USB Flash Drive Roundup - 10/2005
by Anand Lal Shimpi on October 4, 2005 11:28 AM EST- Posted in
- Memory
SanDisk Cruzer Micro with Skins
If you like the form factor of PQI's I-Stick, but want a device that looks and feels a little more like a normal USB drive, there's SanDisk's Cruzer Micro.
The Cruzer Micro is a little longer and a lot thicker than the I-Stick, but it features a regular USB connector and a loop for a lanyard. The Cruzer Micro also ships with removable and interchangeable rubber cases, so you can either just use the metal drive itself, or you can slip on a rubber case to keep your finger prints off the drive.
The Micro comes with a total of three cases: one clear, one red and one blue. Switching them is no big deal at all - you simply pull off the cap and slide off the rubber case. Since the case is rubber, it grips onto the metal body of the Micro quite well, so it's not going to just slide off if you happen to have the cap off. All three cases come with a matching cap.
Even though the Micro is a lot bigger than PQI's I-Stick, it is still much smaller than the rest of its competitors.
There is a little label on one side of the Micro that you can use to write information about what's stored on the drive, in the spirit of the good ol' days of floppies and their labels. Although with a minimum of 256MB of storage, you'll probably need a lot more space to truly characterize what's on that tiny little drive.
SanDisk ships a lot of software with their Cruzer. Unfortunately, the vast majority of it comes in trial versions for which you have to pay extra in order to get the full versions.
If you like the form factor of PQI's I-Stick, but want a device that looks and feels a little more like a normal USB drive, there's SanDisk's Cruzer Micro.
The Cruzer Micro is a little longer and a lot thicker than the I-Stick, but it features a regular USB connector and a loop for a lanyard. The Cruzer Micro also ships with removable and interchangeable rubber cases, so you can either just use the metal drive itself, or you can slip on a rubber case to keep your finger prints off the drive.
The Micro comes with a total of three cases: one clear, one red and one blue. Switching them is no big deal at all - you simply pull off the cap and slide off the rubber case. Since the case is rubber, it grips onto the metal body of the Micro quite well, so it's not going to just slide off if you happen to have the cap off. All three cases come with a matching cap.
Even though the Micro is a lot bigger than PQI's I-Stick, it is still much smaller than the rest of its competitors.
There is a little label on one side of the Micro that you can use to write information about what's stored on the drive, in the spirit of the good ol' days of floppies and their labels. Although with a minimum of 256MB of storage, you'll probably need a lot more space to truly characterize what's on that tiny little drive.
SanDisk ships a lot of software with their Cruzer. Unfortunately, the vast majority of it comes in trial versions for which you have to pay extra in order to get the full versions.
SanDisk Cruzer Micro | |
Sizes Available | 128MB - 2GB |
Lanyard Included | Yes |
USB Extension Cable Included | No |
Data Encryption | No |
Password Protection | Yes (Windows Only) |
Secure + Public Partitions Simultaneously Accessible | No |
Flash Controller | SanDisk |
Flash Memory | K9F2G08U0M |
Warranty | 2 years |
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LightRider - Tuesday, October 4, 2005 - link
Page 22 Shikatronics ManhattanLightRider - Tuesday, October 4, 2005 - link
Of course I make an error in my post pointing out an error...phisrow - Tuesday, October 4, 2005 - link
I'm glad to have some idea about real world performance specs, to the degree that the volatility of the market allows that, of these drives. Any chance that this, or future, reviews of this kind could test making the drives bootable. Some are easy, some are impossible, and some need some real voodoo to get them working. I'd love to know which is which these days.johnsonx - Tuesday, October 4, 2005 - link
Page 13:"although, neither is obviously full-proof."
yacoub - Tuesday, October 4, 2005 - link
"From top to bottom, a AA battery, Kingston DataTraveler II drive, Kingston DataTraveler Elite."No, not even close.
Elite is on top, DT2 is next, AA battery next, and 9-volt battery on the bottom.
TheInvincibleMustard - Tuesday, October 4, 2005 - link
C'mon, I soooo posted that before you!:p
-TIM
yacoub - Tuesday, October 4, 2005 - link
What's with all the scratches on the Corsair Flash Voyager's USB connector?TheInvincibleMustard - Tuesday, October 4, 2005 - link
I was actually wondering that, too ... what did you do to that poor thing to take the cover off???All in the name of science, eh?
TYPO: Pg 13 ... the caption for the "battery" picture doesn't correspond to the actual picture ... oh ... and just how OLD is that 9V Eveready? It looks like something out of the stonage in comparison to the other things in the picture ...
-TIM
SpaceRanger - Tuesday, October 4, 2005 - link
Stonage?? Sorry.. Couldn't help pointing out a typo in a "typo informative" post../em hides now.
TheInvincibleMustard - Tuesday, October 4, 2005 - link
:pAnd that's all I hafta say about that.
-TIM