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Final Thoughts
Sometimes it's difficult to praise a product in a review article without someone claiming that I am advertising for the company. So I will have to play Devil's advocate and give my positive remarks with a dark shadow of negative afterthoughts. This way, nobody can claim I am siding with the manufacturer. So here it goes, my bi-partisan opinion of the of SOYO FM-SY-SLIM20GB 20GB SlimEx Platinum External USB 1.8" Hard Drive.
Conclusion
SOYO intends for the FM-SY-SLIM20GB to reach store shelves, which makes perfect sense considering the blister-pack design. The packaging and presentation are informative enough to give consumers a clear understanding of what they get for the money.
The appearance is certainly a high-point for the SlimEx Platinum. Offered in both Onyx and Platinum, the FM-SY-SLIM20GB is good-looking either way. High marks go to SOYO for designing a sleek enclosure and keeping the interface so simple. Alternatively, they could have avoided the Frankenstein appearance on the sides by using a more attractive finishing screw. Allen-head or Torx bit screws would have made the drive considerably more secure and technical looking.
Eight screws and two clam-shell halves of a thin aluminum enclosure comprise the construction of the FM-SY-SLIM20GB. I certainly feel comfortable in the fact that the entire thing won't fall apart, but I just haven't gotten onboard with the new school of high-impact resistant extreme G hard drives. Whether you rate it for 250 G's (which it is), or a million, I don't think I want my SlimEx dropping onto a hard surface.
Functionality is a gray area of sorts. Not that it's expected, but since the FM-SY-SLIM20GB doesn't give astounding transfer speeds it becomes difficult to give it high marks. Certainly it works very well, but I wouldn't overlook other options if you can afford them.
Presently, SOYO does not have the same retail availability it once had, so you can't expect to find thirty stores listing the SOYO FM-SY-SLIM20GB. But there are still many popular online stores which carry the SlimEx Platinum at a very reasonable price. Currently the SOYO FM-SY-SLIM20GB is available for $85.99 at Computer Geeks.
I really feel as though the SOYO FM-SY-SLIM20GB offers a great 20GB storage solution in the SlimEx Platinum External USB 1.8" Hard Drive. Because there are no flash-based solutions with the same capacity, the SlimEx Platinum stands out as a very affordable winner. However, just last week 16GB USB flash drives made the news, albeit with an unreachable price tag. In a year, I would expect that flash drives will be king, but this is still 2007 and technology hasn't evolved this far yet.
For anyone needing a very-compact 20GB hard disk-based storage solution, the FM-SY-SLIM20GB is a clear winner for today's needs. However, in the not so far off future, capacities of this size (and larger) will become available and just as affordable.
Pros:
+ Extremely small size
+ Excellent compact storage solution
+ Very attractive design
+ Convenient carry case
+ Retractable USB cable included
+ High-quality aluminum enclosure
Cons:
- Poor transfer speeds compared to other devices
- FAT-32 file system (can be reformatted)
- Chassis screws would be more attractive if Allen-head or Torx bit
Ratings:
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Presentation: 9.25
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Appearance: 9.25
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Construction: 8.75
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Functionality: 8.25
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Value: 7.25
Final Score: 8.55 out of 10.
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