SanDisk Cruzer Titanium 4 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive SDCZ7-4096-A10
by SanDisk
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of SanDisk Cruzer Titanium 4 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive SDCZ7-4096-A10
Customer Review: Unexpected
Summary: 4 Stars
SanDisk 4 GB Cruzer Titanium USB Flash Drive with U3 arrived in its Sandisk new wrapping (one of those air sealed that you can only open with a scissor or some cutting instrument). However, after spending days reading reviews of this product I found myself with unexpected features.
The silver frame surrounding the USB key is completely scratch NOT free. It is so evenly scratched EVERYWHERE so that it makes it look sturdy and slightly "cool." I think it was purposely done since the center (the cruzer titanium part) is absolutely scratch free. (It saved me work of scratching it with my keys which I will be carrying it with.)
Another surprise that I found is that it IS actually Windows Vista compatible.
All you need to do is open the folder and run U3 manually the first time and let the U3 know that your system does not automatically run the software. It will install a little software on your system allowing it to run it automatically every time. If Vista is not your own computer, then all you have to do is just manually start it to run U3 on the system. In short, I did not observe any of the discussed "incompatibility issues" with this device.
Lastly, as I had read in one of the reviews, it DOES NOT COME with a LANYARD, and it does NOT come with a Clip like described on the Blueproton website.
I will call tomorrow and argue for one, but for now I guess I am satisfied enough to keep it with me until I break it or I lose it.
I hope this helps if you are considering to purchase one like I was a couple days ago.
Added months after :
After owning this item for about three months, I believe this is the best USB ever created by far. There seems to be ambivalence with this U3 business that the U3 USB comes with.
The U3 is a software which comes with the USB drive which allows you to run software (and other addons which you can download from their link for free) and it is a piece of software that will consume about half a gig to a gig of memory from your 4 gigabytes that you paid for.
You can easily remove this software if you plan to use the USB as a piece of memory solely.
I personally love the U3 option because it allows me to browse the web freely without leaving any history on my computer at work. (There is an addon called "After work" which erases all trackable things... so unless my boss installs a keylogger or some sort of sofisticated software to track what I do at work, this USB allows me to have some freedom and whatnot.
4 GBs is big enough to carry pictures, movies and music along with my documents I use in a daily basis. Cool thing was that these folders were already there before I even made them.
Some cons about this product.
Unlike it is described on the product description, it does NOT come with a lanyard. I don't think it's critically necessary but if you write to Sandisk they will be nice enough to send you one for free (although it took about a month)
I have not fell into a pool while carrying this device like one of the reviewers described, but from my personal experience, the whole "static shock will blast all memory contained in USB" is a farce and even if you do shock the device memory remains intact.
The metal casing does give it a feeling of sturdiness that other USB key carriers will envy and if I were to complain I'd say it is a little noisier than plastic USB keys if you are carrying them with your keys (not that it is distinguishable from any key noises...
Overall it is a great product and I strongly recommend this item over many other USB memory keys.
Customer Review: Useful tool at a reasonable price.
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a really handy device and it really has come a long way from the early flash drives that used to hold only 512MB. This is my second Cruzer Titanium and is much faster than my early first generation drives. When compared to the Kingston, OCZ, and Lexar brands, the speed is roughly the same and build quality is comparable. The case is the real selling point here. My first generation Cruzer titanium was thinner and longer; this was handy for the tight spaces behind the computer. This new iteration is a shorter and slightly thicker. The case is exceptionally tough and will stand up to most heavy objects thrown into a bag or backpack. Heavy books and laptops won't even begin to squeeze this case. I stepped on mine when I dropped it on a hard floor and there was not even a scratch. The tip retracts and so there is no cap to lose or break off. Mine did not come with a lanyard or pocket clip but I am not going to wear this anyway....it really is not a fashion statement. Data transfer is quick and the drive is quite spacious at 4 GB. The U3 does take a long time to mount and is not Vista compatible. It loads a subdirectory into every computer you plug it into. The second time you plug a U3 drive into one of these computers the drive mounts much more quickly. The removal tool that deletes the U3 partition is loaded into a folder on the drive itself so you have to do some searching, but if you find the U3 programs annoying, the removal software is there. Most of the U3 software available is either useless or expensive. Some are useless and expensive! Watch out for the file sizes since you could easily fill up the drive with silly games and utilities that most people already own; or, they don't care to own. I was planning on deleting the entire U3 partition and not deal with the extra drive that mounts on my Mac. The one thing that keeps me from doing this is the IT crew at my work place. Just about every computer here uses IE for the default web browser and access to the web is blocked. I simply plug my drive into any computer and using the U3 browser (Mozilla is preloaded but others are available for free) I'm surfing the net and leaving no traces. That's nice...no cache, no cookies, no history, no passwords. Web sites can still be blocked but internet access may still be possible depending on your network settings. There are some free U3 utilities for photo management and other programs that cost little or nothing; but, I have yet to find a need for for most portable software. All in all the U3 portion with Mozilla came in very handy but I question whether the average user really needs U3. For me, Mozilla is the browser of choice on any PC and I like having all my themes and extensions with me. The drive itself is elegant and very portable. No cap means no losing parts. Over all it is durable and reliable. Just don't buy this drive if you expect the U3 programs to transform your life.Customer Review: Well made USB drive, but not without some flaws...
