Iomega eGo Camo portable hard drive (250GB review: Iomega eGo Camo portable hard drive (250GB

The $149 250GB Iomega eGo Camo external hard drive is built extra tough to withstand the rigors of transportation and daily use. The ruggedized styling, low cost, and average transfer speeds make this an ideal choice for someone that tends to plays rough with their electronics. Once Iomega adds an external power cable and a FireWire port, we'd be happy to give it an Editors' Choice award.

8.0

Iomega eGo Camo portable hard drive (250GB

The Good

Durable, ruggedized exterior can take a five foot drop; fast transfer speeds; large capacity for affordable price.

The Bad

Lacks FireWire port, power cord not included.

The Bottom Line

The eGo Camo portable hard drive is Iomega's first attempt at a "ruggedized" drive--it can withstand a beating thanks to its Power Grip band. Despite it lacking a few accessories, you'll be satisfied with its competitive price and quick transfer speeds.

Design and Features
Iomega's camo version of the eGo takes a ruggedized twist on their line of portable hard drives. Two things set this model apart form the rest of the series: a woodland camo finish and a black Power Grip band that protects the drive against vertical drops and other kinds of shock. Other eGos can handle a drop of up to 51 inches, but the removable Power Grip band adds an extra nine inches of durability, boosting the total drop height up to an impressive five feet. We put this claim to the test and dropped the eGo Camo several times from various heights and it continued to function properly without any noticeable clicking or delay in read or write speeds. While we don't recommend that you throw the drive across the room, we're sure that this can take a beating or two.

The top of the drive has a USB 2.0 port that's bus-powered, so you won't need any extra cables to power the drive, but in the small chance that your laptop needs the extra juice, the eGo has a port to accommodate an external power brick. We're disappointed that Iomega doesn't include a power supply in the box; instead, they offer one for $20 on their Web site.

Cost per gigabyte
The Iomega eGo Camo is one of the best values we've seen in the past six months. At $0.57 per gigabyte, it barely beats the Western Digital My Passport Studio, the former deal to beat at $0.56 per gigabyte. In a strict cost value standpoint, the eGo Camo is more than worth the price.

Performance
We're a little surprised at this eGo's speed test results. After testing its leather sibling, we expected it to read and write at a similar speed, but it actually performed very well, reading at 19.47 megabytes per second and writing at 19.5 megabytes per second. It came in at a close second to the G-Tech G-Drive mini triple, another USB 2.0 hard drive with a disk that actually spins at 7,200rpm. Since the eGo tops off at 5,400rpm, you can consider it the fastest in its category.

Performance tests (in megabits per second)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Read

Write

G-Tech G-Drive mini Triple (USB 2.0)

162.96 

146.96 

Iomega eGo Camo (USB 2.0)

155.76 

156 

Western Digital My Passport Studio (USB 2.0)

153.44 

149.2 

SimpleTech Signature Mini (USB 2.0)

154.56 

147.36 

Iomega eGo Leather (USB 2.0)

148.8 

142.8 

Maxtor Black Armor (USB 2.0)

139.2 

138.96 

Service and Support
Iomega backs the entire eGo hard drive series with a one-year limited warranty that covers defective products and damage at the manufacturer's discretion. Iomega will also replace your hard drive or refund you the full retail price if they're unable to fix the problem. Additional troubleshooting and support items including the Iomega user-to-user support forums are available on the Iomega Web site.