Kingston DataTraveler microDUO USB OTG Flash Drive Review

An Expanding Companion –

Kingston, and their infinite nerdtastic wisdom, has produced yet another ingenious gadget that is simple to use and can make your techy life a little more streamlined. The microDUO is the latest unit to enter the DataTraveler series and offers an OTG (On-The-Go) storage solution for compatible mobile devices.

For reference, here are links to some previous Kingston products we were able to test out.

The microDUO is a doubled sided USB flash drive designed to add optional storage space to a compatible smart phone or tablet. One side of this tiny device is a regular sized USB 2.0 plug whereas the other side is a microUSB. The microUSB slot on smart phones or tablets, which is usually reserved for charging the unit’s battery, is used to offer up to an additional 64gb of storage space when used in conjunction with this flash drive. Of course file management is easy since the other side can be just as easily plugged into any PC. Keep in mind iOS users are out of luck since Apple doesn’t believe in USB and continue to use their own tyrannical proprietary system.

As smart phones become more complex and offer higher res photos and videos, additional storage space is a welcomed feature for mobile phone power users. This is a perfect solution for users that plan on taking a ton of video or pictures, for example, on a week-long vacation with no access to a PC or WiFi to dump files. Just load up this drive with your Mp3s or movie files and play everything through your mobile device. This is especially handy since many mobile units still do not offer an SD or microSD expansion card slot.

The unit itself is tiny, about the size of a quarter or so, and weighs virtually nothing while the cap is rotatable to make transporting a little safer. 8gb, 16gb, and 32gb models are available with the 32gb model currently selling for under $20 – a reasonable price. The response time was also very impressive: Mp3s played instantly, photos loaded just as fast as if viewing on the device’s storage space itself, and a sample video allowed for instant skipping without any lag. It is actually rather impressive.

As convenient as this little device is, there are a couple caveats. First, there is no pass-through option to allow for charging and file access. For example, users of this device might want to load up Mp3s and play them through the unit’s speakers. But doing an extra task like this might suck up battery juice faster and would have been nice to somehow allow for charging and playback at the same time. However, the point of this unit is its mobility aspect which it definitely succeeds at. And while no fault of Kingston, your mobile device might need an extra file management app to better access attached files. Granted, OTG devices are supported but users might find it easier to browse these extra files with favorable/optional 3^rd party software. And unlike the Kingston DataTraveler Locker, there are no encryption options (which is not a flaw as password protection can be a little tricky on non-PC devices). Might have been cool if different colors were available to match potential cell phone cases but this little guy doesn’t really need to be pretty anyway.

There are a couple other flash drives like this on the market but like all other Kingston products, this unit is reliable, backed by their usual warranty with customer support and is priced right. The microDUO is an easy solution to hardcore mobile users, especially those not yet relying on the power of the cloud or when in areas lacking WiFi.

 

Also Check Out: the Kingston DataTraverl Locker + G3

Better Than: compromising storage space by deleted stuff you still want to keep

Also Try: using Microsoft’s OneDrive app (previously known as SkyDrive)

 

By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com