Review of OWC Mercury On the Go Portable Disk 99
I plugged it into my PowerBook using the included USB cable Since the device didn't immediately mount, I guessed I needed power too- I was disappointed, but not exactly surprised. Another dive into the box revealed a firewire and power cable. Oh, and a one page "Manual" and CD. Seconds later I was off and running.
The back of the the drive tells the story: 2 FireWire 800 ports, one USB 2.0 Port, a power switch, and a power plug. The case is transparent. Of course that means all you see is a boring old hard drive. I sorta wanted to just use it upside down- the bottom of a hard drive is more aesthetically interesting than the top.
The drive arrived Mac formatted, and shipped with a bunch of wacky stuff on it, including the old Ellen Feiss Apple ad, and a directory with a slew of high quality disk icons. I'll be honest- I'm obsessive about things like drive icons. I make sure that my iPod icon is the correct version of the iPod on my desktop, or when I mount my digital camera or PSP, the icons match the device. So while I'm sure the vast majority of users would simply blow away the folder, I find touches like this very nice.
The Mercury comes with a little carrying case too. Nothing to write home about really. The unit itself is quite small- almost exactly the same size as my Nintendo DS. Unfortunately the case must also carry the power supply which makes the whole thing much larger.
I've used a number of external storage devices, and performance was roughly as I would expect. Since it's an external drive, read/write performance is really more about cabling than anything else. It took 3:36 to copy 3 gigs of data over USB, and 2:24 to copy the same 3 gigs over FW800. The upside is that the FW800 cable provides power- I was able to mount the drive without use of extra power cables.
So without further ado, I present to you my executive summary:
- It looks nice. Nothing spectacular, just nice.
- USB2 is slower and requires an external power supply
- A good choice for FW800 support.
- $150 for the 40GB version up to $450 for the 160GB version.
My struggle with this drive is really the "Why"? It occupies an incredibly expensive niche between "Portable" and "Large".
If vast storage is what you need, with less portability, a 320GB external USB drive can be had for around $150-200. Less mobile to be sure, but twice the storage for just over a third the price. I've included a photo of the Mercury with a Gameboy DS and iPod just to give you a sense of the scale of the whole thing.
The Mercury On-the-go isn't going into your shirt pocket: especially if you are using the USB connection and lugging the external power adapter. If what you really crave portability, a 60GB iPod is way smaller, doesn't require an external power supply, and runs like $400.
On the other hand, if you need 100-160 gigs, and plan to use a FW800 cable, this is a reasonable, but pricey option. It does exactly what you would expect in an external hard drive. It's quick, easy, and simple. It just doesn't seem cost effective to me.
Wow.... an external harddrive (Score:4, Funny)
Review Review (Score:5, Funny)
Sentences = 38
Sentences per Paragraph = 2.9
Words per Sentence = 15.5
Characters per word = 4.3
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level = 8.3
Re:Ummm (Score:2)
Dude. Read the last 3 paragraphs. He's not exactly recommending you go buy this thing, just the opposite, he giving less pricy alternatives.
Re:Ummm (Score:2)
I doubt he read any of the paragraphs..
For those of you too lazy to read, the executive summary:
My struggle with this drive is really the "Why"? It occupies an incredibly expensive niche between "Portable" and "Large".
Taco's words, so he is hardly selling this thing.
Re:Ummm (Score:1)
Re:Ummm (Score:2)
I actually like to see product reviews, but this one's a pretty ho-hum item. and I can't see much to recommend it. I posted because I get kind of annoyed with the folks screaming "slashvertisement" everytime they see a product review.
I think Taco was just filling space here, not shilling anything.
If I wasn't an OWC fanboy (Score:2)
I think this is a not so subtle attempt to get manufacturers and vendors to send more loot "for review".
But I like OWC an awful lot, so I'll let this one slide.
Re:Ummm (Score:2)
Dude. Read the last 3 paragraphs. He's not exactly recommending you go buy this thing, just the opposite, he giving less pricy alternatives.
