Customer Reviews

Lexar Media 64 MB JumpDrive Portable USB Flash Drive

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Imagine being able to carry the equivalent of 44 floppy disks on your keychain or in your pocket or hanging from your beltloop. Suddenly, you feel like James Bond with some incredibly convenient device that allows you walk around with a portable computer drive that you can plug into any computer with via the USB port. I'm writing a book and in a matter of moments I had transferred all my floppys onto this 64 MB PocketFlash with such ease. I went to work, held out my fist to a co-worker and said, "Guess what I have in my hand? My book." And I opened my hand. You no longer have to carry your laptop around to bring your files home, to work or anyplace that has a computer. Simply plug in this portable drive, download your files onto it, pull it out and slip into your pocket. I have keychains that are larger than this PocketFlash. This is definitely a must-have.

This truly is a floppy replacement for me. I use my Jumpdrive to move files between my work computer (Dell Optiplex running XP Pro), my iBook (running OS/X 10.2) and my home desktop Dell (Dell Dimension running XP Home). The Jumpdrive integrates seamlessly and quickly whenever it is plugged in to the USB port. I am able to drag and drop files to the drive, as well as being able to save directly to the drive, which is assigned a drive letter in XP and a drive icon in OS/X. I have never had a data loss or corruption problem.

My only complaint about the Jumpdrive is its weak plastic key loop, where a keychain is designed to be attached. The plastic is very thin and I fear I could easily loose the Jumpdrive if I attached it to my keychain. It would be far studier if Lexar used a metal ring for this one part. Otherwise the Jumpdrive line of products is excellent.

After using the drive for two months, I am still happy with it. It has worked flawlessly with both my Windows 2000 computer at work and my Mac OS X computer at home. It has survived going from freezing-air temperatures to the warmth of my pocket many times.

Not visible from the picture of the drive is a clip on the back of the cap, which can be used to clip the drive to something like a shirt pocket or a briefcase pocket. The cap fits very snuggly, as it is made from a pliable plastic, so I would have no fears of the drive separating from the cap when using this clip.

I keep the drive on my key chain, where it is shorter in length than my keys. The key loop for attaching the drive to a key ring is on the body of the drive, where I believe is the best place (I don't want to lose the drive if the cap falls off, not that I think this cap would). However, the plastic of the key loop has already cracked half way through. Despite this durability issue (which I can easily repair at this point), I would buy this drive again.

If the key loop had cracked completely, I would be less forgiving.

I really like my 64 MB JumpDrive (about the only thing I like better is my 128 MB JumpDrive that I bought on sale a month after I got the 64 MB version).

These things are incredibly handy for transferring files that are too big to fit on a floppy or send as an e-mail attachment (and too small to warrant burning to a CD-R). Since your computer recognizes them as a hard drive, it's possible to work off the JumpDrive instead of copying the files to the computer's main data drive (you can also use them to store files playable by WinAmp or Windows Media Player).

Is this device for you? Bear in mind that 64 MB isn't what it used to be (15 years ago, standard hard drives had 3 times smaller storage capacity) and fills up faster than you'd think. It doesn't have the speed of USB 2.0 device, nor does it have any built-in encryption/security features--if these things are important for you, this isn't your JumpDrive. I happen to like the quirky transparent purple color, but maybe it's not your cup of tea.

The only complaints I have are that the write protect switch is awkward to move (or tell whether it's open or closed) and that the plastic cap that covers the USB connector doesn't fit snugly (however, I haven't experienced any damage to the connector yet). Given the low cost of this item compared the competition, I can live with these minor inconveniences.

If your need for an easy way to transfer files outweighs your need for blazing speed or encryption -- and you aren't going to need to move more than 50-60MB at a time -- consider this item. If your needs lie elsewhere, don't feel bad passing this item by; whichever JumpDrive (or similar portable USB flash drive) you purchase is sure to become one of your favorite electronic gadgets.

I only bought this originally for its novelty and to indulge my curiosity, but mostly because there was an extremely good deal that I could not pass up at a local store. I bought it with some reservations, knowing almost without a doubt that after a week or so, I would toss this into the drawer where other under-used gadgets languish. Not so with this! Especially since I just bought a desktop computer without a floppy drive. The reason I bought the computer configuration without the floppy drive was that I knew I could go without after asking myself how many times I had used the floppy drive in my older computer. Lately, however, I have had a very unreliable internet connection at home, so whenever I want to work from home, I can't be assured that I can grab the files that I need from the internet, so I just leave them on my Jumpdrive. Since I don't use this device for music or other very large files, I have yet to need beyond 64MB of space - though for some people, this is considered to be too small. So the first things you should ask yourself before buying a device like this are:

1. how much space you think you really need based on how much data you need to transfer, and
2. how much data you need to store AND have readily available with you at all times. Remember that this is not the same thing as how much storage you'd want on your computer. In this case, bigger is not necessarily better, especially if you don't need the extra capacity because it comes at quite a premium.

Once you arrive at your answer, you'll know what size Jumpdrive you need. One caveat: even though it says 64MB, the actual available disk space is just shy of that - maybe 61 or 62MB, so keep that in mind.

The file transfer is quick and easy, despite that the 64MB version is USB 1.1 and not 2.0, which is available only starting with the 256MB version. And no software is needed on Windows XP or 2000, which is what I run at home and work.

