mb

Specifications: Like most "USB ram drives" this device is the size of the average disposable lighter and about as heavy. The interface is USB version 1.1, which means that you can expect a transfer rate of about 1.5MB a second. The ram configuration is static, which means that you cannot upgrade the drive for greater memory capacity. The drive is plug n play for Windows ME, 2000 and XP only. Other operating systems will need a driver update.

Performance: Plugging this drive into the USB port of my computer, the drive was instantly recognized and installed. Within "MY COMPUTER" it was listed as a removable drive for ME, 2000 and XP. I have not tried any other OS.

There is no special formatting necessary to get the drive to work with Windows operating systems. These drives behave as any other hard drive. Files can be written and deleted with simple drag and drop actions. Copying enough files to fill the entire 256MB of this drive took about 5 minutes, as expected.

Quality and Fit: These drives are small enough to put into your pocket, and easy to misplace as well. All manufactures offer some way secure the device to a tether and wear around the neck or on a key chain. Unfortunately, the case these devices come in are often flimsy and will likely wear out and break eventually, exposing the ram and board inside to the elements. Additionally, The cap that protects the USB connector will likely be lost within a couple of weeks. Again, this exposes the device to the elements and limits the mobility characteristics.

This drive is small enough to fit into a USB interface without an additional cable extension, though one is provided. It is a tight fit when there is another USB device next to it though.

Other issues: Because not all computers have Windows ME and up installed on them, you will need to take the driver CD with you when you take your "ram drive" out to remote locations.

It is sometimes inconvienent to plug the ram drive into USB Ports on the back of a computer. A front USB port on a computer is a welcome site.

Because the drive uses the USB 1.1 interface, the read and write speed is limited. Other drives use the USB 2.0 standard and can read and write data much faster. Above 256 Megs this becomes relevant.

Other drives have the ability to change out multiple ram cards to make the USB drive truly flexible. Those drives tend to be twice the size however.

Pros and Cons:

Pros:

-Does everything it should do, and fills an important void in computer storage
-Very Small and convenient for transport
-USB interface available on most all computers made within the last 5 years
-All recent computers use ME and above for a OS (USB Plug N Play)
-About a million read/write operations before the ram fails

Cons:

-Small size makes it easy to lose
-Cost is still too high for mass adoption
-Need to carry around drivers for older or special OS
-Flimsy case will not likely last long
-Write times not as fast as USB 2.0 (1GB = 20 MIN)