Kingston DataTraveler II Plus (512 MB) USB 2.0 Flash Drive (KUSBDTII/256)

Pros: Small, fast and reliable
Cons: So small that it's easy to lose

I started a new job last year and my first day kicked off with a pile of neat technology on my desk, probably to divert me from noticing that the desk was a corporate cubicle deep in the headquarters of a monster communications company. It worked. The ...

Pros: High-quality recording & playback, small & sturdy, uploads all legacy minidiscs, records to inexpensive media
Cons: Minijack mic input, limited Mac support, no direct recording or upload in MP3, dying format

I think it's fair to warn readers in advance that this is a very (long) positive review, written by someone who has been a happy minidisc user since 1997. This review, however, will not try to sell you on minidisc, or try to tell you that the MZ-RH1 is ...

Pros: Good quality storage for a decent price
Cons: Some misleading packaging.

Kingston makes some good products, and when I saw this item on sale I decided now was a good time to get it. I don't regret it, but now that you open up the package there was a few surprises in store. Some I were ready for already -- while it in fact says 512MB in reality you can only use about 489MB of it. And you need to download the drivers for Win98.

But what got me is on the package it says "Full Speed 2.0", but when you look at the fine print it says "USB 1.1 complaint and 2.0 compatible". What this means is that it's really moving data at USB 1.1 speed -- and they make it look like USB 2.0 in all but name. This is a bit deceptive.