What is this?
As the first Hi-Speed USB flash drive to break double-digit transfer rate (not that it's of historical importance), the Cruzer Titanium coated with the same material as the flash drive name has a retractable USB connector that adds to style and eliminates the chance of losing the cap. Also, Sandisk has been continuously upgrading the existing file caching, mail sync & encryption.
SanDisk Cruzer Titanium ReviewAugust 30th, 2004
Pros: Durable; speedy; useful software suite; five-year warranty.
Cons: Omits USB extension cable; synchronization software only a free trial; scarce documentation.
Verdict: Sandisk Cruzer Titanium offers plenty of speed and a trio of versatile software for mobile professionals and students alike.
Sandisk Cruzer Titanium really makes a great first impression. With its USB connector concealed, someone could have mistaken the titanium-coated device as a Sandisk-branded lighter. But it turns out to be a rugged 512MB Hi-Speed USB flash drive that Sandisk says can withstand up to 2000 lb. weight. Although we are a bit skeptical how the plastic slider is going to survive the intense pressure, the Cruzer Titanium won't fail on you in case a 250 lb. guy steps on it.
Nifty Rugged The Cruzer Titanium measures at 3" x 0.8" x 0.34" which puts it slightly longer than the Lexar JumpDrive Elite, Traveler and Photo. Even so, the flash drive is still so light to carry around. There's no cap to lose as Sandisk utilizes a slider to retract the USB connector into the Titanium's body. The LED under the slider glows blue and flashes during activities. Supplied accessories include a pocket clip and a lanyard.
Sync, Cache, Lock
One of these days, there's more to a USB flash drive than just plain storage as people increasingly rely on it for organizing data. Sandisk Cruzer Titanium comes preloaded with CruzerLock, a file encryption utility; PocketCache, a file synchronization tool; and CruzerSync, a on-the-go Outlook viewer.
Of the three titles, PocketCache and CruzerSync get our vote for most useful mobile software. The first of which makes a backup of your selected folder or files, and it will take snapshot of the modified or new files. This reduces the amount of space needed to perform frequent backups. In addition, you can retrieve a single file from any of the snapshot time points. One caveat is that you cannot delete old snapshots to free up the precious space.
The CruzerSync is basically a mobile Outlook 2000/20002/2003 except it doesn't allow you to send and receive emails on another Windows ME, 2000 or XP PC. On the plus side, you have access to everything from emails to contacts to calendar items to bookmarks. Emails written in CruzerSync are stored in the "draft" folder, so they aren't in queue to be sent out automatically during the next synchronization with Outlook.
The CruzerLock doesn't create a private partition so it cannot encrypt files automatically via a simple drag and drop. Instead, you need to launch the program in which you select the file to be decrypted or encrypted. Both encryption and decryption are somewhat slower than expected.
Shiny and Speedy
The Cruzer Titanium is as stylish as it is speedy. It surpassed the performance of any flash drives we've tested to date even though the write speeds fell short of the rated 13MB/s. The Cruzer Titanium was able to complete writing of nine 64MB files in a minute compared to six files of Kingston DataTraveler 2.0 (aka DiskOnKey T4), which is the runner-up. To put this into perspective, the Cruzer Titanium is close to fifty-percent faster than DataTaveler 2.0 in large file copying. On the contrary, it isn't as efficient as the DataTaveler 2.0 when it comes to small file writing.
Benchmark Results
Combined Index : 9950 operation(s)/min
Endurance Factor : 19.2
512B Files Test : 14120 operation(s)/min
32kB Files Test : 10068 operation(s)/min
256kB Files Test : 2947 operation(s)/min
2MB Files Test : 419 operation(s)/min
64MB Files Test : 14 operation(s)/min
"The best flash drive I have ever seen" Well, I bought Titanium 512MB about a week ago. It is just great. I also got a few scratches when I tried to put the keychain loop on but I think, this can be avoided by wrapping the Cruzer in a scoth tape or a piece of paper when putting the ring on. I did not try the pocket clip because it was obvious that it would scratch the unit.
