Freecom Mobile Drive XXS External Hard Drive Review
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The Mobile Drive XXS by Freecom is the world's smallest 2.5" external hard drive. It's ultra small and compact thanks to the way Freecom have built the drive's enclosure. The XXS enclosure is made out of protective rubber that's pretty thin and forms tightly around the bare 2.5" drive making it almost the same size of just a bare drive you would put inside your laptop. Also, with the rubber enclosure, you get great grip both on a surface and in your hand. With this black rubber enclosure, you will find it attracting a lot of dust and lint. The XXS is super silent and does not vibrate at all. There is no need for an external power source to power up this drive, it's fully USB powered. The Mobile Drive XXS comes with a very short USB cable to keep things organized and even more compact. However there is an issue with this short USB cable being way too short for some tasks you might be needing. That could not be an issue for most people who have longer mini USB cable around the house though.
The Mobile Drive XXS is both Mac and PC compatible, you will need to fully format the drive if you'll want to use it on a Mac or as a Time Machine backup. This is done in just a few seconds. After you've erased and formatted the XXS drive to a Mac Extended Journaled format, Time Machine will begin using it as your primary backup drive if you wish to do so. The Freecom Mobile Drive XXS is made and designed in Germany, and the overall quality does not disappoint as it feels solid and grips any surface with its tightly wrapped rubbery enclosure.
The Mobile Drive XXS is available in 250GB, 320GB, 500GB and 640GB capacities while retaining the same 2.5" form factor at 640GB, which is just amazing. If you need a fast drive you might need to look elsewhere because the XXS only comes in a USB interface with a slowish 5400RPM drive, however that is perfectly enough for most users. On the plus side, this drive operates extremely quiet for how minimal its enclosure is. Freecom does offer many other drive options as well. Prices for the Mobile Drive XXS range between $85 and $169.99 respectively.
