Imation Corp USB 2.0 FLASH DRIVE 2GB ( 17474 )

Other products by Imation

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00069DRHS
• Item model number: 17474
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 19, 2008

Product Description

Product Description
The Imation USB 2.0 Swivel Flash Drive is a compact, powerful flash drive. Featuring a proprietary swivel cap design to give you the sophisticated, professional look you seek from your personal technology. Weighing only one ounce, the drive fits easily around your neck on a lanyard, or in your pocket or briefcase, giving you convenient access to your data - anytime, anywhere you are. With an ultra-fast USB 2.0 connection - data can be read up to 8MB/second and written up to 7MB/second - you save valuable time when transferring, sharing or storing your critical data. It's the quickest and easiest way to transfer or share large business presentations, digital photos and videos, or other large files. Available in four capacities ranging from 128MB up to 2GB to meet your personal and professional storage needs.The easy to use, plug-and-play format allows you to drag and drop with ease on any computer with a USB 1.1 or 2.0 port. The public/private area drive partitioning and password security (Windows only) protects your data from accidental erasure or unauthorized access.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Write Protect; Write Lock Switch, May 30, 2007

By	dosboss - See all my reviews

This is a great product. I have the 1GB and will be getting the 2 or 4GB one soon. I love the swivel feature - I've lost caps to other drives before - and the USB 2.0 speed is decent as well. The drive works well with every OS I've tried: several Linux 2.4/2.6 distros (Gentoo, RH, Debian, and Slack based), Mac OSX, Sun Solaris, and yes, even Windows.

The clip-on mini lanyard (about 5cm long) is strong and easy to snap on and off for quick use. It uses a miniature version of the plastic clips seen on backpacks and sporting equipment. One end has a loop to put on a lanyard or keyring. Just squeeze the sides and two pieces separate easily from one another. Push the pieces back together, and there is a satisfying 'snap' letting you know this thing isn't going anywhere.

But the major selling point of this product line for me is the WRITE PROTECT SWITCH. It seems I cannot find any other brand of USB flash drive with this feature. I have a necessity for this; it is absolutely required on some systems I manage. For those in search of info on the WRITE PROTECT feature of flash drives, here is a mini-breakdown for Imation (3M) flash drives that have this feature:

original 'Swivel' line: has write protect
'Clip' line: has write protect
'Pivot' line: has write protect

'Swivel Pro' line: does NOT have write protect (who knows why they removed it?)
'Pocket' line: does NOT have write protect
'Mini' line: does NOT have write protect
'Flash Wristband' line: does NOT have write protect

I know that a small USB Memory Stick reader and memory stick (all m/s have integrated write-protect switches) would give the same benefit, but options I have seen are just too clunky and would be a bear to carry around, e.g. especially on a lanyard. This solution would also mean I would have to worry about the memory stick coming out of the reader during transport, and falling/hiding/going who-knows-where.

The only cons I can think of for this product are:
- That lint seems to get into the swivel mechanism, and is not easy to get out - they use some sort of grease in the pivot to keep it moving freely, even though the outside shell and pivot piece are plastic, not metal.
- The silvery 'covers' over the pivot/swivel pin come off after a few days' use. This does not affect operation of the drive or the pivot, IMHO just a minor cosmetic flaw. I suppose you could re-attach it/them with superglue, but I have not tried.
- It is not more available in larger capacities. Few vendors are selling the 4GB version at this time (June '07), probably due to cost. Imation's website states that they have an 8GB version, but I haven't seen it for sale anywhere yet.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awsome little f;ash drive, May 7, 2007

By	Flo Troche "ftroche" (Midwest) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I had this flash drive before but it was a one gigger. When I lost it I knew I wanted to get the same one. It is great. Small, sleek looking and I love the swivel that enables me to hide the connector and keep it clean.

Its small enough that I keep it in my pocket. Its made well and a great flash drive.

My only wish is that they would make the Imation Swivel Flash Drive in a larger size.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Flash Drive, July 14, 2008

By	Sean Bullman "techman" (Bloomington, IN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've had one of these before, and I'm a pretty big fan. I used to have a 512MB and now I bought the 2GB, which has been much handier. The two things I like the most about the drive are that it doesn't have a detachable case that can be lost, and that I can attach it very nicely to my key chain and detach it when I need to use it. It only has two negative aspects that I'm aware of. First, I had the thin plastic piece break that connects it to the key chain break one time which could obviously make it easier to lose. Second, I know a professor who used about 50 of the 512MB models for a course he teaches, and he said they were going to stop using them in favor of a different brand or model because several had failed entirely, causing data loss. I haven't seen any of that personally, although he wasn't making it up. All around, I like the drive, but I don't trust any flash drive with any data or information that's too critical in the first place.