The speed is just great. I've never seen such a fast flashdisk. I've already tried it on W2k, XP and W98SE and it works great on all of them (only on 98 you have to install a driver from sandisk website). From the pre-installed apps I use only CruzerLock for encrypting my data. I don't need CruzerSync because I have a PDA to synchronize my Outlook data.
All in all, BUY IT. Great, rugged and useful design and lovely performace are the main reasons. I love the metal body, it seem really undestructable. From Jan Richter, May 14, 2005
"Great Backup & Xfer Solution" This review is for a Mini 128mb.....
My initial impression was very good, then really very impressed, and now, after 6 months, I need a bigger and faster one. If you can't get it to work on Win98 try Windows Update and get the latest patches. No driver is needed on 98 or XP. I have an old 1999 Toshiba laptop with W98 and it works fine. I can use it as the temp drive for IE 6.0 and that saves the disk alot of seeks. The bus on that machine is an old legacy USB 1.1 and is slow, but still faster than the hard drive.
On my DELL XP machine I expected it would perform much better being plugged into USB 2.0, but it doesn't. The read and write performance in general is rather poor relative to the hard drives and I find that annoying. I hope the Titanium is a lot faster because I love using it as my temp drive for IE so I can just format the whole drive if I get SpyWare or maleware cookies, etc.
I am a writer and love using it to keep a 3rd copy of my book when going between machines. It helps keep things simple when I know the last best version is on the Cruzer. I can no longer keep all of my research on 512mb, so I would have to get a 1gb version. I know they have 4gb products in other forms so I sure wish they would get with it on that.
Finally, it would be great to have a RAID 5 version so reads would be blazing fast and reads virtually indestructable.
I can't believe anyone falls for the Titanium gimmick. It's just a very thin coat "spray painted" over a metal body and is not milled out of a solid titanium billet. If it were it would cost $1,000, so there is no reason to believe you will not get the same performance out of all the other products.
Finally, I suspect that those who are having problems with drivers or just not working are either NOT up to date on Windows or are not using a POWERED USB hub. I cannot get the drive to work on the Toshiba without plugging in the power source for the hub - a Belkin, nothing special here - so I assume it takes a fair amount of power, and that is for a 128mb version. Power consumption may be proportional to capacity.
Overall I think this is a very compelling product, and I am not easily impressed. Most new stuff is just fad and adds little value. I do wish laptop makers would get a clue and put slots for these little wonders up on the top of the machine in shallow slots where they could be safely used. Sticking out of the side of my laptop I was sure I would break the Cruzer or my laptop USB socket, so I bought the hub to solve the problem. (yes, the Cruzer does work plugged in directly to the one and only USB port, but I need a mouse and sometimes a cam so the hub was a reasonable solution.)
I would recommend the product in the largest capacity you can afford and the fastest model you can find. Back in the day the bank I worked for paid $23,000.00 for a 401mb HP disk drive the size of a washing machine. The micro will now hold more than that and hide behind a silver dollar.
Njoy From Impressed, December 15, 2004
"Totally Awesome" I have the Cruzer Titanium 512mb flash drive and it freakin rocks. I got it for about $80 and it's works perfectly . I readily switch between macs and pcs regularly with no problems. Only thing that bothered me is how hard it is to get the key ring on, it took me about 20 mins to do it and I scratched the mess outa it. But it's made out of titanium so I can't really complain. I highly recommend this flash drive to anyone since it got the editor's choice on cnet and it's so sleek and stylish w/ its retractable usb plug-thingy. From theslaminj, November 19, 2004
"Sleek, Fast and Useful" This is a very quick memory product. I've copied large amounts of data from CD-Roms to the key very quickly.
The pocket clip is too tight and yes, the keyring attachment is very tight as well and, unless very careful, would scratch the product. It is prone to scratching if kept regulary in a pocket with coins, keys. etc.
