LEXAR MEDIA JDSP512-231 512MB JumpDrive Sport Portable USB 2.0 Drive ( PC / Mac )

Rating:
Summary: Lifesaver
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: How did I live without this?
Review: I have been buying jumpdrives for an year now. Before this, I had the small piddly ones which ran out of space within a week or 10 days while I transferred work between my home computer and work. I hope this one will take some time before it gets filled! This is also the first one which I also used as a MP3 player (when used in conjuction with Lexar MPC-231 JumpGear MP3 Digital Music Player for JumpDrive Sport).

Pros:
Ease/Speed of tranfer: Works real fast even with my archaic USB 1.1 port.
Rugged Construction: have dropped it multiple times, but the cover just keeps it safe
Very thoughtful accessory: Converts to a real cheap (with decent features) MP3 player with the JumpGear MP3 Digital Music Player noted above.
Space: and then some! 512 Mb is a lot of space - managed to add about 100 MP3 files (though I would have been happier with the 1 gig one -which was out of stock :( )

Cons:
Cap: I know I am nitpicking, but I always seem to have trouble removing the cap from the jumpdrive. But that is the price to pay to keep the drive safe.
Software on my harddrive: This plug & play device seems to have dumped some files on the hard disk. I am yet to check it in detail, but this is surely something to be wary of.

My recommendation - Buy it, and add the MP3 Cap for a very good deal.

Rating:
Summary: Great little drive, one small problem
Review: I just bought this 64mb Jumpdrive Sport the other day, and so far I love it--except for one thing that needs to be pointed out: if you are going to be copying or saving files that contain slashes (like / or \ ) be aware the the Jumpdrive does not support those characters, and will abort the transfer.

It took me a few tries to figure out that this was the problem, as I am using this particular USB drive to back up a plethora of documents. I use OS X, and while copying I got the message "Document filename is too long or contains unsupported characters" and instead of just skipping the bad file, it would abort the whole process. After I changed a few filenames (for instance, my Address Book backup file, which uses the date, with slashes, in the filename), it worked just fine.

Just a heads up. Otherwise, a nifty and affordable tool.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant!
Review: I love these USB keys. They are up there with sliced bread as one of the best inventions ever. This is now the third one I have purchased.

Floppy disks stopped being useful a long time ago for carrying around anything other than simple text files. ZIP disks were a pretty good idea, but never really caught on in the mainstream and if you had one, you were hard-pressed to find somebody else who could retrieve your files. CD-R isn't too bad, but it seemes like such a waste to burn a CD with only 4 or 5mb on it, even tho they are so cheap now you can afford to toss them away.

USB Flash drives like Lexar's JumpDrive Sport are a perfect answer. They are small and easily portable (beware they are easy to lose too...), they are reusable, they work just about anywhere, and they carry alot. You can use this on any computer with a usb port including Windows 98/ME/2000/XP and mac (i have personally tried on OSX). On every computer i have used this on, the first time it takes a minute or two for for the device to be recognized and any drivers install automatically. Thereafter, it shows up as a drive letter. Speed is great on a usb2.0 system, altho feel free to go get a cup of coffee if ur transfering 512mb thru usb1.1. I would recommend formatting to FAT32 (it comes formatted as FAT) to gain long filenames and marginally better performance.

I deal with alot of graphic files, so i opted for this 512mb version, altho i orginially had a 256mb JumpDrive Pro (which i have since given to my girlfriend). I purchased a 256mb JumpDrive Sport for my brother in college who frequently found himself burning CDs to bring his 6mb CAD files to and from class.

The main difference that i can see between the Sport and Pro version is the Pro is significantly faster: Read 14mb/s versus 8mb/s, Write 12mb/s versus 6mb/s. The sport is also quite a bit thicker (altho still has no problem fitting in any usb port i have used) and feels a little more solid in your hand. The rubber cap (which goes all the way around) also provides a degree of impact protection.

Rating:
Summary: Probably the best one out there
Review: I've had this for 4 months so I guess I can give a comprehensive review on this.

The jumpdrive sport is very small, not too heavy and fits well around my keychain ring. It doesn't come with anything, no lace to put around your neck or a keychain ring. Not a big deal though.

You have to give a good tug to get the rubber security cap off the jumpdrive but it is actually good since the tight grip keeps the jumpdrive from coming off. This is way more secure then others that only have caps on them. The secure hold of the USB jumpdrive itself should be the highlight feature of this drive.

Not forgetting that the speed and the performance of the USB drive is excellent. The PC or laptop will detect this instantly with no software required (plug and play) and will let you know if you are using USB 1.1 or 2.0 I had no problem transferring big and small files instantly.

The only thing I want Lexar to provide is an encryption or security feature like their other model.

Overall, I really like this jumpdrive. It's small, portable, fast, very secure and won't fall out or break your wallet.

Rating:
Summary: protect your data!
Review: if you need to carry important data around, then definitely go with somehting like this. sturdy is the key, since usb drive will be banged around quite a bit, unless you have a freak about keeping it safe, which you shouldn't bet on. It's a good price for its capacity, from my experience, you should always buy more than you think you will need. if you think 256 will do for you, get 512. referred by WhoSave.com, I think they can still save you a $ or 2 at this price.

Rating:
Summary: Great stuff
Review: LIKE:
It's fast.

DON'T LIKE:
It does take some efforts to remove the cap.

Rating:
Summary: Great Design
Review: Rubber cap stays securely in place and protects the drive. The cap attaches to a keyring, so it is not easily lost or in the way when you're trying to use the drive. Performance of the drive is excellent - never had any trouble after trying in numerous computers.

Rating:
Summary: Answers regarding filename problems
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: rugged and well built.
Review: the first thing that i noticed about this little tool is the hard rubber cap. it's pretty tough, and it doesn't look like it is going to break anytime soon. also, it can be attached to a key ring so you don't lose it when the drive is in use.

i haven't had any software problems and i've been using this thing for a few months. typically mac computers write two files for every file you want move onto the drive, so some mac complaints aren't only for this product.

on the size: if you are storing a lot of pictures/movies/music, then 512mb or even 1gb is a good choice for you. if you are backing up documents or small files, then 256 should be ample. i do more of the latter and i have about 450 mb free. that should end soon because i just bought the jumpgear mp3 player (in the mail).

overall, it's a good, solid product. it's not flimsy at all, and it seems to have solid software, too. when it comes to a jumpdrive, they can be built very poorly and you can tell that they won't last long. with this one, i don't get that feeling.