Lexar Media 512 MB JumpDrive Sport Portable USB 2.0 Drive (PC/Mac) (Retail Package)

by Lexar

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 1.5 x 5.5 x 6.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000117DF8
• Item model number: JDSP512-231
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 2, 2006

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Lexar Media's rugged, high-speed JumpDrive Sport portable USB 2.0 drive features a durable rubber cap that wraps securely around the device, making it more impact-resistant and protecting the cap from accidental loss. The rubber cap also allows the flash drive to be securely attached to a keychain or backpack while the drive itself can be easily removed for use.

Lexar's JumpDrive Sport USB flash drive is ideal for active users like students, outdoor enthusiasts, and any mobile computer user who requires the ultimate in durability in a portable drive. JumpDrive Sport features USB 2.0, for high-speed file transfers. The device requires no drivers (except for Windows 98SE users, who will need to download and install a driver from the Lexar Media web site at www.lexarmedia.com/drivers/index.html).

Product Description

512MB JumpDrive Sport Provides the ultimate in protection and portability

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

86 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is what I was looking for, September 7, 2004

By 

Ronald Leslie Moses "Ronney" (Sri Lanka) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lexar Media 512 MB JumpDrive Sport Portable USB 2.0 Drive (PC/Mac) (Retail Package) (Personal Computers)

I reviewed the design of this drive some 18 months ago. Well I am using this drive all these 18 months and I am satisfied with it's design and performance. I saw a reviewer talking about cheap plastics and against the rubber cap that covers this drive. That maybe true for him since he is a physically disabled person. However for a normal person this drive should not pose any problem but the rubber cap should only add more benefits as I had mentioned in my previous review which you find below.


I bought this last week. Ordered it through Amazon from J&R Music and Computer World. They shipped it almost immediately. So far I am satisfied with the product. The main concern I had was the cap. My friends have other models and they have problems with the cap getting lost. This model is quite unique and the only one with a rubber cap that fits around the drive and thus achieves 2 things. The cap is secure and has very less changes of getting lost and the rubber cap protects the drive too. Another notable feature is that the key ring is on the cap and thus you can have this drive on your key chain or around your neck and just can detach the drive when ever you want it, leaving the cap with the key ring or the neck strap. Well another model too had this feature but the cap was not a tight fit one and secure as this one and you have the worst probability of loosing your drive and just retaining your cap! The other models which have the key ring on the drive itself, well you will have to plug the drive to your USB port with either all your keys or have to remove the neck strap before you plug it. Also you have the probability of loosing the cap. This one is a clear winner as far as design is concerned. Once I use the drive for some time I can post more comments about its durability and performance.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review Update - "Fried After 29 Days", February 12, 2005

By 

Reviewer (Anytown USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Lexar Media 512 MB JumpDrive Sport Portable USB 2.0 Drive (PC/Mac) (Retail Package) (Personal Computers)

This was great while it lasted. Then today I guess I pulled it out of the USB port a little too firmly, and suddenly it was all over. The computer no longer recognized my JumpDrive. Once I got past the numb shock and denial phase that typically follows the loss of a massive amount of data, I marched the JumpDrive back to Circuit City, where fortunately I was still within the bounds of their product return policy (by ONE day, WHEW!) and I decided to purchase a SanDisk Mini Cruzer (I'll give my opinion on that one after a substantial amount of time has lapsed -- got it at CompUSA and they offered me a one-year warranty for $12 guaranteeing a free replacement in case ANYTHING goes wrong, so I bought the protection). Three words to the wise: BACK IT UP. And don't yank it out of the port too hard. Handle it as you would a flower petal in danger of ripping apart when you remove it & maybe you'll have better luck.

Here is my original review of the Lexar Jump Drive....

Before discovering this marvelous device I was using clunky Zip disks to store my files. Now I use only the Lexar JumpDrive to store and transfer large graphic files from school to my home PC. When I plugged the device into my Dell Dimension desktop for the first time, it was recognized immediately (in the back USB port; the front USB port under the flap is awkwardly positioned and can't accomodate this drive).

Though I got an immediate popup message telling me that I had plugged a hi-speed (2.0) device into a non-hi-speed USB port and that performance would be slowed down, before I had a chance to fret about how long the process would take, the files were already copied- so slowness turned out to be a non-issue.

The real test was when I took it to school and transferred/viewed/saved data using the school's MACs. So far I tried it on two separate MACs and the Lexar was immediately recognized.

I highly recommend this for students. One little tip though - If you save files in programs like Quark, Photoshop or Illustrator and you originate the file on a MAC, & will need to transfer it to a PC, remember to give the document the right file extension so your PC can read it (MAC doesn't require a file extension be assigned). (In case you were wondering, use .qxd for Quark, .psd for Photoshop, and .ai for illustrator).

When I forgot to do this for a Quark file, I simply clicked on the saved file that was stored in the Lexar jump drive and saved it to my desktop without opening it. The file was converted automatically and I was able to read it with no problems or issues.

This device is a lifesaver and has spared me hours of time in the school's studio working on my homework. What a joy it is to be able to get everything accomplished at home. I'm not sure how I got along without it. The outer rubber cap makes me feel confident that this thing isn't going to get damaged when not in use. Though it doesn't appear to be fragile, I would not recommend putting it on a keychain since there's little point in having it battered around for no good reason on a daily basis.

On a final note, the 512MB version for $49 from Amazon is a great deal. Unfortunately a lot of people must have also thought so and I had to cancel my order since I couldn't get it delivered for a couple of extra weeks, and wound up buying it locally and paying a bit more. But if you are debating whether or not the JumpDrive is worth it, the answer is a definite yes.

If you were further wondering whether you should go with a Zip Drive instead, and have the need to transfer files from MACs to PCs and vice versa, then you'd also require third party software for your PC to read the MAC files from your Zip Disk, in additon to the cost of the drive (about $80 for a 100MB drive) and the disks themselves (about $10 a pop). So save yourself the extra cost and clunkiness of the Zip & go with the JumpDrive. I doubt you'll have reason to regret it.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Answers regarding filename problems, January 4, 2005

By 

L. Doron (Watertown, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lexar Media 512 MB JumpDrive Sport Portable USB 2.0 Drive (PC/Mac) (Retail Package) (Personal Computers)

Some users have complained about the drive not being able to store many files with long names, or files containing certain characters (like "\"). These problems are a result of limitations in the file system, known as "FAT", designed by Microsoft. They can happen with any brand of drive, and can even happen on Windows 98 hard drives. ("FAT16" would be worst, but hardly anyone is using it anymore; "FAT32" is most common today.)

Microsoft improved things somewhat with the "NTFS" file system in Windows NT/2000/XP. You could reformat the flash drive to use NTFS under those systems, but then it won't work with most other operating systems (like Win 98SE, Linux or Mac), and it probably won't work with the Lexar JumpGear MP3 player.

However, there is a way to work around the first problem without sacrificing compatibility. The problem occurs because there is a limit on the directory size in the main "root" directory. (Each file takes up some space in the directory, and longer names take up more space. Unfortunately, the root directory can't grow indefinitely to accomodate more file information.) You're more likely to reach this limit with a larger drive, since you'll try to put more files on it.

The solution is to create a folder in the root, and put most of your files there. Folder directories *can* grow without limit, so you can keep adding files (with long names, even) until your drive is truly full. You can even use multiple folders to organize your data, just like you do on a hard disk. (Note: I haven't tried this with the JumpGear MP3 player, but I imagine it will go through each folder in alphabetical order.)

Hope this helped.