I have had ONE problem with it not being accepted in a USB port - I tried the port on the back of the PC and it worked fine. I guess this device requires the maximum amount of power detailed in USB specifications. I have tried over 10 PCs and only had one problem - as these products are supposed to be portable, if this problem was more prevalent I'd be very concerned. From Neil Miles, November 10, 2004
"Doesn't Work in" I had problems similar to those described in another post. I tried it in 6 ports on two computers and could only get it two work in one. Tech support is near-worthless as the person told me to return it and get another. I tried two: exact same results. Of course, SanDisk wouldn't acknowledge any problem with the design. Don't buy it if you want to use it on different computers (yeah, like what it's meant for) because there's no telling whether it'll work. From Rich, October 26, 2004
"Titanium is Great" I have had the Cruzer Titanium for a while now and love it. 1) sleek design fits great on my keychain. 2) effectivly unbreakable 3) no cap to lose 4) works great on every computer I have used (Dell, Toshiba, IBM, and generic laptops and desktops) 5) hold all my stuff.
I just wish I could plug it into my PDA. From Michael Burrage, October 26, 2004
"NO DRIVERS" After purchasing the Sandisk Cruzer mini 256, which repeatedly assured that "NO DIVER IS NECESSSARY", I was unable to use it on any Windows 98 based system.
Searching the Sandisk website and every where else I could imagine, no driver was to be found. Further, I found no means of contacting the manufacturer.
Yet the system will not work without the driver.
Sandisk not only lied about not needing a driver, they do no make any driver available with the unit, or on the net.
I am returning this piece of junk to the dealer, and chocking it up to another case of misrepresenting a produce, and providing no method of tech support.
Let the buyer beware. From Dissatisfied, October 19, 2004
"Great flash drive, looks sweet." Haven't tried the software for it. Durability not *yet* tested!
Pros:
I can't tell you how good this thing looks, and the quality of the lanyardfinish is amazing.
Very fast speed, compared to my other flash drive.
Light looks amazing.
No lid to lose.
Cons:
Scratched the hell out of the top end trying to put the keyring on it. Same with the belt clip, I thought I'd try it on to see what it looks like, turns out when you take it off it's covered in scratches, so unless you know you need it I wouldn't put it on.
Instead of the light being always on when plugged in, I think it should be always off then flash with activity. From Adrian, October 09, 2004
"Is picky about USB Ports" As everyone has said it is blindingly fast but I did find what could be a problem. When I got mine I tried it in 3 different desktop systems and none of them would recognize the device. When I tried a Laptop it worked.
I called Sandisk tech support and they had me try all 6 ports on one of the systems in had failed in. Sure enough it worked in 1 of the 6 ports. They said that the Titanium unit was power sensitive and apparently that was the only port which would supply enough power.
I then tried it on the other units. The device worked on 2 of the 3 Laptop ports, 2 ports on one of the desktops, 1 port each on the others. Unfortunate not of the ports on the desktops were on the front panel. Apparently tech support was aware of this because when I called they emphasized that I was to try the ports on the "back of the unit not the ones on the front".
I will try on a wider selection of system and if the the results aren't any better I will probably return it. From Steve White, September 23, 2004
"Nice drive, a few problems" I have had my SanDisk Cruzer Titanium for about a month now and have appreciated the fast transfer rates for large files. However, I have had some difficulty connecting the device to some USB ports because of two design elements:
1) The slightly rounded edge that the USB connector slides out of makes it difficult to get a connection to the front USB ports on the Dell Dimension towers we have at work. It's hard to insert the drive "blindly" if the tower is on the floor since it has a tendency to rock out of the slot.
2) The slightly increased width of the product makes it impossible to connect to some devices with recessed USB ports like my Toshiba M20-2257 notebook. While this is partly a design flaw of the computer and is also a problem with many other "wide" USB keys, the original SanDisk Cruzer keys did not have this problem.
I think I will need to carry a USB extension cord with me. From Tai Chen, August 31, 2004
"Really, Really Fast!" I recently bought the SanDisk Titanium for $72.00 and am extremely pleased with my purchase. My decision was made after reading the review on CNET that gave the device a 9.0. I got it for a great price and do not regret the purchase.
The SanDisk Titanium comes with 512 MB memory (slightly less available to the user) and I use it for everything from school files, entertainment, and computer backups. It fits all of my needs.
I love the fact that it is virtually indestructible and not a flimsy drive like so many on the market today. The Titanium coating makes it look really sharp. The length of the unit does not bother me because it is not wide and does not obstruct any other ports on my PC. The blue light is great and lets me know when the drive is in use. The retractible USB connector is great because I don't need to worry about loosing any caps. A belt clip and keyring/strap is also included.
