Pros: Witty design; software-based security; different uses for the SD card; two years of warranty.
Cons: Slow; no software for Mac.
Verdict: Sandisk Cruzer perfectly combines the compatibility of Secure Digital media and the portability of a miniature USB flash drive.
When you look at different USB flash drives, they are fixed on the capacity. Should you need to carry a bit more data than your drive can hold, you'll have to shell out for a new larger capacity unit. SanDisk Cruzer gets around this problem by adopting the popular Secure Digital (SD) standard. In case you need more memory, you can still easily swap with a new SD media at a cost much lower than an entire new USB flash drive. But nothing's perfect.
USB Flash Drive at Work Touted as a personal, pocket-sized data transport device, the SanDisk Cruzer 64MB may sound like something familiar to you. The fact is that the Cruzer is technically a USB SD card reader. The difference pretty much ends here. The Cruzer has a nifty slide button that allows you to hide the USB plug when you switch to the 'travel' mode and to reveal the connector when you need to install it on a computer. A small foam carrying case with a keychain hook and a 2" USB extension cable are included as well. Furthermore, the Cruzer accompanies with file encryption software for Windows. Also, the MSC-complaint device can be automatically mounted on systems installed with Windows ME and above as well as MacOS 9.1/X. Drivers for Windows 98/SE are on the CD.
Cruzer Cruises The reviewed unit comes with a 64MB SD card. You can also start with the 32MB, 128MB or 256MB model. In any cases, SD cards are quite affordable with a 128MB SD card selling at [l=http://everythingusb.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=564391]$65[el]. Additionally, you'll find your SD card to be of use on a number of devices ranging from PDA to smart-phones to digital cameras. The speed of the Cruzer is, well, what you expect from a USB 1.1 drive. In our simple drag-n-drop file tests, copying a batch of 30MB MP3's took about 35 seconds. Even though the transfer speed isn't spectacular, working with large word documents and lengthy PowerPoint presentations is perfectly fine.
The Bottom Line When buying storage, the better way is always to go with the industry standard. Not only can you upgrade your capacity from different brands of SD media, but you can even exchange storage on your Cruzer with other digital devices. If expandability, compatibility and portability are primary concerns to you, the Cruzer 64MB won't disappoint.
Where to buy SanDisk Cruzer 64MB?
User Review(s)
We're currently upgrading our user review system; so we won't be accepting new reviews for now. Cruzer 64MB Specs
Interface(s)
Original USB
Released date
September 2003
Platforms
Windows 98 SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP, MacOS 9.0, MacOS X