Well, there's a link to Other World Computing (the only link in the article). So while it may not be a great endorsement of this device, the article is CERTAINLY an advertisement for OWC.
Re:Ummm (Score:1)
Re:Ummm (Score:2)
um most people EXPECT to know where a reviewed item can be purchased.
That's funny. I don't see any links or ads for reviewed products in Consumer Reports. I also don't see any ads for where I can see a movie right in the middle of a movie review. The link to OWC is an advertisement. I'm not even saying there's something wrong with that, but if you don't see what it is, you're blind.
Re:Ummm (Score:2)
Since when is an acknowledgment attached to a rather negative review an advertisement?
Re:Ummm (Score:2)
Since when is an acknowledgment attached to a rather negative review an advertisement?
I guess since time began. OWC is a retailer, not a hardware producer.
Re:Ummm (Score:2)
OWC sells a line of OWC branded products, including the drive in question. I imagine that they do not manufacture the components of the products that they sell under their own brand name, but this is hardly unusual among hardware producers.
Screw That (Score:5, Insightful)
If you want a smaller drive just do as above but with a 2.5" laptop drive enclosure.
Laptop drives are nice (Score:2)
The USB Y-cable is necessary... (Score:5, Informative)
With a Y-cable you will never need an external power supply, which is very handy and the key difference between a 2.5" and a 3.5" drive - far less to lug around.
Of course the point is moot if you are using Firewire which provides enough power for any laptop drive.
Re:The USB Y-cable is necessary... (Score:2)
I'm not sure that really exists (Score:2)
Re:The USB Y-cable is necessary... (Score:2)
Firewire, on the other hand, generally is not a problem.
Re:Screw That (Score:3, Interesting)
You can buy these as just enclosures, for $59--and that's why they are popular. It's very fast to swap 2.5" laptop drives in and out of them. I have two myself.
Re:Screw That (Score:2)
More uses for 2.5" USB enclosures (Score:2)
So for me, an enclosure that comes
Re:Screw That (Score:4, Informative)
Where are you buying these for $15? I'm paying $17 just for a decent drive sled at NewEgg and the decent enclosures are in the neighborhood of $35 there.
Re:Screw That (Score:2)
Re:Screw That (Score:2)
The maximum Firewire power for a 15" G4 PowerBook, for example, is 7W (12.8V @ 546mA). The idle spinning drain for a typical 3.5" hard drive is on the order of 9W, with startup power requirements that can exceed 35W. That's more than half the maximum output of
Re:Screw That (Score:2)
The smaller drive enclosure plus the small size drives are a lot more expensive, and this one seems to be that way. This seems to be niche, I don't think there is a point to FW800 in a 2.5" enclosure, I don't think even the 7200RPM laptop drives can get a worthwhile benefit from FW800.
Re:wow (Score:3, Funny)
That is more information than I need to know. I won't even ask which port you used.
Re:wow (Score:1, Offtopic)
www.zonelabs.com, kids.
Re:wow (Score:1)
That is more information than I need to know. I won't even ask which port you used.
teh funne?teh funne?
teh funne is absent
My version of on-the-go data (Score:2, Insightful)
I see no purpose in my life for huge files anymore -- most everything I do is web oriented. Rather than spend $450 for a gigantic drive, that $450 pays for almost 2 years of service which is always getting faster.
Do other people see the time preference and money savings in slimming
Re:My version of on-the-go data (Score:2)
You've discovered some amazing new way to compress porn?
Re:My version of on-the-go data (Score:5, Insightful)
One of the benefits of having a gorgeous lady of the house is the lack of need for porn
On the other hand, I have heard from many married men that the absolute opposite is true, but I have my own opinions why that's the case.
Re:My version of on-the-go data (Score:2)
You weren't asking, but my advice to you is to keep shacking up with your broad, but don't marry her. =) And you can tell her a slashdotter told you so.
