Portable Storage: IOGEAR's 20 GB COMBO 1.8" ION Drive [Archive]

Tim Adams

01-12-2005, 10:30 PM

<img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/media/users/762/ta_ion_white.jpg" /> Product Category: Storage Manufacturer: <a href="http://www.iogear.com">IOGEAR</a> Where to Buy: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=jasonsego&path=ASIN%2FB0006GDC62%2Fqid%253D1104787351%2Fsr%253D11-1%2Fref%253Dsr%255F11%255F1">Amazon.com</a> Price: $169.99 USD System Requirements: For Mac Users, Mac OS 9 or greater; for PC Users, 200MHz or greater, Windows® 98SE or greater, minimum 64MB RAM; and both OS's, an available USB/Firewire port. Full requirements can be found <a href="http://iogear.com/main.php?loc=product&Item=GHD118C40&sec=Requirements#display">here</a>. Specifications: USB Specification: Firewire 400/ USB 1.1 and 2.0 compliant. Ports: (1) Firewire 4-pin port / (1) USB mini-B port. Transfer Rate: 400Mbsp Firewire / 480 Mbps USB 2.0. Power Consumption: 5.0V 2.1A. Cable Length: Free Firewire & Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Cable (6 Feet Each). Rotational Speed: 4200 RPM. Dimensions: Length 4.8 in. (12.2 cm.); Height 0.6 in. (1.7 cm.); Width 3.1 in. (8.1 cm.). Weight: .45 lbs. (.20. Kg.). A more complete list of specifications can be found <a href="http://iogear.com/main.php?loc=product&Item=GHD118C40&sec=Specifications#display">here</a>. Pros:<li>Lightweight storage; <li>Small form factor; <li>Fast data transfer capabilities.Cons:<li>Needs two cables attached at all times (power and data); <li>Hardware ports seem to shift after constant use; <li>No expandability without voiding warranty.Summary: As we become a more and more mobile world, data storage and backup becomes a vital aspect of our daily lives. The problem is, how to get enough storage without having to become pack mules at the same time. Floppies and USB thumbdrives don't store enough, CDs and DVDs can be easily damaged, and most "portable" drives are too cumbersome to always have on the ready. IOGEAR, sensing our plight, has introduced the ION Combo - an "ultra-portable" external drive with storage capabilites from 20-250GB and both Firewire and USB 2.0 connections. But how does this device stand up to the day-to-day rigors of mobile computing? Read on for the full review!<!> <PAGEBREAK> Size Does Matter <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/media/users/762/ta_ion_box.jpg" /> Figure 1: The box, waiting for me to extract its hidden treasure. The IOGEAR Combo Ion is not much more than a laptop drive with a custom casing. Because of this choice in drive size, the Ion is really quite small (see above for the actual specs). <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/media/users/762/ta_ion_compare.jpg" /> Figure 2: The ION in comparison with a five dollar bill. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/media/users/762/ta_ion_side.jpg" /> Figure 3: Side shot of the drive. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/media/users/762/ta_ion_back.jpg" /> Figure 4: The back of the drive with clip. As a heavy mobile user, I use my laptop at work, home, and on the road. Sadly, my laptop doesn't even have a floppy drive, let alone a CD or DVD burner (just a DVD drive). So what to do about backups? The ION fits very nicely into my laptop bag, and since you can power the unit via the included USB/PS2 cable, there's no need to carry a wall-wart around too. Using the ION as a backup drive also allows me to clear up some needed space on my laptop drive by transferring my mass quantities of Acid Pro loops to this external drive. Of course, there is a loss of speed (as my laptop is only USB 1.1 compatible), but we'll cover that later in the review. <PAGEBREAK> Plug-O-Rama <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/media/users/762/ta_ion_ports.jpg" /> Figure 5: Ports, plugs, and switches on the top of the drive. Mac users rejoice (and PC users too), the Combo ION drive not only has USB, but also Firewire connectivity. I did have a little trouble with the Firewire port on the review unit I received. After a few uses, the entire port section would shift backwards, and I would have to get a pair of pliers out to bring them back to flush. It would, thankfully, be something that would normally be covered by the standard 3 year warranty. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/media/users/762/ta_ion_power.jpg" /> Figure 6: The wall-wart and USB/PS2 power adapters. Furthering the portability of the ION (although you couldn't really tell from their marketing materials or manuals), is the inclusion of both a wall-wart and USB/PS2 power adapter. This means that you can leave the wall-wart plugged in, say, at home or work, and then travel with the USB/PS2 adapter to any other location. This also gives you the means to power the drive even when you are in a location that wouldn't normally provide power (say an airline). <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/media/users/762/ta_ion_data.jpg" /> Figure 7: The included six foot USB and Firewire cables. Of course, the fact that you need to use multiple cables does make cable management a bit of a mess (even with the included "cable bag" which can barely fit the USB cable let along much else). And if I didn't have a PS2 port on my laptop, I would be forced to use 2 USB ports to take advantage of 1 device. But the flexibility quickly outweighs the issue and I find myself less and less concerned with the cabling the more I use the ION. <PAGEBREAK> Tests and Trials <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/media/users/762/ta_ion_front.jpg" /> Figure 8: The Combo ION drive in all its shiny glory. While we could spout all sorts of technical data about transfer speeds vs the 4200 RPM drive based upon which connection you chose, I prefer some real world, old fashioned, let's-see-what-it-can-do tests. The read/write speed from my laptop was almost unbearable - but this wasn't due to the ION, but because my laptop only has USB 1.1. It took almost 2 minutes to write just 66Mb! The read test (using <a href="http://www.steelbytes.com/?mid=20">HD_Speed</a>) showed a peak of 800KB/s with an average of 758KB/s. Read/write speeds via USB 2.0 on my home computer were stellar. A little over 1GB of data to the device in under 2 minutes. The same read test as above peaked at 20Mb/s with the average at 19Mb/s. More than sufficient for most general tasks. <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/media/users/762/ta_ion_use.jpg" /> Figure 9: ION loaded and ready to act as a media drive for Acid Pro. On both machines I used the ION as a "media" drive, and attempted to use the drive exclusively for my Acid Pro libraries. From the PC side (USB 2.0), the delay was barely noticeable. On the laptop (USB 1.1), the load delay was much longer. I did notice a bit of noise from the drive (specifically head clatter), but only following when the drive was not in use. Otherwise the drive was extremely quiet. Conclusions Personally, I found the ION Combo drive to be perfect for my situation (namely backing up data on my laptop, but also for use with Acid Pro). Because drives (laptop and PC) are so cheap, I doubt I would use the ION as a replacement or add-on drive in the long term, but as a backup drive, the ION would stay as a regular in my travel pack. As for the cabling, while it is a little overwhelming to carry around, thankfully does allow you to use the drive in multiple locations with minimal fuss. A great drive with great potential, especially if the prices come down...