44 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
Cute but slow
Pros: As advertised, imakey is the size of a (large) key and fits very well on a keychain. Very high "cute" and convenience factor.
Cons: It is quite slow relative to other flash drives. For example, to write and read a 122MB file took 52.6 and 11.5 seconds on the imakey compared to 37.0 and 7.7 seconds on a Lexar Firefly jumpdrive.
98 of 101 people found the following review helpful:
Cool but... Dead in 6 months - LaCie won't honor warranty
While this drive is very cool (albeit slow as everyone else has pointed out), it's completely worthless when it dies within 6 months (purchased June 18). I've seen several other posts here of the same issue: just decides one day to never mount again. And even though there is a 2-year warranty, LaCie doesn't want to honor it because I can't provide a serial number...
This review is from: LaCie iamaKey 8 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive 130870 (Electronics)
While this drive is very cool (albeit slow as everyone else has pointed out), it's completely worthless when it dies within 6 months (purchased June 18). I've seen several other posts here of the same issue: just decides one day to never mount again. And even though there is a 2-year warranty, LaCie doesn't want to honor it because I can't provide a serial number.
For what it's worth, there is NO serial number on the key itself. Apparently the S/N was on the disposable packaging, which as you may guess, was thrown away back in June.
So, for a product that has a 2 year warranty, and has only been on the market for 6-9 months (so there's NO WAY ANY OF THEM could be out of warranty), and that I have a receipt for, LaCie still won't honor their warranty (at least so far). I'll edit this review if in fact they do decide to honor the warranty, but this loophole/runaround is inexcusable and I'd avoid this purchase again because of it.
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UPDATE - FEB 2010
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Finally after about 3 weeks of arguing, LaCie agreed to let me send it back so they could "look" at it. On January 5th I received a new, in package, 8GB key.
While I'm happy I finally got resolution, I'm not happy with the experience, and I can say that even today (Feb 20th) I still haven't used the key. I simply feel less than overwhelemed with it now. But you can bet that I didn't throw the packaging away this time! Just in case.
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This review is from: LaCie iamaKey 8 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive 130870 (Electronics)
Pros: As advertised, imakey is the size of a (large) key and fits very well on a keychain. Very high "cute" and convenience factor.
Cons: It is quite slow relative to other flash drives. For example, to write and read a 122MB file took 52.6 and 11.5 seconds on the imakey compared to 37.0 and 7.7 seconds on a Lexar Firefly jumpdrive.
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This review is from: LaCie iamaKey 8 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive 130870 (Electronics)
Pros
Looks great, feels great. Very inconspicuous, everyone I've shown it to immediately asks where I got it from. I would definitely buy it again.
Cons
Plastic tip that protects the contacts falls off easily, but the contacts seem to be holding up just fine.
Transfers are a little slow.
Edit - 01/06/2010
I would NOT buy this product again. My brother and I have both purchased this and carried it on our keychains. Today I find out that NEITHER flash drive will mount/be recognized by any of our computers, I've tested it on 7-8 different computers and none of them recognize it. Apparently to use the warranty you need the serial number, which is located on.....dun dun dun........THE PACKAGING OF THE PRODUCT.............NOT THE PRODUCT (flash drive) ITSELF.........so unless you were smart enough to save the packaging, the warranty is useless.
The gold connectors are slightly scratched since the plastic tips were lost (after a couple days) but they don't look any different from when the keys used to work.
Waste of money, fortunately I have backups on other drives but not worth the headache of rebuying this flash drive.
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This review is from: LaCie iamaKey 8 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive 130870 (Electronics)
I didn't really get this Flash Drive for the performance my motivation was a bit more shallow. I liked the way it looked. I am asked about it all the time in the office when my coworkers see me using it or even when its sitting on my desk. It seems to work good enough for me. If you want a "fun" flash drive, this is a great product, if your looking for max performance and could care less about looks you may want to consider others.
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This review is from: LaCie iamaKey 8 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive 130870 (Electronics)
I bought this because if my flashdrive can disconnect from my keys I'll certainly lose it.
Pros: Strong, doesn't flex under weight of keys when plugged in. Looks good and is slim enough in my keyring that it doesn't add any bulk.
Cons: A little expensive per GB, could be faster (not a major problem). Once you lose the tiny clear plastic cap for the end, the end of the key drive is a little sharp. Should have been brushed aluminum, gets a little scratched up from my other keys.
Final Thoughts: Probably the best combination of form and function for a usb flash drive.
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This review is from: LaCie iamaKey 8 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive 130870 (Electronics)
I've had the 8GB version of Iamakey for a few weeks now. As mentioned in other reviews, the screen printing on the sides wears off pretty quickly. No big deal as far as I'm concerned... the convenience of having a low profile jump drive on my key ring far outweighs that.
I felt compelled to write a review though, because of something that happened this weekend. I did a load of laundry, and I inadvertently left my keys in my pocket. So the Iamakey got a full wash and dry! I choked a little when I saw the keys in the dryer... but when I plugged it into the computer, and it worked just fine, sweet! Makes it the perfect jump drive for me, because that's probably not the only time I'll do that.
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This review is from: LaCie iamaKey 8 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive 130870 (Electronics)
So I've gone through two of these...they randomly quit working. Amazon won't replace it the second time and, as others have commented, lacie refuses to replace them as well. Avoid this company/brand.
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(that was my review when i bought it)
Lovely piece, with 4GB of storage..
You will even mistake it with your house keys :)
Now, i had to edit my review as the Key just died after i bought it in June 2009. Frankly, it's not reliable after loosing all the content inside and the key became useless.
In fact, i just read a review from another customer who faced the same issue. It's really disappointing from a very well known brand such as LaCie. The same customer mentioned that they needed a serial number in order to benefit from the warranty; which is on the original package that was thrown away.
So, my advice for who wants to buy this key, to stay on stand-by after 6 months of buying it and keep the original serial number.
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Most flash drives come with an attachment so that you can fasten it to your keychain, but most flash drives are also considerably more bulky than your keys. The iamakey is different; it's a little bigger than a house key, and it's smaller than many car keys. It blends in with the rest of my keys, to the point that I forget I'm carrying around a flash drive -- until I need it. I haven't had it that long, but it's built pretty tough, and seems like it'll last a good while longer than my normal flash drives.
It's more expensive and of smaller capacity than other flash drives I've seen on the market, but because of its size and durability, it winds up being more convenient. And you need not fear looking like a nerd for carrying around a flash drive -- most people probably won't even notice you have it.
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This review is from: LaCie iamaKey 8 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive 130870 (Electronics)
I really liked the Lacie flash drive when it arrived. Worked great for about two weeks. One day it was fine- the next day it didn't do anything. I'm trying to contact Lacie now.
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