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| May 5 - May 12 |
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 by Alessandro CancianInformation in the palm of your hand, or, summarizing, one of the latest products by VST Technology: the Ultra-Slim FireWire Hard Drive. Capacity, simplicity and mobility are the winning edges of the external storage devices of the future. FireWire represents, from this point of view, one of the most convincing answers to those needs. Designed as the ideal interface for high-speed ports, FireWire is becoming the de facto standard in devices such as HDs, scanners, Digital CamCorders and even VCRs, not to forget the Playstation 2 console. The times when connecting an HD meant knowing the difference between master and slave, or which number in the SCSI chain to assign, are remote; nowadays, thanks also to VST, everything is simpler. One of VSTs latest jewels is a series of Ultra-Slim HDs. the model I tested was the 6 Gb version. Installing it was a breeze (of course this requires a computer equipped with a FireWire bus; in my case I used a spanking new Apple G4): I merely had to install the software from the CD-ROM, connect the FireWire cable, restart the machine and the new disks icon appeared on my desktop. No trick, no gimmick. Disconnecting and reconnecting the HD did not always produce the desired results, and at times I had to repeat the operation more than once. The situation improved markedly after a software update. I will admit to enjoying myself, especially when I tried and disconnected the HD while a Quicktime movie was running. Reconnecting the HD meant for the computer restarting the movie from the exact point of interruption: definitely cool! The Ultra-Slim HD represents a perfectly suitable solution for those who need mobility. Quite compact and lightweight, the HD is, in fact, slightly larger than a cigarette pack. The VST product is a perfect choice for people needing to move data from office to home and vice versa, or for laptop owners who want something more than a simple ZIP. In terms of performance, the Ultra-Slim HD does not stand out for its speed, especially when compared to other external HDs. Those of you who look for higher performance would be better advised to keep looking, although in most cases youll have to give up the negligible encumbrance of the Ultra-Slim HD in favour of heavier and less handy devices. The VST product can be optionally equipped with its own power supply, when the HD cannot be fed by the computer through the FireWire bus. Available in three versions, (6, 14 and 27 Gb respectively), the VST Ultra-Slim HD is a product to consider with interest when mobility is a concern. Although overall performance is not at the highest levels, it remains more than acceptable. The price for the Canadian market is about $619, a trifle high in my opinion, especially in comparison with the current price of many computers. For further information you can visit the site www.vsttech.com. |
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