price: $260
Site: www.lacie.com
The Little Disk is a small black box, rather reminiscent of an iPod. It does house a physical hard drive within it, not flash memory, which would cost a lot more at this kind of capacity. LaCie includes backup software for Windows (2000/XP) and Mac OS X on the drive, which is a nice touch. We weren't thrilled by the overlarge and stiff USB cap on the drive. In our tests the Little Disk did little to impress us, with the lowest overall read/write scores across all of our drives.
Good for: Those who need hard drive levels of storage, but only have tiny pockets.

Lacie Mobile Disk (250GB)
NZ approx. price: $305
Site: www.lacie.comÂ
The LaCie Mobile Disk isn't all that physically dissimilar to the Seagate FreeAgent Go, or for that matter, the Western Digital Passport – and, indeed, our testing software identified the 250GB drive within as being of Western Digital origin. Like the Seagate, however, the Mobile Disk may require two of your USB ports – one for data, the other for power – which could prove problematic for some notebook users. It includes backup and synchronisation software for Windows and Mac, and data encryption software for Windows only. Data rates were very good in our tests, with the Mobile Disk only being pipped by the Western Digital Passport and Seagate FreeAgent Pro drives.
Good for: Those who want portability and speed in one shiny package.

Iomega eGo Portable Hard Drive (160GB)
NZ approx. price: $240
Site: Iomega.com
The eGo drive resembles nothing more than a slightly enlarged (and very red) whisky flask. The casing is designed to be highly drop-resistant and uses a single USB connector that branches out; depending on the power supply of your PC's USB ports you may need one or two ports to get the eGo fired up. The eGo's approach to backup is an interesting one; you're provided with a single licence for EMC's Retrospect backup solution, but you've got to download it from Iomega, rather than it being present on the drive or supplied on a CD with it. Drive read/write speeds for the eGo were solid without being spectacular, as it fell just under our top three drive ratings.
Good for: The clumsy, and those who like the style of the drive.

LaCie Rugged All-Terrain Hard Drive (120GB)
NZ approx. price: $318
Site: www.lacie.com
The LaCie Rugged Drive comes with a bright orange shock absorber built around the drive's casing. We were a little concerned with our review model, where the rubber casing peeled away at the slightest pressure, but like many review models, we figure it may have had a particularly rough life. The Rugged Drive supports USB 2.0 and Firewire 400/800, giving it a lot of connectivity options, although like a lot of portable drives you may need to dedicate two USB ports to get it to power up correctly. Backup utilities are provided for Windows and Mac users. Data rates were generally good over USB, towards the middle of the pack of tested drives.
Good for: Those who can make use of both USB and Firewire, or clumsy types.

Iomega Portable Hard Drive (160GB)
NZ approx. price: $220
Site: Iomega.com
The Iomega Portable Hard Drive shares a few similarities with the eGo drive; both come with a dual-plug USB cable for providing power, for a start. Where the Portable Drive differs is in what you don't get compared to the eGo. There's no shock protection, for a start. Unlike the eGo, we were unable to get the Portable Drive to power up on our test PC without utilising two USB ports, which is mildly annoying. There's also no supplied backup software, even via download. It did manage to pip the eGo ever so slightly in our read/write tests, which is at least one point in its favour.
Good for: If the shop has sold out of the eGo drive.

Western Digital Passport (250GB)
NZ approx. price: $350
Site: www.westerndigital.com  
We've only just reviewed the 250GB Passport (see December); we liked it then and for the most part, we still like it now. It only uses a single USB port for power, and we had no troubles connecting it to our test system. We're still a little concerned about the sturdiness of the case, and that's even more highlighted by competing units such as the LaCie Rugged All-Terrain Drive and the Iomega eGo Portable drive. Still, it's a swift drive that excelled in our tests, with plenty of storage.
Good for: Those who want a simple and fast storage solution.

Seagate FreeAgent Go 160GB
NZ approx. price: $240
Site: www.seagate.com
The FreeAgent Go sits in the same design pile as the WD 250GB Passport, LaCie Mobile Disk and Iomega eGo drive; it's a slender drive that would just about fit in a jacket pocket. The Go uses two USB ports – one for data and one for power if needed - which could be a problem for those with limited USB ports. The backup software for the FreeAgent Go resides on the drive itself and is Windows-only, under the banner of "FreeAgent Tools". It's a neat package that's easy to use for basic backup tasks. Seagate offers a five-year warranty for the drive, which won't cover your data, but it at least points to a drive that should have good long-term prospects. In terms of data shifting, the FreeAgent Go performed just outside our top three drives, making it a very solid contender indeed.
Good for: Those who need a small, fast drive with a reasonable quantity of storage.

Seagate FreeAgent Pro (320GB)
NZ approx. price: $299
Site: www.seagate.com
The FreeAgent Pro is the bigger brother of the FreeAgent Go, in just about every sense. It's an AC-powered drive, like the Western Digital MyBook, which makes it unsuitable if you're only powering from USB. It features an optional Firewire adaptor, making it a good choice for video editing types. Like the FreeAgent Go, the Pro offers the FreeAgent Tools suite of backup software, located on the drive rather than on a supplied CD. Physically it's too large for anything but a bag, but its data transfer rates nudged ahead of the pack in our testing, making it a speedy and highly worthwhile drive indeed.
Good for: Those with serious data backup needs.

Western Digital MyBook Premium ES Edition 500GB
NZ approx. price: $400
Site: www.westerndigital.com
The MyBook Premium takes the gong for the largest amount of storage on offer from any of our reviewed devices (although other makers do provide 500GB+ drive versions of some of their products). It's also the only drive to offer an external SATA interface for even faster drive transfers. Like the Seagate FreeAgent Pro, its backup utilities are provided on the drive itself. It's a simple device – a single glowing button not only powers up the unit, but also provides an indicator of drive activity and available capacity. It's also AC-powered, making it a touch less portable. In our tests, the MyBook Premium ES performed well for most file transfers, making it a good choice for those with lots of data to back up.
Good for: Those with serious data needs who are always near a power socket.

Best in test: Seagate FreeAgent Pro (320GB)
Highly Commended: Western Digital Passport
Our test results for most drives were fairly close, but Seagate's FreeAgent Pro managed to beat out all competitors for pure speed. It further impressed with a solid five-year warranty and a good suite of onboard backup and recovery tools. If you need portable to be portable and USB-powered only, Western Digital's 250GB Passport is a solid performer in an easy-to-carry form factor.