Portable computer storage solutions have come along way since their inception. Many younger people might not even remember the days when we used 5 and ¼ inch floppy drives or their smaller and more popular 3 and ½ inch cousins. Those storage formats could hold scarcely more than a single megabyte of data. We then graduated to CDs, and while they could store several hundred times the amount of data, they were frustrating as they weren’t always rewritable. Today, advances in storage technology have brought us the incredibly powerful and versatile USB flash drive, such as the SanDisk Cruzer line.
The storage capacity of the SanDisk Cruzer line of USB flash drives varies from 512 megabytes (which is a little less than what is stored on a CD) all the way up to 16 gigabytes (which is several times what can be stored on a DVD). The best part about flask drives like the SanDisk Cruzer is that that they are completely and easily rewritable. You don’t have to worry about buying CD- or DVD-RWs or finding a disc burner than can work with those formats. Just pop the SanDisk cruzer into the USB port and you are good to go.
Aside from offering a significant amount of storage space, the SanDisk Cruzer line brings with it a relatively new technology called U3. U3 is a type of software that comes installed on these USB flash drives that allows a user to transfer his or her personal settings to another Widows based computer. This allows a user to, to a limited extent, “transform” whatever computer they are using into whatever configuration they desire. Programs can be run directly from an U3-capable SanDisk Cruzer with a very simple interface.
U3 has some other advantages, as well. Most U3 SanDisk Cruzer drives have built-in virus protection software, so even if the computer they are plugged into has a virus, it won’t get onto the USB flash drive. Users can also lock their SanDisk Cruzer flash drives with password protection to protect vital data. These drives are resistant to attempts to break into them, as they will automatically destroy their own data if multiple bad passwords are entered.
Some other features of the SanDisk Cruzer line include retractable USB connectors in order to protect the unit from damage. However, many units in the line are a bit bigger than comparable flash drives, though they are still easily portable and convenient. They also may lack the common keychain connector that would allow you to directly connect the flash drive to a keychain. These are more or less minor niggles, and don’t outweigh the power and versatility of the SanDisk Cruzer flash drives.
Comments
Comments are closed for this post.