This is a strange little gadget, but I’m getting used to seeing these kinds of USB things amongst the ever increasing array of computer components.

This particular model is a little monster whose horns light up and mouth move when you get a call over Skype. It connects to your computer using a USB connection.

This is definitely a piece of computer equipment for those who have everything, or really like little gimmicky stuff.

It is kinda cute though.

Report from Everything USB

Despite this, they do often need to take a bit of a pounding, and they are not always designed to be able to handle that. In answer to that A-data designed this drive which is encased in a rubberised exterior.

The design allows it to take those drops on the floor a litle bit better and is also resistant to water for those who insist on using electronics by the pool or who might get caught in the rain.

It comes with many of the standard features of drives today including a USB 2.0 interface, allowing for fast transfer of information. It should require no specail drives in modern operating systems and solution are available too.

It is a standard flash drive with no special software required apart from the usual USB2.0 drivers that come with pretty much all operating systems these days.

Besides its small size making it less bulky to carry, the low profile design will ensure that it will fit in any available USB port. The small height of the USB plug compared to the relatively large height of the flash drives in the past has often meant that they needed and extension cable or a spot with an open adjacent USB port.

USB 2.0 ensures that it will have the highest possible transfer rates for a drive of this kind which should make a big difference for moving large files to and from the flash disk itself.

Other features include:

• 2GB capacity
• USB 2.0 interface
• Drivers for Windows 98 included
• LED indicator when its in use
• Security and Partitioning software are supported

Flash drives have become popular because of their small size, fairly high capactiy and robustness. However, they are also easy to get stolen or get lost.

To stop others from seeing your private data when they shouldn’t A-data have introduced a fingerprint sensor which makes the drive inaccessible for anyone but those whose fingerprints have been verified.

The drive itself comes with proprietary software loaded onto the disk that gets loaded when the disk is plugged in. It requires you to put your fingerprint on the the sensor to unlock it. It does support more than one users fingerprint and has a backup password system just in case.

This all allows the disk to be pretty secure, although someone could probably get a hold of your information if they were diligent enough.

However, this solution is very good and gives you peace of mind when travelling with your private information. PS. remember to keep backups because even if they can’t hack into it, you still won’t have your data anymore.

The biggest nag is that it will ONLY work in Windows. Other operating systems, you’ll see nothing on the disk.

Some of the other features:

• Sweep-type fingerprint sensor
• USB 2.0 connection
• Software pre-installed
• No special drives needed for fingerprint system

As you put more and more stuff on the flash drive the bigger it becomes. When its near exploding it will tell you that you have nearly run out of space. They only come in this orange color as far as I know. I really like the idea of giving data a physical size, like it actually takes up a portion of space somewhere. It gets a little bit harder to take around when you start to fill up the disk.
Catchy, and definitely worth style points. The website of stuff at Plus Minus is really worth a look at. There are some pretty innovative and cool little gadgets.

The flashbags look like they could offer a lot of storage.

LINK

Of course, this is not the only improvement the Memorex 2GB TravelDrive USB Flash Drive offers. First off, it is such a boon to be able to carry 2GB worth of files (documents, photos, audio files, etc.) to wherever one wants to go in such a small device.(The TravelDrive USB 2.0 measures just 3.0″ x 0.85″ x 0.33″.) And not only is this device light on the pocket (literally), it is also a ‘quiet’ device unlike using CD or DVD disks which are quite ‘noisy’ (not to mention bigger) to handle.

The Memorex 2GB TravelDrive USB Flash Drive is very easy to use. All you have to do is connect it to any USB 2.0 port and you can access your files just like that. It also features a transparent cap which aims to shield the flash drive’s USB connector and act as a pen cap to prevent loss.

The Memorex 2GB TravelDrive also aims to protect your data from loss or damage. A reinforced aluminum lanyard loop on the back of the device ensures that the flash drive is resistant to breaking. The 2 Gig Memorex Flash Drive is also more ergonomical that its predecessors, sporting a round and textured area for better grip.

Basic features include:

• Slimmer design – at just 85” wide, the Memorex 2GB TravelDrive USB Flash Drive is actually 30% smaller than its predecessors
• Metallic “charcoal” finish
• Removable cap clips on the back
• Blue LED light shows drive’s status
• Compatibility with Windows 98SE/2000/ME & XP, Mac OS 8.6 to 9.2 & 10(X) or higher, and USB 2.0 or 1.1

Is there ANY downside to the 2 Gig Memorex Flash Drive? There is one. It is not compatible with Windows 98 (or older) or NT, which most users claim to have. By the way, you still need to download a driver if your OS is Windows 98SE. Otherwise, the Memorex 2GB TravelDrive acts as a plug-n-play device.

As such, if you are planning to go to an important meeting and do not know the OS being used by your client or colleague, better bring those CDs anyway (just as a backup!)

A decent amount of storage is a good idea in this case, as the drive carries the U3 software standard and comes equipped with four U3 standalone applications for email, security, file synchronization, and virus detection. U3 is a software standard that is growing in popularity in the flash drive market. The primary appeal of U3 devices lies in the graphical interface called the U3 Launchpad. The Launchpad is a graphical environment (somewhat similar to Windows) to guides a user through accessing applications and navigating data.

