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- Pros
Compact. Metal chassis. Y-shaped USB cable.
- Cons
Utilizes USB 2.0 only.
- Bottom Line
The Iomega Helium Portable Hard Drive (1TB) is an external drive designed to appeal to MacBook Air users, particularly those who bought their ultraportable laptops before the advent of Thunderbolt.
Iomega's Helium Portable Hard Drive (1TB) ($199.99 list) is the latest in a long line of external hard drives the company has designed for Mac users. Rather than simply formatting an external for use with Mac OS and shipping it to Apple Stores as it did with the eGo line, Iomega did all that only after designing a case that compliments the silver aluminum coloring of the latest Macs. The drive matches all currently shipping Macs, but it's really designed to compliment the MacBook Air, as that system primarily connects via USB 2.0, and that's the only interface you'll find on this drive. It's a decent-enough drive, but there are other alternatives if you're not married to the design.
- $119.00
- $199.99
- $219.99
Design and Features
The Helium is a pocket-size drive that looks like an aluminum slab, and feels that way too—it's surprisingly hefty in the hand. It has an embossed Iomega logo on one side, but is otherwise almost featureless. There's a mini USB port and drive activity light on one edge and a sticker with the model and serial numbers on the bottom. The matte aluminum finish approximates the look on unibody MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptops as well as the Mac mini and iMac desktops, so you know which crowd this drive is aimed at. It's sturdy enough to take a few knocks in you commute bag (36-inch drop rating), though that's about a foot and change less than, say, the LaCie Rugged Mini (500GB) ($114.99 list, 3.5 stars), which has an extra rubber bumper for protection (51-inch drop rating).
The drive works with Apple's Time Machine backup software, which is built into Mac OS X 10.5 and up. Because the majority of the drive's users won't need any additional software, the 1TB is sent blank, formatted for HFS+ so it's ready to back up your Mac right out of the box. The drive comes with a pamphlet with a link to Iomega's download page, so you can grab other free utilities, including QuikProtect backup software, but unless you're reformatting the drive for use on a Windows machine, you'll likely never need to go there. The drive comes with a three-year limited warranty, which is better than the average one-year warranty. The Helium comes with a Y-shaped USB cable, so you can plug it into a second USB port in case the main plug doesn't draw enough power to spin the drive. This extra safety measure is good for users who have to transfer files to older Macs that don't have full-powered USB ports.
Performance
The Helium was an average performer: It took 42 seconds to write our 1.22GB test folder. The last Iomega eGo BlackBelt Mac Edition ($199.99 list, 4 stars) we tested was significantly faster at 35 seconds over USB 2.0 and 22 seconds over FireWire 800. The Seagate GoFlex Ultra-portable Drive for Mac (1.5TB) ($219.99 list, 3.5 stars) took 37 seconds with USB 2.0 and 24 seconds with FireWire 800. The Helium also returned average throughput scores on the AJA System test: 37MBps read and 27MBps write. We didn't test the Seagate or the eGo BlackBelt with AJA System Test, but these are average scores for USB 2.0 throughput.
The Iomega Helium Portable Hard Drive (1TB) will appeal mainly to owners of older MacBooks and MacBook Airs equipped only with USB 2.0 ports. Newer MacBook Pro and Air laptops have the much faster Thunderbolt port onboard, while all MacBook Pros and Mac desktops have FireWire 800 ports, which connect to drives that are a lot more economical and faster than those using USB 2.0. The Seagate GoFlex Ultra-portable Drive for Mac (1.5TB) has a lot more features than the Helium, including an adaptable interface for FireWire 800 and USB 3.0. The Seagate is also a much better buy on a dollar-per-gigabyte basis, as the drive has 500GB more capacity and has a list price that is only $20 more expensive. The older Iomega eGo Blackbelt shares the Helium's capacity and price, but adds FireWire 800. Unless you're willing to forgo faster interfaces for the Helium's smaller case, it's not as easy a sale.
