SanDisk's 8GB Cruzer Mini USB flash drive?

Wouldn't be the first of its kind on the market, but an anonymous tipster just sent us this photo of what appears to be a new 8GB version of SanDisk's Cruzer Mini USB flash drive. We can't vouch for the authenticity of the image, but it's probably time for SanDisk to up the maximum capacity of the Cruzer Mini line from 4GB to 8GB anyway, so it wouldn't exactly surprise us if they announced this soon. No other details on when it might come out or what it might cost when it gets here, but similar 8GB USB flash drives usually sell for north of a grand.

UPDATE

: SanDisk wrote in to say that an 8GB Cruzer Mini is not in the works and that the pic is a fake. Too bad, because obviously the demand is out there.

[Chris @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

If they can fit it in something that size, that's amazing. What's the top now for thumbdrives? 4GB? Probably costs a pretty penny though.

http://untitledi.com/

[Chris @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Hah, nevermind. I should really read the whole entry before I start typing.

http://untitledi.com/

[Kevin @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Looks cool!

[Kane @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

it be great to have one...unfortunatly, this image is easy to fake. i dunno, hopefully this is true.

[David Crowe @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

uh hasn't anyone else noticed the "for internal distribution only" watermark on the image? i think that lends some credibility to the image.

[Erik Cohen @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

#3, yeah because a watermark can't be created by photoshop.

[TheCheeks @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

what is up with all the "leaked" photos recently? anyone with a good mind could use Bryce or 3DSMAX to make images like most of these...

[Man @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

#4, your implying that photos online may not be real, whoa dude you're blowing my mind.

[Johnny @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

#6, actually that really doesn't look like a real watermark as we can see it's not transparent only the opacity was lowered to a point were one could "see-through" it, and that CAN be accomplished in PS.

[mehool @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

who makes the 8gb flash drive on the market?

[Man @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

I doubt that Sandisk will sell the 8GB for much more than $600 it wouldn't surprise me if they unveiled this along with price reductions on the now $399 4GB.

[memodude @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Did anyone notice that the font on the 8.0 is different from the font on the GB? On real Cruzer Minis, the font on the MB or GB designator is the same as the font on the capacity. It's a fake.

[edd:e @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Fake or not, 8GB flash drives will be a reality in a few months (and an affordable reality months after that) anyway. That only makes 'lower' capacity (e.g. 1GB) drives that much cheaper.

Amazing really.
The implications on things like PDAs, MP3 players, cellphones should be nice.

[Chris @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Cruzer Mini's suck, they're all plastic and the keyring notch breaks off too easily. The MICRO is a much better device. Smaller and the entire top portion of the flash drive is the keyring attachment and is metal encased in rubbery plastic. Very nicely constructed.

[Lars @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

I've been using my roommates Dell 64 MB USB drive, and I've found it extremely handy. What are some good 1 GB drives and how much are they?

[boe_d @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

I'm stoked about seeing a possible 8 GB drive from sandisk - hopefully they'll up the more durable titanium version soon.

I have a jogr rubber one which is very hand and VERY durable. Does anyone know if the jogr might be available in a larger capacity soon? I wrote an e-mail to the contact on the website but never got any response.

[Deadpan @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

My 512mb Cruzer Mini is pretty decent. Except that the labels rubbed off. I don't trust it for more than temporary file transfers, tho.

[josh @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

i LOVE my Micro i hate my mini my micro has been threw the wash about 7 times been run over with robots anjd it still works great i LOVE that thing

[pedro @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Josh, do you work in some futuristic laundromat??

[Wei @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

If more and higher storage pics are faked, do you think the competition will just do that much more to try and make it a reality thus making bigger and better drives and making the current ones cheaper?

[Zeek @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

#12 is right. why does it have arial for the 8.0 and nothing else. My 128 has the same font throughout. Why .0 too, not just 8 GB? Y'all been punk'd.

[toupsz @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

I've had my 1gb Sandisk for about 6 months and it's been great. I always carry it with me and use it at least once a week. Before that, I went through a couple of Sony MicroVaults. They were pretty big and clunky, although pretty. I think the new ones are much smaller than the ones I had...
-Zach

[John Laur @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Why would sandisk send around an image internally that looks exactly the same as any other cruiser mini, much less go to the trouble of putting an obnoxious watermark on it?

Wouldn't they just say "We have an 8GB version of the Crusier mini in the pipeline. It looks exactly the same as every other Cruiser Mini we've ever made." ???

