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| SanDisk SDCZ8-8192-A75 8 GB Cruzer Contour USB Drive | 
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| Brand: SanDisk
Category: CE
List Price: $73.99
Buy New: $40.97
You Save: $33.02 (45%)
New (76) Used (1) from $40.97
Avg. Customer Rating:  32 reviews
Color: Black
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 0.4 x 0.9 x 2.9
nv:Type: USB Flash Drive
Warranty: Limited lifetime warranty
MPN: SDCZ8-8192-A75
Model: SDCZ8-8192-A75
UPC: 619659031688
EAN: 0619659031688
ASIN: B000N81C6U
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Stylish Black Glossy Finish | | • | Unique slider USB connector. No more lost caps | | • | High Performance: 25 MB/sec read, 18 MB/sec write speeds | | • | U3 Smart enabled. Carry and launch your personal applications and settings on any PC |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The flagship of SanDisk USB flash drives, Cruzer Contour features a sleek and stylish black glossy design. It also includes an innovative sliding USB connector that retracts into the body. The sliding USB connector eliminates the need for caps and protects the connector. Cruzer Contour is a high performance USB drive with minimum read speed of 25MB per second. Also includes U3 technology so you can carry your files and software on a secure USB drive. You can have your wallpaper, preferences, favorites, profiles and more. Compatible with Windows 2000, XP, Vista and Mac OS X v10.1.2 or later
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| Customer Reviews: Read 27 more reviews...
 Removing U3 may reduce write speeds June 27, 2008
I bought this flash drive primarily for its write speed. I'd rather not have U3 installed as the emulated CDROM drive spawns an Autorun dialog and interferes with the operation of my CD burning software (Nero).
When I got the drive I immediately removed U3. After a while I noticed that the write speed in Windows Explorer never exceeded 14MB/s, even with large files. As I had paid a price premium for Sandisk's `flagship' flash drive I investigated and found that when U3 is installed Windows reports write speed of around 17MB/s, but when U3 is removed the write speed dropped to ~14MB/s.
I contacted Sandisk about this (it took a week for the first reply). After a few exchanges, including using benchmarking software from the Sandisk support site to confirm my finding, the tech support conversation ended with this reply:
"With U3, it can be removed like you have done or prevent it from auto running as previously mentioned. With the U3 partition recognized as a disc, it can create issues with software such as Nero, Roxio and other ROM software.
"Unfortunately the Contour's speed is optimized when using U3. When U3 is removed, you may experience a drop in the transfer rate of data to the flash drive. The testing on this device was done with U3 installed and it does optimize the speed of the device. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused."
Apparently removing U3 may reduce the write speed of the drive, in my case by 3 MB/s. There does not seem to be any warning about this on the product page or the U3 page of the Sandisk website. As far as I knew U3 was an optional feature and its removal would not incur a performance penalty. To enjoy the superior performance I paid for I have to keep an annoying feature that interferes with some of the software I use (I have to unplug the drive to burn a DVD). I'm not in the US right now. For the cost of sending the drive back (Sandisk does not think the drive is defective anyway) I can buy a 4 GB drive that sports ~14MB/s write speed with large files.
I'm very dissatisfied with this purchase.
 Good lookin quality drive - tricky to open/close June 25, 2008
I did not buy this from amazon but I am reviewing it here since this is where I look for product reviews. Most of the complaints I read about this drive is that the open/close mechanism is cumbersome. It is true that it takes a little practice. It opens by pulling the black part down then up, and closes by pushing it up then down. I have found the trick is pushing on the right area of the drive to move it. The black part has 3 raised groove things on the top area where the connector pops out that instinctively you want to use as a thumb grip to open and close the device. But you should only push down on this area to open drive. To close it, you should push up on the curved lower part because if you press on the other end where the grooves are, it is very hard to move. Everyone that initially tried it in my office ended up dropping it on the floor. If you still cant muster the dexterity to do it with one hand, then use two hands. The black plastic part is not as sturdy as I imagined it to be and does feel a little flimsy, which is why I docked one star. The U3 software had some nice features, but I ended up removing it and using TrueCrypt, a free encryption program, to protect my confidential data in the event that I lose the drive. The U3 software did have a password protection feature, but in order for the U3 software to work it has to have its own partition on the drive and took up a bunch of space. Removing the U3 was a simple process through the software settings menu. This thing is definitely a good looking drive, kind of like something out of the Matrix, especially if you can master the switchblade-like open/close mechanism. It is larger and heavier than a lot of drives with no lanyard, and may be difficult to use in USB ports that are stacked very close. I have not had any problems using it though and overall I am very pleased with this drive and glad that I got it.
