The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group
SanDisk Cruzer Countour
Ash Nallawalla - Reviews Editor
ash@melbpc.org.au

[ Incomplete - images still to be inserted ]

You might think that a Flash drive is just another Flash drive, but is it? The first 512 MB drive I purchased set me back US$88. Today, l can buy the same capacity drive locally for less than $20. OK, prices have come down and capacities have gone up, but that is just part of the USB Flash drive evolution.

Those who use Windows Vista know about ReadyBoost, which enables the PC to use the Flash drive as additional RAM. For laptop owners, this is perhaps the cheapest way to get a RAM upgrade. Flash drives are sold in various form factors - ranging from fashion accessories, watches, attached to a Swiss Army Knife, hanging on a lanyard, with removable skins, with a fingerprint reader, and so on.

Cruzer Contour 8 GB

SanDisk Cruzer Contour is a USB Flash Drive. Available in 4 GB and 8 GB capacities, this smart device makes the concept of portable applications a reality. Yes, you can carry your own configured programs in your pocket and run them on someone else's computer.

The Cruzer Contour hits the 8 GB capacity mark. In January, I picked up a 2 GB SanDisk Cruzer Micro to supplement my Windows Vista laptop's existing 2 GB RAM. I have seldom filled the 512 MB Flash drives to capacity, so why would someone need an 8 GB drive? The answer is partly U3 (see inset) and partly our desire to make our data portable. It is certified for Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, Vista and Mac OS X.

Sliding Cover

If you've already lost a cap from an existing Flash drive, but this won't be an issue with the Cruzer Contour, as it has a sliding cover that hides the USB connector when not in use.

It features ReadyBoost and includes the following U3 compatible programs:
  • CruzerSync - Desktop synchronisation tool
  • SignupShield - Password manager
  • Skype - PC to PC video and audio calls
  • Avast - Antivirus
  • HP Photosmart - Digital photo organiser/editor
  • Sudoku/Mahjong-Games
Storage is, as Rolls Royce once used to describe its cars' horsepower, adequate. I could describe it as "whopping", but in a few years, 8 GB will almost certainly be considered tiny. Today, the 8 GB Cruzer Contour can hold up to:
  • 19,200 photos
  • 1920 tunes
  • 2560 minutes of MP4 QCIF videos
In theory, that is just under 43 hours of movies! I suspect that you could watch more movies on a battery-powered laptop using a USB drive than by running them from its hard disk or by playing the DVD drive.

More realistically, you could take your email, browser bookmarks, and many large files with you. The drive synchronises with your PC when connected but it will not leave a trace on any other PC. The supplied programs and the U3 software took up 110 MB, leaving 7.52 GB free. The file system is FAT32, which makes it compatible with older PCs. You can remove U3 completely, but then the U3 programs won't work and you will have a dumb 8 GB storage device.

In Use

Opening the box was a challenge for me, as I missed the black sticker (on a black box) on the left and opened it from the right. I could not believe how tough it was to peel off the layers as I fought my way to the tightly wedged device. Then I realised my mistake! There is no lanyard provided - indeed the drive has no hook, but it comes with a leather pouch with a hook for the lanyard or key chain. It is a snug fit, so the drive is not going to slide out.

Now, sliding the Cruzer Contour's cover off and on was not as smooth as I expected. The USB connector is folded when packed, and has to hinge outwards as you slide it. It took some effort to get it open the first time.

Compatibility

You will need at least Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP or Windows Vista to use U3. For storage only, you can use Windows 2000 or later, Mac OSX+, or Linux. The PC must have a high speed IJSB 2.0 port, which will be found on most PCs bought in the past six years.

Software

I downloaded the Firefox browser for U3 which is 7.84 MB, compared to the standard version which is 5.7 MB. You'd expect the U3 version would be smaller. Other free programs I downloaded were OpenOffice.org, Opera, PuTTY, Trillian Basic, WinSCP and FileZilla. There are dozens of free programs that I could download and not make a big dent in the 8 GB capacity! OpenOffice was the biggest among my downloads, at 222 MB (during the download it turned out to be 76.3 MB). There are not a lot of PCs that don't have Microsoft Office on them, but if I encounter one, I will be able to use OpenOffice.org.

Availability

You can get the Cruzer Contour 8GB drive locally for around $160. The 4 GB model costs around $117. You are paying for the U3 and ReadyBoost functionality but it is worth it for the convenience of having customised programs and passwords in your pocket.
 
U3 Smart

U3 is an initiative of SanDisk and msystems. They transformed USB flash drives from simple storage devices into USB smart drives that people can use not only to carry data, but include password protection, anti-virus software and the ability to launch popular Windows applications on any PC
wherever they went.

U3 Smart drives solve a common problem - when you use a new computer or borrow one, it does not have your familiar programs, files and browser bookmarks and preferences. U3 drives contain special  versions of popular programs and make it feasible to use other computers without being tied to yours.

How It Works

When you insert a U3 enabled drive into a USB port, a U3 icon appears in the System Tray. You can click it to launch the U3 Launchpad, which is similar to the Windows XP Start button. This designates the USB drive as a U3 Smart Drive.

U3 Smart drives are available from several manufacturers, including:

  • SanDisk
  • Kingston
  • Memorex
  • Verbatim
You can run the supplied programs, or download more from http://software.u3.com. Many are free, some are not.

Some of the more interesting free U3 programs include:
  • Open Office application
  • Mozilla Firefox browser
  • Avast! Antivirus
  • Sudoku game
  • Opera browser
  • Mozilla Thunderbird email
  • Skype Internet phone
  • Trillian instant message manager
You get to use your own desktop wallpaper and familiar icons when using a borrowed PC. You are not hampered by the lack of administrator privileges on that PC because your portable applications are already on your U3 drive. This is great for backpackers and other travellers who don't need to take a laptop PC with them.

There is a strong U3 developer community, which is releasing new, compact versions of popular desktop software. For more information, see http://www.u3.com.

You cannot install regular PC programs such as Microsoft Office on a U3 device because desktop programs require much more space than the U3 drive can offer and they need to write some information to the PC's Registry.

Reprinted from the August 2007 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia

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