Sandisk Cruzer 128MB - Say Goodbye to your Floppy Drive!
Written: Feb 17 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: No fixed storage limit, No drivers needed for Win2K or WinXP
Cons: A little bulky, fabric storage option
The Bottom Line: I'd like to see it a little slimmer, but I still think that by far it's the best flash drive out there!
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| twnboys's Full Review: SanDisk Cruzer (SDCZ1-128-07) Card Reader |
The Sandisk Cruzer, quite possibly, may be the greatest thing to happen to portable computing since the advent of the laptop.
"Whoa there, Cowboy!" you might be thinking (I'm not sure whether I like being called Cowboy - you hardly know me - but I'll let it pass this time because I understand that you may be caught up in the moment). A lot of great things have happened to portable computing; increased processor speeds, the advent of video cards, USB ports. What's the big deal about the Cruzer.
Travel back in time with me to January 2002 and the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. Always a lot of of neat stuff being touted, the major noise all hovered around the announcement of Sony's Micro Vault, a USB drive with a neat bullet shape about the size of a key. Specs called for 16MB, 32MB, 64MB and 128MB versions, and they most expensive one was priced under $200.
Everyone went gaga. Finally, a decent storage solution that wasn't big and bulky.
So what's this got to do with the Cruzer?
At the same time the Micro Vault was released Sandisk debuted the Cruzer. It didn't have nearly the style points that the Micro Vault did, but far and above I think it was the more momentous product.
For starters, it is also compact. it only measures a couple of inches long and an inch or so wide, so while it is bulkier than a lot of the "keychain" or "thumb" drives, its still not very big. It comfortably fits in your pocket, briefcase, or backpack.
The Cruzer does not require any drivers to be installed in order to run under Win2K or WinXP. Just plug it in and both of those operating systems recognized it as an external hard drive. What this means to the non gearhead is that as long as you are running one of those operating systems, all you have to do plug it in and your machine detects it. For you laptop users, this gives you a huge advantage - no need to carry that $#^&*@& floppy drive anymore. Save your file to the Cruzer, remove the it from the USB port, and hand it to a co-worker. And because the storage cards are so much bigger (16MB, 32MB, 64MD, 128MB, and 256MB), you won't need to zip and span that huge document or database to transfer it either! Transferring files between your laptop and your desktop is a breeze as well - no more emailing yourself files from home so you can print them in the office. And since it works like a normal drive, you can simply store personal files on the Cruzer and access them when you need them - a handy way to avoid keeping non work related items (even applications) on company owned workstations.
Gone also is the need for the external power supply. The Cruzer is USB powered; just plug it in and it's got juice. Darn - I really wanted another clunky power cord!
Finally, the feature that I think distinguishes the Cruzer from most of its competitors is the virtually unlimited storage capacity.
"Whoa there, Cowboy; unlimited?" (Okay now, that's twice).
Yep, unlimited. Unlike it's sleeker, svelter brethren, the Cruzer stores data on SD (secure Digital) cards - small, wafer-thin, postage stamp sized media with varying storage capacities (see above). These cards are used in cameras, PocketPCs, and a host of other devices, and they are removeable. So if I ever find myself filling a card with files I have to keep, rather than buy a new flash drive, I just need to buy a new card to use with the Cruzer.
This was the deciding factor for me. At the time that I bought the Cruzer, only the 32MB and 64 MB Micro Vault was generally available. I looked at both and realized that if I needed increased capacity, I'd have to carry multiple ones. Sure they are small, but I really didn't want them to outnumber the keys on my keychain!
But is it all good?
Well frankly, no. Is it ever? The Cruzer is never going to out "Wow" some of the competitor products like the Micro Vault and half a dozen other thumb drives. It's easily twice the size.
And although I have no basis for this irrational fear, the Cruzer just seems like it's exposed - the fact that the only case it comes with is made of Lycra makes me wonder whether its a good hard rap away from oblivion (I've had it for over a year and subjected it to a variety of conditions so I know the bloody thing is durable - hey, I admitted it was an irrational fear!).
From a design standpoint, the Cruzer isn't the most graceful thing. Relatively squat, in cannot plug into a USB port if there are other things plugged in ports around it - it needs a little too much real estate. Luckily it ships with an extension cable (about 2" long or so) that addresses this, and if you were really compelled you could buy a longer one at any computer store.
And portability is a double edged sword. Since many computers easily recognize it as a drive, anyone that pops it in can access all your files. There is a security program that comes with it that can be used to encode files, but then you have to make sure that you always have the disk or load the software on any machine that you might normally use in order to make sure you can decrypt the files when you need to.
The Sandisk Cruzer is a must have for anyone that needs to regularly transfer files. Inexpensive and portable, I think they ought to be standard issue will all computers.
Recommended:
Yes
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twnboys
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Location: Southeastern United States
Reviews written: 57
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