Unlike with software-based encryption schemes, there's no delay associated with locking or unlocking the Ammo. In fact, the process was instantaneous no matter how much data was on the 160GB drive I used when testing the enclosure. More importantly, locking and unlocking really couldn't be simpler. There are no passwords to remember, no software to install, and nothing else that might otherwise confuse your mother. An LED on the magazine even switches between red and green to indicate whether the drive is in a locked state. Encryption doesn't slow the Ammo's transfer rates, either. With an unpartitioned drive inside the magazine, HD Tach measured sustained read and write speeds of 33 and 31MB/s, respectively. Those transfer rates held up with real-world file transfers to and from the drive, as well. 33MB/s still isn't all that quick, relatively speaking, but it's as good as we've seen from an external USB storage device.

Kinds cool, but the RFID is a weak point ...