I buy on-line from New Egg. Here is a link to their page with external hard drives.

http://www.newegg.com/Desktop-External-Hard-Drives/SubCategory/ID-414

Does she use Time Machine?
I would partition the drive and use a 200GB partition for time machine and use the remaining as a partition for externally referenced pictures. Or get two drives as stated above.

Then the discussion turns to what software is she using to manage the large number of pictures?

I also was a victim of theft in the Barcelona Airport, a tag team, one guy diverted my attention and the second guy stole my carryon bag in a matter of 10 seconds less. Our travel insurance made good on on my Canon DSLR, new jacket, etc... We were lucky because I took the time to report the theft to the airport police and got a police report. A police report is crucial in claiming a loss with travel insurance.
They wouldn't cover my new prescription sunglasses, but I was able to claim them with Visa, they paid as well

Today I have specific insurance for my camera gear from my State Farm agent.

There are several inexpensive devices that let you upload an SD card to an iPad or iPhone. This is not a flash drive solution as requested but you can view your uploaded pictures on a bigger screen.

Is there a migration path from Aperture? What are the digital asset management features, i.e. projects, folders, keywords, ratings etc??

FYI, I checked. There are several Walgreens in Omaha NE that offer same day service.

I am a Macintosh user with Aperture for processing and managing images. I have had very good results designing books within the Aperture functionality and then uploading the finished book to Apple for printing. The best results for me were with their hardback album and dust jacket with the cover photo. But they are pricey.

Recently I have used Walgreens photo service for books. Good results with their software. Create an account, login, upload your pictures and create an album on line. The software is pretty fast and flexible. If you have the images in order the software will even auto populate or layout the book! The best news for me is the price. An 8.5 X 11 hardcover book with 30 pages (lots more images say 100) is $30.00. Walgreens will send you coupons by email, today the photo books are 40% off, now we are talking $18.00. And in my area there are a few Walgreens with new equipment that will do same day service!

Just a few ideas.

On a Mac you can use the Image Capture.app that is in the applications folder to delete images on your iPad.
Sorry don't know how to do it on a PC.

The switch tells the camera that an external flash is attached and to use TTL metering for the external flash. It also tells the camera not to open/use the internal flash. The spring can be deformed or the switch pin can stick.

I had a similar problem with a 60D. There is a microswitch in the hot shoe that prevents the camera flash from opening when an external flash is attached. Look for it under the leaf spring on the shoe. Sometimes the spring gets deformed and holds the switch contact down. Inspect the spring/switch and see if anything is wrong. Canon can fix it. Otherwise you will be stuck with opening the flash manually.

I bought a Flashpoint Optical Glass 6 Layer LCD Screen Protector for Canon 60D Digital Camera from Adorama and it works great. You can close the LCD as well.

An app called Lens Lab Image is helpful for me