Hardware Bistro

Product: DataTraveler Mini Slim
Manufacturer: Kingston
Supplied by: Kingston
Price: 17USD/RM60
Launch Date: NA

 

USB flash drive is getting cheaper and cheaper nowadays; 4GB USB flash drive is just cost less than 20USD and we remember 5 years ago, a 128MB USB flash drive already cost around 30USD. Today let us review a 4GB USB flash drive from Kingston; DataTraveler Mini Slim which is an extremely slim USB flash drive.

 

Company Profile

Kingston Technology Company, Inc. is the world's independent memory leader.
Founded in 1987 with a single product offering, Kingston® now offers more than 2,000 memory products that support nearly every device that uses memory, from computers, servers and printers to MP3 players, digital cameras and cell phones. In 2007, the company's sales exceeded $4.5 billion.

With global headquarters in Fountain Valley, California, Kingston employs more than 4,500 people worldwide. Regarded as one of the "Best Companies to Work for in America" by Fortune magazine, Kingston's tenets of respect, loyalty, flexibility and integrity create an exemplary corporate culture. Kingston believes that investing in its people is essential, and each employee is a vital part of Kingston's success.

 

Features/Specifications:

Capacities* - 2GB, 4GB, 8GB
Dimensions - 1.529" x 0.645" x 0.253" (38.85mm x 16.40mm x 6.44mm)
Operating Temperature - 32° F to 140° F (0° C to 60° C)
Storage Temperature - -4° F to 185° F (-20° C to 85° C)
Simple - just plug into a USB port
Convenient - pocket-sized for easy transportability
Guaranteed - two-year warranty
Fashionable - available in multiple colors - black, blue, pink with grey bottom casing

 

Compatibility Table:

 

Operating System	DataTraveler Mini Slim
Windows Vista®	Yes
Windows ReadyBoost™	No
Windows XP (SP1, SP2)	Yes
Windows 2000 (SP4)	Yes
Mac OS X v.10.3.x+	Yes
Linux v.2.6.x+	Yes

 

 

 

Package & Contents

 

Kingston DataTraveler Mini Slim comes with a very simple packaging where the thickness is just around few mm. The packaging neither stated any features nor specification but Kingston has listed down which OS that DataTraveler Mini Slim can support.

The whole Kingston DataTraveler Mini Slim can be seen through from the outer sealed packaging where users can ensure the right unit before purchase as Kingston DataTraveler Mini Slim comes with three colors; black, blue and pink.

 

Kingston Data Traveler Mini Slim

For Kingston USB flash drive line of business, there are total three categories; consumer/small business, enterprise and government. The differentia between them are the security features and consumer is the simple drive and of course cheapest drives among them too. As we mentioned before, Kingston DataTraveler Mini Slim has three colors for user selection; our review sample here is a black unit which looks cool as pink is more suitable for girls and blue is quite common and looks like a memory card.

 

DataTraveler Mini Slim is the smallest and slimmest USB flash drive from Kingston where the dimension is around 38.85mm x 16.40mm x 6.44mm (L x W x D). We are quite impressed with the size of the Kingston DataTraveler Mini Slim as this is the slimmest drive that we have ever seen and most important thing is this drive still comes with acceptable price.

 

Kingston DataTraveler Mini Slim has no lid cover and is made by some sort of plastic material so its weight is pretty light. The whole DataTraveler Mini Slim was designed to be held conveniently by thumb. At the end of the DataTraveler Mini Slim, there is a lanyard hole for hanging it around else users may lose it easily since this USB flash drive is too slim and small. Besides that there isn't any LED indicator for DataTraveler Mini Slim.

Here is the size comparison between Kingston DataTraveler 100, Data Traveler 400 and Mini Slim. Obviously it shows that DataTraveler Mini Slim is much slimmer than the rest of Kingston DataTraveler models in term of every dimensions.

 

 

Installation, Testing & Performance

Test Bed
Notebook : Dell Inspiron E1720
Processor : Intel Mobile Core 2 Duo T7500
Memory : 4GB 667MHz DDR2 Memory
Hard Drive : 120GB 2.5" 5400RPM 8MB Seagate
Graphic Card : Nvidia GeForce 8400M GS
Optical Drive : DVD RW
Operating System : Microsoft Window XP SP2
Benchmark Software: HD Tech 3.0, CrystalDiskMark2.2

Here are storage benchmark results. Kingston DataTraveler Mini Slim perform quite well with its ultra slim size as its performance is almost same with DataTraveler 400 which is one of the highest end USB flash drive of Kingston consumer series. No LED indication for Kingston DataTraveler Mini Slim with its slim body and it is running a bit hot since it doesn't have aluminum casing for better heat dissipation. However the heat will not cause you not able pick up the USB drive, it is just not so comfortable to hold it.

 

 

Conclusion

If you are looking for a USB flash drive and already tired with those bulky USB flash drive then you should really take a look of this Kingston DataTraveler Mini Slim. Its size not just only can put inside a pocket but no problem to be kept inside a wallet as well. Although it is small but its read and write speed is not bad as well. Furthermore with its cheap price around 17USD for 4GB USB flash drive, it definitely worth for it and we found some local shops selling them less than 10USD; better get one now unless you are waiting such price but with greater storage.

Pros:
* Ultra slim size
* Cheap or acceptable
* Good performance with its size

Cons:
* Doesn't come with any lanyard
* A bit hot during operating

 

Thanks to Kingston for providing this sample for us to review.

 

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