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Imation 8GB Atom USB 2.0 Flash Drive 27115 USB Flash Drives
This review is from : Imation 8GB Atom Flash Drive
The Mighty Atom . I bought this item because of its review in Computer Shopper magazine, and I wasn't disappointed. It's about the size of a Chiclet (sorry, showing my age) and comes with a tiny attachable lanyard. The entire package is the size of a playing card, with the flash drive & the lanyard blister-packed on opposite sides. Security software is included on the drive, and plug-n-play describes the function perfectly. The only possible negative I can say is that it fits so nice & tightly into the USB port that you might have to wiggle it in or out a bit. I recommend grabbing it from the sides rather than the top & bottom. That's the only feature that takes a bit of getting used to from standard USB connectors. The price is a bit high, but more than adequate for the performance & reliability you get. Imation also doesn't let you down.
The Mighty Atom . I bought this item because of its review in Computer Shopper magazine, and I wasn't disappointed. It's about the size of a Chiclet (sorry, showing my age) and comes with a tiny attachable lanyard. The entire package is the size of a playing card, with the flash drive & the lanyard blister-packed on opposite sides. Security software is included on the drive, and plug-n-play describes the function perfectly. The only possible negative I can say is that it fits so nice & tightly into the USB port that you might have to wiggle it in or out a bit. I recommend grabbing it from the sides rather than the top & bottom. That's the only feature that takes a bit of getting used to from standard USB connectors. The price is a bit high, but more than adequate for the performance & reliability you get. Imation also doesn't let you down.
Imation 8GB Atom Flash Drive Reviews
Just what I needed . Great product! I got it to use with the Vista ReadyBoost feature. I plug it into a port on the side of my monitor because it is so light weight and unobtrusive. I plan to get another one for portable storage.
Just what I needed . Great product! I got it to use with the Vista ReadyBoost feature. I plug it into a port on the side of my monitor because it is so light weight and unobtrusive. I plan to get another one for portable storage.
Imation 8GB Atom Flash Drive Opinions
The sceince fiction of my youth . My first hard drive cost over $20 a megabyte and weighed several pounds. Its connector port was many times larger than this device. This thing is science fiction come to life. I keep it attached to my access badge so I don't forget where I've plugged it in -- it's so small that you could forget which PC you plugged it into, and really have to look hard to find it.
I've been using one of these in a tech-support situation for several months, on two or three PCs per day. I have as yet had no problems whatsoever. I have it configured as a Windows XP startup drive with several diagnostic and repair utilities, and still have room for significant file transfers. It's as fast as any flash drive I've owned, and faster than several.
Check the lanyard connector from time to time to make sure it's screwed together tightly. Put a little beeswax on the threads for grip.
The sceince fiction of my youth . My first hard drive cost over $20 a megabyte and weighed several pounds. Its connector port was many times larger than this device. This thing is science fiction come to life. I keep it attached to my access badge so I don't forget where I've plugged it in -- it's so small that you could forget which PC you plugged it into, and really have to look hard to find it.
I've been using one of these in a tech-support situation for several months, on two or three PCs per day. I have as yet had no problems whatsoever. I have it configured as a Windows XP startup drive with several diagnostic and repair utilities, and still have room for significant file transfers. It's as fast as any flash drive I've owned, and faster than several.
Check the lanyard connector from time to time to make sure it's screwed together tightly. Put a little beeswax on the threads for grip.
Great Drive cheap housing . Got this to replace an aging 1GB drive. Since this hangs on my keyring and spends most of the day in my pocket, I wanted something small. This fit the bill perfectly. This seems to be the smallest 8GB drive available. It is hardly noticeable on my keyring.
Within three months of purchase, the USB connector began to crack. A chunk broke out a month later. I trimmed most of the rest of the housing around the USB connector a little while later, which exposed the USB connections, but got rid of the flapping plastic. With the thin plastic around the top and sides of the USB connector now gone, there has been no more breakage after nearly a year of use. Despite the rather derelict look of the drive, I plan to continue using it until a more robust 8GB (or greater) drive of the same size is available.
