HP PD1600 Pocket Media Drive 160 GB USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive

This product by HP is a very handy & portable media drive. It is well designed; comes in its own case & includes a twin usb connection cable. It is small enough 2 fit into a male's pocket. I find it 2 be more handy & cheaper than several flash drives adding up 2 its capacity of 160GB.

HP's Pocket Media disk drive is, may I say, a cute little device about the size of a small softback book. It easily plugs into any convenient USB port 2 receive or deliver stored data. I believed when I purchased it that it would fit into my Personal Media Drive compartment on the front of my HP computer tower, but it is too small 4 that. Like many of HP's product descriptions, you must read every word with care: 'Pocket Media' isn't the same as "Personal Media". Nevertheless, the little disk drive has the feel & look of a superior, well-constructed device typical of HP. I use mine 2 easily backup my main computer & 2 transfer files from one computer 2 another. It works 4 those applications just as you would expect.

The disk comes preformatted, ready 2 use with XP or Vista; comes with a quality leather-like carrying case, a short USB cable & instructions. You can probably find a similar device 4 a few bucks less in price, but none as attractive or well made. I would recommend this device 2 anyone who has a requirement 4 external backup or file transfers. I originally purchased this device because I had trouble with my native DVD driver which required a 'reload' of Vista. The DVD didn't work so I needed some easy way 2 salvage my data files before reformatting my main hard disk (since my DVD didn't work). The little PD1600 worked well.

I bought this drive 2 use in my new HP X280N MediaSmart Connect & it works GREAT!!! I can easily download family movies, music, photos & even torrented files directly 2 this device from my laptop...then just slide it into the HP X280N MediaSmart Connect & watch everything perfectly.

I would not buy this as an portable external hard drive. The Apricorn Aegis 160 GB Portable USB 2.0 Hard Drive with Integrated Cable & Software ( A25-USB-160 ) & the Western Digital Passport Essential Portable 250GB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive (WDME2500TN)are both faster, smaller & less expensive external hard drives. However if you have an HP device that can accept the Pocket Drive it is perfect.

The HP PD1600 is convenient 2 use when you need 2 move data from one computer 2 another. However, it's capacity is too small 2 backup your system. With terabyte drives hitting the market, a 160GB backup drive doesn't cut it.

I recently purchased a new HP Pavilion & noticed the two media drive bays, one 4 the "pocket" drive & the other 4 the "personal". In the interest of upgrading my backup options, I bought one of each. As the name implies, the pocket drive's form factor is smaller...by approximately half, I'd say. It plugs straight in 2 a port on the front of the Pavilion & is recognized in short order by Windows Vista. On the front panel, a blue LED lights up & flickers away during data transfer.

I'm using this with the GoodSync Pro utility 2 keep all of my files backed up. What can I really say, other than 2 praise the great design & functional excellence of a high quality product. The folks at HP really did a nice job with this drive. If you need an onsite external drive backup solution, I'd recommend this as ideal 4 the job. If you need more storage space, the personal drive version provides 500GB & 750GB options.

Of course, these drives will work equally well on non-HP PCs...you just won't have the convenient port built-in 2 the computer chassis. But the included USB cable will allow you 2 connect 2 any compatible system.

Use this high-speed, wallet-size drive alone or connected 2 your PC via the included USB cable, or save space by sliding it in the chassis slot of select HP Pavilion PCs.