SanDisk Cruzer Micro U3 4GB USB Flash Drive - Retail Package

List Price: $178.97 Discount Price: $12.95

Features:

• Retractable USB connector
• Brilliant amber LED indicator
• U3 Be Smart Technology enabled
• Loaded with the U3 programs-SKYPE "Make video calls from PC to PC"
• Hi-Speed USB 2.0 certified (backwards compatible with all USB 1.1 ports)

Accessories:
Lexar Media 512 MB CompactFlash HSS (40X) CF512-40-278	Transcend 256MB High-Speed 80x CompactFlash Card- Blue(TS256MCF80)	Transcend TS512MCF80 512MB 80x Type I Compact Flash Card	Transcend TS1GCF80 1GB 80x Type I Compact Flash Card	Transcend 8Gb Cf Card 120X

Customer Reviews:

Good product [Posted on 2006-11-26]
This drive has proven to be fast and the U3 software useful. I wish the case were a little more substantial, but the performance is good. I was able to write data at about 6 or 7 MB/sec and read it at over 20 MB/sec (Sorry I am not more exact, but this was timed using my watch).

I love this drive -4GB for a great price [Posted on 2006-12-22]
I love this microdrive. I have had at least 5 different sizes (and models) in the past and this is my favorite one.

SIZE: This is the biggest usb drive I have ever purchased. I was initially looking for a 1GB drive, but then I saw the price on this one. Wow, not bad at all. (I know that there is also an 8GB drive out there, but I think the price on that one is still realistically prohibitive). For 4GB, the price on this one is really good.

For reference to the size, realize that this drive is actually the same size as the regular iPod Nano. This means that there is finally a microdrive that can hold a lot of media. You can finally drag and drop entire playlists of songs, or tv shows, or movies on to this drive to take elsewhere. This was really nice when I wanted to bring over some iTunes TV shows to my friend's house, as this drive allowed me to port over a bunch without worrying about burning them onto CDs. (If I had tried that method, I would have needed 6 CDS, or more, so this drive was a great help.)

PRICE: The price is very, very, good. I know that it isn't sold directly from Amazon (so you pay shipping), but I had no problems with the third party vendor.

PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES: I really like the fact that there is no cap to lose. It is a very interesting design. You have a little thumb button, and if you press it in, and slide it away from the drive, the usb head pops out and locks in place. (When done, you slide the head back into the body of the drive).

Note: I have used this drive with both a mac (OS X) and a pc (Windows XP) and have had no problems with either. I have not timed the data throughput, as I dragged and dropped things onto the drive and then walked away, but I did not notice any unseemly delays with reading and writing to the drive.

I have no complaints with this drive so far. Assuming it lasts, there are only two things that I am concerned about.

First, the end of the drive is open (though the usb end is tucked away inside), so if you are going to carry it somewhere where it might get a LOT of dust, or any wetness, then you might opt for another drive (with a cap) to be safe.

Second, it IS possible that it may not last as long as a (normal) drive (with a cap) because of the movement that takes place every time you open and close it, but only time will tell. Also, if you drop it, I am betting it will rattle around (due to the movable parts) so it may be less durable than other drives if dropped again and again.

Very satisfied so far, and I think it makes a nice gift for less technologically oriented family members. (No more CDS to burn -just drag and drop!)

I have had 2 of these die [Posted on 2007-01-08]
the drives just sop working after a while. I have lost critical data twice with ths product. Avoid.

Can't go wrong with Sandisk [Posted on 2007-03-31]
Excellent product, no problems. FYI, Macintosh users, the U3 is not for us and is an irritant as it shows up regardless and there does not appear to be a way to get rid of it. For that I give it 2 stars. Otherwise, it's A-OK.

Wish I could give it a zero [Posted on 2007-09-07]
I have had two Sandisk Cruzer 4GB drives stop working. After the first one died, I was scrupulous about using Windows "stop/ safe eject" process, thinking I had caused the problem. But two giving out within a year can't be the result of the way I'm handling the drive. Both times, it stopped being recognized by Windows, or I got an error message saying the drive must be formatted, but it wouldn't install so that I could run it or format it. Avoid this one like the plague, and don't store anything on it that isn't backed up.

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