The A-Data Nobility Series N005 USB 3.0 flash drive is capable of holding a huge 32GB of data. While the security implications of carrying around so much important information on such a small, easy to lose device are partially addressed by the iStorage datAshur, there is the other matter of how long it takes to transfer 32GB of data. Even if you don't copy over the entire 32GB, any large file can still take its time to jump from hard drive to USB.

Because the A-Data Nobility Series N005 is a USB 3.0 device, when plugged into a compatible port it means transfer speeds are much zippier. While transfer times aren't the 10x speed of USB 2.0 that we have long been promised, they're not too bad, with read and write transfer rates of 18.5MB/s and straight read times of an impressive 100.9MB/s.

In our real-world tests this translated in a 2.60GB folder with 13,001 files being copied over to the A-Data Nobility Series N005 in just four minutes. If you're tired of waiting around for large files to be copied to and from your USB drives, then the upgrade will be worthwhile, provided that you have a PC with USB 3.0 ports.

Priced at around £50 in the UK and $90 in the US for the 32GB version, this USB flash drive works out cheaper per gigabyte than the Dane-Elec Batman 4GB USB drive and the LaCie FastKey 120GB, and roughly the same price as the Kingston HyperX MAX 3.0 120GB. A 16GB version of the Adata nobility series N005 is also available, selling for around £30 or US$45, while a 64GB model costs significantly more, at £120, or US$150.

Verdict

It's small, fast and holds plenty of data. However, the A-Data N005 USB 3.0 drive's only major problem is standing out from the crowd, and it doesn't quite do enough to make you choose this over one of its competitors.

iStorage has done a brisk business in acknowledging the inherent security threats that come with us putting so many of our important and sensitive personal files onto small and easy to lose USB flash drives. Along with AES 256-bit encryption, iStorage devices include a numeric pad for typing in a pin, for even greater security. The iStorage DiskGenie devices were certainly secure, but rather unwieldy.

With the iStorage datAshur USB drive, however, physical security is packed into a nicely compact device not much bigger than a lot of other USB flash drives.

Before accessing the drive you need to press the key symbol, enter the default PIN number then press the key symbol again. You then have 30 seconds to plug it into a USB port. Without unlocking the iStorage datAshur first, our test PC simply threw up a 'driver not installed' error and prevented us from seeing the data stored on it.

With the correct PIN entered, the drive behaved like normal - but with a few differences. Speed, for example, was quite a bit slower than other drives, with read speeds averaging around 12MB/s. Read and write speeds together are even worse, averaging a paltry 5.1MB/s.

On the packaging it says USB 2.0/3.0, which might lead you to think that this is a USB 3.0 device. But the transfer rates prove otherwise, and iStorage confirmed to us that the drive is USB 2.0, and that the slow transfer speeds were down to the advanced hardware encryption included in the iStorage datAshur.

Verdict

The encryption and extra layer of physical security, along with its splash-proof casing, makes the iStorage datAshur a great device for protecting your files - but the slow speeds are a real let down.

Patriot Supersonic USB 3.0 64GB: Overview

The Patriot Supersonic 64GB USB 3.0 flash drive is the latest addition to the growing list of new drives clamouring to make the most of USB 3.0's capacious amounts of bandwidth.

So, make the most of your unloved USB 3.0 ports and pick up some high-speed storage,

But as we've seen flash memory has its own foibles where it can work like lightning in one direction and then run like treacle uphill in another.

At 64GB this is already at the larger end of the current market, couple that with a USB 3.0 interface and this could be an exceptionally portable and exceptionally fast thumb-sized block of storage.

If you're willing to pay for it.

At this price range you could pick up an internal 64GB SSD or a portable HDD tens of times bigger, but obviously that's a choice you'll make based on your functional needs.

Patriot Supersonic USB 3.0 64GB: Benchmarks

Flash storage really needs I/O testing alongside the usual raw sequential read/write speed tests. We use a combination of CrystalBenchMark 3.0 and real world tests to gain a picture of the drives all-round performance.

Sequential read/write performance

Input/Output performance

Real-world performance

Patriot Supersonic USB 3.0 64GB: verdict

Initially our sceptical minds scoffed at the Patriot Supersonic 64GB USB 3.0 packaging with its USB 3.0 claims of 100MB/s reads and 70MB/s writes.

But as our own synthetic tests showed we actually recorded higher numbers than even the marketing claim's the drive can achieve. The drive topped 120MB/s on reads and a sequential 76MB/s for writes.

At this point things become a little more confusing as switching to random access showed an interesting change of fortunes.

While the read speeds remained high, upwards of 100MB/s, the write speed dropped entirely off. This behaviour also showed up in the access time test where read speeds were once again good at 0.818ms, but writes were at a spinning HDD time of 14.8ms.

The similar specification Kingston DT Ultimate USB 3.0 64GB flash drive, while scoring slightly slower on the reads, performed far better with writes in all cases bar the sequential test.

However when trying a real-world copy the Patriot Supersonic's speed returned to a more reasonable level, but was still a fraction of the Kingston.

Copying a folder of small files has the Patriot average 10.7MB/s and the Kingston DT Ultimate 27.6MB/s. The speed differential evaporates with large files where we scored the Patriot a good 61.5MB/s and the Kingston DT Ultimate at 55.3MB/s.

Build-wise the Patriot drive is second to none, we like the aluminium finish that feels rock-solid and should protect the drive from most day-to-day damage and it of course requires no drivers to install.

We liked:

The promise of the Patriot Supersonic USB 3.0 is there from the start. It offers genuinely fast reads both sequential and random access.

It also provides a high-quality metal chassis that does offer protection and gives it a substantial feel without unnecessarily adding to the size or weight.

We disliked:

The big letdown for the flash drive is the odd write performance.

