3DVelocity would like to thank Trek 2000 International Ltd, and in particular Chris Street , for their invaluable help and generosity in supplying this product for review.

 

Never before in the history of computing has so much information been available to so many people. From data shared over a network to the endless resource that is the internet, we are downloading, copying and sharing more information than at any other time, yet still we are limited in how we are able to "transport" that information from one machine to another. Many attempts have been made to create a standard removable storage device that would gain worldwide acceptance, yet only one, the Iomega Zip and Jaz range made any lasting impact. Even here though, you could not be absolutely certain that a host machine you were about to see for the first time would be able to read your Zip disk, so of course you had to bundle the drive into your bag along with the power adaptor and host software on a floppy, and take those with you too.
CD-RW has more or less killed the Zip drive for most people, offering substantially greater storage space at fractions of the cost making it the most widely adopted means of data sharing ever, but even here if only one machine sports a drive, data can only travel one way. And what if you don't want to trash a 650MB blank CD to take a screensaver over to Aunt Maude's house or to take your expenses spreadsheet in to the meeting with the boss? Well, then maybe you need a ThumbDrive from Trek 2000.

Who are Trek 2000?:

TREK offer state-of-the-art design solutions ranging from complete Video-CD Systems, VCD upgrade cards, CD-servo controllers, multi-axes robot controller, micro-controller programming to sophisticated ASIC design, catering to the fast changing electronic technology. They have offices in major Asian cities including Malaysia, Thailand, India, China and Singapore as the head office, to serve the rapidly expanding markets in the region. TREK's growth is attributed to all their valued customers and principles. With a strong engineering team and many years of experience in the region, TREK is geared to support their customers with the flexibility and service one would expect of a business partner. Their Research & Development (R & D) Departments are located @ Singapore, Malaysia, China & India. Their companies are conformed to the requirements of AS/NZS ISO 9001 by the SGS International Certification Services Pty Ltd (ACN 060 156 014). Taken form TREK's website

ThumbDrive Specs:

Password Protection	Max 15 Characters
Operating Temperature	0°C ~ +50°C
Storage Temperature	-20°C ~ +80°C
Relative Humidity under operating	20% ~ 80%
Relative Humidity under storage	5% ~ 95%
Insertion	5000 cycles
Data Reading Speed(ThumbDrive Secure to Host)	750Kbytes/Sec(Depending on PC system)
Data Writing Speed(Host to ThumbDrive Secure)	350Kbytes/Sec(Depending on PC system)
Interface	Standard USB Port
Operating System	Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows 98SE, Microsoft Windows ME, Microsoft Windows 2000
Available Capacities	8MB / 16MB / 32MB / 64MB / 128MB (256MB and 512MB available on standard ThumbDrive, 256MB available for the secure model soon)

So what is the ThumbDrive? :

Well, to put it simply, it's a self contained mobile data storage device with built in USB connectivity. Designed to be light, sturdy and above all convenient, ThumbDrive simply slots into your standard USB port, and is detected by windows (after driver installation) as a removable storage device, allowing you to add, remove, copy and drag and drop files onto or off it, just as you would with any hard disk drive. Weighing in at 30g (1oz), and with the lofty dimensions of 60 x 17 x 7mm (LxWxH), this is without a doubt the world's smallest removable storage solution. Add to that the fact that you need no extra power requirements, no cables or interface cards, no special media and no technical know-how to use it, and you have one very elegant answer to the problem of data sharing.

Installation :

Installation pains are a necessary evil when you spend most of your time reviewing hardware, so it came as a pleasant surprise to find the Thumbdrive installation to be quick and easy. Simply plug in the device, and when Windows detects the new hardware, simply point it in the direction of the driver file on the supplied CD. If you need to carry the drive from machine to machine, then these drivers can be downloaded from the net, or perhaps more conveniently copied to a floppy disk to be installed at the other end.
After the necessary files have been copied across, you'll find yourself faced with the password panel :

Initially, the password is set to 000000000000000, but you can change this to any alpha-numeric within the 15 digit maximum range. The password IS case sensitive, so you need to be careful when entering. Once this is complete, you're ready to go.

What can I use it for? :

How big is your imagination? The possibilities are endless, though perhaps the main one that will spring to mind these days is MP3's. I actually tried a variety of files with the drive, including MP3's, video clips, screensavers and small apps and demos, and they all ran quite happily straight from the drive without me having to copy them across to my hard disk first. This in itself opens up a huge variety of uses, from mobile multimedia presentations to being able to listen to your favourite song on the train via your laptop.
Of course, there are more productive uses, such as copying large files to and from the office, school or uni. Engineers could carry a suite of systems diagnostic software in their pocket, healthcare workers could load patient records prior to home visits, PIM data could be copied across from home to office and vice versa, in fact the list is pretty much limited only by your inventiveness and the Thumbdrive's capacity.

Having said that, I think one simple addition is needed to make the design perfect. If, like me, there's all manner of dust and fluff lurking in the bottom of your pockets not to mention perhaps car keys and the like, you won't feel comfortable leaving the Thumbdrive in there all day to fend for itself in this harsh environment. You could buy the optional leather case and neck strap that's now available, but I think I'd have liked to see a spring clip of the type found on ball point pens , molded onto the ThumbDrive's protective cover so you could clip it into a jacket pocket out of harm's way.

Features :

I think we've pretty much covered most of the key features already, being those of USB connectivity, light weight and compact size. There are a couple more worthy of a mention though. Firstly is the built-in LED.

This small green integral LED is a simple status indicator with two states, on indicates that the drive is in and has been enumerated ready for action, while blinking indicates that data is being received or transmitted. The other noteworthy feature is the write protect switch which is located on the very end.

his is your standard two position locked/unlocked write protect switch, but it is a critical inclusion to protect your mission critical data from not only accidental deletion, but also from the possibilities of virus infection. Because the Thumbdrive is essentially a solid state storage device, it is open to the same risk of viral infection as any other drive on your PC and having the ability to write protect your data is a genuine necessity rather than a "nice feature".

 

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