"The Perfect Portable Hard Drive"

A "bus-powered" external drive needs to be the laptop size. 1TB 2.5" drives are just now hitting the market, so they cost well over $120, just for the mechanism. Also, the larger capacity 2.5" drives that use two platters need a bit more power, so they often need you to plug in an extra USB cable. I'm not sure if that is true for FireWire, because I think FireWire provides a bit more power.

OWC has their portable external drives that go up to 750GB, and they have FireWire 800 (with daisy chain port) and USB 2.0. But that largest size will break your $120 limit by quite a bit.

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/firewire/on-the-go

You can also get the enclosure as a kit and add your own drive.

http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/MSTG800U2K/

If you go with a desktop size external with a 3.5" hard drive (not bus powered), the prices come down quite a bit.

There are no bus-powered 3.5" drives. That one you linked to, seen with more details here on Iomega's web site

[Link -> Click on Tech Specs on this page|http://go.iomega.com/en-us/products/external-hard-drive-portable/ego-porta ble-series-with-protection-suite/ego-rubyred-ps/?partner=4760]

must have a 2.5-inch drive inside, because its dimensions ".625" x 3.5" x 5.625" (L x W x H)" is smaller than the size of a 3.5-inch drive mechanism. But it seems like a nice drive.

If that deal you linked to is for real, that is an amazing price. It almost seems suspicious. At Iomega's online store, the largest capacity available is 500GB and it costs $150. And looking around the 'net, the best price I can find on a 1TB 2.5-inch drive mechanism is well over $200 (these things are very new). And that's just he drive, with no enclosure.

Now, there is another "eGo" desktop size drive from Iomega. I think this vendor is selling that larger desktop (not bus-powered) 3.5-inch hard drive version for that price, and describing it as the smaller version (either by mistake or intentionally). $132 for a 3.5-inch external at 1TB seems realistic.

You should contact the vendor an quiz them on the drive. How big is it physically? Does it have its own power supply (indicates 3.5-inch drive)? Why do they have a 1TB version that Iomega does not even have on their website?

If it is a fake, what do I do? I really need this for school.

Does it really have to be bus-powered? If you can use a 3.5-inch external drive, you can probably find one for $120 or lower that has a 1TB drive.

Does it really have to be 1TB? If 500GB is large enough, you may be able to get one that is bus powered with FireWire 800 for close to (probably a bit over) $120.

Does it really have to have FireWire 800? USB 2.0 drives are usually much less expensive.