Gr8ful's Full Review: Sandisk Cruzer Micro USB 2.0 Flash Drive with U3 &...
Last summer I bought the Sandisk Cruzer Micro 2GB flash drive and I loved it. However as I found more uses for the flash drive I soon realized that 2GB just isn’t enough space for my U3 programs and the ton and a half of MP3 music I carry on the drive. So I recently bought the 4GB version which I am happy to say is exactly like the 2GB version in every way except it holds twice as much data.
Sandisk Cruzer Micro 4GB
The Cruzer Micro is small, light and has a rather sturdy keychain clasp attached to one end. The USB interface slides out of the other end and locks in place with an easy-to-use slide on one side of the flash drive. When not in use, the USB plug is retracted into the flash drive protecting the “not-so” delicate interface.
The drive transfers data at USB 2.0 speed provided you have a USB 2.0 port on your computer. I transferred 3.4GB of MP3 music to the drive in just a few minutes. I did not pull out stopwatch and time it, but it was pretty fast all the same. Even on my wife’s laptop with USB 1.1 I can play short videos and MP3s from the drive without any glitch or stutter.
Ready Boost
The four gigabyte flash drive is compatible with Windows Vista Ready Boost if you have the desire to use it in that fashion. Personally I don’t see the benefit of doing so but other people may have a use for that. Ready Boost allows you to use your flash drive as if it were RAM installed in the computer. Flash memory is not as fast as RAM and using it in this fashion can cause the computer to actually run slower. But… to each his own.
U3
It also comes with the U3 program pre-installed to the flash drive. Many people do not like the U3 software but I do. It comes in handy when you need to use a computer other than your own that doesn’t have your programs on it. I especially like it for the use of Sun Microsystem’s “OpenOffice.org” which allows me to have a word processor, spreadsheet and database program on the road. I also have Avast! Antivirus installed to the drive. All the U3 software including the program itself only takes about 10% of the entire flash drive and to me that is nothing compared to the benefit of having it.
The USB flash drive is compatible with Mac OS but the U3 software is not. It is not recognized by the Mac OS but can be removed by simply formatting the drive from within the Mac OS. The drive comes with Skype, HP Photosmart U3 and McCaffey antivirus preinstalled. I removed McCaffey and installed Avast! for U3 instead. The drive also has security software installed for protecting sensitive data. None of these U3 programs are compatible with the Mac OS.
Features
* Capacity: 4GB
* Media Type: Flash
* Enhanced for Windows Ready Boost
* Retractable USB plug
* U3 Smart technology
* Cruzer Sync: Allows secure synchronization of files and Outlook on any PC
* Signup Shield: Password manager allows a master password to remember all your passwords for you
* McCaffey Antivirus included for virus and spyware protection
* PC or Mac computer with USB support
* Operating system: Windows 2000/XP/Vista, Linux, Mac OS 9.1.x+, Mac OS X 10.1.2+
* USB 2.0 required for high speed transfers
* Requires high power USB hub/port
Personal Use
I use the drive to run virus scans on my client’s computers as well as spyware cleaners. I also use the drive to write reviews when I am not at home using OpenOffice.org U3 version. Recently I bought a new Kenwood stereo (which I will be reviewing soon) for our GMC Pickup and have a whole new use for my flash drive. My stereo can read MP3 and WMA from the flash drive so I can carry up to 90 albums of compressed music on my drive with all my other stuff as well. I usually rip my MP3s at 320k so right now I have 21 albums on the drive which is still pretty good, especially at high quality.
Conclusion
I am very happy with my flash drive. I love the U3 software and I use it frequently. If you prefer not to have the U3 program, it is easy to uninstall but I don’t think you can put it back on without sending it to Sandisk so be sure before you remove it.
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