Download Freecom DataBar USB 2.0 256 MB

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USB who?
The standard version of USB that most of us have on our PCs
1% technically known as USE LI and has a theoretical
maximum transfer spaed of L5Mb/5ec. The new USB 2
standard is potentially 10 times faster but as our speed tests
show, practical performance levels tend to be quite a bit
lower,
Confusingly, there's also an intermediate type of USE,
known as LISB 2 Full Speed. which is merely a slightly faster
version of USE LL The Disgo drive we tested says USE 2 on
the box, but it's actually the "Full Speed’ version, which ls
technically accurate but the clalmed speed of 14Mbsec is
still a good deal slower than USE = proper,
4 There are different
standards of USE,
with varying
performance levels
16 - 29 Cetober 7003
usb storage |
As the popularity of USB flash
drives continues to grow,
manufacturers are coming up
with all sorts of ingenious
ideas to appeal to potential
buyers. We take a look at
some of the options
5B flash drives must be the smallest and most
convenient storage devices available these
days. They're extremely simple things,
consisting of just a small memory chip thar
can be wrapped in a case only slightly larger
than a pack of chewing gum. Thar makes them an ideal
way of backing up important files or transferring files
berween compurers.
Despite their simplicity, tough, the drives we ve seen
have had quite a few weird and wonderful features
designed to appealto many different types of people. Read
on to had oir mare,
Plug and play
Whatever clever )leas manufacturers come up with, these
USB flash drives are primanly intended as storage devices,
0 vou should first consider the amount of storage each one
offers, its price and performance
Flash drives are available in many different sizes — orto
be more accurate, with many different storage capacities —
ranging from 52Mb up to a vast 106. The most common
size, however, is 128Mb, so that's what we've concentrated
on in order to compare like with like wherever possible.
USB FLASH
DRIVES
COMPARED
PRODUCT ASHFLASHORIVE | POCKET FLASH DRIVE
mba — E
Talepésne 800 22355460 059709500
EE = fey Л
Websile Deu wwacores
PEA iE EE: “iméermational corii
Price HEN Pere £42
Capacity BN — o ew a 128Ma
EEE <= USE
i 22 Md
o em ll a y y as os wm
Mirite-protechos swtict
Slightly below
PATER peromance
The prices ve prié ae parte rude pricra Jor iow Lele, Few] prices oro wicks rege oF
жи й
Performance isn't too much of an issue, as all these drives
use à standard USB port to connect to your PC or Mac
There are, of course, different versions of USB available
(see USB who?, previous page), so there's a clear split
berween the drives which have a USE © (referred vo simply
15 USB") interface and those wir the faster USB 2.
The drives with USB 1 all offer read and write speeds of e
round 0.7 Mbáec (read" speed is the speed for copying 198
data from a drive, while ‘write’ speed is for copying files onto
itl. Corega'’s Pocket Flash Drive is a bir below that average,
while the Dispo drive is a bit faster, but the differences aren't
enormous. The drives with USB 2 interfaces are much
faster, though, so if your PC or Mac has USE 2, it's worth
paying that little bit extra te get better periormänee,
USE drives also have the advantage of bring really easy
ose. All recent versions of Microsoft Windows and Mac
OS have USE software built-in, 50 you can use these flash
drives without having to install any drivers. Tou just plug
the drive straight into your Mae or PC and you can save
Eles orto it, just as you would do with an ordinary Hoppy
disk. The only exceptions are older PCs that have
Windows 98 on them. You need extra software 10 use any
USB device with Windows 95, but this is generally
included with each flash drive, Some companies, such as
Crucial and SmartDisk, ask you to download this software
from their websites
Added extras
Some manufacturers do throw in extra software with boris
features. À common extra is the inclusion of some som of
password protection, which will prevent anyone else from
opening vour files if you lose the drive or leave it lying
around. The prize for best software goes to the Disgo drive |
for the MyKey application thar pops up on-screen
whenever you plug the drive into your computer. An on-
screen display tells you how much room is left on the drive
and there's a button that will instantly open a window so
vou can view its coments.
The added extras don't «top there, either. Some
manufacturers even modify the basic hardware design toadd
= |
Le)
a The Pocket Flash Drive from Coreg;
has a write-protection switch
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Ducking, station, Low cost, password
password are and compres ===
compression ul ilies ae ет
A bit show for USB 2 Poor decemantation
Fa rem
2 СЕН НЕЕ
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A авт ES = Lies i
usb storage
USB flash drive performance
| 20 - —
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1
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=.
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Time tor 10Mb (seconds)
+
Fr
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on test
E Time lá wriba 106
E to read {4+3
Durable drives
Flash memory drives are very robust and reliable. They don't
have kots of mowing parts like a Ze disk or hard desk 50
there's mot much that can ge wrong wih them.
They don't last forever. though Manufactures séldom put
a specific figure on thesa things but estimates put the
kespan of a Nash drive in the region of 1,000,000 ense
cycles’, which means you can erase your files and replace
{rez woth ney files wp to one million times. 15 a fairly safe
bet that bigger. better amd cheaper drives will be available
long before you reach that point, though.
Da mas a
ii a
| aFrescom's USB card has
a wide range of features
and caters for both USB 1
and USB
entirely new features, Freecom has BE
abandoned the standard srick-like AS
design of USB drives to come up ACE Y
with a really neat credi-card sized -j
storape device. We also liked tve
Little docking cradle that comes 4
with Sony's Micro Vault drive, 4
smartDhsk has designed
its PowerPlay Pro to appeal |
ta business
throwing in a wireless unit |
chat acts as both a laser °
pointer and a control device — E
for presentations. The idea is- sae A
that you can put your files on the Qu == e
drive and then just plug itintoa PC
in anv office vou travel to and give
instant presentations. Its a good idea, but
the drive s 32h capacity is a serious limitation.
The most extravagant design must be the Mega Warch
{rom Memix, which is a wristwatch with 1280Mb of built-in
storage and a USB cable sneakily tucked into the strap.
These added aviray do push me price up, though, sû vou
need todecide whether vou want à pain and simple storage
device or a more sophisticated model that provides
additional features.
Flash card
If vou want a specific feature, then obviously youll ope for
the drive that offers it. Price-conscious users can go for the
low-cost drives from Waitec, Crucial and Corega.
However, the USB Card from Freecom is definitelv the
most attractive (Lash drive we've seen. It's abit pricier, but irs
slimline design is both artractive and practical and a mice
case and some extra software features are included. Best of
all, it provides USB 2 performance for newer PCs and
Macs, while also being compatible with existing computers
that och have USB:
Cliff Joseph
SETS hy
comeactive > 18 -
«The Mega Watch is à unique
combination of watch and USE drive
ALA
Drivers Software nonded
in allow Windows (and
other operating systems) ho
communicale with a
penpheral
Gb À measurement oi
storage capacity usually
lar Farri deks. 1Gh e eqial
lo L024Mb (megalby es,
Mb A measuremend of
borage capacgy, usually
for computer memory
USE 2 Faster but
backwordiy compatible
sucoesser to USB that's
usad by such things as MP3
players amd external disk
drives
See www. compoleractive
AN for & full list of
Jargon Buster terms
qe
Sandy
28 Сю 2014 Чо id