Samsung S2 review (640GB, white)

The Samsung S2 Portable hard drive is almost identical to the company's S1 Mini that we reviewed in 2009, except that the S2 Portable is slightly larger because of the 2.5-inch hard drive spinning inside. With capacities reaching 640GB ($120) and being available in a variety of bright colors, the Samsung S2 Portable not only looks good, but it also has a low per-gigabyte price--a combination we like well enough to recommend it.

Design and features
The S2 Portable chassis is the same rectangular shape as the S1 Mini, but at 4 inches long by 3 inches wide and less than 1 inch thick, the S2 is a bit larger than the S1. The S2's weight varies slightly depending on its capacity, but most people won't have a problem with its size--especially if the drive winds up in a carry-on bag or a laptop case.

The S2 Portable is available in six colors that are not only visually pleasing but also help to distinguish the drive from the sea of external-storage solutions floating around the office. Each color wraps around the front and sides of the device, and a circular lattice pattern embellishes its top with speckles of glitter that accent its features. Similar to the grip on the Transcend StoreJet 25f, the back of the S2 Portable is covered with a slightly sticky plastic that prevents the drive from slipping on smooth surfaces.

The S2 Portable is USB-powered, so the only cable you need is included in the box. The drive has a soft blue light on its top that signals when it's transferring data.

Samsung bundles two supplementary Windows-only programs with the drive: Samsung SecretZone and Auto Backup software. The former is a simple imaging program that acts as a digital lockbox for your passwords and other private data. The executable file is already loaded onto the stock drive. Its installation is as easy as choosing a password and specifying how much space on the disk to dedicate to the new image.