Best Portable Hard Drives Of 2011

External hard drives are a must for backing up computer data.  And for most users, the best portable hard drives work just as well as their desktop cousins, with the added versatility of travel-readiness.  Storage capacity is important, but it’s definitely not the only factor to consider.  Here are a couple of the other criteria we looked at for our “Best Of” list:

Speed: Drives that manage a disk speed of at least 5,400rpm with an 8MB buffer give faster performance.  When it comes to transfer rates, high-speed connections like Firewire 800 are great – but the tried-and-true USB 2.0 is universally available, and in truth, it works fine for most users.

Reliability & Durability:  The most feature-rich drive is useless if you can’t get at what’s stored inside, so a portable drive needs to be able to stand up to the realities of day-to-day use and travel.

Convenience & Value:  Well-designed drives are user-friendly, easily portable, and let you get the job done with a minimum of fuss and expense.

Western Digital 1TB Elements SE Portable Hard Drive

Western Digital 1TB Elements SE Portable Hard Drive

A terrabyte for under 100 bucks?  Who would’ve thunk it.  But here we are, and Western Digital offers simple and straightforward performance as well as space in the Elements SE.  Simple plug-and-play design with power via its USB 2.0 connection means no separate power cord is needed (a bonus for travel), and the Western Digital still manages data transfer speeds up to 480 MB/sec.  The drive is formatted for Windows 7/XP/Vista, but can also be reformatted for Mac users.

The simplicity of the Elements SE is one of the factors that earned it 4.8 out of 5 stars on Dell’s website, and 4 out of 5 on Amazon (from 76 reviewers).  Users love the lack of complicated “bloatware” and the sheer volume of storage space.  Its tiny footprint is also a hit for those who need to take it on the road (it measures just 4.4″x3″).  All in all, the Western Digital is a great choice for those who simply don’t need (or want) a myriad of software bells and hardware whistles.

The Western Digital 1TB Elements SE Portable Hard Drive is available for $99.99 at Amazon.

Iomega eGo Helium 500GB Portable Hard Drive

Iomega eGo Helium 500GB Portable Hard Drive

The Iomega eGo Helium has actually been out for a little while now, but when 500GB is enough space it’s still one of our favorites.  It’s super thin and light (0.7″ thick and weighs under 6 ounces), and Iomega’s “Drop Guard” design protects it from falls up to 51 inches.  A USB 2.0 port provides power as well as data connection, and although the Helium is designed for Mac users, it includes instructions for Windows reformatting.

The Iomega eGo Helium earned 4.3 out of 5 stars at Amazon thanks to its reliability and sleek, durable design.  Reviewers at the Apple Store gave it 4.5/5, praising its dependable performance as well as quiet operation.  Disk speed is a respectable 5,400 rpm, and a couple users gratefully vouched for the durability of the Iomega drives when they were accidentally dropped.

As of this writing, the best price we found was ordering directly from Iomega, where the eGo Helium 500GB drive is on sale for $69.99.

Toshiba Canvio 1TB Portable Hard Drive

Toshiba Canvio 1TB Portable Hard Drive

The Toshiba Canvio is a 1TB, bus-powered USB 2.0 drive that protects its contents with an internal shock sensor and a rubberized casing.  Disk performance is solid with a 5,400 rpm spindle speed and 8MB buffer, and users like the Canvio’s slim 4.7″x3″ design and quiet performance.

The Toshiba Canvio is available in either Mac or Windows versions.  Either one can be reformatted to change operating systems, but it’s worth noting that Amazon reviewers gave the Mac version a perfect 5 out of 5 stars, while the Windows edition only scored 4/5 due to a few complaints about reliability and hassles with the included software.  B&H users had no complaints about the Windows Canvio though, and it received perfect scores from nearly 30 reviewers.

The Windows version of the Toshiba Canvio is available from B&H for $109.95, while the Mac version goes for $128.14 at Amazon.

ioSafe Rugged 512GB Portable Hard Drive (Titanium Case)

ioSafe Rugged 512GB Portable Hard Drive (Titanium Case)

Ever need to back up some files in the middle of a Michael Bay action movie?  No problem.  So if your portable hard drive takes a shotgun blast which knocks it into a raging fire, then it plummets 20 feet and bounces into the deep end of a swimming pool where it soaks for three days, then gets run over by a 5,000-pound truck, your vacation photos and expense spreadsheets should be fine.  No joke – these are all things that the ioSafe Rugged Titanium has survived in testing.

Oh yeah, this solid-state drive also connects to your computer to save files and stuff.  It was just released last month, so first-hand reviews are hard to come by.  But ioSafe has earned a stellar reputation with some of its earlier external drives, and the Rugged Portable has some impressive specs that earned it a “Best of 2011 CES” award from CNET:  USB 2.0/3.0/Firewire 800 connections that allow data transfer speeds up to 5Gb per second, plus both Windows and Mac compatibility.  And as a bonus, ioSafe offers users $5,000 for data recovery if one of their drives suffers some real abuse.

