Review: Toshiba Cavanio Connect 1 TB Portable Hard Drive

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Last year I picket up a Toshiba Cavanio Connect 1TB Portable Hard Drive to back up my mother’s computer and iPhone. She needed a basic but reliable portable backup system for aging notebook computer that she was planning to replace after she pulled her documents and photos off her devices. After six months of use I have to say this is a great little drive. But before going into the review, lets dive into the hard drive features.

Toshiba Cavanio Connect 1 TB Portable Hard Drive Features

When it comes to the Toshiba Cavanio Connect you get the option to purchase in the 500 GB, 750 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB. With color options in black, blue, red , sliver, and white. Below is a list of features taken taken directly from the Amazon sales page.

• Access and share content from any device anywhere via the internet and mobile device
• Store your files in a centralized place next to your PC or Mac
• Complete backup solution for protecting your digital memories
• Back up content from your mobile devices
• Simple and intuitive user interface
• Stores and access files from PC and Mac without reformatting
• Secure your backups with password-protected data encryption
• Includes Toshiba 2-Year Limited Warranty

Review: Toshiba Cavanio Connect 1 TB Portable Hard Drive

The Toshiba Cavanio Connect 1 TB Portable Hard Drive is a small portable hard drive that comes in slick plastic case. Its simple design makes easy to use and its small enough to put in a back pack pocket, laptop bag, or even in your pants pocket. All you need to do is remember to bring the USB cable.

My first impression is this isn’t much different than other portable hard drives. It felt a little cheaper than some of the other brands out there. But for every day use and taking it with you while on the go, it light weight and size make ideal for taking with you on trips or extra offline storage for your devices. If you need a more rugged external hard drive I would take a look at what Amazon has to offer. I haven’t had the chance to research and use any of those. Hopefully in the future I will.

As to the operation, its easy to install. Just plug it into your PC or MAC and let the computer do the rest. Once installed you can install the backup software for backups.

I found the software to be a little limited and not worth it. I ended up using my preferred backup software for backing up the computer. Once the software was configured to work with the Toshiba external hard drive, it worked great.

Another great feature of the Toshiba Cavanio Connect 1 TB Portable Hard Drive is its truly portable. It doesn’t need its own power source. Its powered by the USB port. But the downside is that you have to use a special USB cable with the right connecter on the drive for it work. You can’t just use a regular or micro USB cord. So don’t loose it, it might be hard to find another one.

As to the speed of this drive its is on the slower side of the spectrum. It transfers files quickly but its read write functions are slower. It is a 54,000 rpm drive. I tried to edit images using Adobe Lightroom | Photoshop CSS and found that it was on the slower side. It slowed the system a little more than it should have.

Overall I have been satisfied with the Toshiba Cavanio Connect 1TB Portable Hard Drive and find it to be a great little portable drive. It really doesn’t work for my travel needs, but it works great for my mother’s needs. She just plugged it in, moved her images and data files over and let the system back up when it needed to.

For those needing a similar setup I would recommend this drive as extra file storage and backing up their systems. If you can’t find the Toshiba Cavanio Connect 1TB Portable Hard Drive on Amazon you might check out the newer version. Its the Toshiba Canvio Connect II 1TB Portable Hard Drive. The newer version can purchased in 1 TB, 2 TB, 3 TB or 500 GB and comes the same colors. I haven’t tested this drive but Amazon ratings give it 4.5 stars with over 1,500 reviews.