LaCie And Western Digital Bring You Stylish and Sturdy Storage On the Go

3. Western Digital Passport 40 GB WDXML400UE

Western Digital uses its Scorpio hard drive for its Passport portable unit, which runs at a fast 5,400 RPM but features only 2 MB of cache. This seems to be a smart choice, since the higher rotation speed guarantees greater minimum transfer rates. The Scorpio is available in 40, 60 and 80 GB versions, which is the reason the Passport is offered with these capacities as well.

When we last reviewed 2.5" drives, WD's Scorpio proved to be a serious competitor for companies that are more established in the mobile drive market. Although the Passport has only USB 2.0 and not the faster Firewire interface, its transfer rates are more favorable than the LaCie's due to the higher-speed hard drive it employs. We measured a minimum of 13 MB/s with the LaCie drive, while the WD Passport manages to sustain at least 18 MB/s. When comparing write transfer performance, WD is slightly better again.

The bottom and sides of Passport are covered with rubber, so it won't slide out of your hand or fall off the desk by accident. WD also emphasizes the fact that the case is shock absorbing. All the interfaces are also covered with a piece of rubber, which provides dust protection and makes the Passport water-resistant too. The WD drive is bus-powered, so all you need is a USB 2.0 interface.