3. Archos Arcdisk 4 GB: Proven Technology Smartly Packaged, Continued

As well as a carrying strap, the blister packaging comes with a 3' (90 cm) USB extension cable and a multilingual user guide.

The only accessory is a 3' USB cable.

Arcdisk with carrying strap

Removing the top cover of the case reveals Hitachi's tried-and-true technology, in the shape of a 4 GB Microdrive. In Archos' case, the HMS360404D5CF00 model is used. It has a 1" platter spinning at 3600 RPM. The Hitachi drives' temporary memory storage, at 128 kB, is a far cry away from current 2.5" notebook hard drives, which sport caches of up to 16 MB.

Removing the Microdrive uncovers a small board with a USB 2.0 ATA/ATAPI bridge (CY7C68300A) and the USB socket.

The Microdrive is connected to the PC via the USB/ATA bridge.

Because the drive is powered through the USB port, you don't need an extra plug.