Test Drive: QuickiDrive

Portable 128 MB USB Flash Drive

By David McQuin -- School Library Journal, 1/1/2004

The QuickiDrive, a portable storage device from Micro Advantage, makes it easy to transfer files from one computer to another. By combining flash memory technology with a USB port, the QuickiDrive can, for example, move PowerPoint presentations from a lab workstation to a presentation computer, transport computerized gradebook files between school and home, or let you install software you've custom-configured by plugging the drive into one student computer after another.

The QuickiDrive weighs almost nothing, is about the size of an average man's thumb, and can easily fit on your keychain. To use the device, simply remove its snap-on protective cap and plug the drive into an empty USB slot on your computer. If you're a Mac user, a QuickiDrive icon will appear on your desktop. PC users can access the device by double-clicking on their "My Computer" icon. Once it's activated, drag and drop the files that you'd like to store onto the QuickiDrive. The QuickiDrive is a USB 2.0 device that transfers data 40 times faster than a device using the older USB 1.1 format, but because plenty of school and home computers have the older USB 1.1 ports, the drive will automatically adjust to either format.

Security is a concern with any storage device, because documents and files may contain sensitive student data. If you are using the QuickiDrive with a PC, you can divide the drive into segments, or partitions, with public and private areas (this is impossible, however, on a Mac). Anyone having access to a school computer with the QuickiDrive plugged in could open files in the public area, but would need a password to open the files in the private area.

QuickiDrive comes in several versions: a 64 MB edition holds up to 44 floppy disks' worth of files; a 128 MB drive has a greater storage capacity than a standard 100-megabyte ZIP disk; and a 512 MB drive will hold two-thirds of a CD-ROM. The 128 MB version ($49.98) is my favorite, because it offers adequate storage at a reasonable price. I strongly recommend it.

David McQuin is media and technology specialist for Mankato (MN) Public Schools; dmcqui1@isd77.k12.mn.us; (507) 387-5671.