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SimpleTech SimpleDrive SP-UF35/500 500GB USB 2.0/FireWire External Hard Drive

SimpleTech SimpleDrive SP-UF35/500 500GB USB 2.0/FireWire External Hard Drive
Brand: SimpleTech
Category: CE

List Price: $145.99
Buy New: $127.01
You Save: $18.98 (13%)



Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars 6 reviews
Sales Rank: 18490

Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Hard Drive Size: 500
Shipping Weight (lbs): 5.1
Dimensions (in): 10.6 x 9.2 x 3.4
Warranty: 1 year warranty

MPN: SP-UF35/500
Model: SP-UF35/500
UPC: 705487174199
EAN: 0705487174199
ASIN: B000Q8X6EI

Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

Features:
  • Stylish, external 500 GB Hard Drive with USB 2.0 and FireWire connection
  • Stylish design by Ferrari designer Pininfarina
  • Built-in slot for Kensington security lock
  • Backed by 1-year warranty and unlimited technical support
  • Measures 5.0 x 1.50 x 8.25 inches (WxHxD)

Accessories:

  • Case Logic HDC-1 Medium EVA External Hard Drive Case (Black)

Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Designed by renowned Ferrari designer, Pininfarina, the SimpleDrive USB & Firewire External Hard Drive features sleek lines and a low profile to house its high capacity storage. Preloaded One-Click backup software lets you back up and protect all your files and folders automatically or with a single click. The built-in capacity meter let's you view how much free space is left with just a glance. With a high-speed USB 2.0 interface, or combo USB 2.0 & FireWire 400 interface, setup is fast and reliable. Plug & Play and Hot-Swappable Free and unlimited technical support PC and Mac compatible

Amazon.com Product Description
Thanks to the sleek, low-profile styling by famed Italian car designer Pininfarina, the SimpleDrive Desktop USB 2.0/FireWire External Hard Drive isn't just another external hard drive. The recipient of the same magic design touch and attention to fine details that helped turn Ferrari and Maserati into icons of the automotive world, the SimpleDrive Desktop will help turn your work space into a virtual art display while offering you up to 500 GB of backup storage for your computer files.

The SimpleTech SimpleDriveTM offers:
  • Slick Ferrari-inspired design by Pininfarina.
  • Dual FireWire and USB 2.0 interface allows for wide compatibility and fast data transfer.
  • Fabrik Ultimate BackupTM for 2 GB of free secure online storage.
  • 1-year warranty.


The SimpleDrive was designed Pininfarina of Ferrari fame. View larger.
Ferrari-Inspired Low-Profile Design for your Desk
Get used to the staring when your colleagues visit your desk. This compact and elegant onyx black drive is as much a piece of fine art as a piece of robust hardware. But don't let the looks fool you. Beneath its cool and sleek exterior is a robust, high-capacity, single-drive solution that gives you the ability to store and backup tons of music, videos, photos and documents in a small footprint.

Featuring plug and play simplicity, and Mac and PC compatibility, the SimpleDrive Desktop features both a high performing FireWire 400 interface and a hi-speed USB 2.0 interface for fast transfer of data at up to 400 Mb/sec for FireWire and 480 Mb/sec for USB. (Although USB 2.0 runs at a higher signaling rate than FireWire 400, USB transfers data in bursts, while FireWire offers a steady data transfer and is generally considered superior than USB 2.0 for the movement of multimedia data and large files.) Having both interfaces allows for a wider range of compatibility, virtually guaranteeing that the drive will work wherever you take it.

Whether you want to increase the capacity of your desktop, or back up your valuable files quickly and securely, the SimpleDrive Desktop will perform for you with style. A built-in Kensington security lock lets you lock down your drive while you're away, and a built-in capacity meter keeps you abreast of your storage situation at all times.

Powerful Local and Online Backup Options
The SimpleDrive Desktop includes two backup options that will keep your mind at ease about your important data. With the included OneClick backup software, you have the option of either backing up and protecting all your files and folders, or selected ones, with a single click, or automatically. Either way, you'll have the peace of mind knowing your digital world is safe and protected.

But for the ultimate in protection, the SimpleDrive Desktop also offers the Fabrik Ultimate Backup solution that uploads your files to a secure, online server that will protect your data from real-world mishaps and offer near-real time protection without bogging down your computer. Fabrik's Ultimate Backup allows you to store up to 2 GB for free on one of its 448-bit encrypted servers, and for just a few dollars a month, you get unlimited capacity to securely store all of your important files and media collections offsite. Acting just like the drive's local backup software, you simply set Fabrik Ultimate Backup once, and it automatically and regularly backs up your content behind the scenes.



The capacity meter shows you how much space is left at a quick glance. View larger.


All backups, to the external drive or online service, are unobtrusive. Once your initial content has uploaded, the software performs incremental backups, so only the smallest amount of data that has been changed or modified in your files will be updated. (Although the SimpleDrive Desktop is both Mac and PC compatible, at this time the Fabrik Ultimate Backup solution is only available for Windows-based computers.)

