I am scouting for a portable hard drive. ?

Championes

What is the factors determining the quality of a portable hard drive.
What brands to recommend.

Answer
I don't recommend you buy a 'portable' drive - it's simply a normal hard disk in a case with a USB interface.

You can buy those USB boxes with no disk inside, then simply buy a HDD.

All you have to decide is the size - if full size is okay, then the cheapest ratio is at 500GB (I got a Seagate Barracuda 500GB for equivalent 50 US dollars, and a USB box for $10 more).

When I use it at home - because it's a SATA disk - it takes me exactly 2 minutes to take it out of the case and install it in my computer (just plug in the ribbon and the power).

I recommend Seagate and Western Digital - and would rather buy two 500GB drives than one 1TB, because it's just soooo much cheaper.

We're talking several hundred dollars for the laCie - 4 times the cost of a Seagate!!!!!

Is this 'portable hard drive' or 'something to go with my Gucci Handbag'? =)) If you're worried about knocking it about, you put it in a protective bag - will that cost you extra $150?

Also, if the box is easy to open - it's very convenient sometimes to plug in the disk to your mainboard. I always put mine inside, then set the machine to back up my main 500GB, then unplug it and put it back in it's box.

This or That Hard Drive?

Goldenpian

http://store.apple.com/us/product/H2187VC/A/G-Technology-500GB-G-DRIVE-FireWire-USB-Portable-Hard-Drive?fnode=MTY1NDA0Nw&s=alpha (The 750GB since that's the only one available in the store.apple.com/se )

and

http://store.apple.com/us/product/H7430ZM/A/western-digital-500gb-my-passport-for-mac-portable-hard-drive?fnode=MTY1NDA0Nw&s=alpha (The 500gb)

The quality matters a lot to me. Which one is better, do you think?
Forgot this one:

http://store.apple.com/us/product/H4803VC/A/GTech_500GB_GDRIVE_Slim_Portable_USB_Drive?fnode=MTY1NDA0Nw&s=alpha

(So three)
Hm.... Chintan why is the Westen Digital crap? (Just curious)

Answer
That's two Hitachi 2.5" hard drives vs. one WD. 2.5" hard drive.
G-Technology 500GB G-DRIVE mobile Portable Hard Drive -- $$129.95
- Firewire and USB 2.0
- 500GB Hitachi laptop hard drive inside
- 5400RPM

Western Digital 500GB My Passport for Mac Portable Hard Drive -- $119.95
- USB 2.0
- 500GB WD laptop hard drive inside
- probably 5400RPM as well

G-Tech 500GB G-DRIVE Slim Portable USB Drive -- $79.95
- USB 2.0
- 500GB Hitachi laptop hard drive inside
- 5400RPM

For speed, choose the first due to the Firewire connectivity. For reliability, choose the WD. For a cheaper price, choose the 3rd. Don't be enticed by the 'formatted for Mac' and 'Time Machine-ready' crap. They all are. So what does that tell you? It's the WD unless you are particular about the Firewire feature.

However, if it were my money, I would future-proof my investment on a USB 3.0 external hard drive like this:
LaCie Rugged 500 GB USB 3.0 Mini Disk Portable Hard Drive 301555 -- $99.00
http://www.amazon.com/LaCie-Rugged-Portable-Drive-301555/dp/B0058VIWXI/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1339594514&sr=8-8&keywords=2.5%26%2334%3B+external+hard+drive

If attached to a USB 3.0 port, you can use the LaCie Mac USB 3.0 Driver to improve data transfer speed on your Mac (up to 30% performance increase compared to FireWire 800).

If you don't foresee yourself having a computer that has USB 3.0 in the near future and want to stick with Firewire then you can just get this:
LaCie Rugged All-Terrain 500 GB FireWire 800/ FireWire 400/USB 2.0 Portable External Hard Drive 301371 -- $114.95
http://www.amazon.com/LaCie-All-Terrain-FireWire-Portable-301371/dp/B0018B5CA8/ref=pd_cp_e_0

Or go back to the more expensive G-Tech 500GB that has Firewire:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/H2187VC/A/G-Technology-500GB-G-DRIVE-FireWire-USB-Portable-Hard-Drive?fnode=MTY1NDA0Nw&s=alpha

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