[Mike @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

#12 & #21 - go to sandisk's website, particularly http://sandisk.com/corporate/media/photos-cruzer-mini.asp. Look at the images sandisk is using for the 2GB and the 4GB. Now look real close at the font there. The font on the image in this post may be different (definitely NOT Arial - I can tell you that for sure) but the image still looks a HELL of a lot better than the crappy ones sandisk is using. For God's sake, man, they blacked out the numbers from a 256 MB image and slapped a 2.0 and a 4.0 over it. Obviously, font differences is no sign of authenticity...

[Mike @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

http://sandisk.com/corporate/media/photos-cruzer-mini.asp

[Mike @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

For those of you who can't follow simple links and figure out that you may need to click another for the goods, here's 2 direct links:

http://sandisk.com/download/photos/retail/2gb-cruzer-mini.jpg

http://sandisk.com/download/photos/retail/4gb-cruzer-mini.jpg

[Mike @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

BTW #21 - the .0 comes on drives 1GB and larger. Yours doesn't have the .0 because it's too small. So, to recap, yours is too small.

[John Laur @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Wow. Sandisk's own media images are photoshopped -- at least for the 2 and 4 gb. So there's no reason why they shouldn't be for the 8.0GB too.. So yeah maybe this is from sandisk after all, but it's guaranteed to be a photoshopped image; not an image of a real 8.0GB thumb drive (though, again, there is no technical reason why they would not have an 8.0GB model in the works)

[Thomas Brown @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Pedro: You made my day with that one liner. Thanks...

[One @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Why is it that the production cost for 256MB, and >4GB Flash Drives are roughly the same, yet we still pay by the MB? Why is it that technology has been around for the last >decade and is only just now hitting the market?
Surely the demand for cheap memory in large quantities has allways been present, so that rules out that we just weren't ready for newer tech yet.

[guywittehface @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Its real. I have one... you ppl really need to stop thinking things are fake and try and find more info not just try and say pics are fake... if u say that pic is a fake ur wrong and you kno shit about images... thank you good night Newbs...

n3k0de

[frank @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Sandisk says they do NOT make an 8 GB. If so, "I pity the Fool" bidding on them on eBay.
If it is legit, then I pity myself for not bidding. Bummer, either way.

[frank @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Response from Sandisk - - - - -

SanDisk Response: (08/18/2005 11:03)
Hello Customer,


Thank you for contacting SanDisk Technical Support.

We do NOT make an 8GB Cruzer. There have been many instances of fake cruzers on Ebay, especially 8GB drives. Do NOT purchase this device, it is fake.

Sincerely,
Nikki H.
SanDisk Technical Support

[cadessi @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Hi there, from Spain.

I dont understand, but u can buy it here:
http://www.pccomponentes.com/SANDISK_CRUZER_MINI_8_GB.html

It's a great spanish online shop so u can trust that whatever they sell u wont be a fake. Could it be a typo?. Anyway, i'll contact them an ask.

[David Ng @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

I just bought these 8GB and 16GB USB SONY thumb driver around $8 US dollars and $16 US dollars respectively at Lo Wu Commerical Building inside China
it is just unbelivbale and I have send few to USA and Hong Kong for my friends
test and after test just how cheap these drive can be made in CHina, that was around $2.5 US dollars for the cost to make in CHina when labour is only $2 a day for a worker working 12 hours shift, but the fact is everthing is made in China,

[Sam @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

I've seen several 4GB flash drives, but the only reasonably affordable 8GB drive I've seen is from BUSLink. This site has a few 4GB-8GB drives: http://www.flashdrives.net/3GB_or_more/

[Craig @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Hi There,

I am in Australia and I would just like to add that I purchased over here an 8.0GB version of the CRUZER mini.

[safit @ Jan 9th 2008 4:55AM]

David Ng @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM

I just bought these 8GB and 16GB USB SONY thumb driver around $8 US dollars and $16 US dollars respectively at Lo Wu Commerical Building inside China
it is just unbelivbale and I have send few to USA and Hong Kong for my friends
test and after test just how cheap these drive can be made in CHina, that was around $2.5 US dollars for the cost to make in CHina when labour is only $2 a day for a worker working 12 hours shift, but the fact is everthing is made in China,

wow. can you sell it to me. 8gb for $10 and 16gb for $20. I need it in large amount.

[elaine @ Dec 27th 2005 6:09AM]

Received 8gb Cruzer Mini for x-mas, it only holds

256mb then causes an error. Contacted Sandisk and they

say it is a fake. Everything including pakaging looks

exactly like all the other Sandisk items I have ever

purchased. All are made in China. I do not beleive

Sandisk for one minute, think they had problems and

pulled the plug on marketing them. Looking for other

owners with same problem to file class action suit.