FujiFilm Unveils Tiny Storage Drive

[Jason Dunn]

<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,102591,tk,dn071002X,00.asp">http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,102591,tk,dn071002X,00.asp</a><br /><br />FujiFilm has come out with an interesting product here, although if we all had CompactFlash slots on our desktop computers, we couldn't need these silly things. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif" /><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pcworld.com/news/graphics/102591-n_071002_usbdrive.jpg" /><br /><br />"FujiFilm is helping revive Sneakernet with the release of its straightforwardly named USB Drive, the newest in a growing array of pocket-size, large-capacity storage devices that easily move among PCs.<br />This small flash RAM "drive" is available in sizes ranging from 32MB to 128MB, with a 256MB version expected out in the fall. The 32MB drive costs $50; the 64MB unit, $70; and the 128MB drive, $150. Fuji initially announced 8MB and 16MB versions, too, but isn't shipping them because apparently no one wants them.<br /><br />The unit's physical size, not its capacity, will catch people's attention. Forget the proverbial pack of cards or cigarettes. Measuring less than 4 by 1 by 1 inches, the USB Drive more closely resembles a short, stubby marker or a fat electric thermometer with a nose that plugs directly into your computer's USB port. It weighs only 0.7 ounce and is powered by the USB port, so there's no need for a battery or AC adapter."

[lawnman]

Not everybody owns a laptop Jason. However. most desktop system these days have USB ports :wink:

[Jason Dunn]

Not everybody owns a laptop Jason. However. most desktop system these days have USB ports :wink:

Ok, so you see this as a "Thumbdrive" type device where people will carry a few important files with them and plug into a desktop? Again, it's a hard drive - fragile platters. A Flash-memory based solution is much more sturdy. I just don't see a compelling selling point here - unless they can ramp up capacity and drive the price down very quickly. this product is going nowehere. IMO. :D

[DavidHorn]

According to the text you quoted in your post, this is the smallest "flash RAM drive".

[Jason Dunn]

According to the text you quoted in your post, this is the smallest "flash RAM drive".

DOH! :oops: You're so right - why on earth did I think it was a hard drive? Ooops...I'll edit the original post so I don't quite look like such a huge idiot. :lol:

[Foo Fighter]

Here's an accident waiting to happen. A nice expensive flash memory adapter protruding from the side of your laptop, just waiting to be broken off.

By the way, isn't that an iBook in the photo?

[lawnman]

Here's an accident waiting to happen. A nice expensive flash memory adapter protruding from the side of your laptop, just waiting to be broken off.

By the way, isn't that an iBook in the photo?

No more so then someone leaving an ethernet or wireless card inserted. And yeah I think your right. . .it does look like an iBook.

[Sven Johannsen]

...although if we all had CompactFlash slots on our desktop computers, we couldn't need these silly things.

Why don't you? The only reason not to have a CF (PCMCIA) slot on your desktop is you ran out of 3.5" holes and PCI slots. A PCMCIA 'drive' that sits in a 3.5" bay is only around $80. Tell me you haven't spent $80 on a PPC accessory :)

Best thing I ever stuck in my box. The other night, lightning took out the network card in my desktop PC, I slapped an 802.11 card in the PCCard slot and was back up, until I could replace the NIC. (Incidentally the power never went out, the PC didn't reboot, it just got the NIC and the associated port on the switch. Four other PCs on that switch, two routers, no problems Routers and switches recycled, none of the PCs even dropped out. :?: Go figure. )

[Steven Cedrone]

I have one of these (different manufacturer though - DiskOnKey), It came in handy for transferring projects back and forth from school. It has a clip so it actually hangs on your key chain. Beats using floppy disks or a USB CF card reader with CF cards.....

Just my .02

Steve

[Jason Dunn]

Why don't you? The only reason not to have a CF (PCMCIA) slot on your desktop

You misunderstand me - keyword here is "all" - as in every computer on the planet. :-) I have a multi-card reader that works great, I have no complaints, but if every PC shipped with a CF card reader, the floppy would be dead...

[Lotak]

Hmm.. these aren't particularly new.. in fact, the ones mentioned here are some of the spendier ones I've seen. :)

[Mobile Bob]

I have one of these (different manufacturer though - DiskOnKey), It came in handy for transferring projects back and forth from school. It has a clip so it actually hangs on your key chain. Beats using floppy disks or a USB CF card reader with CF cards.....

