Kingston U3 DataTraveler Flash Drive Review

Introduction

With the era of flash memory upon us, flash drives are one of hottest selling items on the market. Flash drives like Kingston’s DataTraveler product line offer high speed data storage for an affordable price and the size of a key chain. These are perfect for gifts and it doesn’t matter if the receiver of the gift already has a flash drive, because we at LR are finding that one can not have too many flash drives laying around since each flash drive can have its own purpose. This is exactly what Kingston has realized and how they are marketing their DataTraveler series.

Kingston has a DataTraveler model that will fill many specific markets. Currently, Kingston’s DataTraveler product line includes the U3, Elite, Elite – Privacy Edition, DataTraveler II – Migo Edition, DataTraveler II, and DataTraveler. That’s 6 different models that each fill a slightly different purpose.

Features

Today we are taking a look at the U3 DataTraveler. Ever wish you had a specific application installed on a public computer? The U3 DataTraveler offers to fit that market! Besides taking your data with you, the U3 allows you to take your programs with you. You can purchase and/or download programs designed specifically for the U3 DataTraveler from U3.com.

• Capacities ? 1 GB
• Dimensions ? 2.64″ x 0.80″ x 0.35″ (66.9 mm x 20.4 mm x 9.0 mm)
• Operating Temp ? 32^o F to 140^o F (0^o C to 60^o C)
• Storage Temp ? -4^o F to 185^o F (-20^o C to 85^o C)
• Efficient ? data transfer rates of up to 6 MB/sec. read and up to 3 MB/sec write
• Compliant ? designed to U3 and Hi-Speed USB 2.0 specifications
• Easy to use ? intuitive U3 Launchpad runs U3 compatible software, manages functions and cleans up its activity on the host system
• Flexible ? U3 Launchpad operates in six different languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Japanese.
• Secure ? includes password protection when used with Windows 2000 and XP
• Convenient ? pocket-sized for easy transportability
• Simple ? just plug and play into a USB port
• Practical ? stores cap securely on end of device to prevent loss of cap
• Guaranteed ? five-year warranty
• Fashionable ? 1 GB: silver with black grip

Currently, there are only two capacities offered for the U3 DataTraveler, and those are 512kB and 1GB! I would recomend purchasing the 1GB version because you don’t want to run out of space in order to install a reasonable number of programs. I’m sure in the future, Kingston will expand this product to even larger capacities like 2GB and 4GB.

Another important feature to highlight is the nice 5-year warranty! Flash drives have a higher risk for damage given that they are designed to always be with you. The more you travel with your flash drive, the more your drive is exposed to, and the more chances you have of breaking the flash drive. So a 5-year warranty is definitely a nice feature to have!