Performance and Storage – the OWC Mercury On-The-Go (500GB)
External storage devices are becoming more and more popular. With this, manufacturers are constantly attempting to make theirs better than those of their competitors. OWC has managed to do just this, offering one of the largest external storage devices around with the latest release of the Mercury On-The-Go (500GB).
Hitachis TravelStar 5k400 hard drive ensures that the Mercury On-The-Go 500GB, 5400RPM runs at optimal speeds, offering performance like no other. This unit has multiple connectivity ports: FireWire 400, FireWire 800, and a mini USB 2.0 port – all of which is available from the back end of the device. Read / write speeds are phenomenal, on this unit, and typically higher than that of its competitors. Users will notice this difference regardless of the connection type that they are using. There is; however, very little difference, in read / write performance, between the FireWire 800 and FireWire 400 ports.
If you have a camera, camcorder, or any plug-n-play device, that connects via USB 2.0 or FireWire, you now have the ability to connect these devices directly to the Mercury On-The-Go 500GB. There is no longer a need to transfer files to your PC and then to a backup drive, and you can even do this on the road.
The Mercury On-The-Go can by be used by just about anyone, as long as you have a computer with either an Apple or a Windows operating system. The device is delivered unformatted, giving you the ability to format the drive as you see fit. The one, and only, downfall to the formatting, is that you cannot format the drive as FAT32, meaning you will not be able to use the drive on both an Apple and Windows machine.
So, in the box you’ll get a carrying case, AC adapter, and the cables that you’ll need. Additionally, NovaStore NovaBackup, for Windows machines, and Prosoft Data Backup, for MACs, is also shipped with OWCs Mercury On-The-Go.
The unit, as mentioned, does come with an AC adapter, although you typically will not need to use it. The power provided through your computers’ USB and FireWire ports is typically sufficient for the external device. (Keep in mind this means a USB port of 2.0, not USB 1.1 ports.)
Unlike many other external storage devices, this unit is not flashy, with the exception of the one flashing blue light on the hard drive, which is visible through the transparent casing. This blue light is the one and only indicator, that you have, as to whether or not the unit is on and working.
This compact unit, while not as compact as others on the market, is around 5.5 inches x 3 inches x 1 inch. Regardless of the fact that this device is just a bit larger than others, the storage capacity, and performance, help consumers to overlook the size.
Due to the fact that all of you data is backed up, on one unit, OWC has implemented a 1-year warranty, on this device, on top of the 2-year warranty that Hitachi guaranteed on their TravelStar 5K500.
This unit typically runs for around $359.99, which is a little high for an external storage device. However, OWC counteracted the effect of a high sticker price, with the massive storage capacity and the excessively fast read / write performance. The Mercury On-The-Go is one of those units that is worth a couple extra dollars.