FAST data rate, but ergonomically awkward June 19, 2008
I just bought one of these to replace my older 2gb Sandisk Cruzer Mini.
THE GOOD:
* SPEED: I was extremely pleased with the much faster transfer rate, which is around 5x faster than the older 2gb model I had, from the same manufacturer. I'm seeing transfer rates of no less than 1-2 min per gb, which is pretty spiffy (vs 5-10 mins for my old one).
* CAPACITY: We are FINALLY starting to see the real potential of flash memory - enough speed and storage to elipse the need to burn DVDs to transport files. I cant wait until capacity rises into the 100gb range ... enough to transport one's entire collection of MP3's, and also be able to backup entire drives, rather than just select swaths.
* SOLID: This USB drive has a very solid feel.
SLIGHTLY ANNOYING:
* THUMB SLIDE: Although the unit feels solid and durable, I have to admit that new thumb slide design makes it heavier, slightly bulkier, and the operation of the slider is a little awkward and takes some getting used to. Also, the built-in end-cover sometimes doesn't consistently close properly, and you have to repeat the 4 step open & close motion. Last, the metallic 'shell' is very slippery - they could have textured it a bit to solve that.
* NO LANYARD: Instead of having a loop with an included lanyard, the newer unit now has a leather case with an eye-clip ... but no lanyard comes with it by default. Not only that, but the old lanyard is not compatible with the new cruzer, because it lacks a ring for the eyehook to connect to.
* DRIVE LIGHT: On the older unit, there was a green light in the end of the unit that lit when it was powered, flashed during data transfer, and then extinguished when it was safe to remove. It worked well, and was easily viewable from all angles. The newer unit has the word "cruzer" (on the top side of the drive) that glows blue when powered, and blanks when soft-ejected. The annoying thing is that because the light is on only 1 side, it can only be seen from one direction ... and it doesn't seem to flash during data transfers. So yes, the newer light is very pretty, but it's not nearly as useful as the light on the older unit.
* DRIVERS & PARTITION: When plugged in for the first time, this unit requires you to reboot your PC after the drivers are uploaded ... which can be inconvenient and annoying if you want to use it on a public PC (ex: local library), or be able to quickly port files to someone else's PC. Also, U3 software is maintained in a separate partition, causing the USB to appear as 2 drives instead of one - which can be confusing to light users who are used to a more simple plug and go interface. Yes, the software inferface that comes with this is slick, and it's fine if you're a saavy users, but it's probably overkill for most light users.
* PARTITION: This USB has a separate partition for it's
Bottom line: As of this writing, this is one of the fastest USB drives on the market, and on that basis alone, it gets 4 stars from me, and a good recommendation. It didn't get the full 5 because of the slightly clutzy thumbslide, poorly positioned light, and lack of a lanyard.
False advertising May 9, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
This item is false. when you order this item you get a 1Gb Sandisk Sansa MP3 Player. I suggest that no one order this product. Amazon did apologise for the error and offered a excellent explanation for the mishap. It made no sense to return the wrong product because it would have cost me three times the price i'll paid for it. I live outside of the USA. The product sent is fine and in good working order, but what is ordered is what I always expect to receive.
I hope Amazon corrected this problem and future buyers beware!!
Great U3 drive April 28, 2008
I've only had this USB flash drive for about 3 weeks now, but it works great! I did extensive research before I bought the drive and everything I found on it was true. The transfer speeds are at least 3 times that of my old PNY 2GB drive. I've installed several U3 programs with no trouble and uninstalled them with no problem. You do have to be careful when inserting the drive into a USB port a tight place. The drive is pretty big and usually there is no room for anything else to fit beside it in the other USB port. The Signupshield program is great.
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