Review: Freecom ToughDrive XXS removable storage

If you want to carry up to 2Gb of data around with you, you’ll probably buy a flash drive.

For larger amounts, say 20Gb and above, there are pocket hard drives, although you'll need big pockets.

In between, there’s an elite group, now joined by Freecom’s tiny ToughDrive XXS.
This rugged external hard drive is based on a 1in device, like the digital photographers’ favourite MicroDrive.

The ToughDrive, has a short integrated USB 2 lead, which folds round the end of the drive and clips in, so it’s not left hanging. It has a blue LED fitted to it, which flashes to show drive activity, and a USB extension cable is included with the drive.

When you plug the drive in, Windows recognises it immediately, allowing files to be transferred to and from it without any software installation.

There’s a useful application provided, though, which can automatically compress and encrypt data, so you can get more onto the drive and keep it secure.

We used a couple of different file-transfer tests to check how quick the drive was. Each test file was 1Gb; one consisted of a single file and the other a mixture of files from 1K to 500Mb.

The single file copied to the drive in just over two and a quarter minutes, while the mixed files took nearly three. While these times were good for a drive of this size and capacity, it’s not as quick as you might think from the Freecom specs.

The spec sheet mentions the data transfer rate of USB 2, which is 60Mb/s, but our results gave a best speed of just over 8Mb/s.

Freecom claims the ToughDrive can withstand a 2m drop onto a flat surface, which, unless you're Peter Crouch, is higher than even a top shirt pocket. It does this by suspending the drive in an internal anti-shock frame and casing it in silicon rubber.

At its asking price of just over £70, it compares well with its main rivals from Seagate and iMation, and it's certainly a lot cheaper than buying three, 2Gb flash drives.

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