Customer Reviews

Kingston 2GB U3 DataTraveler Smart USB 2.0 Flash Drive ( DTIU32TGB )

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This Kingston 2GB U3 drive does the job nicely for storing files. I carry several of these flash drives in my pocket.

Currently own 3 of these drives
-Lexar Jumpdrive USB2.0(1GB) (red case)
-Kingston 1GB DataTraveler II (grey case)
-Kingston 2GB U3 DataTraveler (the reviewed product, white/green case)

All 3 have good transfer rates. They all work flawlessly (I choose not to use the U3 feature of the 2GB Kingston though).

If one could rate the 'quality' of the case plastic in the 3 drives, and their overall ability to take abuse, I would rate them:
1. Lexar
2. Kingston 1GB DataTraveler II
3. Kingston 2GB DataTraveler U3

End caps
While storing these drives, you don't want the end caps coming off.

Rating:
1. Kingston Traveler II 1GB style (grey) - snaps on tight and won't come off by accident.
2. Lexar
3. Kingston 2GB DataTraveler U3 (this product).


Overall, I like the "DataTraveler II" (grey) style best... but the case doesn't allow you to clip the end cap on the opposite end while in use like the other two so it could get lost easily. Lose the grey cap and you'll end up with holes in your pocket from the USB plug. That's the only detractor (and maybe a significant one) to the DataTraveler II (grey).

For this particular drive:

Pros
-Stable storage and good price ($40+)
-Might be easier to find in the dark or in a backpack(I have the white/lime green colored one)

Cons
-Cap will get flimsy over time and may not stay on.
(If this is a concern go with the grey, "DataTraveler II" style)

Suggestion: Try to stay away from the drives with the retractable USB plug. If the retraction mechanism wears out, you'll be fighting with it trying to insert it into the USB port. The space they save using this "feature" is minimal.

The 4GB flash drives are still too expensive but they're coming down in price. When they get to around $40, I'll probably spring for one of them. These flash drives are indestructible.

For my larger storage needs, I have a 60GB Maxtor Mini USB. It's thin and light and stores well in my laptop bag. The "mini" uses a laptop-sized 2.5" hard drive internally (inheriting the typical MTBF for that type of drive, though). About $69 at Staples when on sale.

I wasn't really paying attention when I bought this item. I thought I was just buying a 2 Gig drive for a good price. When I received the product I was a bit put off that it had this U3 thing included. But, I thought I'd give it a try. Honestly I'm very pleased with the product. As a web developer, Graphic Designer, and College Student this little drive has really made life quite a bit more pleasant. I'm able to carry client files with me wherever I go. I'm also equally pleased with the U3 feature. I'm able to use any lab computer and able to run my favorite programs such as Trillian for instant messaging or firefox for web browsing without having to install the programs on the computer itself. This is great if you live in the computer labs. I highly recommed this for those who are on multiple computers during the day and don't want to go in for an external harddrive or lug it around. For those that are just looking for storage and nothing else. Just stick with the 2gig stick from Kingston.

Alot of people dont like U3, if you dont then remove it, for a 2gb its not bad. Read / write times are fast as well. I use this thumbdrive to hold my firefox and email while in Iraq so I dont have to worry about my information on a very public computer. So U3 is the best choice for me

Easy to use, nice (in appearance), very comfortable (lots of space) and at an excellent price! I highly reccomend it.

I purchased this USB drive for $35 a few months ago and am quite pleased with it. Apart from the huge storage space, the main reason why I bought this product was due to the ability to password-protect my data. I know that there are other portable apps that would allow me to do the same but I had to buy them separately. The data transfer speeds have been pretty good, given that I usually bulk transfer pictures to it from my laptop.

The U3 launcher is a convenient dashboard to manage the drive. I even show it to impress other people who are not familiar with the U3 technology. Having said that, I have observed that the U3 launcher does not start on its own on some of the machines. Perhaps just a minor glitch in the software.

In addition, the password feature does not seem to work with Vista. I have not yet tried to check for updates to the U3 software but I am hoping this will be done in near future. I am not exactly a fan of Vista but I believe supporting it is the "right" thing to do if the U3 software needs to survive.

All in all, a very useful product.

This is by far the best flash drive i have ever had. Their is only one beef i have is that i was forced to upgrade to vista and the U3 software cant work on vista cause it wasn't made for that. I e-mailed kingston and inquired if thier have an driver. but they said it is in devlopment at the time so i will have to wait for that. on the other hand every XP computer i put it on with min security i can run the embebded software fine. O yea and it as a regular flash drive works fine on vista and XP.

I really liked the U3 software. I love taking my documents with me and knowing that after 3 tries the data gets obliterated. Open office is great. It opens both Wordperfect (my favorite) and Word (which I evade like the plague). I carry it in my key chain. No problem.

Small, Fast, Lots of Room. Just great. Delivered ahead of schedule.

Bought this to back up my camera flash cards while traveling in Greece, using my little gizmo that (among other things) copies cards to flash. This proved invaluable because when I got back I couldn't read my 1-gig card using the camera software. The backup on this flash drive was fine though. Had no problem keeping track of it because it attached securely to my key ring.

Haven't used any of the other features, but so far so good.

This is phantastic invention You can take your "desk top" practically with you. One thing though. No possibility as yet to connect to a smartphone ot palmtop device.