Just my .02

Steve

I have a DiskOnKey unit also, and they are very handy for transferring my programming files between home and school, and between Windows and Linux. It has also allowed me to replace the floppy drive in my Dell laptop with a 2nd battery. :)

[JonathanWardRogers]

I've seen SD readers that are much smaller than this USB drive, and SD cards cost much less than this USB drive. Plus, SD cards work in my Pocket PC and are small enough to carry several and still not be carrying around as much mass as a USB flash drive. Seems a bit odd and a little late in the game to me.

[JonnoB]

I have a card reader (MMC/CF/SmartMedia) that also has 32MB of its own memory and is USB based. Very small. The device on its own is just like this device, but doubles as a card reader. It has proven very valuable to me and was only $35 at my local Fry's.

[JonathanWardRogers]

I have a card reader (MMC/CF/SmartMedia) that also has 32MB of its own memory and is USB based. Very small. The device on its own is just like this device, but doubles as a card reader. It has proven very valuable to me and was only $35 at my local Fry's.

What is it called? Who makes it? It sounds like the perfect device!

Jon

[st63z]

It's really 4" long? I thought most of those other memory keychain sticks are supposed to be smaller than that (I can't keep count, more and more of these things keep popping up, must be at least 10-15 brands by now). This particular one doesn't look especially unique or stands out from the crowd, IMHO...

Alternatively, just buy a SanDisk 512/256MB (or 128MB or smaller) SD card packaged with the free Cruzer reader. It's just a small SD reader (think mini ZiO) that has a nifty outer shell to hide both the USB connector plug and the card itself -- thus allowing it to be carried like those fixed-memory keychain sticks (and considerably smaller than this Fuji device, to boot).

http://discussion.brighthand.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=336454#post336454

I got my 256MB kit yesterday, now we just need that guy with the 4 512MB Panasonic SD cards to benchmark it against the SanDisk to isolate any appreciable speed differences...

P.S. The pcworld article seems to make big news out of the mass storage driverless feature (post-Win98 & recent Macs), but don't most current reader models sold today also support this? Admittedly, there seemed to have been varying levels of support (some not Win2K/ME driverless, only WinXP, etc)...

[JonnoB]

What is it called? Who makes it? It sounds like the perfect device!

Jon

PQI TravelFlash

[Kre]

I think these devices are great. All computers have USB, except of course for the older ones, so this is the perfect solution for storing and moving every type of data. Some of them also have LED status lights integrated which is a nice touch. Ive seen them with sizes up to 1GB. Small, pocketable, quick, no moving parts, and no drivers needed... well, no drivers for anything above Win98 anyway, but Im thinking there might be one out there that doesnt require you to load drivers for even W98. One of them even loads on Mac and Linux boxes as well. Great device.

[st63z]

A few even have an encryption option to protect your data from prying eyes should you lose the memory key :) Others also have a write-protect switch to prevent accidental erasure.

BTW, the Cruzer does comes with a software encryption app (and LED light), too (and of course all SD cards have the write-protect switch)... I like the Cruzer because it's as small & portable as even the smallest fixed-memory keys. Ironically, it's also cheaper than most fixed keys (the SD cards are dropping in price, and the Cruzer itself is basically free), plus the added advantage of having removable cards (which can be shared by many PPCs, digicams, etc). It goes w/o saying it's driverless, too.
EDIT: Quick hand measurement, the Cruzer's roughly 2.5"L x 1.75"W x 3/8"-5/8"H (tapers off on either side of the width). Weight feels negligible. The USB plug and SD card on either end basically retract flush into the casing when traveling.

Just keep the Cruzer in your pocket or keychain. Say you're using your PPC or digicam somewhere and want to transfer some files/pics on the SD card to a stranger's computer. Just stick the card into the Cruzer, and stick the Cruzer into that computer's USB port. You have instant access.

