From SSDs to SD cards, Kingston is a proven manufacturer of data storage. The DataTraveler Locker + G2 Personal Security flash drive is one of their newest products offering easy to use password protection for your traveling files. It is reliable, easy to use, and is physically built with quality.
Available in 4gb, 8gb, 16gb, and 32gb models, these units offer typical USB 2.0 compatibility – 10mb/s read, 5mb/s write. It is also interchangeable with both Mac and PC and will work on any OS released over the last several years. Yeah, it is a flash drive with all the features you would expect. So what makes it different and/or special?
Easily the biggest selling point of this unit is its ability to keep your data secure. Upon plugging in the unit to any USB port on your computer, the integrated password protection software will walk the user through the setup process. Fear not as this process is quick and easy; basically just follow the on screen prompts, create a password and you are ready to rock. Uniquely, up to 20 usernames and accounts can be registered with this device and no extra software or partitions are needed. After everything has been initialized, just use the flash drive like any other unit. There is also an option to include a hint as to what the password might be.
There are some cool features built into the unit as well. So let’s say that you lose this flash drive and hackers, or nosey neighbors, try and break in. After 10 failed log in attempts, the unit will reformat – all stored data will be deleted and everything will be reset. Even changing a password is easy as all options are located in the computer’s system tray when plugged in.
From a physical point of view, this unit simply feels solid. The metal casing is heavy and built with quality that can easy withstand mild abuse. The detachable cap even makes a firm click noise when snapped into place; a firm grip will be needed to remove the cap. It is just too bad that the removable cap cannot be connected to the back of the unit to avoid losing it. This flash drive also comes with an optional cord that can be tied to the base of the unit and then to your key ring for added mobility. The smooth edges of the weighty steel design really gives this unit a quality feeling, something you won’t really understand until you hold it in your hand for yourself.
Each time the unit is used, the user will naturally have to enter the password to add and remove files. However, the user must manually select the DTLplus appliance icon before the unit can be used. It would have been a little more convenient if the user can just plug the unit in and when files are added or deleted, the password popup menu would appear automatically. Manually selecting the boot-up application from the My Computer section each time can be tedious but not necessarily a deal breaker. Positively, users that are using an admin password protected locked-down PC, like when using a work PC, do not need to fear as the application software runs without the need of an admin password.
The only thing really holding back this flash drive is the lack of USB 3.0 support. However, given that USB 3.0 is not yet main stream, this is a forgivable flaw for the time being. However, if you planning on transferring larger video files often, the slower read/write speed might be a draw back. But speed is not this unit’s selling point. Users would purchase this product for security and a piece of mind. Sure, there is some third party software on the market that could essentially do the same thing, but Kingston makes it easy, convenient and stylish. These units are also priced moderately well; you can always find cheap flash drives but for a little bit more money your data can be secured – you get what you pay for. Kingston also stands by their products by also offering a quality warranty.
These Kingston flash drives are available at many retailers including the Kingston online shop.
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