Re:My version of on-the-go data (Score:2)
Re:My version of on-the-go data (Score:2)
Re:My version of on-the-go data (Score:2)
Since I carry my laptop practically everywhere I go, I can dump
Re:My version of on-the-go data (Score:2)
I've got a 1 year old 5" enclosure, so I can fit just about anything I want into the thing. It consistently transfers about 38MB
Zing (Score:3, Funny)
Not to sound like an asshole (Score:2, Insightful)
Why not just buy an external IDE enclosure? Do it yourself, that way you can change the HD and upgrade it later (if you need extra space).
Re:Not to sound like an asshole (Score:2)
That is exactly what Taco said.
Overpriced
very small niche market
just go out and get a bigger cheaper drive unless you need exactly this setup.
I can understand people who dont RTFA when you have to link to an external site, but the review is right underneath the summary. Gimme a break.
Re:Not to sound like an asshole (Score:2)
Re:Not to sound like an asshole (Score:2)
that was one of the first things taco said.
he said they'll review anything they get given. Its good pr for them to do so. It keeps people sending them their products when they review everything, even if its not the coolest shit ever.
So this drive is not exactly what you'd want to pay $500 bucks for, so what?
By reviewing it, taco is guaranteeing that other gear will be reviewed in the future, cause lets face it, they're not gonna go buy all this stuff themselves.
Just cause you want to be a negative
Re:Not to sound like an asshole (Score:2)
use it replacement for existing internal HD (Score:1)
The 100 GB in my 17' PB was full so rather than buy a naked 160GB, I bought the 160GB FW800 cased version. I removed it from the casing, took out the 100GB inside the PB, replaced it with the 160B, and put the 100GB back in casing.
I now have a nice backup 100GB hard drive that I can travel with and even boot off of without needing a power supply. Otherwise, I can keep it at home and attach it to my serve
Portable HD = No power cube (Score:5, Interesting)
This is not news except for Firewire 800 connectivity. And Firewire 800 seems to be such a niche, I doubt it will ever really catch on.
Re:Portable HD = No power cube (Score:2)
I have this drive--it doesn't need a power brick if you adjust the on switch on the back to the setting where it gets the power over the bus. I use variations of this drive design on FW400 and FW800 all the time.
500 milliamps (Score:2)
Re:500 milliamps (Score:2)
* 5.0W at startup
* 2.3W during seek
* 2.1W reading/writing
* 1.0W Idle
* 0.2W Standby
Except for startup, that's all under 5v *
NxUSB to get around 500ma problem (Score:2)
Re:500 milliamps (Score:2)
Re:500 milliamps (Score:1)
Here's a bigger, yet cheaper WD External 250Gb (Score:4, Informative)
A bigger, yet cheaper option for anyone that is willing to do a mail-in rebate and doesn't need to put it in their pocket.
Re:Here's a bigger, yet cheaper WD External 250Gb (Score:1)
Beats the $hit out of G-Tech (Score:5, Informative)
The G-Drive may look cooler with its "Rugged Aluminum Enclosure" and leather carrying case, but the OWC has FW800+USB2.0 and the G-Tech only has FW400+USB2.0. I wasn't able to find cache sizes, but I'm willing to bet G-Tech only has 8MB available. Here are some prices comparisons I put together (correct me if I made a mistake):
40GB(5400)
Pretty damn good if you ask me!
--
"Man Bites Dog
Then Bites Self"
Re:Beats the $hit out of G-Tech (Score:2)
Seems to be pretty obvious to me (at least if you don't have firewire 800, and you don't care exactly how small the drive is).
Mr. Taco, (Score:2, Informative)
Now, if the drive did something else cool, say was a combination drive/electric shaver, IMHO, we would start drooling over something like this. However, run-of-the-mill junk like this is something that could just as ea
OWC, a great company (Score:4, Informative)
Pimpin' ain't easy (Score:2)
I second your opinion. I've been buying stuff from OWC for maybe six years, and I've always been happy with both the products and the service. I have two of the "On-the-go" drives (FW 400s), and they've performed as expected and have even saved my ass at least once. I can't speak to USB or FW 800 versions, but the FW 400s use bus power without problem. These are great external drives if you use a laptop, and don't want to carry around a large external and a power brick.
