Consultants on the move need access to tons of data. PowerPoint presentations, Word documents and spreadsheets by the gross are just a few examples of the variety of computer files that a consultant needs at his or her side at a moment's notice. Nothing can turn a sleek presentation into a train wreck faster than a corrupt file or a failed hard drive. With a USB flash drive, back-ups of your critical files can easily fit in a device the size of a pocketknife. Here are a few solutions to help ensure that presentation nightmare will never happen to you.
Super Talent Pico C – 8gb
$44.99, www.supertalent.com
The 8gb Pico from Super Talent is incredibly tiny. It weighs less than 6 paperclips, and holds your photos, video, documents and presentations in a rugged, water resistant case. The Pico measures a mere 1.5"x0.5", and is ideal to attach to a key chain or a mobile phone. This model includes an option for nickel plating, or limited edition 24k gold plating.
DiskGO Secure Guardian
1gb: $34.95, 2gb: $39.95, 3gb: $64.95, 8gb: $129.95, www.edgetechcorp.com
he Guardian by DiskGO provides both digital and physical protection for your sensitive files. Cased in a durable anodized aluminum housing, it is resistant to rough treatment, water, dirt and sand. It automatically secures your data with 256-bit AES hardware encryption, exceeding government standard encryption security. It also includes a feature to display contact information when the drive is misplaced.
Corsair Flash Voyager – 64gb
$139.99, www.corsair.com
Corsair's huge capacity flash drive, the Flash Voyager, is as stylish as it is durable. It holds almost 20,000 images, 304 hours of video, or 16,000 songs. Reviews of the drive conducted endurance tests on it ranging from putting it through the laundry to boiling it in water to running it over with an SUV. Each time the drive continued to work.
LaCie IamaKey USB Flash Drive
8gb- $36, 4gb- $26 www.lacie.com
Part of the convenience of a flash drive is the ability to keep it at the ready when you need it. LaCie's IamaKey 8gb flash drive is uniquely designed to resemble a house key, right down to the hole to attach it to your key chain. Unlike other "key drives" made of plastic, The IamaKey features a sturdy, all-metal construction, and is just .12 inches thick. The tiny plastic protector cap that comes with the device can be difficult to keep track of, but the USB connection point is gold-plated, which LaCie says makes the device scratch and water-resistant. The drive is listed with a transfer speed of 30MBps in read mode, and 10MBps in write. There is no discernable difference in appearance between the 4gb and 8gb version.
Kingston DataTraveler 100 – 16gb
$85.00, www.kingston.com
Kingston is a well-known name in computer memory, and with its DataTraveler series of USB flash drives, they have made the leap to removable storage with their sleek, high-capacity drives. The DataTraveler uses a "thumb-action" sliding mechanism to expose the retractable USB connector, eliminating that easy-to-lose cap.
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