These new “Micro Vaults” by Sony are fun, attractive, and ultimately, usable flash drives. Sizes range from 1 to 16 Gb, and two formats, standard and “turbo” speed, are available for many of these sizes. The “turbo” version costs more than the equivalently sized “standard” version, but at higher storage sizes. the higher transfer speed of the “tubo” version is desirable because the sheer amount of time required to transfer 16 Gb of data to a stick can be daunting.
The new spring-loaded design of thee units is highly functional. The design keeps the metal USB “prong” protected when not in use, and simply grabbing the device to pull it out of the computer into which it has been placed engages the internal spring, which then retracts the plug automatically upon removal. Build quality feels generally good, particularly considering the fact that Sony has reduced the oftentimes outrageous prices they ask for such accessories. The units have an LED light that flashes through a prismatic lens at the end of the device which is a nice touch to the overall design of the device. I own two of these (a 4 Gb and an 8 Gb version), and am delighted with them both. Check out the 16 Gb versions if you want even more space, but remember the issues surrounding transfer speed and the amount of time required to move that amount of data
Pros
1. Highly functional spring loaded function obviates need for a cap
This product works great attached to a Sony BluRay player in order to utilize the BluRay Live content. Of course, it’s in a controlled environment and nearly all flash drives should perform appropriately under these conditions but with how the connection on the BluRay player is recessed I needed something with very little in the way of the housing.
For those folks that have had trouble with this or any other flash drive. Remember that this is an electronic device and as such, extreme temperatures in either direction will cause damage to it and drastically shorten the life of the product. Also, not all OS’s are created equal, that said all USB Flash Drives should work with most of the computers with a USB connection but some OS’s will require a driver to be installed in order to use it. As for those that have it in their purse, pocket or other carrying mode, as long as it isn’t left in the sun or on an iced over driveway, it should work fine. Also, USB Flash Drives are not designed to be your long term storage solution, they are designed to transfer data from machine to machine, so if it’s important work please be sure to copy it to an actual Hard Drive. One last note, ALL ELECRONIC DEVICES EVENTUALLY FAIL, so don’t expect this or any other flash drive to last for a lifetime.
I bought one of these at Staples for $29.99. I have a PNY OPTIMA PRO ATTACHE 2GB drive from a year ago, and it has been great, but I jumped at the chance to get 4 times the storage at the same price a year later!
This SONY was instantly recognized by 2 XP PCs that I tried it on. It has some software pre-loaded on it, but it’s inert unless I activate it, which I won’t. I just want pure space! I dragged a 4.35GB DVD video file from one of my external drives and dropped it onto the SONY. It took over 15 minutes, but once it was finished I could play it back through Windows Media Player on my PC. I did the same for another file over 1GB. No problem!
I’m satisfied with the MICRO VAULT. I took off one star because it does feel a little flimsier than my PNY. But for the price and ability to transfer monster 4GB files effortlessly, I would have to recommend it!
My first intent for purchasing the Sony Microvault 8gb drive was to transfer files from one computer to another easily, thinking the 8gb is plenty of room. I bought two of these, one for work, one for home.
Usually I uninstall any of the software that comes with a thumbdrive (ie the Sandisk models), but I am glad I did’t overlook the Virtual Expander software for this thumb drive. It compact files much more compact then zipping, allowing for this 8gb drive to store up to 20gb of files, compressed. The compression and decompression is quick and simple on a windows machine.
Pros:
*Small, self storing
*Virtual Expander software expands this drive’s capacity
Cons:
*The Virtual Expander software only works with windows
*The Virtual Expander software only works with Sony Microvaults
*No way to automatically back up files with the Virtual Expander, it’s a manual process
*If only using for the 8gb capacity, a pricey drive compared to others.
Ray @ 7:21 pm
These new “Micro Vaults” by Sony are fun, attractive, and ultimately, usable flash drives. Sizes range from 1 to 16 Gb, and two formats, standard and “turbo” speed, are available for many of these sizes. The “turbo” version costs more than the equivalently sized “standard” version, but at higher storage sizes. the higher transfer speed of the “tubo” version is desirable because the sheer amount of time required to transfer 16 Gb of data to a stick can be daunting.
