Features:

• Design for 2.5" SATA HDD (up to 9.5mm height)
• Compact size for portability
• Shock absorbent rubber strip on top and bottom
• Solid Aluminum body for protection and excellent heat dissipation
• Works with both Mac and PC computers

Editor Reviews:

Product Description:
DETAILS: PRODUCT FEATURES:Design for 2.5" SATA HDD (up to 9.5 mm height)Compact size for portabilityShock absorbent rubber strip on top and bottomSolid aluminum body for protection and excellent heat dissipationWorks with both Mac and PC computersSupports both USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 connectionSupports IEEE 1394A FireWire connectionDual FireWire ports for daisy chainSupports hot plug and playActive LED to indicate power and data accessComputer bus powered Product Description: Macally PHR-S250CC - storage enclosure - SATA-150 - FireWire / Hi-Speed USB Device Type: Storage enclosure - external Interface Type: IEEE 1394 (FireWire) / Hi-Speed USB Expansion Bays: 1 x internal - 2.5" Controller Interface Type: Serial ATA-150 Supported Devices: Hard drive Max Storage Devices Qty: 1 Product Material: Aluminum Power Source: FireWire bus, optional AC adapter, USB bus System Requirements: Apple MacOS 9.2, Apple MacOS X 10.1, Apple MacOS X 10.5 or later, Microsoft Windows 2000 / ME / XP/ Vista UPC: 0701107488240

Rating : - Caveat emptor: Beware of Microsoft Vista problems!
The FireWire connection with this unit only worked once I solved a problem
with MS Vista (this is a shortcoming of Microsoft, not Macally):
MS Vista (SP1, no less!) does not detect a Firewire drive if it can also be connected via USB!!

To solve this problem, you must edit the Windows Registry.
Step-by step instructions are found on the Microsoft support site,
knowledge base article: 948911.
"An external hard disk that is based on the IEEE 1394 standard
is not detected on a Windows Vista-based computer"
(sorry, Amazon doesn't let me post external links)
I hope this will get fixed automatically in a future hotfix update!

It's not a difficult hack, but it's a hack nevertheless so novice PC users
may not be comfortable using this product with MS Vista (and if you're just
going to use the USB connection, there are cheaper products available).

Overall, this enclosure works as advertised and is a decent product at a great price.

Four more comments:
1. as another reviewer has pointed out before, this unit is FIREWIRE 400 (IEEE-1394A), NOT FIREWIRE 800 (IEEE-1394B)!

2. Interestingly, the USB connector is a mini-A but the Firewire connectors on the unit are full size!

3. the unit comes complete with 3 cables (USB, USB power cable and full size, heavy FireWire cable). While this product is definitely designed for use with a laptop, the firewire cable is too bulky to lug around. I replaced it with Retractable Firewire Cable.

4. The first unit I bought was (partially) DOA. USB worked but the power connector
was broken, so no FireWire (I didn't need to attach the separate power cord for USB). Unfortunately I only noticed that a month after I bought the unit, so I had to contact Macally directly to exchange the broken unit. It was tough to find contact information on their website (they say nothing about returns - in the end I contacted techsupport@macally.com) but once I was in touch with them, they were very competent to deal with. It still took a few weeks for me to complete the RMA exchange. What was nice is that they replaced the unit with a new, boxed one, including cables!