ThumbDrive SMART By Larry Anders, Librarian, Tampa PC Users Group Larry@AndersNet.com

Every now and then some techy thing (or in this case ‘trekkie’ thing) catches my eye, and it happened again recently. While browsing through the CompUSA flyer in last Sunday’s paper, I noticed an ad for something called a ThumbDrive SMART. The ThumbDrive SMART just happens to be one of the smallest portable storage units in the world. If our newsletter editor has left the size of the graphic to the right as it was the way I sent it to him with this article, then that is its actual size. It is about the size of a BIC lighter, only thinner, and it weighs only 12 grams. But… it holds 251MBs of data; any kind of data, including, but not limited to, music, documents, spreadsheets, pictures, etc.

You simply plug it into an available USB port and voila you have another drive that is assigned the next available drive letter. After that you treat it just like you would any other drive on your system. It is totally compatible with any Windows’ platform (Windows 98 and 98SE need to have drivers loaded – which are included) or any Mac OS 8.6 and higher. You obviously also need to have at least one USB 1.1 (or higher) port. I just took my ThumbDrive out of its package, plugged it in and a “G” drive appeared.

It reads at 700Kb/sec and writes at 350Kb/sec. Not the fastest thing in the world, but I’m not complaining. No external power is necessary because the USB port powers it. There is a small status LED light to show drive activity and there is a small write-protect switch on the bottom in case you want to make sure your data is safe. I think the key word in this paragraph is “small.”

If there is any disadvantage it may just be its small size. The cap or cover comes with a shirt clip so you can just clip it in your pocket like you would any pen or pencil, but it is so light you wouldn’t notice it missing very easily. It also comes with a key-ring attachment, which may be the best way to transport it, unless of course, you have a habit of losing your keys.

There’s not much more to say about it. It’s really simple to use. I have been transporting CDs or ZIP drives between office and home for some time now, but not anymore. My bottom line cost will be $99 after my rebate. If want to see more about it go to: http://www.trekstorusa.com/thumbdrive_smart.htm and check it out, but it’s more dramatic when you hold it in your hand. u