A-DATA PD17 2GB USB Flash Drive Review

Elegant and Noble

A-DATA has been around since May 2001 when it was established in Taiwan. Since then A-DATA has won numerous awards in Taiwan for being one of the fastest growing technology companies in the Asia/Pacific region. In 2006 and 2007, A-DATA was ranked 14th in Taiwan’s Top 20 Global Brands. They have also reported record annual revenue for 2006 at USD$1.35 billion! It is no doubt that A-DATA’s quality has contributed to it’s success over the years. Today we bring the latest in A-DATA’s Nobility Series of Flash Drives: the PD17 (US$30.10 at the time of publication).

The first thing that cought our eye on this was was the design. The engineers at A-DATA have taken a step away from the traditional ‘bar’ desgin with the PD17. Weighing in at just 5 grams with the sleek dimensions of 36.5*24.5*5.5mm, you won’t be adding any noticable weight or volume to your pocket with this drive. However, also on that note, you will have to keep a close eye on this one so it doesn’t fall in a crack or get covered up on the kitchen table!

The safest place for this drive is to be right on your keyring as that is where it is designed to be. The PD17 is available in 1GB, 2GB and 4GB capacities. The color of our sample is champagne gold, but it seems to be pretty silver in actual color. It is also offered in elegant red and bright blue.

The other main feature of this drive is the sliding design of the USB contacts. You never have to worry about loosing that little pesky cap with this drive because there isn’t one! When you are ready to use the drive, you just slide the contact points out of the cover.

The only concern with this drive is that it seems a little flimsy. We have not had anything break on the drive during our testing period, but the lack of any metal in the housing of the drive for support may be reason to avoid this drive if you are looking for one that will take a punishing! With that said, this drive was designed for a light-weight, sleek design.

Features

• Tiny
• Push and Play
• COB process for PCBA
• Enhanced for Windows ReadyBoost
• Specification: USB 2.0
• Size: 36.5*24.5*5.5mm
• Weight: 5g

Requirements

• Desktop or Notebook computer with USB port
• One of the following operating systems:
• Windows 98/98SE/ME/2000/XP/Vista or later
• Mac OS 9.0 or later
• Linux Kernel 2.4 or later

It is nice to see A-DATA actually mentions other operating systems besides Windows that will work with this drive! Now on to testing!