Is that 8GB in your pocket, or are you just glad...?

Iomega's Micro Mini Hard Drive packs a lot of storage in a tiny package - 8GB in a two-ounce case that measures 2.71 by 2 by 0.55 inches. The Micro Mini's sturdy USB 2.0 connector swivels in and out of the drive's body, and it held up to being constantly plugged into and removed. The aluminum front and back are nice touches, and the plastic sides are durable. The drive draws power from USB, so you need to use a powered USB port.

The Micro Mini posted speeds of 9MB per second in both of Xbench's (free, www.xbench.com) Sequential Uncached Read and Sequential Uncached Write tests - decent speed from the drive's 3,600-rpm mechanism. Unfortunately, the bundled software is Windows-only.

The bottom line. The Micro Mini is a good deal.

COMPANY: Iomega
CONTACT: www.iomega.com
PRICE: $159
REQUIREMENTS: USB, Mac OS 10.2 or later
Solid mechanical switches. Small.
Can occupy two USB 2.0 ports. Bundled software is Windows only.