| Article Index |
|---|
| LaCie iamaKey Review |
| Features, Specifications and Size |
| Performance: ReadyBoost |
| Performance: Real World Access |
| Problems |
| Conclusion |
| All Pages |
This is the LaCie iamaKey. 4GB or 8GB of USB storage hidden in an object that looks just like an ordinary household key. The package is simple blister plastic with a printed card depicting a keyring; the LaCie key and the cover for the USB connector.
As always, the official product page for the iamaKey is effusive in its praise, and while I won’t dissect every bit of the manufacturer’s product blurb, a couple of things stand out.
With the new LaCie iamaKey, inventive storage meets data protection. The key-shaped design is functional and memorable, and the protection that the LaCie iamaKey offers makes it extremely reliable. Best of all, with its 4GB and 8GB models, you can fit an enormous amount of data in a small flash drive. With the universal Hi-Speed USB 2.0 interface, iamaKey can be used with both PC and Macs. Hi-Speed USB 2.0 not only offers universal compatibility and cross-platform convenience, but features a hot-pluggable connection and high-speed transfer rates, and is Windows ReadyBoost™ compatible. With its eye-catching design, the iamaKey certainly stands out, but its connector (Gold SIP) is both water- and scratch-resistant, making it one of the most durable and thinnest USB keys on the market. Protective edges on the connectors ensure that you'll always insert the LaCie iamaKey properly, keeping it usable and safe.
Firstly, it really is quite thin. For overall size it’s not quite in the same league as the tiniest USB keys (for example, the Sony MicroVault Tiny has it soundly beaten in all 3 dimensions), but the form that it takes guarantees that it actually fits properly in any USB socket, unlike some.
It looks nothing like a traditional, boring old boxy USB drive, nor does it have a thick rubberized plastic coating like the Corsair Flash Voyager – which can prevent you using the USB port next to your USB flash drive.
Its brother is the itsaKey – the same electronics in a different style key, its cousins are the currenKey which looks like a rather large thick coin, and the passKey, which converts a microSD card into a USB device.
OK, so it’s a funky looking USB key. What’s inside?
