Specifications, Availability and Pricing

Our test sample came from Hitachi with a 500GB drive installed, but they also offer 320 and 250GB versions as well. All three models connect to your PC or MAC via USB 2.0 and on the exterior look the same. The SimpleTOUGH uses a 2.5 inch drive and with the case it is a little smaller than a standard 3.5 inch form factor drive. The drive weighs just a hair over a half pound, so it is fairly light; much lighter than the 3.5 inch form factor external drives.

Since the USB cable is attached to the drive, you will not have to worry about keeping track of a USB cable and since the drive only uses USB's 5 volt line, you will not need an external power source. These are both really nice features and set the bar very high for competing products.

After searching Google I was able to find our 500GB sample available for 121.00 USD, a fair price for such a large capacity drive with rugged features. The 250GB model was available for less than 100 USD and I even found one e-tailer offering a 640GB model that Simpletech didn't even have listed on their website for 149 USD.