You already know about the best photo storing and sharing websites (in case you missed it, read about my tried and true favorites here). But if you’re looking to save your zillions of digital memories (photos, home movies, music, etc) somewhere safer than the Web or even your computer—which can crash, be stolen or get spilled on at any given moment—we’ve got just the solution for you: consider investing in a small, portable, easy-to-use, no-Internet-required external hard drive. Here are my two top picks:
1. SanDisk® Cruzer® Micro USB Flash Drive, $88
Store up to 16GB of images on this tiny, but tough flash drive. As the name “Cruzer” aptly implies, it can transfer data via the USB 2.0 port faster than most of its kind. The lightweight, PC-and-Mac-compatible USB connector retracts easily and travels well, and even comes with a convenient key chain attachment. I have been using this brand of flash drives for years and I can personally vouch that it can take abuse—like being repeatedly tossed in a bag—and has never failed to both save and protect my files.
2. WD series My Passport SE, $140 to $190
Need more space? Back up your desktop files with this Western Digital product, which holds up to 750 GB (or 1 TB) and is available for both Mac and PC. Simply connect it to your computer via a USB port, select the files or folder that you would like to save then hit the backup button, and, presto, it will instantly copy and organize them all. Although it is ten times larger than the flash drive, it is still completely portable and holds a ton more photos, videos, music and other large files. BONUS: You can lock the drive with a password for added security.
About Our Expert: With 20 years as an editor, director and producer of photography for magazines and newspapers, Amelia Hennighausen has been immersed in the change from film to digital from the beginning. Also, as a professor of photojournalism at New York’s Fordham University, she’s made it her job to keep on top of the latest developments in technology and to stay current with the most recent trends.
[Photography courtesy of SanDisk and WD]
Published on July 2, 2010
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