I was prompted to purchase the Lexar JumpDrive 2.0 Pro over other similar products because it has a keychain ring, and because it looks good. I was initially concerned about the size of the JumpDrive Pro because I wanted use the keychain function any carry it around in my pocket. It passed the size test, as I attached it to my keychain two weeks ago and have not yet removed it.
First, the specs (straight from Lexar)…
• Capable of 6.0 MB/s sustained read speed in USB 2.0 system
• Capable of 4.5 MB/s sustained write speed in USB 2.0 system
• Compatible with the USB 2.0 specification
• Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP
• Mac OS X, Mac OS 8.6 or above
• 77.4mm x 26.8mm x 11.0mm
Benchmarks
Test system:
AMD Athlon XP 2800+
Epox 8RDA Motherboard
Western Digital 120 GB 8 MB Cache Hard Drive
Windows XP Service Pack 1
NForce Unified Driver 2.45
Usefulness
Being both a student and a part-time computer tech, I have found the JumpDrive Pro to be more convenient than I had initially expected. I find myself using the JumpDrive Pro every day at work. I have stored a collection of virus-cleaning tools, system patches, and some diagnostic tools. There is nothing more aggravating than installing a new system, then realizing that the network card drivers are 10 megs and the only storage device available is a floppy. The JumpDrive Pro excels in that kind of situation.
For school I can throw files onto the device before running to class. On campus I can go into any computer lab and instantly have access to my files.
Compatibility
I have come across many different computer configurations at school and work and can say that the JumpDrive Pro handles everything it has come against. So far that includes various computers running Windows 2000 and XP, and Mac OS 9 and X. The only time it did not work was when I had it plugged into the keyboard of a G4 Mac. Mac OS 9 informed me that the USB bus did not have enough power to drive it. I moved it to a USB port on the back of the computer, and it worked flawlessly from there. I would estimate the number of computers I have used it with to be around 40, and I have yet to install drivers.
I have used it on only one Linux box, my own running Gentoo. I had SCSI and USB media options already compiled into the kernel for a USB Smartmedia drive, so when I plugged in the JumpDrive Pro it was automatically detected as a SCSI device. A simple “mount” command was all I needed to have full access to the device.
Conclusion
I have found the Lexar Jumpdrive Pro to be extremely useful in everyday activites. It is a great tool because it holds much more data than a floppy, is quicker to write files to than a CDR, and still works with a huge range of computers. I can not see myself ever getting rid of this device. It has become an essential piece of equipment.