USB flash drives have come a long way from their old forms of long and standard looks. With the memory space pushing forward at an incredible pace, flash drives have evolved into a vast array of solutions. One of the front front-runner in this market-space is Kingston Technology and today we’re going to check out one of their latest flash drive: the DataTraveler Micro. The DataTraveler Micro is set to address the problems of some mobile computing platform’s lack of storage space. Will Kingston’s miniature flash drive be a worthy solution? Let’s find and let’s make this showy!
We’ve made it pretty standard here in our Back2Gaming reviews that we’d dedicate at least one paragraph in introducing the manufacturer of our review subject but we’ve gone through so much Kingston products in the past it should already be clear who and what Kingston is. With over 50% market-share, Kingston Technology Inc. is the most dominant memory maker in the world. Their products range from desktop memory, USB flash drives and most recently, solid-state drives. Their USB flash products are very abundant here in the Asia-Pacific region and their brand already widely recognized as the go-to brand whenever the need for trusworthy products arise. Their products are so widely recognized tons of bootlegs have already cropped up pushing Kingston to address the matter via product registration and verification. Company matters aside, Kingston has sent us over one of their latest entry in the DataTraveler line, the DataTraveler Micro. Let’s hit some specs and images.
[toggle title=”SPECIFICATIONS”]F E A T U R E S / B E N E F I T S
- Versatile — perfect for use with tablets or slim notebooks as
- secondary storage
- Convenient — extremely small form factor; drive can be left
- in the USB port while you’re on the go
- Guaranteed — five-year warranty with free technical support
S P E C I F I C A T I O N S
- Capacities*8GB, 16GB
- Dimensions 1.008″ x 0.657″ x 0.331″Â (25.6mm x 16.7mm x 8.4mm)
- Operating temperature 32°F to 140°F (0°C to 60°C)
- Storage temperature -4°F to 185°F (-20°C to 85°C)
Product Showcase
[tabs tab1=”Packaging” tab2=”Closer Look”] [tab] [one_half last=”no”][singlepic id=5794 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half][one_half last=”yes”][singlepic id=5795 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half] [/tab] [tab] [one_half last=”no”][singlepic id=5796 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half][one_half last=”yes”][singlepic id=5797 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half] [one_half last=”no”][singlepic id=5798 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half][one_half last=”yes”][singlepic id=5799 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half] [one_half last=”no”][singlepic id=5800 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half][one_half last=”yes”][singlepic id=5801 w=260 h=180 float=center][/one_half] [/tab] [/tabs]Performance
As opposed to performance-intended solutions, the DataTraveler Micro is a purpose-built solution therefore we will be assessing its performance via its form along with function. Still, we’ll include a couple of benchmarks just to get an idea of what figures the DT Micro can give us.
[tabs tab1=”HD Tach” tab2=”AIDA64 Linear Write” tab3=”Crystal DiskMark” tab4=”ATTO” tab5=”File Transfer”] [tab] [singlepic id=5809 w=480 h=320 float=center]First up is HD Tach’s long bench, as usual we won’t put much emphasis on the burst speed but looking at the average result, we can see that there’s not much of a gap between the max achieved and average reads. Given the best scenarios, this is the most we can get out of the DT Micro.
[/tab] [tab] [singlepic id=5806 w=480 h=320 float=center]In AIDA64’s Linear Write test, we immediately see a significant drop in write performance after the first few MBs. This remains true in a couple more benches as well as runs as we’ll see later. The write averages 3.38MB/s all throughout the test.
[/tab] [tab] [singlepic id=5808 w=480 h=320 float=center]Again we see familiar number in the sequential tests. Looking at the small file test figures, we have low numbers but pretty understandable.
[/tab] [tab] [singlepic id=5807 w=480 h=320 float=center]In ATTO, we see how performance scales with file size and we see that the DT Micro picks-up at around 16KB and peaks at 9MB writes for 64KB and the familiar 17-18MB for read performance.
[/tab] [tab] [singlepic id=5810 w=480 h=320 float=center]Copy To-
In our real-world test, we take 3310 files of assorted MP3s and image files from my phone backup to simulate a typical load for the DT Micro. A total of 2.40GB of miscellaneous files were transferred to the DT Micro finishing up in 17 minutes.
[singlepic id=5811 w=480 h=320 float=center]Copy From-
Taking the same files and copying them from the DT Micro to a HyperX SSD, the process only takes 3 and half minutes.
[/tab] [/tabs]Conclusion
The DataTraveler Micro might not be the fastest drive around, but its inconspicuous design and low-profile makes it a nice proposition for users intending to increase their portables’ storage. Ultrabook, MacBook Air and tablet users that have devices with limited storage but have USB ports will benefit greatly from the added storage of the DT Micro. The curved body gives the DT Micro a unifiying look to its host device and doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb giving it a set-it-and-forget-it ability. Putting into consideration that the majority of the usage this drive will be used for will be storage, the low write performance is acceptable. Not to mention you’re also getting a 5-year warranty along with this.
If you’re seriously considering getting an expansion memory for your portable device and is seeking something discrete, the DataTraveler Micro is just what you’re looking for. Resembling a transmitter for wireless keyboards and mice, its design makes it blend with any product easily. If a MicroSD card isn’t your requirement and your device could use some additional memory, we highly recommend Kingston’s DataTraveler Micro.
EDIT 6/1/2012: No word on local pricing yet but online prices pegs the DataTraveler Micro 8GB at around USD5 and the 16GB variant at USD11 which makes the DT Micro a very affordable buy for multimedia users.
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