Sony Micro Vault Click 8 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive with Virtual Expander USM8GL

by Sony

Product Details

• Item Weight: 0.3 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0019UEY66
• Item model number: USM8GL
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 1, 2007

Product Description

8gb Micro Vault Click Usb Ext With Virtual Expander

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flash Drive Units from Sony, October 27, 2008

By 

Ray "A Reader" - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Sony Micro Vault Click 8 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive with Virtual Expander USM8GL (Personal Computers)

These new "Micro Vaults" by Sony are fun, attractive, and ultimately, usable flash drives. Sizes range from 1 to 16 Gb, and two formats, standard and "turbo" speed, are available for many of these sizes. The "turbo" version costs more than the equivalently sized "standard" version, but at higher storage sizes. the higher transfer speed of the "tubo" version is desirable because the sheer amount of time required to transfer 16 Gb of data to a stick can be daunting.

The new spring-loaded design of thee units is highly functional. The design keeps the metal USB "prong" protected when not in use, and simply grabbing the device to pull it out of the computer into which it has been placed engages the internal spring, which then retracts the plug automatically upon removal. Build quality feels generally good, particularly considering the fact that Sony has reduced the oftentimes outrageous prices they ask for such accessories. The units have an LED light that flashes through a prismatic lens at the end of the device which is a nice touch to the overall design of the device. I own two of these (a 4 Gb and an 8 Gb version), and am delighted with them both. Check out the 16 Gb versions if you want even more space, but remember the issues surrounding transfer speed and the amount of time required to move that amount of data

Pros
1. Highly functional spring loaded function obviates need for a cap
2. Visually attractive design
3. Transfer speed acceptably fast
4. Available in 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 Gb variants

Cons
1. Price is a bit high compared to other brands
2. "Turbo" edition adds even more cost

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Works great for my needs, December 27, 2009

By 

Justin E. Hester "jehester" (Northern California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony Micro Vault Click 8 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive with Virtual Expander USM8GL (Personal Computers)

This product works great attached to a Sony BluRay player in order to utilize the BluRay Live content. Of course, it's in a controlled environment and nearly all flash drives should perform appropriately under these conditions but with how the connection on the BluRay player is recessed I needed something with very little in the way of the housing.

For those folks that have had trouble with this or any other flash drive. Remember that this is an electronic device and as such, extreme temperatures in either direction will cause damage to it and drastically shorten the life of the product. Also, not all OS's are created equal, that said all USB Flash Drives should work with most of the computers with a USB connection but some OS's will require a driver to be installed in order to use it. As for those that have it in their purse, pocket or other carrying mode, as long as it isn't left in the sun or on an iced over driveway, it should work fine. Also, USB Flash Drives are not designed to be your long term storage solution, they are designed to transfer data from machine to machine, so if it's important work please be sure to copy it to an actual Hard Drive. One last note, ALL ELECRONIC DEVICES EVENTUALLY FAIL, so don't expect this or any other flash drive to last for a lifetime.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Didn't last long, November 4, 2008

By 

Gevera Bert "})i({ Goddess" (Wallingford, CT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony Micro Vault Click 8 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive with Virtual Expander USM8GL (Personal Computers)

I received one of these as a gift to replace a 2 gig drive that I lost. I was excited to get so much storage! But after only a couple of months, the drive stopped working. No computer will recognize it even though the light comes on. Now I've lost all my data and I'm pretty angry. I did not abuse it; it was always kept in a padded thumb drive case.