Connect 3D 512MB USB 2.0 Pocket Drive

Overall, the build quality is good. Inside are Samsung flash memory chips and a hi-speed USB controller. The drive has a single red activity light which blinks eagerly whenever the drive is accessed and, a three millimetre diameter hole that is just wide enough for a key ring or chord. There is no pocket clip. Incidentally, even though it may be referred to as a "pen" drive, there is NOT a biro inside.

You should have no worries if you don't have a conveniently located USB port, my drive shipped with a one meter long USB extension cable. It also shipped in a plastic bubble which would make it presentable as a gift.

A minor issue is the cap that protects the USB plug when in transit is not retained on the other end of the drive when hooked up. As the drive only ships with one cap, don't loose it! Please Samsung, put in a spare cap. Thanks :-)

Windows XP installation is a breeze as no drivers are needed - just how refreshing is that? The pocket drive also goes driverless with Windows ME/2000/XP & MacOS 8.6/9.1/9.2 - Windows 98/98SE users need a driver. See www.connect3d.com for tech' support.

To install, just plug the drive into a spare USB port either on the PC or hub, and XP recognises it as new hardware - provided the USB port is active and has power. After receiving the message that your new hardware is ready for use, click on 'My Computer' and the 'Mighty Drive' icon appears under the 'Devices with Removable Storage' group. The drive letter is allocated to whatever Windows decides, but you can change the volume name to something more meaningful.

To use the drive, just treat it like any disc drive; create directories and drag-and-drop files all day.

The drive appears to Windows as a FAT (file allocation table) formatted device. Don't be misled by the reported file size. A 'mega-byte' equates to 1,048,576 bytes (go figure), so Windows will report the drive as having 491Mb when, in fact, there's 515,088,384 bytes available - three meg' more than stated. The drive is shipped with a utility to password protect the contents - I have not tested this feature. To remove the drive whilst the PC is switched on, click on the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon first, otherwise XP gets a migraine.

The drive is specified as reading at maximum speed of 17MB/s (mega-bytes per second) and writing at 14MB/s. By comparison, contemporary IDE/P-ATA hard drives achieve a throughput of around 45MB/s. But in practice, any read or write time is wholly dependent on what else the PC is doing at the time. When using a hi-speed USB version 2.0 connection, I was able to play MPEG movie clips off the drive without pops and pauses. In plain English, it's quick enough for most file activity uses.

The Connect3D 512Mb Pocket Drive is specified to retain its data for up to ten years between uses. If you want to secure your data for a long time, then store the drive away from; high temperatures, magnetic fields, high humidity, corrosive substances, ionising radiation, dogs, babies and computer nerds!

If you're wondering why on earth would you need one of these gadgets, then may I suggest a few uses; transport your MP3's, use as network attached storage or a RAM drive, use instead of temperamental CD-RWs, archive critical documents and perhaps, conceal photos that you would never want your kids/parents to see ;-) After a few months you'll probably need another drive!

In conclusion, the Connect3D 512Mb Pocket Drive is hassle free to install and a cinch to use. Five stars plug and play.

Andrew J. Brown

3 slight annoyances however, firstly, as mentioned below, the cap is easily lost (nearly lost it twice), secondly, the keyring hole is a bit on the small side (but that's neither here nor there) but the third thing is the password protection utility that ships with the drive. It's nearly impossible to get working!

First of all, it won't allow you to access the password protected area unless you're logged in as an administrator, but the bigger problem is the total lack of documentation. With this in mind, here are some instructions for changing the size of the passworded area:

disable the password (disk will then be 'logged in')
stop and remove the USB disk
re-insert USB disk
run UDPV233.EXE
change the size
enter a new password

On the plus side, the drive is very fast, and once you've figured how to password protect a small area, it's great for storing ownership details in case of theft.

Somewhat hard to discern from the pictures, there is a small hole at the bottom that allows you to connect the drive to your key ring, but there is no pocket clip as seen in many other pen drives. Given the compact form factor, this makes sense however, so it is no real loss.

The package comes with an extension lead that you can put straight into a drawer, but no neck-strap to carry it with.

In regard to storage space, there is roughly 512 million kb, which translates into either 512 MB or 499 MB depending on how you count. Producers of pen drives unsurprisingly count optimistically, and claim that there is 512 MB on the drive, while most others - including Windows - count pessimistically and claim there is only 499 MB. This discussion about actual storage space is older than USB pen drives and will not die down soon, but just don't buy this drive expecting it to actually hold 512 MB. It won't.

Like all other electronic products in the European Union, this USB drive comes with a 2 year manufacturer's warranty. It seems somewhat cheeky that other manufacturers claim this as a feature. Anything else would be illegal, so don't be fooled just because this product page does not say anything about warranty.

The reason I give this product 4 stars and not 5, is that there is nothing exceptional about this product. It performs as expected, full USB 2 speed, slim form factor, no frills, just like other USB pen drives have no frills. The last star would have been there had the cap been attachable when plugged in. At the moment, you have to hold it in your hand, which isn't a big deal, but at some point you will lose it surely.