Though the overall design is nicely streamlined, eye-catching, and surprisingly cute for such a practical item, the last star was not given for the poor design of the loop for the key ring. It is designed to break. Moreover, the hole is not big enough to fit my cable ring keychain (which is not of unusual size), and this was rather disappointing. Luckily, I got around that by looping the Jumpdrive to another keyring which I then attach to the cable ring.

The convenience and speed that this type of portable hard-drive concept offers ensures that it will be with us for a long time. The only difference is that the actual hardware will become smaller, and the capacity will become larger. I can't wait for next year's offerings. And the year after that.

While this jumpdrive is very useful when it is functional there are a few fatal flaws. First, just dropping your keychain can cause the plastic to shatter, making it impossible to carry. Second, the plastic case splits off very easily. (I was inserting it into a usb port close to a parallel printer port and it came right off and fell on the floor) Once it comes off say good bye to your data and keychain. Mine is now defunct.

This is a great little device. Its fast and very simple to use. You don't have to install any software all you need is a free USB port and thats it. Once you plug it in to the computer all you do is drag and drop. Althought its a little bit pricy I think it's worth it. The only draw back that I see, is that to me I feel that if I trow it around too much I might break it.

The Lexar JumpDrive USB Flash Drive is a very small storage device that plugs into your computer's USB port. (Most computers have a USB port, it looks like a very small slot with neither the small protruding pins nor the little holes as in other "ports" on your computer. A port is a place to which you connect "peripherals" such as a a printer, for example)

You can download directly to the USB port (on my office computer, this is found in the "My Computer" icon under "F Drive"), transfer from the USB port to your hard drive, or carry it from home computer to office computer. This last function is what I've found most useful. If I write something at work, or download pictures, etc., I can transfer the information to the Lexar, take it home, and transfer to my home computer (of course, it works from home tranferred to office computer as well). It works with either a PC or a MAC, and can also transfer between these two.

The jumpdrive is a stand-alone product, you don't need to install cables or download drivers to get it working, which is a real benefit when you're not even sure what a driver is!

The transfers are very fast, and a light blinks to let you know when it is finished. I've never lost any data using this product. There is also a write protect switch which will prevent accidental erasure of data, but I haven't been able to locate this. The 64MB (megabyte) JumpDrive can hold as much data as about 45 floppy desks (great for backup when you don't have a zip drive, and much more portable than a zip drive). The 128MB stores twice as much information, and the 32MB one half as much. Current Amazon.com prices (subject to change of course) for the Lexar are as follows:

32MB listed as "out of stock or discontinued"
64MB $28.99
128MB $26.74

With the current sale (October 2004), the 128MB gives you twice the storage at a slightly reduced price.

Lexar claims you can attach this with your keys, but some users report that they are uneasy with the prospect of damaging or losing the Jumpflash. There's also a top with a ballpoint-pen like clip--if you've ever lost a pen, you may also lose the Lexar Jumpdrive as well. The clip does not dit that snugly anyway. I suggest transporting it in a briefcase, a purse, a wallet, or whatever you feel safest with.

Some technical information:

1-year Limited Warranty
System Requirements: Windows 98SE/(for Windows 98 users: an Internet connection),Me/2000/XP

Mac OS X, Mac OS 8.6 or higher
One available USB port

This little thing works excatly like a floppy disc or CD-RW. When you plug it in, an F: drive is instantly created and opened. You can store any type of file - just like with CDs. The files are transfered much faster than floppys or CDs, though. If you have songs or word documents saved, you don't need to copy them to the hard drive to open or play them - they'll play right of the jumpdrive.

This thing is cool. I keep it on my keychain - it's not much larger or heavier than a carkey - and take it everywhere. If I'm at a friends house and he has a cool picture that he's taken, I can instantly get a copy for myself. Or I can save songs, and play them on someone else's computer. If you use more than one computer, this is even better. You can save things you're wroking on to this drive, and then have access to them wherever you go. Or, if you share a computer, this is sweet, to. You don't have to store your documents where anyone can find them - you can keep them on your keychain.

Which leads to the next point. You can password-protect a certain portion of the space on your jumpdrive - you choose how do divide the private and public sections.

So in conclusion, this thing is cool.

I really like the Lexar 64MB Jumpdrive. It makes it very easy to transfer files. Plugged it into my Win 2000 system at work and it was recognized immediately. Just as easy to use as a CD.
The problem (why I gave only 1 star) is when I tried to use it at home on a Windows ME system. ME would not recognize the drive and tries to update the hardware database and then locks up the system. When you use task manager to terminate the process it disables the mouse and keyboard. You only choice is a hard reboot.
Now try and contact Lexar Media's 24/7 chat technical support. Apparently they have outsourced chat support overseas. They were nice, but could not come close to understanding the problem much less solving it. They had me try several things and call them back. The suggestions didn't help and when I tried to call back I could not get the same person (even though he gave his name and told me to request him). A second person took over and said she would send an e-mail with a fix. 10 minutes later I received the e-mail. It had the same basic instructions contained in the box the Jumpdrive ships in.
Now I try to call their US 7am - 5pm phone support line (not toll-free). If all the support people are busy (as I my case) you have to leave a message on an answering machine and they will call you back, but only during business hours. I work and my personal PC is at home. How does that help?
Don't buy this product if your need Windows ME support. With Windows 2000 it's a great product. If it turns out you need technical support... well unless it's very, very simple you are out of luck.