Summary: 3 Stars
This product is very well made, with a strong and sturdy casing. Sandisk is a great company and they continue to live up to that reputation with this product, despite overlooking a serious design flaw.
The Good: The design looks sharp, the retractable USB prong works well (extends easy, locks in place, and retracts simply), the active light is big and bright, the weight is perfect, and there is even a lanyard ring for hooking it to something. There is also this new U3 launchpad technology installed that makes it very easy to launch programs from the USB drive, without being installed on Windows. This gives you amazing portability, as you can configure your browser with all its plugins on this, plus any other software programs that you need to run when you're away from your main computer. The transfer rate on this USB drive is excellent--Sandisk consistently makes fast and reliable USB drives. It's worth paying more for this as your data is more valuable than any hardware.
The Not-so-good:
* The casing is NOT TITANIUM! It is only coated too look like it is. It's a steel alloy of some kind. And guess what that means--in the winter time, static electricity can be conducted through the casing. This is a potentially serious problem, as you could lose your data and even trash the drive altogether. I suspect all of the positive reviews are from people who haven't used this drive in the winter time. So, definitely be careful to discharge yourself before using it.
* The U3 software is incompatible with Vista and the Mac OS. You need to uninstall it before using... and unfortunately for Mac users, they can't uninstall U3 from their native OS--it must be done in Windows XP.
* The U3 launchpad increases the time it takes for the drive to become ready after inserting it. The only viable way to remove the USB drive is to use the EJECT menu item on the U3 launchpad icon.
* If you accidentally pull out the USB without ejecting it, the U3 programming gets confused; inserting the USB drive back in won't restore access and you have to reboot.
The U3 launchpad is pretty cool technology, but you can uninstall it if you don't care to use it. You'll have to if you're using Vista or a Mac. And you may want to if you're only interested in performing large file transfers with this USB device. But its nice to have the option either way. If there was anything I could wish for on this device, it would be to have the casing made of REAL titanium, or completely coated in an insulating material to prevent static discharge issues. I expect Sandisk will be phasing out the "titanium" metal casing very soon, so you might see these discounted heavily once folks in the USA complain about discharges destroying data during the winter months.
Customer Review: Great choice... The best one around !
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the deal... This is my fourth one, since I keep selling the previous one with less capacity and getting one bigger...
Also, the feel on this one is very sturdy as well...
I would say that is a lot better then my previous one, which was the regular black plastic case.
The U3 program, it is a handy (and I shall say MUST) factor.
If you want the program to auto start whenever you plug it in at your USB port (which takes around 5sec.) you just point it out at the installation of the U3 Launchpad, and I bet most of the users having this problem did not try to run and update or at least go to the settings and check this function.
I have most of the programs I use with this USB drive and whenever I travel and need to use any computer, I just plug it in, and have, all my documents and files (as a regular use of a USB drive) and also the advantage of having my own browser with all my favorites and plug-ins (and cookies and passwords functions as it is set at the USB drive, and not at the computer you are using...), and lots of other programs..
There lots of software to anyones interest, Free and paid for... And all of the ones I use are free !! (open office, firefox, skype,etc)
And if you ever decide to have just an ordinary USB Drive with all the space availabe just to store files.. Just Uninstall it.. [ just look up on google "u3 uninstall" and you will get there..]
But nowadays, who would not want the REAL Upgrade you can get with a USB Drive.. This the perfection...
To me, it is a regular Usb Drive most of the time, just transfering documents... But sometimes, I go ahead and start the U3 Launchpad and start using the programs I need, without worring about leaving trails and information at the computer behind...
And more.. You have all sort of data protection with it, in case it is stolen, lost or someone want to get the date out of it for any purpose....
Think again and you will see that this is the Future of USB drive... Just learn how to use and you will not want to have just a regular one anymore...
U3 is a must ... Once you get used to it...
Take your time, instead of just listening to people who over react to something that is new...
As I mentioned at the beggining.. You decide what you want..
Regular USB or a Real portable system with all the information at any computer...
Perfect choice... :-)
Customer Review: Rugged and quality drive
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had this for about 6 months, it's being used to transfer files about every other day and it's still going strong. You might think "so what?", well, never take reliability for granted when it comes to usb flash drives. As a matter of fact, never take product reliability for granted, period. When you find out that your important files are gone because your usb drive died, you'll learn to appreciate this quality too.
To say this thing is tough is an understatement. It has been on my keyring for the same 6 months and I notice no scratch DESPITE it having a matte surface in the middle; they're not kidding when they claim the casing is made of titanium. My previous cheap plastic usb drive peeled and cracked after 6 months (which is why I got this one).
The product is well designed. There are solid, noticeable detents at both positions of the slider (in and out). It only takes a very light inward pressure on the slider to move it in or out, but without that pressure the usb jack is not moving anywhere. The usb jack is never going to retract by itself when you try to plug it into the computer (unlike other cheaper stuff out there), unless you happen to press on the slider. It is also slim enough to fit into one of those tight side-by-side usb ports when the other port is occupied.
I can't comment on speed because it's not a big deal for me. All I can say is that this product is not slower than any other usb drives that I've had in the past.
The included U3 software is useful, but I have little use for it other than to secure the drive with a password. You can remove it if you want.
One last note: this thing has a quiet elegant look. Its size and heft is about perfect for a fancy key fob, yet as a usb drive it actually serves a real purpose.