STORAGE, 250GB PASSPORT PORTABLE

STORAGE, 250GB PASSPORT PORTABLE
by WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

List Price: ~~$169.99~~
Category: CE
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Digital Photo Product Details

Manufacturer: WESTERN DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: CD
Platform: Windows
Model: WDXMS2500TN
Product features:

250 GB USB 2.0 2.5-inch external hard drive ideal storage solution for Mac or PC
USB connection; requires no external power source;128-bit encryption for data security
Included Google software for searching and managing files
Features glossy black design
Measures a 0.59 x 5.1 x 3.14 inches (HxLxW); weighs less than 4 ounces

Accessories:

Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of STORAGE, 250GB PASSPORT PORTABLE

Customer Review: Long review containing everything remotely relevant I could think of.
Summary: 4 Stars

I bought this drive about a year ago (12/2007); the model number on the label on bottom of the drive is WD2500XMS-00, which is ever so slightly different from the model number here (WDXMS2500TN). I can't tell from the official product picture if the model is the same, but mine has the slightly-slanted casing, so that each of the thin faces look like parallelograms rather than rectangles. You can sort of see this in the 1st, 2nd, and 4th customer photos. The 3rd and 5th look like they are squared off, and may be a newer generation than what I have. There's an even newer version out (WDME2500TN), the Passport Essential, which is squared off and has moved the WD logo from the center of the top face to one corner. The model I have has a little rubber flap that covers up the mini usb port, but I *think* the Passport Essential scorns that sort of thing. ANYWAY, the point is that my review may be slightly obsolete. :D!

Pros: small, stylish, usb-powered (may require a y-cable to draw from 2 ports if you have an older laptop, but I've run mine on an Acer Travelmate C204TMi while it was plugged into the passthrough for the Antec usb-powered notebook cooler set on hi), quiet (slight audible click when the disk starts spinning), runs cool (you might be able to feel that it's above room temp after it's been on for a while, but it's a non-issue), fast enough, large capacity, etc etc etc.

Cons and nitpicks:

There is a shiny side (top) and a matte side (bottom), and both pick up fingerprints and smudge like crazy.

At one point, the matte and shiny sides of mine parted slightly at one edge; I tried to pop it back together but it wouldn't go. Later, the drive randomly healed itself. >.> I don't know, maybe the glue or whatever held it in place warmed enough to hold it together again. It was a bit odd, but I didn't have to worry about it for long.

The rubber flap to protect the usb port from dust or from getting wet or whatever is a good sentiment, but doesn't look slick enough to fit with the rest of the drive, which is probably why they didn't keep it for the Passport Essential.

The included cable (8in?) is fine as far as length goes (unless there's no surface to put the thing on, I don't know why you'd *need* a longer cable), but small as it is I find that I dislike carrying it around. Integrated cables, like on the Lacie Little Disk or the Apricorn Aegis Portable, are probably a good idea, and don't add much bulk (all the 2.5" portables are about the same size anyway).

It comes formatted as FAT32. I put some data on it, and decided I wanted to format it to NTFS, but I didn't have anywhere to move the data. I attempted to use the trial version of Paragon Partition Manager to reformat it without destroying the data, but it didn't work (fwiw, Paragon successfully reformatted the internal WD Scorpio Blue hdd that had my OS on it, so there must be something going on here).

I just wanted to use this for as extra storage, so I deleted the stuff pre-programmed on the drive. It doesn't come with a software disk, though, so I wouldn't know how to recover that.

A few computers I've plugged this into don't really recognize it, and go looking for installation software and drivers (unsuccessfully). I'm pretty sure this is the computers' faults, not the drive, though.

Conclusion:

The current price for the 250gb Passport (this page) is ~$130; the 250gb Passport Essential is ~$90. Also, the 500gb passport essential is ~$160 now. You do the math. There is nothing very wrong with this drive; only the non-integrated cable is a material issue for me. To that end, I bought the Apricorn Aegis Portable when I was in the market for a 500gb portable, rather than the Passport Essential. (The Lacie Little Disk has a cover that comes off, but the Aegis avoids detachable parts altogether. It's a little more expensive, though.)

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Description of STORAGE, 250GB PASSPORT PORTABLE

Pack up your office files and take them home. Carry thousands of songs or pictures. These drives are simple to use, light and easy to carry, and require no power adapter--they are powered directly through the USB cable.

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