Flash USBDrive pockets your data

Remember buying your first computer with a hard drive? Have trouble deciding between popping a 5M or a 10M drive into that IBM Corp. XT?

How far we have come. Now JMTek LLC offers up to 512M of portable storage in a device the size of a stick of gum that plugs directly into a USB port. The Flash USBDrive weighs less than an ounce and can be clipped to your pocket just like a pen.

The Flash USBDrive requires virtually no effort to set up and use. Just plug the device into a USB port and, when the operating system detects the new hardware, install the provided driver. The Flash USBDrive will work with Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 98, Windows ME and Windows 2000 and Apple Computer Inc.'s Macintosh operating systems.

Once you've installed the Flash USBDrive, any time you have the unit plugged in it will appear as another drive in Windows Explorer. JMTek claims that the unit's flash memory is rated to retain data for up to 10 years. In other words, although you may not choose the Flash USBDrive for your archiving medium, it is easily up to the rigors of day-to-day work. And if you should want to protect data against overwriting, there is a write-protect switch on the side of the device.

The FlashUSB is available in 16M, 32M, 64M, 128M, 256M and 512M capacities. It reads data at 800 kilobytes/sec and writes data at 500 kilobytes/sec, making it a very fast option for portable storage. And because it is powered via the USB port, you don't need to carry any sort of adapter with you.

With a retail price of as low as $59 for a 16M unit, the Flash USBDrive represents a very attractive solution for traveling with your data.