SanDisk showcases new Ultra Backup / Cruzer USB flash drives
By Darren Murph 
posted Jan 5th 2009 10:32PM
posted Jan 5th 2009 10:32PM
SANDISK LAUNCHES WORLD'S FIRST BUTTON BACKUP USB FLASH DRIVE
Drives Allow Consumers to Easily Store Critical Files with the Touch of a Button
CES 2009, South Hall, Booth # 30659, LAS VEGAS, January 6, 2009 – SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) today introduced an innovative new family of SanDisk® USB flash drives, including the world's first backup USB flash drive with simple backup software activation at the touch of a button. The SanDisk Ultra® Backup USB portable flash drive is the first offering of the company's new SanDisk Ultra USB product line. With capacities up to 64 gigabytes (1)(GB), the SanDisk Ultra Backup USB flash drive is designed to protect computer users' photos, music, videos, personal and business documents, and other types of digital files, with the simple touch of a button. No software installation is needed. The drive protects onboard digital content with a dual layer of security, including password-protected access control and ultra-secure AES hardware-based encryption.(2)
The new SanDisk USB product family includes three different product lines:
1) The popular SanDisk® Cruzer® USB flash drive which provides simple, reliable and portable storage, plus access to a variety of U3™ applications.
2) The SanDisk Ultra Backup USB flash drive offers the added protection and peace of mind consumers expect from the minds behind flash memory.
3) The SanDisk Extreme® Contour™ provides increased security protection and higher performance levels, enclosed in a sleek industrial design
SanDisk Ultra Backup USB Flash Drive:
Back up critical files with the simple touch of a button
With no cables required, or any complicated software to install, the new SanDisk Ultra Backup USB flash drive is a complete backup solution that provides an incredibly easy way to protect digital files. It uses patent-pending backup technology with capacities up to 64GB, large enough to back up average consumer requirements, as well as critical small business files and documents. In addition to one's digital personal life, these products protect critical work files with a dual layer of both password protection and AES hardware encryption. This ensures content stays private and secure (via data scrambling at the flash controller level) when the drives are either physically removed for portability, or stored away for safe keeping.
The explosion in global sales of laptops and mobile devices has exponentially increased the vulnerability of digital files. Computer users can quickly lose precious photos, music, videos and professional work files due to drops, spills, theft, viruses and other incidents. PC Magazine (www.pcmag.com) conducted a research study on annualized notebook failure rates published in July 2008 which found that more than 24 percent of business notebooks need repair each year due to failures.
"Like flossing our teeth or balancing our checkbooks, when it comes to backing up our digital files, even though people know they should do it, they simply don't – and that behavior is putting many consumers' precious digital content at serious risk," said Kent Perry, director of USB product marketing, SanDisk. "We're delivering incredibly simple backup to protect people's most valuable digital content at Main Street prices. With our wide array of capacities and price points, consumers can even choose to store particular file types like digital music or photos on different USB flash drives."
A 2008 Consumer Electronics Association market research report, titled "Amassing Digital Fortunes: A Digital Storage Study," found the average U.S. online adult has nearly 1,800 files stored, and plans to store another 1,060 digital files during the next year. This amounts to approximately 30GB3 of content that needs to be backed up. The study found that digital photos are considered to be the most valuable because of their irreplaceable natures.
SanDisk Cruzer USB Flash Drive:
Reliable storage with a new contemporary look
The SanDisk Cruzer has been redesigned with a contemporary look as part of the new SanDisk USB family of flash drives. These portable, reliable drives are designed to share consumers' digital world with ease, with up to 32GB of storage for simple sharing of photos, videos and other files.
The entire new SanDisk USB family introduces an iconic new design language developed by global innovation firm frog design. Signature design elements include juxtaposed L shapes that create a dynamic, yet balanced, composition, a bright red USB connector and a simple cap-less design, which exposes the USB connector for use via a dynamic sliding mechanism. When plugged in to a host device, a glowing, amber-colored LED light alerts users that the drives are ready for reading or writing data.
The new SanDisk USB family will continue to have U3™ Smart technology, developed by SanDisk, which allows applications to run from a SanDisk USB flash drive without having to be installed on a computer. (4) PC-users can download a variety of both free and paid software, games and content by visiting www.u3.com, or by accessing the SanDisk USB Program Wizard in the U3 Launchpad. Among other bonus applications available for download is the Veoh™ Web Player for SanDisk, which enables users to watch, download and share Internet video content.
The various product lines of SanDisk USB flash drives will continue to include the sleek and high-performance SanDisk Extreme Contour as its high-end storage solution for maximum security and speed. This showpiece of innovative design sports super-fast data transfer speeds at 25MB/second read and 18MB/second write.(5) It also includes superior security with 256-bit AES USB hardware encryption and password-protected access control.
Pricing and Availability
The new SanDisk USB flash drives will first become available in April 2009.(6) The SanDisk Cruzer drive will be available in capacities of 4GB-32GB with MSRP's ranging between $24.99 and $99.99. The SanDisk Ultra Backup drive will be available in capacities of 8GB-64GB with MSRP's ranging between $39.99 and $199.99. The SanDisk Extreme Contour USB flash drive is available in major retailers today.
The SanDisk Cruzer drive includes a two-year limited warranty, (7) the SanDisk Ultra Backup drive includes a five-year limited warranty, (8) and the SanDisk Extreme Contour includes a lifetime limited warranty.(9)
About SanDisk
SanDisk Corporation, the inventor and world's largest supplier of flash storage cards, is a global leader in flash memory – from research, manufacturing and product design to consumer branding and retail distribution. SanDisk's product portfolio includes flash memory cards for mobile phones, digital cameras and camcorders; digital audio/video players; USB flash drives for consumers and the enterprise; embedded memory for mobile devices; and solid state drives for computers. SanDisk (www.sandisk.com/corporate) is a Silicon Valley-based S&P 500 company, with more than half its sales outside the United States.
