Posts Tagged flash drive
Kingston Digital urDrive USB Flash Drive
Unlike other USB drives that simply store the data you load onto them, the Kingston Digital urDrive truly is “your” drive. When testing it, I quickly discovered that it is not simply a passive storage device. The urDrive capability comes preloaded on Kingston DataTraveler USB flash drives.
The all-in-one abilities that come on this flash drive cater to a range of people from the business traveler with a briefcase packed with unnecessary files to the leisure traveler on the go without a laptop but still wanting to protect their files.
Once you insert it into your computer and install the software, it offers an engaged, active type of storage that allows you to manage files more easily and offers several application features.
When you drag and drop files onto the USB, urDrive automatically sorts music, photos, videos and documents separately. It even offers an online component for backup allowing you to store data virtually in case you don’t have the flash drive with you and still need to access those files. Through an Internet connection, you can easily access those virtual files without the drive in hand.
Another cool feature for travelers is that you can use the urDrive even when on a public computer. Simply pop it into a PC and surf the web using urDrive’s built-in browser by Maxthon. It stores your browsing history on the USB without leaving anything behind on the public computer. This drive also features a parental protection function that allows kids to surf the Internet in a secure protected environment by inserting the drive into your computer and using one of the free apps.
Plus, through a free download, it will scan and improve the performance of the computer with Norton PC Checkup.
The entire thing was simple to install and provides a wealth of tools for travelers on the go in a tiny package. It really makes you rethink what a USB drive can do! It is available for purchase at office stores everywhere or you can get it online at Amazon.
Posted by Ramsey in Business Gear, Travel Light on December 19th, 2011
Affordable USB Flash Drive: Toshiba Transmemory
A USB flash drive should be in the pocket of every traveler for those times when you want to copy or share pictures or other files. And these drives are becoming more and more affordable.
I recently picked up an 8gb Toshiba Transmemory flash drive so I could give some friends about 1,000 high-resolution pictures. The pics wouldn’t fit on a single-layer conventional DVD, plus a USB drive would make it a lot easier for them to copy and share the files.
There are several flavors of this drive offered at different retailers, at prices ranging from around $20 to $30. The Toshiba Transmemory drive is simple—no fancy programs that launch when you plug it in, just fast, convenient, raw memory. The write speed is up to 3.9 MBytes/second with a read speed of up to 17 MBytes/second, with USB 2.0 compatibility.
If I could change anything about this drive, it would be the design of the protective cover. It could come off fairly easily if the drive is attached to a keychain and shaken around in your pocket.
These drives come in sizes up to a whopping 64gb. The 8gb is at a sweet spot in pricing right now. But look for the larger drives to drop in price in the future as even higher-capacity models are introduced. The 8gb model currently sells for just under $30 at Amazon.
Unlike hard drives, USB flash drives don’t have any moving parts that can break so they are very reliable. And if you haven’t checked prices lately, you may be in for a pleasant surprise.
Posted by JohnG in Business Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on June 29th, 2010
Top Tech’s Slim Data Drive Fits in Your Wallet
For years, I’ve carried a flash drive attached to my keychain on every trip. But Top Tech Products’ Slim Data USB Card convinced me there’s a better way to carry data.
My poor flash drive. The first one I had, I lost the protective cap and had to scour the web to find a new one.
Then, I bought a higher-capacity drive as a replacement. But after six months or so, the plastic piece that attaches to the keychain broke. So I went back to the older drive and soon some protective rubbery trim outside the plastic case was starting to crumble off in my pocket.
Toptech came to my rescue, sending me one of their flash drives that’s almost the exact size as a credit card—just slightly thicker in the center—and easily slips in my wallet. It’s the slimmest flash drive available. And the 4 GB capacity is plenty large for most uses on the road.
Using the Slim Data USB card was easy. The top flips open to expose the small memory card. Then, I just plugged it in to one of my Windows computers and it was recognized almost instantly. The card supports Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems.
A flash drive is one of my must-carry items while traveling. I don’t use it on every trip. But it’s there when I need it for backing up or copying pictures, storing word processing or music files and a dozen other uses.
The Slim Data 4GB USB Card sells for $24.99 from Top Tech and is also available through Amazon. Mine is orange, which is bright and easy to see. Other color choices include blue, red, smoke and clear.
My old flash drive
The drive includes a limited lifetime warranty. It won the 2009 Novelty Accessory Award from CTIA-The Wireless Association.
Now I’ll have to pick one credit card to leave behind or just carry a slightly thicker wallet. But I think the Slim Data card will ultimately hold up better than the drives I’ve tried that attach to a keyring.
Tucked away in my wallet, I believe it will also be less likely to get lost than a drive that hangs from a keychain. My ID, credit cards and other valuables go in my wallet—so it makes sense to keep important files there, too.
Posted by JohnG in Business Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on March 8th, 2010
