iodd Mini USB 3.0 256-bit Secure encrypted SSD Drive (256GB)

Excellent device. In the images show the contents of the package, the ssd inside and a couple of tests with ATTO disk benchmark from a usb 3.0 port, using the iodd mini it got read speeds of 258MB/s and 244MB/s write. The same SSD mounted on a Silverstone MS09 obtained speeds of 439MB/s read and 407MB/s write. Test mount a WD Blue SSD to the iodd mini and got 252MB/s read and 249MB/s write, which indicates that there is no difference in putting a higher performance ssd. If you require more capacity it is a good idea to look for a ssd as large as possible, the problem is that not many manufacturers have 2242 format. The iodd 2.5" case version for SSD / HDD would be a better option.Pros:-It is small and light, about the size of an ipod or mp3 player.-It is easy to use even without reading the instructions.-The buttons have a nice click when pressed.-It has 2 usb 3.0 cables with plated connectors.-Includes a soft case and a rigid protective case.-Color screen with adjustable brightness.-Quality packaging and well protected.-Excellent mounting of ISOs and VHD.-Very useful read-only mode against viruses and antivirus.-Hardware encryption that protects your data.- Medium quality preassembled SSD.-Its temperature in use is around 40 ° C.-Plug and play! It does not require installing drivers.Cons:-The usb cables are somewhat rigid.-It usually gets hot when running, the ssd always indicates 40 ° C.-The transfer speed of the device is less than the real speed of the ssd.-Only sold with ssd already pre-assembled.-It only allows ssd in 2242 format, putting a 2280 would be excellent, since relocating the m.2 port fits perfectly without increasing the dimensions.-The ssd heat gives direct to the back of the screen, not if it affects you over time.-TBW of mounted ssd is unknown.

Really great review write-up by Phillip G! I'll only add a few points of my own.The hard drive appears to be replaceable as someone on Twitter received a pre-production unit, cracked it open and it had one of these in it: KingSpec 1TB 2242mm M.2 SSD NGFF Internal Solid State Drive SATA III and is sold on Amazon.The silicone key input on this thing is vastly improved over the 2531 (wheel)/2541(touch) models. If I'm being kind: the interactive input is very flaky on those models. This iodd Mini has REAL buttons and they work perfectly! This model is also a lot quicker to boot up, use, and respond over the 2541.In terms of the warranty: it doesn't really make sense to knock the 1-year warranty as you would have to do international shipping back to Korea and I doubt anyone is going through that hassle and cost unless it's truly defective out-of-the-box as you would have to pay to ship both ways.LED too bright? That's really, really picky! The light was just fine for me.Edit 7/10/22: iodd has now released a new product called the ST400 and some how I cannot just review that product, so I will append the my review here for it. The ST400 is a "marriage" of the iodd 2541 and iodd mini. It uses a regular SATA drive interface again, uses USB-C instead of the Micro-USB type 2 interface on previous models (includes USB-C to USB-A cable in the box) and it "steals" the LCD interface from the iodd mini. I really like the button interface: the buttons are bigger than the iodd mini.Only thing I wish is iodd would use aluminum or some type of metal enclosure for longevity purposes, even my iodd mini that I keep in a case: the plastic is chipping and breaking off of it, even though I treat it very gently.

I've been waiting for a gadget like this since I started tinkering with Linux and BSD and providing desktop support to friends and family in the early '90s. So long, endlessly-creeping collection of CD-R(W), DVD±R(W), and thumb drive installers and other images! In the brief time I've had my iODD Mini, I've installed Windows, macOS, and Linux (Arch, BTW) on a variety of machines—including VMware and Boot Camp; rescued a FreeBSD system; run memtest86 on a flaky fileserver; and even updated the firmware on a webOS-based smart TV (LG C9). It's an extremely flexible and capable device.* I had some trouble getting started with the Mini. If I remember correctly, I had to initialize it in Windows 10 before it would even show up in macOS.* I've been using the exFAT filesystem for the physical partition and have experienced a few instances of overly-fragmented (and hence non-bootable) image files. Unfortunately, exFAT is still the least-worst choice for a portable, universal filesystem, so we're all stuck with it for now. I don't have a great handle on the exact circumstances under which this issue arises, but rewriting the fragmented file(s) with `rsync --preallocate --whole-file` seems to fix it.* The UEFI bootloader that's built into the Intel Macs I frequently work with doesn't like the multiple LUN configuration that's presented when more than one (virtual) device is listed above the "---disabled---" line in the Mode Setting menu. The "solution" is to keep the desired one (and only one) above the line and move the rest down using the 3 and 9 keys, then press the gear key to apply the change(s). You might have to reboot the Mac for it to recognize the new single LUN configuration.* My favorite trick so far is to do something like `truncate -s 8G /path/to/iodd/mnt/foo.rmd' and then select foo.rmd on the Mini to get an instant, virtual, 8GiB "thumb" drive—which can be subsequently initialized with diskutil, diskpart, parted, etc. It's great for running the macOS createinstallmedia command, Windows 10 media creation tool, etc. This feature alone makes the Mini worth the extra cost over a "dumb" mSATA-based external SSD with Ventoy (or what have you) loaded up.* The key shortcuts take some getting used to, and the documentation is inconsistent in a few places (and just plain wrong in others), but—assuming you're the nerdy type who likes to tinker—it's not too steep of a learning curve.Overall, I am beyond happy and satisfied with this wonderful little gadget. My only regret is that I never bought one of the earlier models to help support the project (and save myself a ton of time and hassle over the years). I'd love to see a future version with a massive NVMe SSD and a 10 or 20Gbps USB Type-C port, but that's just me being greedy!UPDATE (10-Nov-2020): I've had so many issues with sparse files, fragmentation, and other weird exFAT issues that I've given up and started using NTFS instead. This means the volume isn't (easily) writable from macOS, which is frustrating, and the `truncate' trick I mentioned above won't work. So I've been managing the disk from Windows, and I've started using `fsutil' to create rmd files for instant thumb drives. Just FYI!