| Kingston DataTraveler Secure - Privacy Edition | ||
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Product: Kingston 2GB DataTraveler Secure - Privacy Edition Security is an ever increasing concern for both small and large companies as well as consumers. It seems like we cannot go a day without hearing about a new security breach or someone’s identity being stolen. Flash drives can be extremely convenient and boost productivity. However, on conventional flash drives, the cost of loosing a flash drive can be extremely high depending on the information stored on the drive. In late 2006, Kingston launched the DataTraveler Secure – Privacy Edition to help eliminate that threat. Not only does the DataTraveler Secure – Privacy Edition sport a sturdy titanium coated stainless steal casing, it also features on-the-fly 256-bit hardware-based AES encryption. These features and many others defiantly look good on paper but how will they perform in the real world?
Features/Specifications:
Fast – data transfer rates of up to 24 MB/sec. read and up to 10 MB/sec. write Secure – drive locks down after 10 intrusion attempts Strong password protection – password is set by the user with minimum characteristics to prevent unauthorized access Waterproof – protected against water damage Easy to use – just plug and play into a USB port Compatibility – Windows 2000 SP3 or higher, Win XP SP1 and above Guaranteed – five-year warranty Customizable – co-logo program available Setup/Configuration: Upon inserting the DataTraveler Secure – Privacy Edition into a USB port, the DTSecure – Privacy application automatically started a wizard to help configure the flash drive. I was a bit disappointed to see that there were not any options that the end user could customize. However, the lack of options to select makes the DataTraveler Secure – Privacy Edition extremely easy to setup, even for the most novice computer users.
The DataTraveler Secure - Privacy Edition: Many of Kingston’s flash drives have featured a flimsy plastic casing and I was glad to see that Kingston used a material on the DataTraveler Secure that could handle a little more abuse. The titanium-coated stainless steel casing was extremely sturdy. I did notice that many of the edges were covered with plastic but was assured by Kingston that underneath the plastic edging was metal. The plastic was added to the metal casing to help further the waterproof qualities of the DataTraveler Secure.
Not only does the DataTraveler Secure feature a sturdy casing, it is also waterproof and conforms to the IEC 60529 IPX8 standard at up to 4 feet. The IPX8 standard is a measure of ingress protection from liquids and is defined as continuous submersion in more than 1 meter of water. However, Kingston decided to test the DataTraveler Secure at a depth of 4 feet, which is a little under a foot deeper than the minimum 1 meter, to insure that the flash drive could survive what is one of the biggest threat to flash drives: a trip through the washing machine. While the sturdy and waterproof casing is a nice feature of the DataTraveler Secure – Privacy Edition, the main selling point of this device is the 256-bit hardware-based AES encryption. This means that even if someone was somehow able to get the data off the flash drive without the password, they would still have to decrypt the data. Decrypting the data without the password would be a long, tedious process and at that point, most people would have already given up. To make things even better, the encryption is done automatically when the files are written to the flash drive, so even novice computer users will not have a problem using the DataTraveler Secure – Privacy Edition. One of the things I really did not like about Kingston’s DataTraveler Secure – Privacy Edition was how the flash drive completely locks down after the password is entered incorrectly 10 times total. The number of incorrect access attempts is not reset after a set time period has passed. The only way to unlock the flash drive 10 incorrect attempts is to format the drive and erase all the data. In other words, It would be a wise idea to keep a backup of anything important stored on the flash drive on your hard drive as well. While this feature may look good on paper, I was not fully convinced of its advantages. Performance: To test the performance of the Kingston DataTraveler Secure – Privacy Edition, HD Tach 3.0.1.0 was used. The flash drive was benchmarked a total of 3 times and the results were averaged. The DataTraveler Secure – Privacy Edition averaged a read time of 23.5MB/s and a write time of 15.2MB/s. While the DataTraveler Secure isn’t the fastest flash drive in the world, those speeds are still respectable. Durability: Unlike other Kingston flash drives I have owned, I was not surprised to see how well the DataTraveler Secure did in the durability tests. After all, the flash drive itself is practically built like a tank. The DataTraveler Secure – Privacy Edition easily survived multiple falls from heights of 2, 4, and 6 feet onto concrete. However, I did notice that the plastic edges did chip during the falls. The Kingston DataTraveler Secure did equally well in the second part of the durability test which was to carry the flash drive around in my pocket for a few weeks. No real surprise here since almost any flash drive with a metal casing should survive this simple test. To test the waterproof qualities of the DataTraveler Secure – Privacy Edition, I conducted a test similar to the IPX8 test that Kingston used and submerged the flash drive in a pool at a depth of 4 feet for 1 hour. After 1 hour, the DataTraveler Secure was removed from the water and left to dry for 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes was up, I inserted the DataTraveler Secure into a USB port on my computer and hoped for the best. I was relieved to see that the DataTraveler Secure was still fully functional and neither the USB port nor my computer were damaged. Even though the IPX8 standard is nice, I decided to test Kingston’s DataTraveler Secure – Privacy Edition to a true test of its waterproof qualities; a trip through the washing machine. Like most people, I have accidentally sent numerous flash drives through the washing machine with mixed results. After sending the DataTraveler Secure through the washing machine, I let the flash drive dry for 5 hours due to the flash drive being subjected to greater water pressure in a washing machine. The DataTraveler was then inserted into a USB port and functioned like nothing had even happened. Conclusion: Kingston defiantly did an excellent job while designing the DataTraveler Secure – Privacy Edition. The titanium coated stainless steel casing was definitely a welcome change to the DataTraveler series and I hope Kingston introduce several other flash drives with metal shells. While the metal casing is nice, the main advantage of the DataTraveler Secure – Privacy Edition is the 256-bit on-the-fly hardware-based AES encryption which allows the user to make sure their data is secure easily and effortlessly. The only downfall, if you would call it a downfall, is the brute force protection which locks the flash drive forever until the drive is formatted. Maximum CPU gives 4.5 / 5
Pros: + Titanium coated stainless steel shell Cons: - Drive has to be formatted after incorrect password entered 10 times |
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