While conventions are great fun to attend as a passive "audience member" as you not only get to network but get tons of free swag, they are a royal nuisance when you are one of the people on the other side of the coin. It's not even the networking aspect which is the worse part (i.e. answering the same question ten bazillion times); no, it is all the prep work which goes on behind the scenes which can make it a real nightmare. Out of all the worse parts involved, the prep work of custom flash drives has to be right up there next to "designated driver" on the scut work list of things you do NOT want to be in charge of.
This is why USB duplicators can be a real life saver as they not only take a lot of the hassle out of it, they are also a lot cheaper in the long run than sub contracting out the work (which really eats into your convention budget). Sadly, while they are cheaper in the long run, they are not exactly a cheap investment. Well that has just changed. Falling under the heading of "OMG that is brilliant" is the Aleratec's latest creation.
The
Aleratec 1:10 USB Copy Cruiser Mini, is not only a fully fledged ten flash drive duplicator with robust software, it is also the smallest USB duplicator we have ever seen. Usually flash drive duplicators are as big as a Dutch oven and as heavy as a log, making them great for the office but horrible for when on the road. Compare and contrast that with the Cruiser Mini's dimensions of 7.5 x 1.5 x 0.8 in (and only 3.2 ounces) and you will never, ever be caught flat footed again. Even if you are not a convention road warrior we can see numerous scenarios where having this little bad boy may just save your bacon. Have a last minute meeting with the border of directors... nothing will make them more inclined to like your idea than a free USB drive... which just happens to have a custom image of your power point presentation preloaded on it. Best of all the Aleratec 1:10 USB Copy Cruiser Mini duplicator's price of only $314.99 is as small (for its niche) as the device itself, making even one large convention's worth of drives imaged with it pay for itself.
By Ian Chiu on April 19th, 2011
