Prestigio Externo (40GB)

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Economical storage capacity has always been a sore point for digital photography. For the wealthy few, a couple of 1GB media cards may be the perfect solution. However, for the rest of us, shot selection and lower-resolution photos will have to do for getting around the issue. In a market where digital wallets tend to cost dearly, Prestigio's Externo stands out for its surprisingly good value for money.

Unpolished Gem
To say the Externo looks chic and cool would be blandishing. The device appears more like a prototype. It's pragmatic and made, with all intent and purpose, as a simple, affordable portable storage. All you'll find on the front of that dark grayish guise are two buttons and a small monochrome LCD screen. The CompactFlash and SmartMedia card slots are placed on the sides of this Prestigio rather unglamorously. Even more disappointing, the slots are exposed to the elements. To its credit, the manufacturer ships a pouch together with the unit.

There're relatively few things you can do with the Externo's onboard controls. The two buttons and two-line screen will facilitate you in copying from the card slots to the machine's built-in hard disk only. However, this is a worthy tradeoff as it allows prices to stay decent while extending battery life. A color screen to browse images would have been desirable. Unfortunately, it'll also push costs up exorbitantly as well as exhaust the power pack drastically. In addition, because of the Externo's dewey-eyed role, the menu system is also very easy to navigate and work with.

What Will It Work With?
One of the more important points with regard to portable storage solutions is compatibility with different operating systems and the media cards. The Externo does all right here, supporting Windows 98SE and above or Linux kernel 2.4 and later. To achieve this, the 4,200rpm notebook harddisk is formatted in the older and more clunky FAT32 (File Allocation Table 32-bit) file system.

Although you're able to format the drive to NTFS (New Technology File System) to enjoy the benefits of the newer file system, the device's onboard controller works with only the older variant. On the other hand, the card slots are able to take the full range of formats from FAT12 to FAT32 that the larger cards employ.

Unlike Singapore's storage solution manufacturer Nixvue's digital albums, the Externo does not feature a TV-out. Instead, all you get is a simple USB cable to connect to your PC. On the upside, the devices uses the later version 2 of the protocol, which features a theoretical peak of 480Mbps versus the much slower 11Mbps of the older version 1.1.

In Use
We tested the Externo with a 128MB Toshiba and 1GB Lexar 40x CompactFlash card. While the machine does not work with Lexar's Write Acceleration technology, the 40x card did record a faster speed over the 128MB Toshiba media. The 128MB Toshiba took 3.5 minutes to complete a transfer while the 1GB Lexar clocked just slightly more. A new folder is created with each dispatch as well.

The Externo did not require any additional drivers when we connected it to our Windows Me and XP systems. When attached, the device shows up as a removable disk and we were able to copy and back up files as easily as a local drive.

Also noteworthy is the device's rechargeable Lithium-ion battery. Although the power pack is not easily swappable, it did perform superbly. Rated for 5 hours of use, the Externo is perfect as a digital wallet for long vacations. With each transfer taking about 5 to 8 minutes, that'll mean you'll be able to get up to 60 transfers or 60GB--if you're using a 1GB card--which is much more than the 40GB option.

Still, the Externo's simplicity is not without its share of annoyances. In particular, we'd have liked the ability to delete files off the device from its onboard controls. While we concede that it may be difficult to list all the contents of the drive, it'll help if the different folders are viewable as a list and thus allow us to delete older folders that are not needed.

Findings
The minimal level of software and firmware support may make the Prestigio Externo seem rough around the edges, but these are all easily overcome. The sticker prices of S$359 (US$209) for the 20GB Externo and S$399 (US$232) for the 40GB variant will also go a long way towards easing all those botherations. What's even more surprising for the price is the comprehensive backing that Prestigio gives the Externo. There's a three-year limited warranty and the first year is covered by a one-to-one exchange for manufacturer defects. If you're an avid photographer or have a penchant for taking plenty of snapshots overseas, this simple device may prove to be your pocket-saver.