Reviews

Hardware review: Super*Talent 8GB USB flash drive

The 8GB Super*Talent USB flash drive I ordered from Brando arrived last night, and it was a very pleasant surprise to see how tiny it really is. It’s smaller than a simple USB connector, in both width and thickness. I am amazed by how small it is — and the thought that 8GB of data somehow fit onto this minuscule piece of steel and silicone boggles my mind.

I put together a short video review to show you the drive’s size and also to do a quick speed test. I copied a 1GB movie onto it, and the copy operation took about 3 minutes. That means it’s about half as slow as a Drobo in terms of transfer speeds.

The photos of this flash drive do not do it justice. It’s much smaller than it looks in the online stores. I hope that the video itself will do a better job of demonstrating its size (to scale), and its beautiful and simple design.

➡ Download Super*Talent video review (640×480, MP4, 41.2MB)

This USB flash drive’s size and design leave me thrilled to no end. If you’re in the market for a spacious yet tiny flash drive, the Super*Talent fits the bill perfectly. The only thing left for it to prove is its long-term durability. It is rated PICO-C, which means it’s rugged and water resistant. I am very interested to see how long it lasts — if I don’t lose it first.

➡ Updated 10/30/08: Still works just fine after 5 months of use. I have it attached to my keychain, and I carry it around in my pocket all the time. It’s got a few scratches, but it works as advertised. Still happy with it.

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Condensed knowledge for 2008-03-26

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Condensed knowledge for 2008-03-23

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Condensed knowledge for 2008-03-19

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Reviews

ChiliBox, the do-it-all machine

The ChiliBox

I’m pretty impressed with the specs for the ChiliBox. This little machine really seems to do it all, right out of the box, and for a very reasonable price. Given the proliferation of NAS devices these days, you wonder how much functionality you get out of them, and for some, it’s not much. Well, the ChiliBox could be the network server for a small business, eliminating the need for other servers or separate hardware. Have a look at its capabilities below, or check out the full spec sheet:

  • Firewall
  • NAS File Share (works with Windows, Mac and Linux)
  • VPN
  • Web Proxy Server
  • Remote Administration
  • Dynamic DNS
  • Wireless Access Point
  • NAT/PAT and Advanced Routing
  • Email
  • Backup
  • Anti-virus

Do you really need more to run your network? Unless you’re a medium to big company, you don’t. Just plug this in, and you’ve got more than you need to run everything at home or at work. If you need extra storage, just plug in another USB drive. How easy is that!

When I first saw it a few months ago, I said to myself, I’d love to have a small office and have a need to run this thing. Right now, I’ve already spent enough for my existing setup, but boy, I’m tempted to get this anyway…

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