Hitachi LifeStudio Mobile Plus Review

Hard drive capacities are expanding so fast it is easy to think, "Who actually uses a whole terabyte!?" But as storage space increases, so does the demand for fatter content. Managing even a gigabyte of files can be a cumbersome task, just imagine what it will be like to corral 1000 times that many files. "Where did that file just get saved?" To address this growing problem Hitachi Global Storage Technologies has evolved the portable hard drive by marrying the hardware with built-in content management software. Benchmark Reviews got hold of a 500 GB version of one of these new drives. Model HLSMPUA5001ABB is part of the LifeStudio Mobile Plus series and geared towards small and large storage portability. Benchmark Reviews will analyze this new breed of storage technology to see what the LifeStudio line has to offer.

Once upon a time, perhaps only five or ten years ago, it was possible for the average user to store all personal files within the "My Documents" or "Home" folders on a computer. Initially it is easy to keep files logically ordered by storing things in separate folders. Then come all the personal projects. There could be a thousand images downloaded from a digital camera (only 50 of which are properly labeled), 100 different music albums (half-heartedly grouped by genre), folders for school, work, movies, receipts, taxes, funny emails, and a hundred other things you just wanted to save because you'll get to it someday. Suddenly the documents folder becomes a vast world filled with memory rich islands of files and garbage strewn everywhere. Let's not mention what happens to this world when the hard drive crashes.

Sure, alot of this can be avoided with meticulous care and savvy expertise, but sometimes life just gets a little messy. Much of the pain can concern (especially in the case of hard drive crashes) could be avoided by using some of the tools already available in the operating system or by purchasing software. The business world uses enterprise systems and content management software to keep their plethora organized, why can't home users take advantage of the "CMS" paradigm? Usually because the cost is prohibitive. Hitachi may have generated an excellent opportunity by providing both the storage and the software in a single, affordable package.

Manufacturer: Hitachi Global Storage Technologies
Product Name: LifeStudio Mobile Plus 500 GB
Model Number: HLSMPUA5001ABB
Price As Tested: $104 Online

Full Disclosure: The product sample used in this article has been provided by Hitachi.

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