Is this dinky drive the best device to ferry small files between PCs?
Computeractive, 26 Feb 2002
We live in a world where information is key and it's handy to take data with you as you travel. This Flash drive is attempting to muscle in on the territory of the cheap but small-capacity floppy disk which is the traditional beast of burden in this area.
It certainly has some advantages over the ageing floppy. First, at 16Mb, it has a larger capacity. This amount of space is ideal for storing text files and contacts - for example, the phone book on your mobile phone.
We managed to cram over 300 assorted Microsoft Word documents onto the drive, so it clearly has its uses as a small, portable briefcase.
The design of the Flash drive is also superior to the floppy: it's smaller, more sturdy and just as convenient.
Installation and setup
The drive comes with an installation CD and is easy to set up. We didn't even need to restart our PC to start using the drive, which plugs into a PC through a USB port.
The drive also has a handy Flash Manager interface which allows you to format the drive at the push of a button and also password protect it.
The road to XP
The device is compatible with Windows 98, Me and 2000 but not yet happy with Windows XP. An updated drive set to be released early next year will be XP compatible and won't require an installation CD. This makes using the drive quicker and easier, but on the downside it will lack the Flash Manager interface and therefore it will not have the ability to password protect.
Another downside regards the ultra portability of the drive; it makes it easy to lose. It has a clip that holds it in a shirt pocket like a pen, but we've all lost pens in this way and at £40 a pop you certainly don't want to lose many Flash drives.
On the small side
At £40, this 16Mb model is the cheapest version of the Flash drive but other sizes are available, ranging right up to the £1,000 1Gb version.
Really though, it's best suited to keeping small amounts of small files safe and available, wherever there is a PC.
Contact
Centerprise International: 01256 378130 www.usbdrive.com
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