Lenovo ThinkPad USB Secure Hard Drive (320 GB) – Excellent for business consumers

Wednesday, December 17, 2008, 5:14
Gadgets
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Lenovo has launched Lenovo ThinkPad USB Secure Hard Drive with a storage capacity of 320 GB. It is an external hard drive that takes a touch based approach to security. A passcode, in the built-in keypad, is supposed to be entered by the users in order to access the contents of the drive. The drive also has an integrated USB 2.0 cable. With outstanding performance and increased transfer speeds, the Lenovo ThinkPad USB Secure hard drive comes with a hefty price tag of $219. It is the real must have for business consumers who prefer performance and security over flashy designs.

The Lenovo ThinkPad USB Secure Hard Drive is covered with the typical IBM/Lenovo soft rubber and is provided with four nonskid anti vibration pads at its bottom to prevent it from slipping around the place of work. An integrated USB 2.0 cord, a couple of inches long, is at the right side of the external drive. The drive does not support a FireWire connection. Even though the drive is entirely powered by the USB bus, Lenovo has still included a supplemental power port and plug to provide additional power.

The security of internal data is ensured using a front-mounted numeric keypad. While all other external hard drives prefer to encrypt data using internal software, Lenovo’s 128-bit AES security is impregnable. The user can make one administrator ID for master controls and still program the drive with up to 10 unique user-enabled passwords. But here is a drawback. If the user misplaces the administrator password, he will have to completely erase the contents of the drive to regain access.

Although the price of the drive is higher than that of competitive drives, its performance is way better than that of those drives. Its reading speed is 25.63 megabytes per second. Its writing speed is 22.99 megabytes per second, a full 5 seconds faster than the next fastest drive, the Iomega eGo Helium. The drive comes with a three-year limited warranty that covers parts and service. The ThinkPad USB Secure Hard Drive is also available in 160 GB model.