Sequential speeds seem as good if not better than the Kingston DT Ultimate, however as soon as random access and small files are thrown into the mix all hell breaks loose and performance tanks, which is very off putting for such a premium product.

Final word:

Amazing high-speed reads are offset and ruined by slow writes, unless you're exclusively going to be dealing with large files that is.

As the cost of SD cards tumble and capacities rise, it's a great time to replace old ones. But what can you do with the retired Flash cards? LaCie's DataShare can give them a new lease of life as a USB drive.

There's a model for standard SD cards and one for MicroSDs that slot together when not in use. Fitting a spare card is easy, but they can be tricky to remove.

It's compatible with all SD cards, including SDHC, and comes with a short USB cable for when it's too meaty to fit the required port.

For those of you who own a range of digital devices using several types of flash memory cards, a multi-card reader, such as the Sitecom 63-in-1 card reader, is a real boon.

It reads 63 types of card, including all the usual suspects such as SecureDigital, CompactFlash, MicroDrive and Sony Memory Stick. SDHC and SD High Speed are also covered, as are TransFlash, MicroSD and MS-Magic Gate. Some cards, such as M2, MMC Plus and CF XS, require an adaptor, which isn't supplied.

The Card Reader's integrated USB cable is clearly designed with the mobile user in mind. Unfortunately, the ratchet system keeping it tidy often fails to lock into place when extended.

Even so, this gadget does exactly what it says on the box. If you can tolerate a slightly rickety cable retractor, it's a worthwhile addition to your range of notebook accessories.

As the name would suggest, this USB hub allows you to connect seven devices to it.

The Connect 7 is small and compact. It measures just 94 x 53 x 18mm and fits in the palm of your hand.

With four ports on the front and three on the rear, this is as compact and small a USB hub as you're ever likely to need. The ports are quite close together, so you may find some devices a little tricky to attach.

You can use it on the move at the slower USB 1.1 speed. However, to get the full benefit you'll need to use the plug-in power adapter that allows USB 2.0 to run at 5Volts.

This is a simple concept that works exceedingly well. Sure, it's not essential, but if you find you have limited USB ports on your laptop, you will find it a very worthwhile investment.

We've reviewed drive docks before – devices that let you mount hard disks on your Mac without wrestling them inside an enclosure first – but none so compact and handy as this one.

It has three ports for three different types of drive: there's a slot for a CompactFlash card so you can easily import pictures from a digital camera that uses it. There's no support for SD or any other memory format, though, so this is only likely to be of use to high-end camera owners.

The important bit, however, is that on either side of the HI-2503 there's a slot for the two different types of hard disk interfaces, IDE (sometimes called ATA or PATA) and SATA.

They're designed only for 2.5-inch laptop drives so you won't be able to use this if you need to access information on a 3.5-inch desktop drive, but the support for IDE and SATA makes is a very flexible system for the smaller-format disks.

Fuss-free storage

It's simplicity itself to use: you simply slot the bare drive you want to access into the appropriate side, connect the dock to your Mac over USB, and you're ready to go.

You can do everything you would if the drive was fitted inside an external case – copy files to and from it, format it, erase stuff – so it's a great help if you regularly work with small notebook drives. It would be a great way, say, to clone your MacBook's hard disk to a new, larger disk before you fit it yourself, something that's really easy to do with the MacBook line.

It happily bus-powered the drives we tried it with – no messy extra cables needed here – though while it would mount a hard disk and a CF card simultaneously, it understandably balked at trying to power two notebook drives at the same time.

It's certainly not a product with mass-market appeal, but it gets our thumbs up because it does its job with the minimum of fuss and at a wallet-friendly price.

Laptops for the most part often come with a card reader built in, but if you're looking for something a little more versatile, this reader from Kingston supports 19 different types of card.

For a full list, check Kingston's website, but if you use standard cards it's likely to support it.

Basic but effective

It has a 3-inch cable attached to the main body, which can be hidden away when not needed. With a standard USB 2.0 connection, through-speeds are fast.

You won't need to install any software and whenever you insert a card it will be given its own icon in your My Computer window. Once connected, you'll find an LED light shows the reader is connected.

This may not be the most glamourous of gadgets, but if you need to connect a wide range of cards to your laptop, it's worth the asking price.

Looking for extra FireWire or USB ports for your Mac? Then this could be just the ticket. This is a powered USB 2.0/FireWire hub that offers two FireWire ports and four USB 2.0 ports. A further two ports, one FireWire and one USB, are used to connect the hub back to your Mac.

Two cables come in the box, one USB and one FireWire, and both these hub-to-Mac linking cables need to be in use if you want to freely dock and undock FireWire and USB devices. You could use just one cable type to connect back to the Mac if you like, but then that would limit you to only docking that type of device. A FireWire signal cannot connect to the Mac via the hub if only the USB hub-to-Mac linking cable is in use.

Hubs like this can reduce desktop clutter and let you dock many devices at one time. We didn't notice any significant delays in data transfer rates when connecting external drives to a Mac via the hub instead of directly. Overall, a winner!

Griffin's memory card reader works with MacBook Pro's as an adaptor that slots into the Mac laptop's ExpressCard port. It will dock five of the most common cards used on cameras, but there is no Compact Flash support.

The card types it supports are Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, SD cards, xD-Picture cards and MM cards, and the connection is high-speed USB 2.0.

It doesn't require any batteries or driver installation. In our MacBook Pro it worked as advertised and fitted the ExpressCard/34 slot well.

It's a handy device for quick access to photos on memory card. For transferring files to your Mac you can get away without one of course; you can simply run a USB lead from your camera to your Mac.

In the absence of either a printer or a cable, or for quicker access then this has real value. A CF option would have broadened its appeal, though.