PQI Intelligent Stick Mini Review

[ventivent]

I carry around alot of stuff. During a routine work day, I have a cellphone and pager on my belt, house keys/car keys/USB thumbdrive in one front pocket, an IPaq h4155 in my other front pocket and a wallet stuffed with credit cards, cash and receipts in my back pocket. Clip my IPod on, and I've got about 5 pounds worth of gear to haul around.

Recently, I purchased an awesome Sena case for my h4155, and I resolved to pare down the stuff I carry around. I eliminated my wallet altogether, and just use my Sena case to carry around a few credit cards and ID. The less weight the better.

http://pubweb.northwestern.edu/~adhwang/istick1.JPG

The PQI Intelligent Stick is the smallest USB thumbdrive I have ever seen. It's approximately the volume of an SD card, but with different dimensions. It is available in both USB 1.1 and 2.0 versions, at capacities of 16MB to 512MB. Both versions plug into any standard USB port, and provided you have a recent operating system such as Windows 2000 or Windows XP, it will be automatically detected as a removable hard drive.

http://pubweb.northwestern.edu/~adhwang/istick2.JPG

I bought a 256MB USB 2.0 version off of Ebay for under $50 shipped. It came with some simple instructions, a small CD-ROM with Windows98 drivers, and a thin credit card sized carrying case.

http://pubweb.northwestern.edu/~adhwang/istick3.JPG

The Intelligent Stick is quickly detected and recognized by my Windows XP desktop, Windows XP laptop, and a Windows 2000 machine at work. Transfer rates are fast. 74MB of mp3 files took just under 15 seconds.

http://pubweb.northwestern.edu/~adhwang/istick4.JPG

What really sets this thumbdrive apart from other thumbdrives on the market is its size. My friend has a Lexar Jumpdrive and finds it is too wide to fit into some USB ports, especially on laptops. The Intelligent Stick easily fits into the memory card pocket of my Sena case. The included case, which is about the size of a credit card, holds two memory sticks and fits into most wallets.

The PQI Intelligent stick is small, fast and cheap. It costs approximately the same, if not less than most other USB thumbdrives on the market. I heartily recommend it to my fellow PocketPC users.

V

[Zack Mahdavi]

Very nice review!

I read about that a little while ago and was fascinated by the size. I currently own a Cruzer Mini from Sandisk. It's good but it feels like it will break one day. How's the durability of this little device? Oh, and where did you buy it from?

[Kacey Green]

I currently use an original Cruzer from SanDisk, I like the fact that any SD card I come across can become my Thumb drive. I use the SD card in Rex when I'm not using it as a thumb drive.

Nice Mini-Review ventivent :D

What today screen plugins are you running in that photo?

[ventivent]

I got it off from a seller called "digi4me-com." I think they also have a website:

http://store.yahoo.com/digi4me/index.html

As far as duability, it feels about as durable as an SD card.

Re: Today screen plugins, I'm using all freeware:

Wisbar Advance
TAgenda
cLaunch

They're available at FreewarePPC (http://www.freewareppc.com).

V

[spacerace]

I currently use an original Cruzer from SanDisk, I like the fact that any SD card I come across can become my Thumb drive. I use the SD card in Rex when I'm not using it as a thumb drive.


Kacey - have I read this correctly ? Are you saying you have a USB thumb drive type device that holds an SD card ? So you could put an SD card in it, plug it into win2k/xp and have it show up as a mass storage device as thumb drives do ?

If so can you point me to where you got it / where it's available ? I took a look at SanDisk site[1], but the cruzer specs there make no mention of it holding an SD card.
[1]http://www.sandisk.com/retail/cruzer-mini.asp

[Steven Cedrone]

Kacey - have I read this correctly ? Are you saying you have a USB thumb drive type device that holds an SD card ? So you could put an SD card in it, plug it into win2k/xp and have it show up as a mass storage device as thumb drives do ?

http://www.lexarmedia.com/jumpdrive/jd_trio.html]Lexar (http://www.digitalfilm.com/dynamic-frameset_jd.html?[url) Jump Drive Trio[/url]

Steve

[Kacey Green]

I'll post a link and pictures of my device when I get home!

[spacerace]

excellent - thanks to both of you.