COMPARISON TABLE
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Iomega Helium Portable Hard Drive (1TB)
Bottom Line: The Iomega Helium Portable Hard Drive (1TB) is an external drive designed to appeal to MacBook Air users, particularly those who bought their ultraportable laptops before the advent of Thunderbolt.
- $199.99
- $150.00
- $129.95
Plenty of companies have their own lines of portable external hard drives for carrying data on the go, but few have the polish of Iomega's eGo drives. We've already reviewed several eGos including the eGo Helium, eGo Camo, and eGo Brown Leather and they all impressed us with a healthy amount of extra features and added drop protection. We haven't heard from Iomega in awhile, so we're happy to welcome a new addition to the eGo family; in fact, we think this new 320GB eGo Portable reinvigorates the series with a sleek new design, a triple-layer software bundle, and even faster transfer speeds than previous models; we have no hesitations about giving the Iomega eGo Portable a CNET buying recommendation.
Iomega Driver
Design and features
The exterior casing of the new eGo Portable drives is thinner than before at just 0.625 inch thick by 3.5 inches wide by 5.38 inches tall. It also feels lighter than average at just 6 ounces, making it easy to take with you on the run. The drive comes in red, silver, and royal blue gloss finishes, but only the red version comes in 250GB and 500GB capacities; the silver and midnight blue versions only come in 320GB. The shape of the case is reminiscent of the eGo Helium except that this version uses a lighter aluminum casing. We certainly don't have any complaints about the design, but the looks of the drive didn't wow us like the unique style of the Transcend StoreJet 25f, which incorporates an atypical crest shape into the design. On the other hand, we can't fault Iomega for sticking to a concept that works, and we applaud the company for cutting back on size and weight from the previous model.
The other eGos we've tested all had fairly basic port arrangements, and this one is no different--a smooth aluminum shell protects the 2.5 inch hard disk that spins at 5,400 rotations per minute. The inputs are just as clean as the exterior; it only has two ports on top; a single Mini-USB input, and an auxiliary power port (power cable not included) for computers that lack a powered USB bus. The drive also comes with a two-headed USB cable for the same reason.
| Drive type | External USB Flash Hard Drive |
| Connector options | USB 2.0 |
| Available capacities | 250GB, 320GB, 500GB |
| Product Dimensions (LWH) | .625'x3.5'x5.38' |
| Capacity of test unit | 320GB |
| OSes supported | Microsoft Windows Vista / 2000 / 2000 Professional / XP Home / XP Professional / XP Professional x64, Mac OS X 10.1 - 10.5 or higher |
| Software included | McAfee VirusScan Plus, EMC Retrospect Express Backup software, Iomega QuikProtect, and MozyHome Online Backup |
The eGo Portable might look dainty to the untrained eye, but all three models actually use Iomega's rugged Drop Guard feature that protects the drive from drops of up to 52 inches. Although it pained us to do so, we dropped the drive from several heights, and each time it worked just as well as it did out of the box. We couldn't be happier with the durability of a device like this that's meant to go everywhere with you.
Free Download Drivers For Iomega External Hard Drive
In addition to physical protection, the eGo Portable also includes a suite of software titles that give it an edge on the competition, including a six month-subscription to McAfee VirusScan Plus, EMC Retrospect Express Backup HD, Iomega's QuikProtect file backup, and a lifetime 2GB per month subscription to MozyHome Online backup. The free software comes with the drive, but you get no CDs in the packaging. Instead, Iomega cleverly includes license codes for each program, which you then download from the Iomega Web site.
Iomega Hard Drives
EMC Retrospect Express HD is a lighter version of EMC's professional backup software and retails for $50, but it can still perform all the backup functions you need to protect your data, including incremental backups and setting dated restore points. The layout of the program is intuitive and easy to use, especially since there aren't many options on the home screen. In the setup process, you can choose to backup using either simple file duplication or by compressing an entire data dump into one file. The second method is a little easier to organize, although you'll need to reinstall the software onto the new host drive to restore the files. The deal also includes a free lifetime subscription to Mozy.com, a Web site that offers online backups and storage. You only get 2GB per month with the deal, but you can upgrade to unlimited storage for $4.95 per month if you want to take full advantage of the software.