Review

Written by Brakken
April 2006 Introduction

Datel, the manufacturer of the 4GB Hard Drive I’m reviewing has been known for producing quality video game accessories for years. Most of their noteworthy accessories have been their cheat devices for various video gaming consoles, but they have just recently started producing “enhancement” products for Microsoft’s XBOX 360. So before even receiving the product I was enthusiastic about it and expected it to be of the highest standards.

Their latest creation which I have the honor of reviewing is a micro 4GB Hard Drive which will allow you to store video and image media files for playback on your XBOX 360. When it comes down to it the 360 can read from any USB Mass Storage device, such as your iPOD or an external USB Hard Drive, but what sets this product apart from the rest is its physical size and sleek design.

The 4GB Hard Drive is 2x2 inches and weighs in under a few ounces. This small and lightweight design makes it ideal for carrying. Additionally, having the product be so small helps with the ugliness factor when actually having it plugged into your XBOX 360. Just imagine a huge external hard drive sitting near your 360 compared to a small 2x2 inch square which is only half an inch tall.

Datel just didn’t stop at its size, but the design of the enclosure they used is breathtaking. Its silver metallic coating really stands out and the green colored jewel matches the 360 to the dot. The hard drive casing also has beveled sides to give it that futuristic type look. Datel didn’t stop there as the hard drive comes with a built in USB cable that features a transparent green connector with an ultra bright LED to match.

Features

Holds 1,000's of Songs and Over 5000 Images
Pocket Sized 4 Gigabyte Capacity
Xbox 360 Compatible
High Speed USB 2.00
Super Small (2x2 inch)
Powered via USB
Green LED to Compliment Your Xbox 360
Very Light Weight - Only 45 grams

Contents

Datel 4 GB HDD
Instruction Manual

Installation

Installation is a piece of cake. The hard drive acts as any mass storage USB 2.0 device (it’s backwards compatible with USB v1.1 of course) that you would and just plug into any of the three ports on the 360. Of course you might want to plug it into your computer first and transfer over some audio and picture files. Once you’ve filled the 4GB (which is a lot of space for music) with your goods simply plug it into the 360 and it’ll light up.

Usage

Next you’ll want to access the media tab and pick either music or pictures and navigate to the Portable Device. From here you can play your songs or view the pictures. Of course if you’re playing your songs through the operating system while not playing a game you’ll have access to the XBOX 360’s superb onscreen visualization effects.

What is even cooler is the fact you can access the hard drive during your game via the system button on your controller and play your music instead of the in game soundtrack. Personally, I get tired of hearing the same old stuff over and over again so this is a really kickass feature. No more endless hours of only rap music coming from Need for Speed Most Wanted as I can race down the next Blacklist Rival while listening to some classic Mozart! Would could be better then that!

So that’s all dandy, but what about the transfer rate and how does it stack up against other devices? Well, due to the fact the 4GB Hard Drive is basically a compact flash microdrive encased inside a sweet looking plastic shell you are going to suffer the maximum transfer rate the drive can handle. This could be good or bad depending on the drive used, but I’m glad to report the transfer rate is average when compared to similar devices. Read speed clocks in around 2,000 KB p/s and write speed around 1,850 KB p/s. Don’t worry as that is fast enough to playback your media files. This is actually a pretty good speed when it comes to microdrives.

Recently, a company has released a similar product for the PSP which lets you use a microdrive instead of the Duo Stick, but when it comes to reading speed you’re left with choppy video and sound. You won’t have to worry about this using Datel’s 4GB Hard Drive as there is no delay in reading. The same company is actually producing a similar product for the XBOX 360, but unless their engineers do something different I’m sure you’ll want to stick with Datel’s product.

Of course it will take a little while to fill the entire 4GB with media, but once you have you 800 some songs and a few thousand pictures on it I wouldn’t see the need to manage the drive a lot.

One should also remember that you aren’t limited to putting only media files on the drive as you can use it to store other personal information such as documents and something you might be working on. Of course the 360 can’t read them, but any computer you plug the drive into can. So it can also double as a small, portable, fast and convenient way to carry around your personal data.

Conclusion

My expectations were met as I wasn’t let down by Datel. Anyone who is looking for a reasonably priced portable solution to store their media files on should add this product onto their list of things to buy. Due to the fact it doesn’t need an external power supply and easily fits into your pocket you can’t go wrong. I wouldn’t wait for cheap mockups if I were you because this is the real deal here folks. Of course you’ll pay the price for the small form factor, but I rather use this then a huge external hard drive which requires its own power supply. The thing just looks radical and does what it’s supposed to do.

Positives Small Form Factor Eye Pleasing Design Leight Weight Very Portable Speedy Microdrive Ultra Bright LED Durability No External Power Required Warranty Included

Negatives Price per MB Microdrive Top Speed

Links

Datel's Homepage



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