review – Ah, those portable USB drives! Now that the world is turning to USB-C, what will we do? iStorage created datAsure SD for this world. Not only does it have a USB-C jack, but it can easily replace different TF cards, and it has a built-in PIN-based security system. let’s see!
What is it?
iStorage datAshur SD drives are USB-C thumb drives with built-in data protection and expansion.
What’s in this box?
- iStorage datAshur SD Drive
- TF memory card
- USB-A to USB-C Adapter
- instruct
Design and Features
Here’s the company’s description of the iStorage datAshur SD drive: “The iStorage datAshur SD is a PIN-validated, hardware-encrypted USB Type-C flash drive designed to integrate removable iStorage microSD cards with capacities from 32GB to 1TB.” Looks like a thumb drive with a keyboard, but datAshur opted for USB-C instead of USB-A. (For those of you still using older devices with USB-A, iStorage has an adapter for your past life. Take it with you when you bring your files to your parents, who used to ask you for home movies DVD.) The process of adding a PIN to the drive is rather complicated and needs to be entered before insertion.
set up
When the iStorage datAshur SD drive is inserted for the first time, the new card must be PIN set and then formatted. Although fiddle, it’s not hard to follow the short instruction manual before using it. After plugging in the device, you need to format it.
Since I’m using a Mac and an iPad, I format mine as FAT32 extended. This limits the name to 8 characters (insert the roll-eye emoji), but this is a product of the MS-DOS-based formatting system used by the drive. I’m sure there are more modern ones, but you still have to use the lowest common denominator in most calculations.
Performance
I have no problems using the iStorage datAshur SD drive on my Mac or iPad Pro. Once the PIN is set (I did it with an iPad Pro), the drive will mount as you would expect in the OS. The card is a high-speed card, so transfer large files at full speed with the iPad and Mac Mini’s USB-C ports.
what do I like
- USB-C on thumb drives
- Expand storage with TF card
what would i change
- Cards from other brands cannot be used
- Card cannot be used in other card readers
final thoughts
Replacing USB-A with USB-C has one of the hardest things to deal with: portable data storage or “thumb” drives. I can’t count the number of people whose primary need for older USB ports is just the data files they might encounter from their own or someone else’s data drive. iStorage datAshur SD drives are designed to not only solve this problem, but also make those handy little drives more secure.
Price: $95.98
where to buy: Amazon
resource: This product sample is provided by iStorage.
