Pros: Very compact; comprehensive software; good performance; security features.
Cons: Software must be downloaded; small parts easy to lose; no lanyard.
Verdict: The PQI Intelligent Stick 2.0 is a good product and is recommended – just be careful with those tiny parts!
The PQI Intelligent Stick 2.0 is an extremely compact flash drive with some interesting possibilities. The core stick consists of a tiny module, which PQI says can be used with some PDAs, cameras and MP3 players. We cannot verify this claim here because of a dearth of such devices that can accept such flash drives, but it seems like it would work. The rest of the unit is clear plastic receptacle with a standard male A USB connection and a clear plastic cap for the connection end. This cap has a shirt pocket clip. Unfortunately, this cap is very small and would be very easy to lose. Care must be taken with it. There is no lanyard or anywhere to connect one.
The drive itself has a tiny activity LED. The core unit can be connected to a USB port directly (it has a dual-purpose connection), but it’s not recommended, It’s so small that it would be extremely easy to misplace and lose.
Software Features No software or CD was provided with the Intelligent Stick 2.0, but the drivers, software and FAQs are available online. The “Intelligent Stick Manager 2” software is a familiar package and pretty easy to use. It allows you to partition the drive into private and public sections. If the user formats the drive with this feature, he can create partitions with any ratio of public-to-private and establish a password with a reminder. For instance, the drive can be all public, all private or partitioned with equal or unequal partitions. The private section is password protected and invisible until the password is entered. While it is a secure method, anyone can format the entire drive without logging on. Well, at least no one can “see” the private data. When one does log in, there is still a single drive visible, but it is the secure part.
There is a “Bootup” feature available for Win98, ME and XP (Win2000 cannot use it). Unfortunately, the interface and help files come up short of clearly explaining this feature. As mentioned earlier, a previous drive from another maker had this, but it was hard to fathom there too. Suffice it to say that it’s theoretically possible to create a bootable USB stick with the PQI – if all of the stars are aligned in your favor (BIOS, OS, file system). None of the PCs in this lab could make use of it, but we could produce the correct boot files on the stick. The Intelligent Stick Manager 2 software has a small footprint. When the drive is disconnected, the icon for the software drops off. It returns as soon as the drive is reconnected.
Performance The PQI Intelligent Stick 2.0 worked in every PC tested and behaved very well. Performance is about median for the current crop of USB sticks. Here are the results gleaned from SiSoft’s Sandra:
Combined Device Index
Combined index : 916 operation(s)/min
"The I-Stick IS bootable!" Addition to previous review - I used the I-Stick 2.0's utility software and was able to boot from the I-Stick. I was also able to create both a secure area on the stick and bootable region despite what the documentation said. The instructions said for Win98 to use the USB-HDD setting to make a bootable stick; that didn't work. However, the USB-ZIP setting did work. I'm using a MSI 745 Ultra that allows you to optionally select your boot device from a menu at boot time; the I-Stick is recognized as a USB removable floppy device. From Dave, November 05, 2004
"Smaller IS sometimes better" I picked up a 512MB PQI I-Stick 2.0 and think it’s great. Before I bought it, I read 5-6 reviews and would like to address some apparent changes in packaging and the “cons” assigned to this stick:
1) The packaging I received included a mini-CD (with the Win98 driver, application software, and user manual); a credit card-sized sleeve about the thickness of 2 credit cards that holds 2 I-Sticks; an adapter with cap (dimensions 2.5"x0.75"x0.25" with the cap on) that gives the I-Stick a standard USB connector and makes the diminutive I-Stick the size of “normal” pendrives; and a printed manual
2) The adapter’s cap has a pocket clip, but there’s still no way to attach a lanyard or keyring. IMHO, I’d rather carry a flash drive in my wallet than have it dangling from my neck or a keychain.
3) A lot of reviews call the I-Stick’s small size a “con.” It’s really not a “con” it’s a feature. It’s much easier to insert a naked I-Stick into the USB ports on notebooks or the cluttered ATX backplane. If you don’t like the small size of the I-Stick, keep it in its standard USB adapter - or get another brand. There’s definitely a lot of bigger pendrives to chose from.
4) I use the stick with Win98 and under properties in WinExplorer the empty 512MB stick shows 523,747,328 (499MB) of free space. Some people see the 499MB figure and think they're getting cheated.
5) SiSoft Sandra 2004 Flash Benches under Win98SE:
Benchmark Results
Combined Index : 1124 operation(s)/min
Windows 98 SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP, MacOS 9.1, MacOS X, Linux Kernel 2.4
Dimensions
1.69" x 0.71" x 0.11"
Capacity
256MB
Read performance Average substained rate
8MB/s
Write performance Average substained rate
7MB/s
Data protection method
Software encryption
Software
Intelligent Stick Manager 2
Additional media compatibility
None
Accessories
USB plug adapter, credit-card-sized holder
Extra function(s)
--
Material of casing
--
Power source
Bus-powered
Warranty
Three years
Extras Lost a USB cable? Get a replacement USB cable.
Running out of USB ports? Get an extra USB hub.
You may need a new USB card to achieve Hi-Speed USB speeds.
Confirm with our USB 2.0 FAQ if you have Hi-Speed USB on your PC.
