Pros: Handy portable storage, rugged, can be password protected. Survived being laundered.
Cons: Physically too large for some situations.
The Bottom Line: The JumpDrive Secure costs about the same as insecure models and can protect your data and privacy. However it needs more clearance around it than some other drives.
georget99's Full Review: Lexar JumpDrive Sport 40x (128 MB) USB 2.0 Flash D...
A USB drive is a pocket sized gadget with a USB plug on it. You plug it into a USB port on your computer and your computer thinks its a hard drive. From there you can drag and drop files to it, put it back in your pocket, and later retrieve the files on another computer.
I make a lot of computer fixit "house calls" and have a standard set of software and internet links I usually take along on a CD-R. But every time I change my software tool kit I have to burn another CD, label it as the newest latest version, and remember to put it in my car.
With the Jump Drive, I pull it out of my pocket, plug it in, drag the new files to it, and put it back in my pocket.
I have not found a computer it wouldn't work on. I've plugged it into computers running Windows-98, -ME, -2000, -XP, and RedHat Linux. To use it with Windows-98 it has to be Second Edition and you've got to download a driver file from Lexar. I assume it works no problems on Apple computers, too.
I bought mine based solely on price and it happens to be the Secure model. The difference is you can partition off an area in the drive that is password protected. To do this you have to install the included software on your computer. Although the drive works anywhere, the software does not. The drive comes with PC and MacOSX versions of the software. You can't use the secure feature with pre-XP versions of Windows nor with Linux.
My biggest complaint, actually my only complaint, is it is physically too big. The drive is both thicker and wider than the usual USB connector. On my laptop, I have to unplug both my USB mouse and the nearby AC power connector to use it. On my desktop, the thickness is not a problem, but it is still bulky and a tight fit. The regular JumpDrives do not have this problem -- I suspect there's no technical reason for the large size -- Lexar just thought making it short, fat, and gray somehow makes it look strong and secure.
I chose this drive solely by price. I can't image any meaningful differences between brands other than appearance and maybe speed. I don't know if this one is fast or slow, it does the job for me.
***************** July 2004 ****************
I wrote this original review over 6 months ago and decided to amend my review and up my score to 4 stars:
Over the past few months I have seen a few USB drives owned by friends and co-workers to fail:
- physical failure, typically broken off USB connector
- electronic failure, stopped working
The Lexar is usually in my pocket, is used nearly daily, and I have had no problems.
I also have started using the secure feature. The included software, which only works on Windows-XP and MacOSX, allows you to set a password protected Private partition. This can be any any portion of the total space. Once this is done, the private area is hidden unless you have the software running and enter the correct password.
I like the idea that if I lose the drive, a finder not only won't be able to see my private data, but won't even know it's there.
Finally, a suggestion: These things are easy to lose. There are honest people in this world, but they need to know where to return the drive. Create a file on the drive, perhaps aaareadme.txt, that has your name and phone number.
*********************August 2004****************
I was just folding my laundry and discovered my JumpDrive Secure has taken a trip through the washer and dryer. Not only is it clean and shiny, but it still works. No more excuses, it's a 5 star product!
********************December 2004*****************
I've had it for a year now. It has spent most of that time in my pocket which is not all that friendly an environment. It's still going strong.
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