Transcript
Verbatim TUFF-'N'-TINY USB Drive
Page 1 of 2
Verbatim TUFF-'N'-TINY USB Drive REVIEW DATE: 07.21.11 BOTTOM LINE: This tough and tiny USB drive can rattle around with the keys in your pocket for years. It could hardly be any smaller, and it fared well in torture tests. A simple encryption tool protects some or all of the on-board storage. PROS: Tiny USB storage device not damaged by dirt or water. In testing, worked fine even after a brick was dropped on it. Includes simple program to password-protect some or all of the on-board storage. CONS: Encryption utility not as sophisticated as some competitors?. Costs significantly more than a plain USB drive. COMPANY: Verbatim Corporation SPEC DATA Price: $142.99 Direct OS Compatibility: Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 7 Type: Business, Personal, Professional Storage Capacity (as Tested): 32 GB EDITOR RATING: By Neil J. Rubenking
What's as thin as a penny, narrower than a dime, and securely holds up to 8,000 songs? No, it's not the infamous iPod Flea. At 1.2" x 0.5" x 0.08" the Verbatim TUFF-'N'-TINY USB Drive ($142.99 direct for 32 GB) is about as small as a USB storage device can get, and it resists damage by water, dirt, and impact. It's a bit pricey, but it does seem just as tough as promised. Physically Tough The device's SIP (System In Package) technology embeds all components in a single sealed unit. According to the company, this allows the device to resist "everyday encounters with rough handling, water, dust, and electro-static discharge." The drive is rated for operation from 0°C to 60°C (32° to 140° F). That compares favorably with the tough IronKey Personal S200 ($79 direct, 4 stars) which is rated to operate from 0°C to 70°C. IronKey is rated waterproof to military specifications. The TUFF-'N'-TINY device promises to resist damage by water but doesn't have a specific third-party certification. The TUFF-'N'-TINY drive says it will handle 5 G's of shock while operating; IronKey is rated for 16 Gs. It's hard to see how it would experience a serious shock. It's so tiny that it doesn't fall fast, not even when dropped from a height. You definitely pay more for the enhanced physical durability of the IronKey. A 32GB IronKey costs $299, over twice the price of the same-capacity TUFF-'N'-TINY. Verbatim offers a 2GB version for $12.99, while a 2GB IronKey costs $79. A quick Internet search suggests that an ordinary 32GB flash drive with no special claims to tiny size or enhanced durability would run around $30 to $40. Data Security IronKey is tough cryptographically as well. It boasts a built-in crypto-chip, on-chip storage for security certificates, a password manager, a secure browser, and more. Verbatim's device offers encrypted on-board storage using the company's V-Safe 100 Security Application. On first use V-Safe prompts you define a password and specify how much of the device should be devoted to the encrypted "privacy zone." Setting the privacy zone size requires formatting the entire drive, so you'll want to do this before storing any information on it. When you log in to the privacy zone, the public zone becomes unavailable. Simple! Access to the privacy zone relies on a Windows based application, so the device's encryption can only be used on Windows systems. The LOK-IT Secure Flash Drive ($76.25 direct, 4 stars) has a numeric data entry pad built in, so its PIN-locked storage can be accessed using any USB-aware device. On the other hand, it's
http://www.pcmag.com/print_article2/0,1217,a=269180,00.asp?hidPrint=true
7/22/2011
Verbatim TUFF-'N'-TINY USB Drive
Page 2 of 2
definitely not as durable as the TUFF-'N'-TINY drive. To access data stored on Defender F200 + Bio ($109 direct, 4 stars) you swipe a finger across its built-in fingerprint reader. This biometric security device isn't as universally portable as LOK-IT, but its software supports both Windows and Mac systems. Like IronKey, its protection is certified to meet the FIPS 140-2, Level 3 government standard. Clearly there are degrees of protection and flexibility. An expert hacker with plenty of time and computing resources might theoretically break the TUFF-'N'-TINY device's encryption, but it's definitely strong enough to keep out any lesser mortals. Torture-Testing Just how tough is this mighty midget? I did my best to find out. To start, I dug around my tomato plants with it, making sure the contacts scraped against dirt, bark, and sand. I washed off the device, dried it, and tried to read its files; it worked just fine. Next I steeped it in a mug of sticky soda for half an hour. There are no holes, crevices, or other openings, so the soda didn't manage to soak in. Washing and thoroughly drying the device brought it to full working order. I put the TUFF-'N'-TINY device in the pocket of a pair of jeans and put the jeans through a full wash and dry cycle. That's certainly a use-case that could happen in the real world! Once again it came through just fine. The device is so light that there's no point in performing a drop test. It just doesn't hit the ground hard enough to matter. Instead, I set up an impromptu shock test by dropping a brick directly on the device from about six inches up. The brick made an impression; one corner of the device will never be the same. But even with a damaged corner it still worked just fine. Tough and Tiny, As Promised You definitely pay a premium for the Verbatim TUFF-'N'-TINY USB Drive's minuscule size and resistance to damage. On the plus side, I can see it surviving for years on a keychain, rattling around unharmed among the keys. An IronKey is significantly tougher cryptographically and also physically, but IronKey costs over twice as much. And the itty-bitty drive is a great conversation-starter. If you regularly need to carry significant amounts of data on a USB drive, the Verbatim TUFF-'N'-TINY USB Drive is a very good choice. More Encryption reviews: Copyright (c) 2011 Ziff Davis Inc. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.pcmag.com/print_article2/0,1217,a=269180,00.asp?hidPrint=true
7/22/2011