[Steven Cedrone]

Oh, you can also look for a Zio SD card reader (http://www.microtechint.com/products/SDReaders.html) I have a CF version of that as well.

Steve

[spacerace]

yes that looks like it would do the job aswell, though it's a little bulkier. I was after something sized more like normal thumb drives so that its easier to cart around.

the lexar looks about right, and the pictures of the sandisk kacey mentioned also sounds promising.

[Steven Cedrone]

yes that looks like it would do the job aswell, though it's a little bulkier. I was after something sized more like normal thumb drives so that its easier to cart around.

the lexar looks about right, and the pictures of the sandisk kacey mentioned also sounds promising.

The Zio isn't that bad...

http://www.compusa.com/product_images/images/full/38/290038_f.gif

Steve

[Steven Cedrone]

By the way, PQI (the people that brought us the USN Intelligent Stick) also have a thumb drive type SD card reader...

http://www.pqi.com.tw/eng/ourproduct/product/usb2/ss3-sd.jpg

http://www.pqi.com.tw/eng/ourproduct/travelflash.htm

I really do like the size of the Intelligent Stick! I'll have to find a reason to buy one!

Steve

[Kacey Green]

Here is a link to buy one, I also coudn't find it on the SanDisk site (odd)
I don't have a host, and can't find where to upload images, so here's the picture from the link below, if anyone wants to host me I have pictures of the device with the USB port extended and inserting an SD card, and a picture of the device in "travel mode"

it does have an LED in the top lefthand corner to tell you connection and read/ write stats

The best thing is it supports (almost) all sd cards.

http://img.epinions.com/images/opti/83/a1/cmhd-Components-All-Sandisk_SANDISK_SDCZ1-128-07_USB_RAM_Drive_-_Shipping_8_SDCZ112807-resized200.jpg

http://www.shopping.com/xPC-Sandisk_Cruzer_SDCZ1_128_07

[spacerace]

interesting, thanks for all the replies, seems theres a good number of options for these.

kacey if you could email me the pictures you have of it in use it would be appreciated. also i have bags of webspace in various guises and can host them if desired.

[spacerace]

just for anyone else's interest I am posting the pictures kacey sent to me of his Cruzer stick mentioned earlier in the thread. They are a little blurry but you can get the general idea.

http://www.plainsurfing.com/cruzer/1sm.jpg

http://www.plainsurfing.com/cruzer/3sm.jpg

http://www.plainsurfing.com/cruzer/4sm.jpg

Full sized images can be seen at:

http://www.plainsurfing.com/cruzer/1.jpg
http://www.plainsurfing.com/cruzer/3.jpg
http://www.plainsurfing.com/cruzer/4.jpg

Images courtesy of Kacey Green

[Kacey Green]

The USB connector is retractable, for travel or for loading/ejecting the SD card. You do this by sliding the grey slider-button.

It's also very durable, I almost always have it in my pocket. It stands up to my body weight as well (if its in your pocket and you lay on your side to take a nap, etc.)

[martyh1]

The USB connector is retractable, for travel or for loading/ejecting the SD card. You do this by sliding the grey slider-button.

It's also very durable, I almost always have it in my pocket. It stands up to my body weight as well (if its in your pocket and you lay on your side to take a nap, etc.)

Offtopic: just fyi, that "Rex" reference you use (for your 2215) might be a little confusing to people who used the old Franklin/Xirom Rex pccard size organizers (like myself). For example, I was wondering how you were inserting a sd card into a Franklin Rex in your earlier post (not possible).

[Janak Parekh]

Here is a link to buy one, I also coudn't find it on the SanDisk site (odd)
I believe it's been discontinued. :( I wish Sandisk would sell the Cruzer separately, myself.

--janak

[Kacey Green]

Here is a link to buy one, I also coudn't find it on the SanDisk site (odd)
I believe it's been discontinued. :( I wish Sandisk would sell the Cruzer separately, myself.

--janak
agreed, maybe someone can license it from them?

[Janak Parekh]

agreed, maybe someone can license it from them?
I doubt it'll happen. Consumer electronic hardware designs like these are rarely licensed.

--janak

[Kacey Green]

maybe they should make an updated model then, address any concerns about the unit I have and fix them.