SanDisk has announced the availability of its Cruzer Contour USB flash drive.
What especially sets apart Cruzer Contour, with its glossy black top and silver metallic body, is the drive's unique sliding USB connector. Using a thumb to slide the top of Cruzer Contour back and forth brings out or hides the connector. There's no visible switch, and no cap to lose.
Available in 4GB and 8 GB capacities, the Cruzer Contour features a slider that requires nothing more than two flicks of the thumb. Moving the top back and then forward brings out the connector, while moving the top forward and then back pulls in the connector. When Cruzer Contour is connected to a computer, blue LEDs illuminate the word "Cruzer" on the drive's top.
Cruzer Contour delivers a write speed of 18 MB/sec, double the performance of SanDisk's previous top-of-the-line retail model. Read speed for Cruzer Contour is two-thirds faster at 25 MB/sec. Cruzer Contour also supports the ReadyBoost feature in Microsoft Windows Vista, which taps unused storage space on USB flash drives to improve system performance.
Cruzer Contour offers U3 technology for running applications directly from the drive, without those applications having to be installed on the computer. U3-compatible software provided free with the drive includes the PC phone service Skype, SanDisk's own CruzerSync for synchronizing files between a PC and the drive, the password manager program SignupShield Passwords from Protecteer, and a trial version of anti-virus software. Just for fun, there are two titles from Big Fish Games: Sudoku and Mahjong Towers Eternity.
Cruzer Contour provides password protection through U3, backed by AES hardware encryption. With password protection turned on, Cruzer Contour owners have less to worry about if the drive is lost or stolen.
SanDisk Cruzer Contour
Photo: Business Wire