LaCie iamakey v2 16 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive 131106

by LaCie

• Sturdy metal design, fits on a keyring
• Fast transfer rates: 30 MB/s; write mode: up to 10 MB/s
• Ultra-mobile and lightweight
• Gold SIP technology; water and scratch resistant
• Ships with LaCie's new encryption software: LaCie Private-Public

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.2 x 0.5 x 5 inches ; 1.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B004FHI1E6
• Item model number: 131106
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (238 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: December 7, 2010

Product Description

Size: 16 GB

With the LaCie iamaKey v2, inventive storage meets data protection. The key-shaped design is functional and memorable, and the protection that the LaCie iamaKey offers makes it extremely reliable. Best of all, you can fit an enormous amount of data in a small flash drive. With its eye-catching design, the iamaKey certainly stands out, but its connector (Gold SIP) is both water- and scratch-resistant, making it one of the most durable and thinnest USB keys on the market. Protective edges on the connectors ensure that you will always insert the LaCie iamaKey properly, keeping it usable and safe. With the universal Hi-Speed USB 2.0 interface, iamaKey can be used with both PC and Macs. Hi-Speed USB 2.0 not only offers universal compatibility and cross-platform convenience, but features a hot-pluggable connection and high-speed transfer rates, and is Windows ReadyBoost compatible. Best of all, the iamaKey is backward-compatible with USB 1.1, so you can use it on any computer. A product of the 5.5 Designers firm, the LaCie iamaKey fits in your pocket, and on your keychain, letting you take your data with you wherever you go. The LaCie iamaKey v2 also now comes with the new LaCie encryption software: LaCie Private-Public. Another new collectible product produced in conjunction with 5.5 Designers, the iamaKey is a usable, tough USB flash drive, but with a well-developed sense of fun. Minimum System Requirements: Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Vista, Mac OS X v10.3.5 or higher, Linux-based system. Box Contents: LaCie iamakey

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

238 of 241 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Sleek and Sturdy January 15, 2011

By Casey A. Fields

Size Name:8 GB|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have been wanting a nice, sturdy flash drive for a while now. I have gone through three Sandisk Cruzer drives, one being the titanium, and all of them broke on me. I work with computers all the time, at work and at home, and I am always needing to move files around. With this being the case, I prefer to carry my flash drive on my key chain. That is where this drive stands out. It is light, very durable, and scratch resistant. All of the other drives I have had came with a loop, or hole for a key ring. This worked good for a while, but they all broke. This Lacie drive seems as if it will never break, unless you are just trying to break it. The keyring hole is molded into the frame of the drive, and it is extremely sturdy. The drive comes with a small clear plastic tip protector that slips over the gold tip connectors. I like this feature, and it seems to fit on very snug. I read a lot of reviews for the 1st generation of these drives, and a lot of people said that it was lost very easily. I don't see that being the case with this new 2nd generation. Another feature is the data encryption. You can specify however much space you want on the drive to be encrypted. This will make a Private folder and encrypt all of the data that you put in it, and protect it with a password. This is a very nice feature. This is also the thinnest drive I have ever seen. The connector on the tip is very thin, and made different than most drives you see. This one will not completely surround the usb connector on the computer/device you are hooking it to, but rather it slips in right against the connector. This is how come the drive can be so much thinner. The only gripe that I have found with it is that there is no read/write light on the drive to let you know when it is working. This is not enough of a problem for me to take the rating down to one star, because I believe you should always eject your drives either way, so this shouldn't be a major factor. I think I have finally found a flash drive that will keep up with my pace. Thanks Lacie for a fine product. I will update this review at a later date if I have any problems.

**One Month Update**
I have had this little jump drive for over a month now and I have definitely put it to the test. I have successfully transferred over 7GB worth of data to and from this little guy, from mac to pc, and I have to say it has performed wonderfully. I haven't had any trouble at all from the drive. I do have to say though, that I finally did lose the little plastic cover that goes over the tip. The body of the drive is getting a little scratched, though this was to be expected because it is on a key ring with about 7 other keys. The connector tips that attach to the computer though have not one scratch and still look great. I am very pleased so far.

**Six Month Update**
Well, going on almost seven months now this drive is still going strong. I literally use this thing every day and I have it atleast half full at all times. The drive has been on my key ring since day one, and while the body is scratched (though not as bad as you would think) the contacts still look great and do not have any scratches at all. I highly recommend this drive to anybody.

**One Year Update**
Well, I've had this drive for a year now, and all I can say is what I've been saying the whole time. It still functions perfectly, and is still securely attached to my key ring. I also have to add that the drive still looks remarkably well for having been stored on a key ring for an entire year. Purchase this Flash Drive!

**Two Year Update** (Almost)
I was on here responding to a post so I thought i'd go ahead an update again. It's been almost two years now and this drive is still going strong. It's been on my key ring since the day I got it and has been used almost every day since. I couldn't recommend this drive enough. I use it almost everyday and will hopefully get another two years out of it.

34 of 38 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Clever design, convenient February 8, 2011

By K. Duncan

Size Name:8 GB|Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this storage drive to make it easier to carry personal information to and from work without having to lug around big files or worry about personal information falling into the wrong hands. The design is perfect for carrying on my key ring. It blends in well with other keys and is neither visually nor physically obvious. There is a small plastic clip-on cover on the end to protect the contacts. Although other reviewers have mentioned losing the cover within days, mine has stayed on for a couple of weeks now. The encryption software is easy to use, except that the documentation that comes on the device is not a complete user's manual. I found I needed more information and had to search out the complete manual on the website. Once I found it, it was very complete and easy to follow. A direct link in the installed manual to the full online manual would have been helpful.

The only problem I've had so far is that, while it does not require an installation of drivers to work, it does require installation privileges to run the encryption software. So, I can only access my encrypted data at work if I sign into my computer as an administrator. I'd like an option to download and install the drivers once, so I can access it more readily.

Other than the issue with the encryption (which I have no trouble accessing on other computers), it's a great product.

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Breaks easily, customer service horrible!!! July 25, 2011

By JHsu

Size Name:8 GB|Amazon Verified Purchase

I never write reviews, but I thought my experience with this product (and LaCie's horrible customer service) deserve a review to educate customers that are interested in this product and give everyone a fair warning. If you read all the 4 and 5 star reviews for this product, most of them do not give a long term follow-up, which is essential - you want a product such as this to work for at least a year, at minimum...

I was a big fan of the design of these USB keys, but do not let the aesthetics fool you. I will warn you now - buying a key for its design and portability will never make up for the pain you feel when you find out all your data is corrupted!!! The design is flawed - the plastic insert that covers the USB connection will inevitably get lost if you carry this around a lot. The key looks nice in the product photo, but if you flip it around, you will see that the metal connection is exposed to the environment. Without any protection, this connection will then fail within a short time.

Losing my data was not the only bad part of the product - the customer service is worse! They will require you to use their minimum $399 data recovery service to avoid losing your warranty. Their customer service reps are not helpful.

For your own sake, buy a drive that is more durable than this. No matter how portable you want your USB drive to be, never buy a design that puts your data at such high risk of corruption as this one.