Kingston DataTraveler

Kingston's entire DataTraveler line is very well built, and we start off looking at them with the entry level DataTraveler drive.

The regular DataTraveler drive is a bit dated now in terms of performance, but it is still functional and looks quite stylish. The color of the insert varies based on the capacity. Our 512MB sample was blue, 128MB drives are red, 256MB drives are green and 1GB drives are gray.

As we mentioned above, the entire DataTraveler line is very well built and this drive itself feels no less solid. The cap is very secure and actually takes quite a bit of force to pull off, and the plastic casing is reasonably thick.


Kingston's DataTraveler uses a Toshiba flash controller, and only a single NAND flash device due to its small size.

Since the vanilla DataTraveler is Kingston's entry level drive, it doesn't have any additional features. The drive comes with no software and no accessories like a lanyard or USB extension cable. The drive is priced competitively with Crucial's Gizmo!.

 Kingston DataTraveler
Sizes Available 128MB - 2GB
Lanyard Included No
USB Extension Cable Included No
Data Encryption No
Password Protection No
Secure + Public Partitions Simultaneously Accessible N/A
Flash Controller Toshiba TC58NC6682G1F
Flash Memory Toshiba
Warranty 5 years

Crucial Gizmo! Kingston DataTraveler II
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  • sxr7171 - Tuesday, October 4, 2005 - link

    Time to get a Lexar JumpDrive lightning. This may not be important to a lot of people, but a USB drive IMHO needs to have a loop for a keyring. It is the most convenient way to carry the thing and always have it with you no matter what. I guess this applies more to people living in the city and not needing a car and the big bulky car keys/remote that come with that.
  • TheInvincibleMustard - Tuesday, October 4, 2005 - link

    Speaking of, is there some reason the Lexar isn't on the RTPE? I mean, it did just win an Editor's Choice and all, so you'd hope it would be one of the drives listed in the newly-announced Flash Storage section ... :(

    -TIM
  • Pete84 - Tuesday, October 4, 2005 - link

    Bummer, OCZ's dual channel USB stick didn't get in.
  • jkostans - Tuesday, October 4, 2005 - link

    Someone didn't read the article......
  • SpaceRanger - Tuesday, October 4, 2005 - link

    Are USB drives able to be made Bootable?? I know that systems can recognize USB Floppy Drives, and boot from those, but I was wondering if you could take a USB Flash Drive and make it a bootable device.
  • Phantronius - Tuesday, October 4, 2005 - link

    depending on the flash drive and the motherboard BIOS, yes you can do it.
  • Phantronius - Tuesday, October 4, 2005 - link

    1st!!!

    I love my OEM made from some pretty lady in china USB 2.0 stick, its saved my ass so many times for my work, especially in data reterival and spyware removal.
  • Souka - Tuesday, October 4, 2005 - link

    I've had the Memina Rocket for a couple months now....before they even announced it (thanks to NewEgg)....write spead defintly kinda bite with small files especially, but usually I put drivers and stuff there once, then read mutliple times....so its a good match for me.

    PQI's I got over a year ago, and completely made everyone jealous.... for once, mem were bragging theirs is smaller than someone else's. :D

    I still use a SanDisk Titanium.....only a 512mb module, but still works well.



  • Souka - Wednesday, October 5, 2005 - link

    oopsss...typo

    meant to say...

    PQI's I got over a year ago for my office, and completely made everyone jealous.... for once, men were bragging theirs was smaller!! :D

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