Perhaps the best thing about the devise is how fast it is. I am running Windows XP and the device really does transfer large files at 12 MB per second (15 MB read speed). With smaller files, the transfer rate is not as high, however. I can transfer a 100 MB file in around 5 seconds. It's great!
The only CONS that this device has is that it scratches very easily and the keyring is REALLY hard to get on. When you put on the belt clip, scratches occur because the clip is also made of metal. However, the scratches are hard to notice and don't appear unless you are right under a light looking at the device at a particular angle. The keyring took me a good 20 minutes to get on the device. This is due to the hook in the device being so fat (It's hard to describe) I used a flat screwdriver to pry oben the keyring and wedge it through the flash drive. Finally it was through and the good thing is that the keyring will probably NEVER come off :).
The software includes is also a positive. CruzerLock and Sync comes free where as the Backup software is only a free 90 day trial. I use the Sync all the time to backup my outlook files and I use CruzerLock to encrypt important files.
In conclusion, I believe this to be the best device to be on the market today and would give it a 9 out of 10. From Chad Mondor, August 31, 2004
"The Titanium Cruizer not as strong as Sandisk claims" I've been using flash drives since 1998 from various brands. After having broken a few, needless to say I was really tempted to try the new Titanium Cruzer by Sandisk. Although the data transfer speeds are great, several other manufacturers are offering similar units at lower prices - Lexar Media Jumpdrive or the Jmtek USBdrive just to name a few. The metallic feel of the cruzer is very nice, however the unit is considerably bulkier than other units in the market. Not suitable for carrying around on a key chain. My disappointment came after I found the unit cracked in the middle of our parking lot. Apparently I had dropped it in the morning, and found it crushed by lunch time along with all my data. The rectratable design may add convenience but after being run over by a car it refuses to budge let alone extend out. I ended up taking the unit apart in hopes of extracting my data, only to find that the most of the cruzer is actually made of plastic painted with Titanium. I would not have spent over $200 for the 512MB unit, had I known this. From AJ Grewal, August 30, 2004
"Is it fast? Oh my!" I've been waiting for this for a while now. Finally came out and got it from J&R (they had it a day before Amazon.com)
First impressions - it is unholy fast on my Mac (running 10.3) using USB 2.0... Response time is almost instant. Feels quite a bit quicker than my 40x Lexar JumpDrive Pro, which was no slouch itself.
The slider on the side is used to slide out the USB connector. When the device is active, the background of the slider lights up blue, which is a nice touch.
My only real concern at this point is that there is no cap for the USB connector. The main reason I was waiting for the Cruzer Titanium was because I wanted something on my keychain that was more rugged than the JumpDrive (which has amazingly survived that way for 4 months now). But if thats what they're expecting folks to do with it, I can see pocket lint and general dust getting in there. Should be easy enough to blow the dust out, but its still a concern...
While its not clear in the photos, the other end has a loop that you can put a key chain ring (supplied) through. Should be more than rugged enough. Although I've not tryed using either of these, there's also a clip that wraps around the body of the drive so you could secure it in your pocket, and a lanyard for hanging it around your neck if you're that way inclined.
One bad thing: there's no recovery software supplied out of the box. I already have MediaRecover on my Mac so it wasn't a big deal for me, but its something to bear in mind...
Still, overall, Highly Recommended From Steve Saxon, May 05, 2004
We're currently upgrading our user review system; so we won't be accepting new reviews for now. Cruzer Titanium Specs
Windows 98 SE, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP, MacOS 10.3.x, MacOS 10.2.x, MacOS 10.1.x, MacOS 9.1
Dimensions
2.95" x 0.82" x 0.34"
Capacity
512MB
Read performance Average substained rate
15MB/s
Write performance Average substained rate
13MB/s
Data protection method
Software password lock
Software
CruzerLock, Cruzer PocketCache, CruzerSync
Additional media compatibility
None
Accessories
Pocket clip, keychain ring, lanyard
Extra function(s)
--
Material of casing
--
Power source
Bus-powered
Warranty
Five 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.
