As promised, we’re going to review USB flash memory drives. For some historical background, we once again referred to the people at Wikipedia for their entry on the subject.

There are many types of drives, and unfortunately we do not have the funding to do speed tests on a large selection of USB drives…unless someone would like to send us such a selection, in which case we will be happy to make such a comparison. In June of 2004, CNET reviewed 14 tiny USB flash drives. In November of 2005, PC Magazine published their USB Key Superguide.

Now that we’ve referred you to people who have the budget for intensive reviews, we’re going to refer you to a few different types of USB drives that are good for various uses. Now, most USB Drives look pretty much the same. A little rectangle that has a loop for a keychain. Many have a cover for the USB port that frequently is lost. We recommend you review Amazon’s user reviews for each drives to see what people are saying.
For rugged durability, you might want to try a Lexar Jumpdrive Sport. It is available in several sizes:

• Lexar Media 512 MB JumpDrive Sport Portable USB 2.0 Drive (PC/Mac)
• Lexar Media 1 GB JumpDrive Sport USB Flash ( JDSP1GB-231 )
• Lexar 2 GB JumpDrive Sport JDSP2GB-231

If you are interested in a newer feature we recently reported on, another Lexar Product, the Jumpdrive Mercury, has a built in usage gauge.

• Lexar 2 GB JumpDrive Mercury JDMC2GB-431
• Lexar 1 GB JumpDrive Mercury JDMC1GB-431

USB Drives from Kingston also receive favorable reviews:

• Kingston Data Traveler 1 GB USB Flash Drive ( DTI/1GB )
• Kingston 2 GB USB 2.0 DataTraveler II write up to 7MBps KUSBDTII/2GB

While there are many others, we do want to cover the other popular brand, Sandisk…

• SanDisk Cruzer Mini 2GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive (SDCZ2-2048-A10, Retail Package)
• SanDisk SDCZ2-1024-A10 1 GB Cruzer Mini USB 2.0 Flash Drive (Retail Package)

Now, most of these drives have some kind of security software, often proprietary, designed to protect the data inside. If you don’t wish to spring for this, or wish to explore the wealth of open-source options for using your USB drive, please stay tuned for the next part of our series, where we will show you how to use your new USB drive to protect yourself.