It works the other way, too. You can use the Cruzer (with an SD card inside) as a large universal floppy. Say you copy some Office files from your coworker's PC to take home and work on them from your home PC. You don't even have to wait until you get home, just take the card out of the Cruzer and stick it into your PPC :)

It's the same reason why I'm also using a universal enclosure for 2.5" laptop HDDs (where I buy my own HDDs separately for cheap), instead of buying those fixed enclosures with a HDD already permanently mounted inside (which are usually MUCH more expensive). In my case, I use Addonics Pocket ExDrive 2.5" enclosures that have switchable USB 2.0/1394a/CardBus interface and are driverless with recent OSes, too! The enclosure even opens w/o any screws so you can quickly change out HDDs if you need to for some reason. I can buy OEM IBM/Hitachi 4200/5400rpm (9.5/12mm) HDDs, 10-60GB, from Buy.com much cheaper than the costs of those fixed-HDD enclosure models. And the Addonics unit is just as small (WxHxD) and light as the smallest of those fixed models (though the one thing it doesn't have is extra rubber padding or whatnot).
EDIT: For those not familiar with it, I should mention that the Pocket ExDrive is also bus-powered (from any interface), and even comes with optional 3.5" IDE docking bay so it can become a full-fledged IDE HDD on your desktop. Quick hand measurement, it's roughly 5.3"L x 3.25"W x 7/8"H... basically very lightweight plastic case.

[Mark (NL)]

Say you copy some Office files from your coworker's PC to take home and work on them from your home PC. You don't even have to wait until you get home, just take the card out of the Cruzer and stick it into your PPC :)



Now that I gotta see... office files to be opened without conversion ........uhhhhh sorry another discussion ;)

[st63z]

Hehe, I left out a few things, I was just thinking about my experience. I meant using the ClearVue Suite/Office viewers to view (not edit) native Office files -- basically just reading up on the files and getting familiar with them for your real work at home :) While you're in motion or traveling, you don't always have the opportunity to do editing.

To tell you the truth, I use the built-in Pocket office apps just to edit very simple documents (that usually were created on the PPC to begin with). Anything more complex, and many things just kinda disappear on the PPC. Even for relatively simple docs, once you edit and save on the PPC and sync it back to the desktop, a lot of things get messed up when you open it on the desktop Office apps again.

Another thing I shouldn't probably admit, I do too much PPC reading while driving, way too much to be healthy long-term :D If you think talking on the cell or listening to loud radio makes for bad driving...

[Unreal32]

Why bother? Especially if you have a laptop, using a CF adapter ($11 at CompUSA) with a CF type I card is more economical, and they already have 256-1 gig sizes available... plus they plug right into my CF slot on my Jornada, and can fit easily into a portable USB CF reader (less than $20). I use the CF adapter plus a 256 meg CF-I card, and swap files around everywhere, plus I keep a CF adapter with a 32-meg CF card in my laptop at all times... then when I want to have a file on the PPC, I don't even need to synchronize. Just send it to the CF drive, pop it out, and then pop it into the PocketPC.

I agree that these devices are kind of cool looking. But they're pretty much a one-trick pony.

[st63z]

http://www.nomadworld.com/products/muvo/

Now this is one fixed-memory device that I'm tempted by. Similar in size to the abovementioned Cruzer reader (MuVo is a 2-piece design with a total size of 2.9" x 1.4" x 0.6" @ 1oz), it's also an MP3/WMA player, using an AAA batt for 12hrs continuous play :) The cap/battery pack portion snaps off, and the base unit that you plug directly into the USB port is only half the width (so it shouldn't block adjacent ports). It's also post-W98 driverless, and comes in 64MB and 128MB sizes.

True, you already have the PDA for MP3/WMA playing, but the MuVo is good while in the gym or doing rec. activities.

It would be just so perfect if Creative implements removable SD card memory, and add an FM tuner to the unit! :D

Correct me if I'm wrong, but is this MuVo unique? Last time I was at CompUSA, I did remember seeing several other flash MP3 players that are also very small in size? But I didn't check to see if they have a built-in USB plug (no need for cable), or if they're driverless, too. But some of them at least use removable cards (like the Sony MS model).

[Registered]

A few even have an encryption option to protect your data from prying eyes should you lose the memory key :) Others also have a write-protect switch to prevent accidental erasure.

Before you trust securly USB devices like this you might want to read this( http://www.atstake.com/research/reports/acrobat/usb_hardware_token.pdf ) regarding similar products...