Part of U3’s appeal lies in private and protected computing. All U3 compliant devices (like this Memorex Mini Flash Drive) are designed so that once the flash drive is removed from the PC, all data vanishes with the hardware.

With all of this talk of U3, let’s not forget what flash drives are all about – storing data. This drive does that as well – you can throw MP3’s, photos, and any other files or applications that you would place on an external hard drive. There is even an added touch of coolness to the Memorex U3 Mini TravelDrive – the design of the drive is distinctive, and sports a wrap around blue LED light.

One nice thing about this drive is its compatibility with a wide number of operating systems. Many flash drives only operate on a Windows XP or Windows 2000 OS. Not the case with this little guy. In addition to the normal Windows standards, this Mini Memorex drive will work with both Windows ME and 98SE. If that’s not enough, this drive is also compatible with Mac OS 8.6 or higher, and Linux 2.4x or higher.

In the Box

• Mini TravelDrive USB 2.0 flash drive
• Quick start guide
• Lanyard carrying strap

In Sum

The Memorex Mini TravelDrive USB 2.0 flash drive isn’t the cheapest flash drive on the market, but it’s not the most expensive by any means either. If you’re looking for a U3 compliant device with a large amount of storage, slim design, and a good warranty (two year limited plan from Memorex) then this device is a sound buy.

If you’ve never used a USB flash drive like this one, you’ve got a treat in store! For convenience in a host of applications, the Memorex Flash Drive will prove itself invaluable in a very short time.

The device plugs into a spare USB port, and is seen in Windows Explorer as an additional drive letter, like a disk drive. Thanks to Plug ‘n’ Play technology on all current computers, this flash drive can be used with no more formality than that in any modern computer.

The Memorex Flash Drive is physically small, much less than an inch wide, as is typical for such devices. It can be slipped in a pocket, and comes with a built-in aluminum lanyard loop for carrying on a keychain. I carry mine in a pocket of my briefcase. The 1MB capacity is a very useful size for transferring data, photos and music files between computers and you will seldom need a greater capacity in normal use.

Gone are the days of having to carry a laptop, or burn a CD in order to give and receive information. The drive works reliably, and even has a blue LED to indicate usage and confirm that it is working. The flash drive has a bulge in the middle, which is considered ergonomic design. Some adjacent USB ports are close together, but the device is still small enough that the bulge should not cause a conflict when plugging and unplugging.

When unplugged, the USB port is protected by a transparent plastic cap, and this is the only place where we could find fault. Memorex state that the cap should be put on the back of the drive, like a pen cap, for safekeeping, when in use, and this is a sound strategy. However, if you’re using the lanyard, this might not be possible, and also it’s easy when in a rush to put the cap down on the desk rather than do this, and because it is transparent it can be hard to find again.

That said, this one criticism can be seen as nitpicking, and is common to several flash drives on the market. At the price, the Memorex 1GB Flash Drive is excellent value, and will quickly become indispensable whenever you have a need to share files rapidly and effortlessly.

They have not completely lost their usefulness however. As with most other “new” products which are just more advanced reworks of older technology, Iomega have released a drive that can handle 750MB disks.

Main features include…

• Support for 750MB zip disks
• Backward compatibility with their older disks
• USB 2.0 connectivity
• Install guides and useful software applications

The drive is very slim, which gives a lot to it in the looks department, and with its metal gray color its good looking. The slim profile doesn’t do much for the fact that you actually need to carry a power supply for it. That’s not too bad seeing as its not small enough to fit in your pocket anyway.

It has plenty of instructions for easy install with all operating systems including Macs. You do need to install software and will probably not be supported with the standard driver package that comes with Windows. No hassles install though.

Seeing as Iomega have been around now in the mass storage arena the Iomega 750 drive comes with an impressive array of software. This is extremely useful as they have truly added everything that someone looking this kind of drive would need.

I’m always impressed when a manufacturer has obviously done its homework to backup its product. There is automatic backup software which allows you to specify what to backup and how frequently, you can also choose how many of the older copies to keep before starting to delete them. Sync software allows you to sync files between your Iomega 750 drive and your computer and other computers. You would have to install the software on each, but it would work well for example between work and home. A special utility lets you run applications from the disk without installing which is really cool.

Compatiblity with old disks is alright and will read most, but not all, if you’re upgrading, save the data to hard disk or elsewhere first and then transfer to your new disks.

Speed is similar to a CDR or slower, not impressive, but alright.

Overall this drive is a good buy for big backups, and its security features and software package make it very useful. It doesn’t do as well in terms of portability as a USB flash memory stick, but does have its place.

Pros

• Security features
• Fully-featured software package
• Good looks
• Decent speed

Cons

• Needs power supply
• Not complete backward compatibility

At 10 bucks this thing is great. It is small and makes it really easy to transport those documents around.

It’s the perfect replacement for a floppy disk. These kinds of removable drives can become quite expensive, but the price for this 32MB drive is hard to beat.

For those who are looking for a convenient way to carry around documents this drive is large enough to accomodate your needs.

It’s not enough to transport a lot of stuff, but if you are looking for convenience rather than a massive storage device it would be hard to beat this little guy.

You do need to carry an installation disk if you want o use it on Windows 98 or older.

If you are looking for a nice gift for a friend this is a wonderful choice.