To keep your content private and confidential, all files are encrypted with 128-bit SSL encryption while in transit, with an option for a private encryption key. Fabrik's offsite 448-bit Blowfish encrypted servers are housed by a Fortune 500 company, ensuring file protection, security and peace of mind. So no matter what happens to your drive--a curious toddler, a spilled drink or natural disaster--your irreplaceable photos, music, videos and files will be safe and secure both offsite and online.

The SimpleDrive Desktop measures a scant 1.50 x 8.25 x 5.0 (WxLxD), is backed by a 1-year warranty, and comes with free, unlimited technical support.

What's in the Box
3.5 SimpleDrive Desktop External Hard Drive with One-Click Backup Software, USB 2.0 Cable, AC Adapter, Resource CD, and Quick Install Guide.



The SimpleDrive comes in different storage capacities for every need.




Customer Reviews:   Read 1 more reviews...

1 out of 5 stars Died After Two Days With All My Data On It   February 25, 2008
Elizabeth (Florida)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

My first SimpleTech Drive was D.O.A., not even a power light. They swapped it out for this second one, which I have had only two days -- just in time to get all my data on it. It has now died and only a red power light will come on, no blue activity lights, and a clattering sound. My Apple System Profiler will not recognize it.

I meant to use this drive to back up my desktop hard drive, to back up my laptop, and other important files. I can now see it is entirely useless as a backup. I don't know what to do next; perhaps get a new internal drive. I would not recommend SimpleTech.

In the short time this drive was working, my computer had trouble recognizing this drive upon reboot. I had it partitioned into four parts, including a bootable version of Mac OS X 10.3. The recognition of the firewire drive upon reboot was unpredictable. At times, it would recognize it, but more often than not, it would not recognize the drive's partitions and would not boot into 10.3. This could have been a result of the drive's beginning to fail. (To make the 10.3 bootable partition, I did not use SimpleTech's software, which does not support bootable functionality; instead I used Carbon Copy Cloner. When it worked, it worked beautifully, but it was inconsistent, I believe due to the drive's beginning to fail.)

I will send this drive back to SimpleTech and get a third drive. However, I don't plan to use it, as my experience shows these drives are unreliable.



4 out of 5 stars Works great... but fingers crossed   January 5, 2008
R. Alembik (DECATUR, GA United States)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful

For the price this is a great product. 500 gigbytes... wow!
However, the proof will ultimately be in the pudding. Several external HD's that I've owned have died from what one would think is normal hussle and bussle. So, I'm treating this one gingerly. Thus far, paired with my mac for several weeks and just sitting on a desk, the product works great. But wait a year or two or three to see how it holds out. If still functioning in 3 years, then I'll be more than happy to give it 5 stars.



5 out of 5 stars High Capacity, Fast, Low Cost   December 26, 2007
Ailoa Sweet
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Just got this product two days ago and my first impressions are very good. Right out of the box it had a very sleek and attractive design, something you would put on your desk proudly not hide in a drawer.

As soon as I plugged it in the computer recognized it right away, and after partitioning it into 3 seperate drives )for seperating my music, videos, and everything else) I coppied about 25 gigs of video in about 100 minutes, which was many times faster than I expected.

The device is also very small for how much space it has; measuring 6x8x1.5. It easily fits in a medium size carrying case.

Over all I am completely satisfied, if I had to say something bad about it, the six LEDs surrounding the backup button in the middle are slightly obnoxious after a couple of hours. Deffinately reccommend this device of what I've experienced so far.



5 out of 5 stars OUTSTANDING Hard Drive works great with a MAC!   October 15, 2007
Orpharion (San Diego, CA USA)
8 out of 9 found this review helpful

I'm currently using the Pininfarina designed 500GB SimpleDrive to back up my main hard drive with the backup utility included on the drive. I also use it to store media files, such as photos, music, and full length AVI and Quicktime movies.

It mounts effortlessly every time on my Mac running OS X via either the FireWire or USB 2.0 connection. The drive is very quiet and automatically spins itself down after a lengthy period of inactivity, but it's quickly ready to go when needed. The drive's fast speed and connection rate allow you to watch movies or stream audio directly to your computer.

I highly recommend it for its reliability, sleek "aerodynamic" Italian design, and ease of use. Most hard drive cases look boring, but this one looks like it's doing 120mph just sitting there. Vrooom!



1 out of 5 stars Does not work   September 29, 2007
Vladimir Kushnir (Darien, CT United States)
3 out of 10 found this review helpful

I've bought a 340 GB version of this drive, connected to my Gateway computer with Windows XP. Windows recognize it as a new drive, it appears, works for few seconds and disappears. Then few seconds later it appears again and cycle repeats itself. Computer has no problem working with another external hard drive - by Western Digital, or with digital camera. I've returned it back. However, on a bright side, the huge oval button on top has very lively flashing lights and looks very entertaining.