It should come as no surprise that manufacturers out there looking to cash in on the Apple cash cow have trended towards developing products specifically made for Apple enthusiasts. Most products made for Mac involve silver or aluminum color schemes - rarely do they brandish some sort of Apple logo due to trademark and copyright infringement laws. However, peruse eBay and you will find some interesting little toys that slip under the radar - and mimic Apple made accessories down to the accessories included. Today we review two such items - the iHDD portable hard drive enclosure. As far as we can tell there is no manufacturer that claims ownership of producing these items, but as items for Apple enthusiasts to use and show off to friends, these products are worth a look. Check them out after the break!
There are many choices you can make in choosing portable back up that is right for you. Companies have been adding more bells and whistles to their basic drives to entice buyers into sticking to their product. The big names such as Seagate and Western Digital added lines with interchangeable docks and different software for data management. The other day we received a Western Digital My Passport Studio external hard drive which is unique that it boasts an e-ink external display which allows you to add custom labels and view the remaining capacity of the drive. Are these features worth the extra investment? Or is it just all frills? Stay tuned after the break to find out!
In Win's AMMO is an external hard drive enclosure that is made from 0.8mm steel to give you much more protection against drops and bumps. You might notice right away that the AMMO enclosure looks exactly like an Ammo magazine you would find on rifles. The design of the AMMO is the most unique out of all the hard drive enclosure out there. Not only is the AMMO made out of steel it also features a rubber insert which protects your hard drive against shock impact and from the vibrations your hard drive might produce. I have tested the AMMO with a 2.5" 7200RPM drive and did not notice any vibrations or sounds at all! The AMMO really does a great job being what is it but if that's not enough, the AMMO also features RFID security chip that's built into the AMMO enclosure that will protect your data if you carry the supplied RFID Dog Tag neckless chip with you.
The AMMO enclosure does a great job with dispensing heat from the drive with it's cold steel construction while staying cool to the touch. The AMMO is a little bulkier than most of the 2.5" hard drive enclosures on the market however they do not have the added rubber shock insert which is a big plus. Also, the AMMO is a little heavy even without a drive installed and that's because of it's steel construction. I would not recommend the AMMO as a portable hard drive enclosure, but you definitely can carry is with you. The AMMO can power a 320GB 7200RPM drive by only a single USB outlet and while the drive is operating a little blue LED indicator will always be lit. Installing a drive into the AMMO takes about a minute and is very simple and just requires taking out two little screws with the supplied screw driver.
Overall the AMMO is simple to use and gives you great protection from drops and bumps, all in a military themed steel hard drive enclosure. Price $29.99.