Bombaclot! :) i'm first
First Fail!
Bombaclot? What are Asprin or something?
What is the difference between the Titanium line, the Titanium Plus, the Contour line and the Cruzer line of Snadisk USB drives?
Yes, you are a bomaclat!...rasclaT!
sweetness
Does anyone here consider flash memory to be a safe way to store very important stuff? Really, I'm asking.
Shockproof, no moving parts? Yeah - the only problem is density, so this is good for documents I create, but not movies or mp3s.
disclaimer: I built my own flash chip memory reader & take apart file systems for fun, so if the controller chip goes bad, I know the data wouldn't be totally gone.
Regardless of any question of safey as a storage medium, it doesn't seem like a smart move to use this as a backup device (in the traditional sense). First, even at 64GB, that's relatively tiny for backup. Second--and this is the big one--it's small and portable. You just don't keep your backup scheme on your keychain! "Honey, I've lost the keys... and all our financial records."
That said, I've been using a 16GB flash drive as a portable briefcase that syncs with a directory on my computer. That whole (internal) drive is backed up on an external HDD, so the point is convenience, not safety. That's a bonus though; as long as my flash drive is plugged in, my project files stay current, even if something gets borked before my nightly backup runs.
The funny thing is the price premium though. SanDisk is suggesting DOUBLE the $ for the backup version. Well supported, free, portable sync software is readily available to achieve the same thing (without the fancy button of course).
Yes, solid state technology is much more reliable than moving parts. I don't know how many drives I've had fail on me. Well, ok, I do know. Three. Three too many.
@Wormbolt
I wish I could say i do believe so
but so far, from what I have experienced, i have to say i don't think its a safe way
Flash Drives only good for Transfer
hence this one seems pretty decent with 18mb write speed
"I wish I could say i do believe so
but so far, from what I have experienced, i have to say i don't think I know how to reply
Full comments are not for replying
hence this one seems pretty stupid"
There, I corrected it for you
So this is going to back up any file system , including the boot information mbr? Meaning i could use this with osx and linux? *doubtful*
You don't quite get the difference between 'backup' and 'drive image' do you.
Wouldn't it make more sense to put the BACKUP button on the other end?
No kidding.
Designers are paid to draw not to think ...
No, when it's in your computer the button is closer to your computer and not on the outside where it could be hit by accident - having a 'backup' button is convenient enough without being prone to accident.
Wow, so it works with mac too? No software install.
Silly me.
I love SanDisk's retractable USBs.
I have a SanDisk Cruzer Contour and I love it. Ones you are used to it, you start disliking other flash devices.
I agree with you comments i love how the USB dongle retracts and the transfer speeds are really good (i have a 2gb Cruzer that is about a year old)
Meh, the first thing I do after buying a flash drive is getting rid of that U3 crap.
Picture of the Cruzer:
http://www.crunchgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/sdk_cruzer_angles.jpg
This has already been done six months ago by Selkie Freedom and you get to choose what file types you want to backup. It can also work when windows have given up the ghost.
has anybody else noticed that engadget have been using the word "sans" a lot?
hopefully that's not the last we've seen of "gnarly".
You know, I love Sandisk's products, except for their USB drives. Just what we need, a backup button that will come in as some shitty "Unknown Device" with driver popups on every computer you plug it into. I've already avoided them for the U3 mess. I know it can be removed, but it just pisses me off.
It can be removed but only with the special removal tool. Why they do this is beyond me. They have two kinds of customers:
1 - Those who have no idea what U3 is. Those people get it installed on their system thanks to the trojan-like behavior of the U3 on the stick. But they'll never use any of the features because they don't even know it's there.
2 - Those who know what it is and hate it with a passion. Like myself. I found it on the drive and the first thought was: Format it, gone. But, no. Just like a trojan, you can't just format it away. You have to Google uninstall u3 and go get the official removal tool (Windows only).
This hardware looks nice, terrible shame to sully it with this below-par software.
The design looks similar to a nice automotive OEM keyless entry remote.
Are they suggesting that beyond the year 1980 ANYBODY on the planet has autorun enabled for removable media? Astounding.
And talking of which, since I have had it disabled for years because I'm not completely insane to that extend I thought I just missed it, but I always assumed that at some point 10 years ago MS would have done an auto-update to disable it and would have added a hidden menu with lots of 'are you sure' popups to re-enable it, but I guess they didn't? What The Hell!
U3 == the activex of the removable devices world.
Just what I expected the DO cater for the entire software market ... Windows Vista/XP/2K market that is.
And come on ... look at their software store homepage: http://software.u3.com/
That looks like something a scammer designed in the 90s. The design is nice in some respects but the rest is just a terrible old joke.
"iconic new design language developed by global innovation firm frog design."
WTF? I hate marketing idiots. Shoot them all after we kill the lawyers.
Well, this might be fine for backup when everything is running ok. But sheesh, this was done months ago by Selkie Software. I used it when my computer crashed - and it got everything I needed off of my laptop. The SanDisk one would seem to require Windows to be operational ...
We actually use Sandisk USB keys for our product Selkie Freedom to back-up files from a working computer or retrieve files from a broken computer. It's completely automated and easy to use. However, I wouldn't store files on a USB key for long periods of time: Especially important ones. Backing up to a USB key or using it for retrieval is best for short term lengths and should be tranferred to another working computer at some point or put on an online back-up server.