This kind of durability doesn’t come cheap:  other more modest versions are available with less capacity and an aluminum case instead of titanium, but this top-end version of the ioSafe Rugged goes for $3,499.

Kenya Hara wrote the book “Designing Design“, which is 472 page tribute to “white” not just as color but as a design concept. It contains chapters by like-minded designers such as Jasper Morrison and Naota Fukasawa.

The works of German industrial designer Dieter Rams (Braun), and Apple’s “Snow White” design language are other examples of the “less is more” approach to design.

For Kenya Hara, white represents emptiness. It entails abstract concepts like absence and absolute zero. For me, going further back, it brings to mind the spare aesthetic of zen.

Hara was also art director Hara is art director of the unique Japanese retailer Muji. Their focus is on design minimalism, avoidance of waste, and a no-logo or “no-brand” policy. I like the Muji concept of producing spare, useful products, where the design itself becomes transparent.

Muji product rate quite high on the meta-efficiency scale.

There are several New York Muji stores open now. But there’s also a company in U.S. with a similar design language called DBA. This company also sells household goods, but their focus is not only on design simplicity, but also on green techniques such as efficient construction, intelligent packaging and the use of responsible materials. Additionally, all their products are produced in the U.S. using wind power.

It’s great to see a real company synthesizing pared down design with effective green design.

Here are some DBA products:

The DBA pen is 98% biodegradable: it’s made potato starch, and contains non-toxic ink.

The DBA Extension Cord — which is “100% PVC free and has been developed to release no toxic substances in its production, use or disposal”. The recycled polypropylene spool allows 20 feet of cord fits inside the flat disc.

This is the DBA dish rack — it has a flexible mesh which connects the posts, allowing the structure to be twisted open and rinsed. Both the main body and the tray are recycled polypropylene.

Link: DBA

Bloggers are drafting up their top 10 list posts and techies are e-organizing their hard drives for the new year. But if you’re old school — or have a boss who forces you to stick to ink-and-paper ways, here are some efficient 3-ring binders to help you catalog and file away 2008.

I stuck to binders with 30%+ post-consumer recycled content, and used 1″-ring binders as the price guide. Most of these binders are available in many different sizes:

Sustainable Group’s ReBinders

Pick from the original Rebinder (at least 35% post-consumer recycled content cardboard) or the tougher Greenback Rebinder (85% post-consumer recycled content chipboard). Both are assembled in Seattle by Northwest Center, which provides job services to disabled and disadvantaged people. Plus, if you manage to destroy your binder cover somehow, you can recycle the remains then replace them with new covers, simply by detaching and reattaching the 3-ring steel part by following the directions on Sustainable Group’s site. Find Rebinders at Whole Foods marketed under the New Leaf label, or buy them in bulk online for as little as $3.95 per 1″-ring binder.

Circuit Board Binders

Made of old computer circuit boards, these binders would make great gifts for your coder friend. Get them for a pricy $28 each at Green Earth Office Supply — or make your own by following the directions on Instructables.

Naked Binder

The stylish, acid-free Naked Binder has a board cover made with 97% post-consumer waste from Connecticut. Assembled in the U.S., the binders also come in spine-wrapped or all-wrapped versions (wraps are made of cotton). The company boasts that the binders are 100%-recyclable — though most consumers would be hard pressed to find a recycler for minute amounts of scrap cotton or steel rings. Still, the binders should efficiently last a while, since they’ve been tested up to 50,000 flexes. Each binder costs at least $8 a pop at Naked Binder.

Vuncana Recycled Rubber Binders

Made from 100% post-consumer recycled rubber, Vulcana binders come with an inner side flap and business card holder. But priced at $36.50 a pop at Vulcana, this binder’s way out of my price range.

TerraCycle Eco-Binders

TerraCycle Eco-Binders boast at least 75% post-consumer recycled content for its paper cover. Plus, the steel rings are made of 80% recycled material. The cover’s extremely hard and durable, but if you manage to damage it somehow, you can send it to TerraCycle for repurposing. Find 1″-ring binders at your nearest OfficeMax for $3.99.

EarthBinder

The EarthBinder’s made with 96%+ post-consumer recycled chipboard in Omaha, Nebraska. You gotta buy them in bulk though; a set of 10 1″-ring binders will cost you $4.11 per binder.

Universal Eco-Friendly Round Ring Natural Kraft Binders

Made with 62% post-consumer recycled content, these Universal Binders are widely available for as little as $2.17 a pop.

Aurora Products Elements Eco-Friendly Round Ring Binder

Aurora Binders boast 70% post-consumer recycled content. However, because the paperboard’s covered with polypropylene, recycling the end product seems a difficult task for the consumer, to say the least. These binders are available widely; 1″-ring binders cost $3.99 at The Green Office.