They also have a m
power (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:power (Score:1)
Having said that, it is still an ex$pensive drive--the larger OWC drives are a much better deal, and bulletproop to boot.
An next, (Score:1)
Re:An next, (Score:1)
Why no power over USB 2? (Score:2)
Yes these drives are pricey, but... (Score:1)
Well, I am not sure that FW/800 makes such a difference, but I own two of the FW/400 models, use them all the time and have found them an absolute pleasure to work with!
You can also buy the enclosure separately and put whatever drive strikes your fancy in there; regarding the price, it is really a tradeoff for the convenience, and when working with
eSATA for speed. (Score:1)
If all you cared about was speed, you'd go eSATA2 [asrock.com] instead of USB or firewire, right? This product seems way expensive for a solution that doesn't even offer an eSATA- or LAN-connection
Re:eSATA for speed. (Score:1)
A full day's photoshoot would exceed the capacity of the digital camera's media
card (remember, it's about $60/gigabyte for compactFlash, having dozens of
cards is not a great option). But even the raw mode (uncompressed) will fit easily
onto a suitable disk.
You need a good laptop screen to preview the shots anyhow (before the model
changes her dress, you need to KNOW that there's a good image), so you
plug in the outboard drive (get three, th
Patience. (Score:1)
> If there were good eSATA laptops, it'd be a contender. But, there aren't.
Just a matter of time [reghardware.co.uk]. "tick, tock"
It must be bootable (Score:1)
It doesn't care. Really. (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Sometimes it does care. Really. (Score:2)
Uh, no. Some drives actually do care about mounting orientation. It varies on a drive-by-drive basis. You need to look carefully at the spec sheet to see which orientations are acceptable.
All drives will run "right side up" (usually with the circuit board facing downward). Nearly all drives will also run mounted vertically (on either long edge). There are a few drives that expressly discourage running upside down. Nearly all drives discour
Is this a commercial? (Score:2)
Re:Is this a commercial? (Score:1)
This review has actually missed the point. If all you need is storage then this drive is both unnecessary and over-priced, as you can buy a 250GB dual Firewire 800 and USB2 drive for under $200 US. If you need reliable portable backup you can boot from while on the road then this drive could be
Re:Is this a commercial? (Score:2)
USB-powered isn't a big deal either. You're right, most drives aren't USB-powered. But many are, including this puppy [thinkgeek.com] which I just bought from Slashdot's sister site, ironically enough.
Daisy-chaining is nice, but not worth paying
Re:Is this a commercial? (Score:1)
You can't boot from USB without major tweaking of the firmware.
Here's a better solution (Score:2, Insightful)
I carry one in my laptop bag, and it constantly comes in handy. As far as FW800 goes, why would this be useful for a run of the mill 2.5 IDE drive? Thay can only tr
Roll your own? (Score:3, Insightful)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N8
$18.99
Or if you really, really want firewire:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N8
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N8
How about a 160GB for $329
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N8
Or a 7200RPM 80GB for $145?
So ask yourself - Is a clear case and a Firewire 800 interface really worth the extra $100?
Re:Roll your own? (Score:2)
Really? Which ones have you verified to work on a Mac laptop? The only one that I know of that will work off the USB bus of a Mac is the iPod.
Re:Roll your own? (Score:1)
I don't remember what make it is, bu
Spin up/down? (Score:1)
What I'd really like to know is this: Are there any USB enclosures that support the SCSI spin up/down [google.com] commands?
Everything I've tried so far doesn't, and forcing the drive to do an emergency head park every time you unplug it (or power down the computer it's attached to) can't be good.
Gameboy DS? (Score:1)
Sorry, useless gadget. (Score:1)
I don't like the idea of relying on an iPod or s