I have discovered, or maybe I should say it discovered me, a neat little tech gadget that is in reality a really good one. 

Before I get started, I want to disclose a couple of things.  First is that I was contacted by a marketing person to take a look at this product, they sent me the product and I examined it.  This happens to me occasionally but not as often as I would like.  Second, some of the products I get to review are junk so I don’t write about them.  I am always open to suggestions for products and services that may benefit you readers.  If you know of something you would like to learn about let me know and I will at least take a look.

Now, let’s get on with the review.

I have been thinking for a while about security and thumb drives since I have gotten many emails about them.  Basically memory sticks, thumb drives, key-chain drives, etc. are all the same.  They act as a hard drive when inserted into your computer.  You can save data on them for portability and/or backup and they come in a variety of storage sizes.

Why security?  For instance, if my memory stick falls out of my pocket while doing my daily calisthenics in the park (not), I could be in trouble.  Someone finds it and then they have all of my data.  This could include my last 10 years worth of tax returns, my bank account info, love letters to my wife, business files, etc.  The finder would have full access to all of that information to do with as they choose.  I don’t put vital data on my thumb drive for that very reason.

In steps Flash Padlock a hardware solution (www.corsair.com).  I find this a bit more comforting.

There is information galore on the Corsair site but here is my quick take on the padlock.

You can physically key in your own numeric password on the device.  Once this is entered the only way to get to the data stored in the drive is to reenter that password.  Slick!

You can change the password to shorten or lengthen it as long as it is 10 digits or less.

When removed from your computer the Flash Padlock will relock itself in 15 seconds so that you will have to reenter your password to use the drive again.  The padlock is slightly larger than some other thumb drives at 3 3/8″ x 7/8″ x 9/16″, but not large enough to make much of a difference to me.  It will still easily fit in my pocket.

The MSRP is 1GB for $29.99 and the 2GB size for $39.99.  If you are considering the purchase of a thumb drive I suggest you take a look at the Flash Padlock.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 20th, 2007 at 9:00 pm and is filed under Columns. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.