[slider]

OK, I have been thinking about getting one for a while. They seem to be the simplest way to transfer files, barring a network connection, between any macs and pcs, no software is needed and it works on just about all platforms. It's self contained, no power cords or supplies to carry around, yada yada. I looked at the memorex one mentioned in the MacNN new page, there is the CD Cyclone, and I remember seeing several other brands.

My question, to those that have purchased one or also researched it, is have you had any problems ie. lost data or just didn't work? How durable is your brand? What is the best $/MB ratio out there, with good quality? Right not the CD Cyclone USB pen drive is about $85 for the 128MB, the Memorex is quite a bit more, I think $135, but is the extra price worth it?

Thanks

[slider]

I have decided to go with the DiskOnKey 128MB offered through the Apple Store. I was in-between the CD Cyclone Flash Key USB 128mb and this one. My decision came from the shape of the device, it's apparent durability and security, and it clearly had a key ring attachment were as the Cyclone was not so clear.

The shape concern was fitting into recessed USB ports such as my iBook 466. The security and durability came from the protective cover on the units, the DiskOnKey model seemed to have a locking mechanism which was more obvious that what the Cyclone had, I also had more confidence in the overall design of the DiskOnKey. I have added the links below including memorex which has a horrible site and is overprice based on the competition. I should mention that I found the Cyclone for $83 at smalldog, they don't offer the DiskOnKey there, but Apple does.

CD Cyclone

DiskOnKey

Memorex

I will provide a review when I receive the unit, there is a 2-3 wait from the Apple Store, of course LOL.

[slider]

Received the DiskOnKey today and have already played with it. Files transfer fast on both Mac OS X and Win98. You need to install drivers for win98, but later win machines are all set. It is very light weight, and the locking mechanism is tight, but not so tight as to be uncomfortable to remove from the cover. There is a light under the kangoroo logo that flashes as it is accessed,and if it is idle it pluses like a mac. I have it on my keychain, but it also has a pen clip, everyone that saw it as first thought it was a highlighter. Might be a good thing to prevent theft. This is the perfect way to keep my files with me at all times and I don't need to lug drives around with power supplies. This also much much faster than a Zip or floppy, and mounting it almost instant. I highly recommend this to students that need to use computers that don't have net access.

[John O'Shaughnessy]

I just purchased the Memorex ThumbDrive 64. I was amazed at how slow it was, so I did some experimenting.

Writing a 10Mb file from a G4 PowerMac running X 10.2.3 to the default PC formatted drive took over 8 minutes!

Writing the same file from a Windows 2000 PC took 30 seconds.

Re-formatting the drive to MacOS Extended, and the same file took 40 seconds to write from the Mac.

Re-formatting the drive as MSDOS format from the Mac, and writing the file again took over 8 minutes.

As long as I understand the limitations, I can work around them, but has anyone else seen such slow times writing to an MS-DOS formatted USB device?

John

[Eug]

For those with TiBooks, a better cheaper solution might be just a 128 MB CF card with PCMCIA adapter. Ultra fast, even with FAT partitions.

[PeteWK]

Originally posted by Eug:
For those with TiBooks, a better cheaper solution might be just a 128 MB CF card with PCMCIA adapter. Ultra fast, even with FAT partitions.

True. But then you either have to transfer the info to another laptop or have an adapter (which is usb anyway) to go to another desktop or iBook etc.

The CF card is an obvious choice, though, if you have a camera that uses one.

PeteWK

[Diggory Laycock]

DiskOnKey is good - I have an 8MB one - just out of curiosity.

I have been surprised at how useful it is for transferring small files - and it's always there! - right on your keyring.

Also I have a text file with my phone number on inside - so if I lose my keys and anyone even half computer literate finds it they can get them back to me! (if they are nice)

[thesearcher]

Writing a 10Mb file from a G4 PowerMac running X 10.2.3 to the default PC formatted drive took over 8 minutes!

Tried that with a .zip file using a Sandisk CF reader/128 MB card, and it took less than 30s.

[slider]

Disk on Key, 14.8MB file, 35 seconds. The point I think with a diskonkey is that it's always there and works with most systems without drivers. I have been plugging in to a whole bunch of different machines, swapping files, I even save word and excel documents directly to the diskonkey now, it's fast and convenient, I have become a spokes person in a way, people ask what it is and I fill them in, it's a great little device and always with me. Is your compact flash always with you? And I know you can't fit it into any computer, and even if you did carry it around with you on one of those usb card reader things, is it compatible? It's already twice the size and even bigger then the new Pro Diskonkeys which are like half the size of the one I have.

Thanks for the word on the Memorex Thumb drive, I have been steering people toward the diskonkey brand.

[iDaver]

I've got one by FujiFilm. A coworker has one by Sony. Both work flawlessly. The Fuji fits better on a big key ring. The Sony requires a tiny ring or some kind of string. Speed isn't really an issue unless you're continually shuffling 100MB at a time, all day long. A CD worth of MP3s will write in about a minute. Reads are a little faster but I've never really found the need to time it. This is the best device I've gotten in a long time. I use it all the time for shuffling things from computer to computer. (I used to use Zip disks for the same purpose but hardly ever use them any more.)

[John O'Shaughnessy]

Is yours formatted as a DOS disk, or a Macintosh disk?

It seems odd that the way the ThumbDrive is formatted has such as large impact on performance.

John

[daimoni]

.

[maczep]

What about PowerUser (on MacWarehouse) or Wolverine Series? You probably get what you pay for, but I read somewhere that most of these flash chips are the same, only with different case and logo.

The speed issue is interesting. I would like to use it mainly between Win2KPro and 10.2.


PowerUser 128MB

http://www.wolverinedata.com/cgi-loc...miniature.html

TIA

zep