The new spring-loaded design of thee units is highly functional. The design keeps the metal USB “prong” protected when not in use, and simply grabbing the device to pull it out of the computer into which it has been placed engages the internal spring, which then retracts the plug automatically upon removal. Build quality feels generally good, particularly considering the fact that Sony has reduced the oftentimes outrageous prices they ask for such accessories. The units have an LED light that flashes through a prismatic lens at the end of the device which is a nice touch to the overall design of the device. I own two of these (a 4 Gb and an 8 Gb version), and am delighted with them both. Check out the 16 Gb versions if you want even more space, but remember the issues surrounding transfer speed and the amount of time required to move that amount of data
Pros
1. Highly functional spring loaded function obviates need for a cap
2. Visually attractive design
3. Transfer speed acceptably fast
4. Available in 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 Gb variants
Cons
1. Price is a bit high compared to other brands
2. “Turbo” edition adds even more cost
anonymous @ 8:36 pm
There’s a guy on here who doubts this thing is durable. I beg to differ: mine just went through the washer and drier and survived with data intact.
Justin E. Hester @ 10:14 pm
This product works great attached to a Sony BluRay player in order to utilize the BluRay Live content. Of course, it’s in a controlled environment and nearly all flash drives should perform appropriately under these conditions but with how the connection on the BluRay player is recessed I needed something with very little in the way of the housing.
For those folks that have had trouble with this or any other flash drive. Remember that this is an electronic device and as such, extreme temperatures in either direction will cause damage to it and drastically shorten the life of the product. Also, not all OS’s are created equal, that said all USB Flash Drives should work with most of the computers with a USB connection but some OS’s will require a driver to be installed in order to use it. As for those that have it in their purse, pocket or other carrying mode, as long as it isn’t left in the sun or on an iced over driveway, it should work fine. Also, USB Flash Drives are not designed to be your long term storage solution, they are designed to transfer data from machine to machine, so if it’s important work please be sure to copy it to an actual Hard Drive. One last note, ALL ELECRONIC DEVICES EVENTUALLY FAIL, so don’t expect this or any other flash drive to last for a lifetime.
NYC Baby @ 10:48 pm
I bought one of these at Staples for $29.99. I have a PNY OPTIMA PRO ATTACHE 2GB drive from a year ago, and it has been great, but I jumped at the chance to get 4 times the storage at the same price a year later!
This SONY was instantly recognized by 2 XP PCs that I tried it on. It has some software pre-loaded on it, but it’s inert unless I activate it, which I won’t. I just want pure space! I dragged a 4.35GB DVD video file from one of my external drives and dropped it onto the SONY. It took over 15 minutes, but once it was finished I could play it back through Windows Media Player on my PC. I did the same for another file over 1GB. No problem!
I’m satisfied with the MICRO VAULT. I took off one star because it does feel a little flimsier than my PNY. But for the price and ability to transfer monster 4GB files effortlessly, I would have to recommend it!
Doug Milligan @ 11:14 pm
My first intent for purchasing the Sony Microvault 8gb drive was to transfer files from one computer to another easily, thinking the 8gb is plenty of room. I bought two of these, one for work, one for home.
Usually I uninstall any of the software that comes with a thumbdrive (ie the Sandisk models), but I am glad I did’t overlook the Virtual Expander software for this thumb drive. It compact files much more compact then zipping, allowing for this 8gb drive to store up to 20gb of files, compressed. The compression and decompression is quick and simple on a windows machine.
Pros:
*Small, self storing
*Virtual Expander software expands this drive’s capacity
Cons:
*The Virtual Expander software only works with windows
*The Virtual Expander software only works with Sony Microvaults
*No way to automatically back up files with the Virtual Expander, it’s a manual process
*If only using for the 8gb capacity, a pricey drive compared to others.