| USB thumb drives-from relatively humble | | | | palm while undeniably tough. Ridges on both sides of |
| beginnings-have become an essential PC component | | | | the drive, including a removable tip, were a nice touch; |
| for both student and road warrior alike. | | | | they added heft while not detracting from overall |
| Ubiquitous and ever cheaper, its success lies in its small | | | | portability. The ToughDrive ships in 4GB and 8GB and |
| size, ever-increasing capacity, and flexibility; they are | | | | the drive itself includes the ready-boost and security |
| perfect for quick backups but can boot smaller | | | | options now standard for higher-end thumb drives. The |
| operating systems as well. Best of all, USB drives are | | | | drive itself, as will all of these featured here, is sturdy |
| solid state, with no moving parts to break when thrown | | | | and well embedded in its casing. |
| in a backpack - or a back-pocket. With prices | | | | One would think that the military is one step ahead of |
| diminishing as capacity grows, a specialized | | | | the rest of us in thumb drive innovation. They probably |
| sub-market continues to grow for discerning | | | | are. But other professions with truly mission critical |
| consumers who desire capacity, throughput and | | | | needs have developed a market with a new twist on |
| rugged build quality. | | | | tough. Meet the TAC drive. Eschewing industrial-grade |
| This niche market is well served by the following | | | | plastic or rubber, the TAC drive is encased in |
| rugged USB drives released over the last few months. | | | | light-weight metal that nonetheless meets-and |
| First up is the Verbatim TUFF-CLIP. Featuring 8GB of | | | | exceeds-military field regulations. Weighing less than an |
| storage, the TUFF-CLIP, as its name implies, boasts a | | | | ounce, rural and suburban fires led physician Dr. |
| clasp on one end - perfect for belt or laptop bag loops. | | | | Anthony DuBose to conceive of a tough, but |
| Considering that the size of USB thumb drives can | | | | lightweight thumb drive that could withstand extreme |
| sometimes be a mixed blessing-easy to carry, but | | | | conditions while saving important medical information of |
| likewise also easy to misplace-its closable clasp is a | | | | the firefighters engaged in fighting the flames. The |
| minor but nonetheless needed innovation. This plastic | | | | result is a thumb drive capable of withstanding freezing |
| also sheathes the rest of the drive without sacrificing | | | | in dry ice, submersion in a hundred feet of water, when |
| portability. The drive itself is optimized for ready-boost | | | | not heated to degrees exceeding 250 degrees |
| speed for Vista and Windows 7 users and features | | | | Fahrenheit. |
| the now standard security software onboard. The | | | | The price is competitive with the other drives listed |
| Verbatim TUFF-CLIP comes in at a competitive price | | | | here, but the capacity is indeed smaller at 1GB. Still, this |
| point compared to its more vanilla competitors. The | | | | is an attractively priced, and truly archival quality drive, |
| clasp is well integrated with the rest of its casing. | | | | ready to bear the brunt of extreme elements. A drive |
| Priced similarly, but featuring a tougher exterior is a | | | | tested in a forest fire seems well worth trusting |
| new player in the market: the ATP ToughDrive. ATP | | | | irreplaceable information with; overlook its unsexy, |
| advertises SIP technology in a drive that is shockproof, | | | | Swiss knife design and it becomes a portable, and |
| waterproof and dust-proof. Such claims might well | | | | fireproof safe - ready on the go. |
| cover all but the cheapest USB thumb drives; when | | | | Rugged, tough USB drives should not resemble a |
| picking up at a recent computer trade show, I | | | | Hummer in miniature; consider instead the materials and |
| immediately understood the market ATP is looking to | | | | intelligent design that go into a high-end, tough USB |
| snare. Like the TUFF-CLIP, the ToughDrive features a | | | | drive. Form factor, design and on board software are |
| tough shell encasement, but with a dense rubber as | | | | all features to consider when shopping for a tough |
| opposed to the more common plastic. Unlike some its | | | | USB drive designed to withstand the tests of time, |
| competitors, it seemed welded onto the drive. While its | | | | circumstance and environment. |
| design does not include a clip, the ATP felt light in the | | | | |