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V-Tec V-Drive USB Flash Drive
|
|
Author : Wayne Date :
6th June 2002 |
| ...Product |
V-Drive USB Flash Drive |
| ...Manufacturer |
V-Tec |
| ...Supplier |
V-Tec |
| ...Price |
RRP £42.00 |
Introduction :
Considering we were reviewing this type of solid state USB
storage device way back at the start of 2001 it seems
to have taken a long time for them to make an impression on
the market. There's absolutely no denying how useful and convenient
they are so it can only be the price that's hindered their
progress, an almost unavoidable part of the evolution of a
new product. There are numerous similar devices on the market
right now so what makes the V-Tec V-Drive so special? Let's
find out :
About V-Tec : Not to be confused with VTech who make those
electronic educational toys for toddlers, V-Tec were established in
1991 to "fulfil the corporate IT service industry and systems
upgrade demand with market competitive, performance memory products
manufactured to meet compatibility standards for a broad range of
Original PC manufacturers products." Despite their low profile in
the retail sector they're a fairly large company with six offices
worldwide and a lot of experience in the memory market. For more
details on V-Tec click HERE.
The Product : What I'm looking at today is the V-Drive
USB Flash Drive. We were supplied
the 32MB version but other than the capacity the whole range
of V-Drives share the same characteristics. Here's the specs
:
Product Features
| • |
External data storage &
exchange
|
| • |
Hot Plug & Play USB interface
|
| • |
No external power
required
|
| • |
Flexible capacity:
8MB-1GB
|
| • |
Write
Protection
|
| • |
Status Indication by dual
LED
|
| • |
No driver required for Windows
ME/2000/XP, Mac OS 9.x, Linux 2.4.x
|
| • |
Driver for Windows 98
included
|
| • |
USB
Extension Cable Included
|
System
Requirements
| • |
Operating
System: Windows ME/2000/XP, Mac OS 9.x, Linux
2.4.x
|
| • |
USB
interface
| |
|
Technical
Specifications
| • |
USB
1.1 specification compliance
|
| • |
Access
time:
read transfer: 920Kbyte/s.
write transfer:
600Kbyte/s
|
| • |
Dimensions:
83.5 x 22.5 x 10.5mm
(3.28 x
0.88 x 0.41 inches)
|
| • |
Weight:
15g
|
| • |
Data retention
time: 10 years
|
| • |
Storage media:
Nand Flash memory
|
| • |
One year
warranty | |
|
|
|
CAPACITY |
PART NO. |
RRP |
|
MB |
|
£ |
€ |
|
32MB |
VT-DRIVE32 |
£42.00 |
(69€)* |
|
64MB |
VT-DRIVE64 |
£59.00 |
(96€)* |
|
128MB |
VT-DRIVE128 |
£107.00 |
(175€)* |
|
256MB |
VT-DRIVE256 |
£196.00 |
(320€)* |
|
512MB |
VT-DRIVE512 |
£275.00 |
(450€)* |
|
1GB |
VT-DRIVE1GB |
TBA |
TBA | |
*Euro price only as a guide (taken at rate of
1.635 to £1)
- subject to daily currency fluctuation.
|
Price Includes:
• V-Drive
• CD (with Win. 98 drivers)
• Lanyard (Neck Cord)
• USB Extension Cable
• User Manual
• Warranty Card
• Retail Packaging
Prices exclude carriage and VAT but include
one year return to base warranty. Subject to availability.
Further details from VTEC Industry Europe
Sales office - Tel: 01264 336901 or email sales@vtec.co.uk.
|
|
The great convenience in this type of device comes
from its small size and USB interface. Now you can quickly and
easily switch information between any number of computers provided
they feature a functional USB port. From updating drivers on
several machines, carrying and running diagnostics software,
sharing MP3s, carrying digital photos and scans the list of
uses is limited pretty much only by the capacity and with V-Tec
offering a range of sizes right the way up to full 1GB even
this shouldn't be a problem if you can pay the asking price.
As you can see the 32MB we're testing today costs £42.00 but
a little searching will certainly net you a better price than
this, probably nearer £38. I'd still like to see these devices become
a little cheaper but they're a lot more attractively priced
than they were and are a great investment if you regularly need
to transport data from place to place.
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