SimpleTech (re)drive External hard drive Video

SimpleTech (re)drive External hard drive Video Transcript

Hi every, this is Dong Ngo for CNET.com and today, I'll show you the very first external hard drive that's made of bamboo. Well, partially at least. This is the Re-drive from SimpleTech and by far it's the most eco- friendly product I've ever seen. SimpleTech has gone very far to keep this device as green as possible. The drive comes in a package that contains basically nothing but the essentials: the drive, its power cord and its USB data cable. These cords are taped to the size of the box and the instruction is also printed right on the box itself. No extra paper, plastic or any other unnecessary packaging materials. Now here's the drive, the top and bottom, instead of metal, are made of bamboo strips that feel fresh. Of course, the device can't be made entirely of organic materials. However, the rest of the drive is made out of recycled aluminum that also works as the heatsink to keep the internal hard drive running cool. The Re drive doesn't have a power switch, instead, once connected to a computer, it powers itself on and off automatically to save the power. The power adaptor itself is Energy star certified. SimpleTech claims that the Re-drive can use up to 90 percent less energy than other 500GB external hard drives. The Re Drive supports only the USB 2.0 connection. However, it comes with software that allows for the connection to work in Turbo mode. In our testing the Drive's Turbo mode proved to be significantly faster than the non-Turbo mode, which was already good itself. Still, I wish the drive came with FireWire or eSATA connections. The Re Drive works with both PC and Mac and is estimated to cost about $150 dollars. It comes with Fabrik Local Backup software and Fabrik Ultimate online Backup service that offers 2GB online storage for free. The drive seems to work very well as an external hard drive. However, judging from the nice looking bamboo strips, you might be tempted use it as a cheese serving board or a very expensive floor tile to make one of a kind hardwood floor. For more information on the hard drive, check out our in-depth review at CNET.com My name is Dong Ngo and this has been the first look at the world's first bamboo external hard drive, the Re-Drive from SimpleTech.

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