Faster Internet connections, MP3 players and digital cameras help fill hard drives faster then ever before. When upgrading an internal drive is impossible or too complicated, external solutions save the digital day. An external hard drive is also a perfect back up solution. IOGEAR’s Combo ION Drive is portable and has Firewire and USB2.0/1.1 interfaces. The device offers similar performance to an internal hard drive, with the added bonus of portability.

This review is based on the 40GB COMBO 1.8" ION Drive (Model # GHD118C40) that uses a hard drive similar to the ones used in Apple's iPod. The ION is about the same size as an iPod drive but weighs a bit less. It has a solid feeling brushed aluminum enclosure that would benefit from a slightly more impact resistant material on the sides instead of hard plastic. With Firewire and USB2.0/1.1, the ION can be connected to any current computer. Users be warned though, using it with the USB 1.1 port is painfully slow.

A 4 to 6-pin Firewire cable and a type mini-B to A USB 2.0 cable are included with the drive, along with the power adapter. Installation is easy and the ION works perfectly. The drive pops up immediately and you are ready to go. It has a 2MB cache and spins at 4200rpm, so this drive won't win any speed contests but the performance is decent for its intended purpose. Copying a 1GB file took about 72 seconds which is about 15MB/s. Writing multiple smaller files are just as fast and so are overall read speeds. You can manage backing up your files with an included copy of Dantz Retrospect Express. The drive also has a 1-year limited warranty.

A major disappointment is the use of non bus-powered ports, so you must use an AC adapter at all times. This precludes using it in any space that doesn’t have an accessible outlet. That is not exactly my idea of ultra portable. I’d rather pay more or use a larger drive for complete portability. IOGEAR dropped the ball on this one in my opinion, because true portability means you can leave your walls at home.

Consequently, the ION is flawed as a true portable solution. As a semi-mobile storage solution, it is mediocre at best. There are bigger and faster external drives that are marginally larger in size that cost about the same as the ION. If this drive had bus-power it would be marvelous, but for now I'll skip it and shop elsewhere.

Edited by Ilene Hoffman, Reviews Editor