The portable hard disk has been around for ages and it provides extra storage space for a huge number of users worldwide. If a long time ago some people actually struggled to remove their hard drives from their desktop computers in order to share various data with friends, nowadays this is pretty easy to achieve. You may use a flash drive, a portable hard drive or even a memory card. While most external hard drives are nice to have, they simply offer storage space and rarely if ever have any added features. This is obviously going to change as some manufacturers attempt to grab a wider percentage of the consumer market by bringing some added ‘benefits’ to portable hard drives
I-O Data has, for example, released a portable hard drive dubbed HDPN-U500/V which is also capable of video playback. On top of the regular USB port that’s used to transfer data, you’ll also notice this portable hard drive features a HDMI connector. As you may have guessed, the HDMI connector is a pretty unusual thing to spot on a portable hard drive, but it’s an appreciated addition.
Let me explain how it works. Users can copy video files onto the hard drive, from compatible camcorders through the USB port. The drive’s manufacturer mentions that the USB 2.0 port allows video copying straight from Sony Handycam, JVC Everio and Sanyo Xacti camcorders. Users can then make use of the HDMI port and connect the device to a TV set. They can then enjoy the stored video content directly on the big screen of their TV.
Aside from this extra feature, the device obviously does what any other portable hard drive does, it provides storage space. The total storage capacity available is 500Gb. This capacity as you can tell is about the size of the average oboard hard drive and should offer enough space for a huge number of movies and other content. The hard drive will work with both PC and Macs. ON top of that, it also sports a shock-resistant design. This means that even if you drop it, kick it or hit it by accident, it won’t become a useless piece of plastic and it will keep your data safe. Keep in mind that rough handling of any type of hard drive is still not recommended even if the hard drive should withstand the shock. This will save you from a lot of potential problems.
There is however one ‘minor’ inconvenience, at least for us people not living in Japan. The manufacturer is currently only shipping the portable hard drive to Japanese stores. It will be priced ¥15,330 (which is roughly $180) and it will start being available in stores at the end of September.
For the time being it’s unknown whether the hard drive will ship towards other parts of the world, but I bet people there would wait for it with open arms.The regular version (sans HDMI) of the hard drive is already available in multiple colors (including pink). Upon release, the HDPN-U500/V might also be available in several different colors.
