Kingston DataTraveler 101 16MB USB Flash Drive

I needed a new USB flash drive, so I went to Amazon and browsed for a while. I chose this one mostly because it had a good capacity (16GB) and it came in assorted colors. Before, I had a grey USB drive and most recently a black one. It was nice to be able to choose something more colorful.

Available colors are cyan (blue), yellow and pink. Another nice feature is that there isn't a loose cap to lose. The flash drive has a metal cover that slides to the side when you need to plug it into your USB port. When you're done, you can just slide the cover back over the USB connector. This cover is easy to move, but that also means that it is easy to bump out of the way unintentionally.

I wouldn't recommend putting this USB drive on your keychain. It would likely be okay on a lanyard. There are two small holes on the end of the metal cover, and it looks like it would be hard to run a cord through them. If it were on your keychain, I think it would be jarred open simply by everyday use of your keys.

There is a small green light that comes on when you first plug in this USB drive and also when it is in use. It reads and writes at 10 MB/sec using USB 2. The drive is 2.19 inches long, 0.68 inches wide, and 0.36 inches high.

I paid $31.98 on Amazon. I'm not sure how reliable their list price information is, but the website currently says this flash drive costs $45.99. I also got free shipping, which is always a good reason to buy from Amazon.

The package says it works with Windows Vista, XP and 2000, as well as with Mac OS X 10.3.x+ and Linux 2.6.x+. It even has a five-year warranty, and if you go to the website listed on the package you can file a claim or get technical support.

Overall, I am very happy with this drive. USB drives have made it extremely convenient to carry and transfer large files, especially if you are a student.