Intelligent Stick USB Drive

Gadgeteer Hands On Review by Judie Hughes

November 06, 2003

Product Requirements:
A computer with a USB port

There is something so James Bond about the product I am reviewing today...

I can almost hear the music cuing in as Pierce Brosnan slips this tiny purple stick into an enemy's computer, downloads all of their files, and then casually walks out of the evil lair with the information that will blow this case wide open. Remember in the old days how Roger Moore would have to use a tiny Minox camera to copy documents? Well since we are now in the computer age, only a product like this would be appropriate.

Even if you aren't a secret agent, you probably have had times when you needed to move files and documents from one computer to another. Perhaps you relied on multiple floppy disks or even bulky zip drives. Well, what would you think if I told you that a device the size of two pennies end on end (and just about as thin) could transfer or store anywhere from 16 to 512MB worth of data from one computer to another?

Take a look at the Intelligent Stick USB Drive, or I-Drive, by Power Quotient International.

This has got to be the tiniest USB drive I have ever seen! It weighs 2 grams and measures 1.67" long x 0.7" wide. It is 0.1" thick. This tiny package even has a tab on the end that can be switched on or off for write-protection.

To make it work, you simply plug it into a USB port on your computer. It is plug and play for newer OS's, but there is a driver that you can install for older ones, from Windows 98/98 SE down.

To make it even more portable, the IS comes with a credit card sized plastic sleeve that can hold two.

These little drives are priced right and are sized so that carrying them around won't ever be a chore. I sure wish I would have had one of these these back in college...I sure could have used it in the computer lab.

James Bond would approve. ☺

Price: $39.99 - $179.99, available in 16MB to 512MB sizes. This is a list of retailers that carry the Intelligent Stick.
If you are using Windows 98/98 SE OS or older, you can download the appropriate drivers here.

Pros:
Tiny, light, and available in many MB sizes
Reasonably priced
Comes with handy storage card

Cons:
None