The Green Office’s 100% Recycled Binders

Eco-office supplies company The Green Office has its own line of binders, made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper. The company claims that the eco-binders’ spine “extends the lifetime of this binder by over three times that of conventional square back binders” — but I haven’t tested out that claim myself. Get them for $5.99 and up each at The Green Office.

Optimal gift wrapping comes from renewable sources and does not contain toxic substances. Virgin forest fiber, bleach and heavy-metal inks need not be a part of gift giving. What are some of the better choices? One of the more optimal ways to wrap gifts is Furoshiki, a traditional Japanese technique of wrapping gifts using cloth. The appeal of this form of wrapping is that the cloth is reused for other purposes, see our previous post for more information on this optimal technique.

Another optimal way to wrap gift is by using tree-free or recycled paper. One company,  Paporganics, makes a range of Hemp Wrap designs, which are printed with vegetable-based inks on sheets of hemp blend paper. The long fibers of hemp and flax add strength to the shorter recycled fibers. They even sell natural wrapping ribbon which is constructed with a water-based adhesive and colored with soy-based ink. The gift wrap is priced at $4.99 for 2 sheets per package (24″ x 36″).

Another type of optimal green wrapping paper is biodegradable Seed Gift Wrap. These handmade paper rolls are embedded with annual and perennial wildflower seeds. So you can plant the wrapping paper when you are done with it. Seeds include catchfly, english snapdragon, cornpoppy, black eyed susan. It’s made in Colorado. The price is $20 for 3 sheets (24″ L x 40″ W).

Another company that makes recycled gift wrap is Fish Lip Paper Designs. Their holiday gift wrap papers are designed and printed in the USA on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with soy-based inks. The price is $4 for individual 22″ x 33.75″ sheets (with a minimum order of $20). Also available from Green Field Paper (no minimum purchase).

What about gift bags? World of Good carries handmade gift bags that are constructed by family-trained artisans in Sanganer, Rajasthan, these gift bags are made of wood-free paper and recycled cotton waste. The only non-optimal aspect of these bags is fact that they are imported from India (the energy involved in transportation). They cost about $5 each.

What about the tape you use to stick you optimal gift wrap together? One optimal alternative is to use cellulose tape, which is a transparent adhesive tape that happens to be biodegradable too. It is difficult to find, especially in the US. Almost all transparent tape sold here is made of acetate. One store, Green Earth Office does offer it. Brands such as Sellotape are available in the UK. Sellotape is made from wood pulp that comes from suppliers with extensive reforestation programs.

We hope this survey will help make your gift wrapping more optimal. Happy holidays.

Renourish is guide for graphic designer to help them practice their craft using greener techniques. The web site, created by Eric Benson, offers many green tips and pointers to green resources (which can be otherwise quite difficult to track down). Great reference.

Inka: A Waterproof Keychain-Sized Pen

The Inka Pen attaches to a keyring and has a lightweight, stainless steel design. Using a pressurized ink cartridge, it writes at any angle, temperature, altitude and even underwater. The pen is made in the U.S. and has a lifetime warranty. Available from Amazon for $11.

A Picopad consists of 15 sticky notes and one tiny pen, that are designed to fit into the credit card slot of your wallet. The pads themselves are made from a cardboard-like material and come in a variety of colors. They feature two small push-out tabs to make it easier for you to pull it out of your wallet. There’s one on the long side, and one on the short side, making it possible to use with top and side loading wallets. See more details in this review by OhGizmo! or on the Picopad home page. They are priced at $3.99 each.

These classy journals are made from 100% post-consumer fibre. They have a perpetual calendar printed on the inside fold-out front cover. The journals measure 6” X 9″ and are filled with 200 pages of 24 lb. cream coloured paper which is processed without chlorine bleach. Availalbe for $14.55 from Grass Roots.

Found via Great Green Goods.

Cellulose Tape is metaefficient because it is completely biodegradable. It is difficult to find, especially in the US. Almost all transparent tape sold here is made of acetate. One store, Green Earth Office does offer it.

Brands such as Sellotape are available in the UK. Sellotape is made from wood pulp that comes from suppliers with extensive reforestation programs.

Sellotape describes their eco-friendly tape making process:

The pulp is made using a process, which is elemental chlorine free and does not harm the environment. At the Sellotape factory, the hot melt coating technology we employ minimises the use of solvents. Any solvents that are used are processed through our Thermal Oxidiser and recycled with the resultant heat being used in our drying ovens.

More information: Sellotape

It’s a design update on a common household object. The TAK Pushpin has two pins, an oversized head and a channel in the middle.

The double pins add strength and stability while preventing paper from swiveling, and the horseshoe shaped channel allows users to organize wire and hang up holiday lights. Packs of six are available for about $5.