Conclusion

With the Spinpoint S1 Samsung presents a very compact and practical external hard drive for on the go. Taking a closer look at such a small hard drive, measuring only 1.8 inch in diameter, you'll soon find controversials if you compared it to USB sticks. Therefore the biggest advantages are the biggest disadvantages. For example the Spinopoint S1's dimensions: on one hand the hard drive is bigger and heavier but on the other this is what makes it easier not to be forgotten. The certain size and the elegant design will always remind to keep it with you. Another crucial puls point comparing USB sticks and hard drive is the MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) when handling the hard drive carefully. The NAND cells you find on a flash memory based USB stick is capable of executing up to 10'000 write cycles per single storage cell. In a worst case scenario this can limit an USB sticks lifespan to less then half a year. With a 1.8 inch hard drive you get an MTBF of 300'000 hours which is way beyond.

Already on the Spinpoint S1 you will find features installable on Windows 2000 and higher as well as Mac OS X. They are a very practical addition especially for home office users. At this point we again mention the manuals quality. You can find them situated directly on the drive in several languages. Installing and using the delivered application in combination with the manuals is childern's play.

The Spinpoint S1 is a reliable and good looking external storage device for on the go which is able to carry a lot of files with its 120 GByte capacity. The compact size and the confortable weight let you always feel the you're carrying your sensitive data with you.

Samsungs Spinopint S1 with a capacity of 120 GByte can be bought at Digitec.ch to a price of CHF 139.- (EUR 93.-).

Author: m.buechel@ocaholic.ch