The Hitachi SimpleTough is exactly that; a simple, rugged solution for portable storage. Similar in concept to A-Data?s colourful SH93 rugged drive, this one is understated and features a soft grip casing that mimics the look of carbon fibre. The casing is large by portable drive standards, but not needlessly heavy. On top, you?ll just see an activity indicator and underneath is the USB cable which neatly stows away in a channel. Inside, Hitachi Local Backup software can help with automated backups of data on your PC, while 2 GB of free online backup space is provided too (Hitachi Ultimate Backup).
While it is water resistant, it isn?t water proof. Pull out the integrated USB cable and you?ll see the port for a power adapter (not supplied, and only required if the USB port can?t supply enough power) and a fairly large opening. This seems strange because Hitachi could have easily made the drive water proof as well (especially since the A-Data SH93 can be immersed in water without damage). As far as ruggedness goes, this device is a great performer. Knocks, bumps, grinds are all easy. You can also drop it from a few feet without any harm done. A big advantage is that you can just chuck it in your bag when you want to carry it around; no case required.
In performance testing, the drive delivered a consistent 30 MB/s read speed which is above average. Since the interface is the limiting factor, speeds will not increase if you connect it to a USB 3.0 port. A minor niggle is the attached USB cable; if it gives up, there?s no easy fix. With any other hard drive, you could just get a new mini USB cable and carry on. And the price is a bit on the high side too; at a market price of Rs 8,500 (for 500 GB), the SimpleTough is a fair bit more than a standard 500 GB Seagate or WD portable drive (which go for Rs 4,200).
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