Other than that, the drive works great. I have not speed tested it against anything else, but it seems to perform as well as any other flash drive I have had. My one suggestion to Imation (other than the cheap housing) would be to add a LED to give a visual indication of power and drive activity.
I can't speak for the included software, as I don't use it. I use TrueCrypt for password protection.
If you want a small drive with a lot of capacity and don't mind it looking tough after a few months in the pocket/purse, this is a great product. If you want it to age gracefully and look nice, then I would look elsewhere.
Within three months of purchase, the USB connector began to crack. A chunk broke out a month later. I trimmed most of the rest of the housing around the USB connector a little while later, which exposed the USB connections, but got rid of the flapping plastic. With the thin plastic around the top and sides of the USB connector now gone, there has been no more breakage after nearly a year of use. Despite the rather derelict look of the drive, I plan to continue using it until a more robust 8GB (or greater) drive of the same size is available.
Other than that, the drive works great. I have not speed tested it against anything else, but it seems to perform as well as any other flash drive I have had. My one suggestion to Imation (other than the cheap housing) would be to add a LED to give a visual indication of power and drive activity.
I can't speak for the included software, as I don't use it. I use TrueCrypt for password protection.
If you want a small drive with a lot of capacity and don't mind it looking tough after a few months in the pocket/purse, this is a great product. If you want it to age gracefully and look nice, then I would look elsewhere.
Cons Review
Plastic Connector Broke in One Month . Imation Atom 8G USB Thumb Drive / B001B1AIIQ
When my old USB thumb drive was broken beyond all repair, I really fretted over the replacement. I wanted something small and unobtrusive, due to the many times that I had seen thumb drives damaged by brushing against the extruding drive in accident. I am really surprised that there does not yet exist a model that can lie flush against the side of the computer, but this Atom drive seemed the next best thing.
The Atom is remarkably small - the shown image of it next to a small paperclip is accurate - and it communicates amiably so far with every machine I have used it with. The drive initially came loaded with some security software, but as I was not interested in it, I removed it from the drive, and have had no problems with the drive operation doing so. I couldn't be happier with my little thumb drive, in fact.
EDIT: Literally one month after buying this, the black plastic fractured and broke badly, after VERY light use and carrying in my purse. Considering that the thumb drive I had before this lasted for 3+ years in my purse, and considering the sizable price for this drive, I am very disappointed. I originally gave this USB five stars for ease of use (as you can see above), but with quality this poor, there's no reason to spend money on this device. I would return it if I could at this point, but I no longer have the original packaging.
EDIT2: And Imation has still not returned my email informing them about the problem and requesting that they replace the thumb drive as it must surely still be under some form of warranty. I am terribly disappointed and will not buy from Imation again.
~ Ana Mardoll
When my old USB thumb drive was broken beyond all repair, I really fretted over the replacement. I wanted something small and unobtrusive, due to the many times that I had seen thumb drives damaged by brushing against the extruding drive in accident. I am really surprised that there does not yet exist a model that can lie flush against the side of the computer, but this Atom drive seemed the next best thing.
The Atom is remarkably small - the shown image of it next to a small paperclip is accurate - and it communicates amiably so far with every machine I have used it with. The drive initially came loaded with some security software, but as I was not interested in it, I removed it from the drive, and have had no problems with the drive operation doing so. I couldn't be happier with my little thumb drive, in fact.
EDIT: Literally one month after buying this, the black plastic fractured and broke badly, after VERY light use and carrying in my purse. Considering that the thumb drive I had before this lasted for 3+ years in my purse, and considering the sizable price for this drive, I am very disappointed. I originally gave this USB five stars for ease of use (as you can see above), but with quality this poor, there's no reason to spend money on this device. I would return it if I could at this point, but I no longer have the original packaging.
EDIT2: And Imation has still not returned my email informing them about the problem and requesting that they replace the thumb drive as it must surely still be under some form of warranty. I am terribly disappointed and will not buy from Imation again.
~ Ana Mardoll
Deep Fried Data . The problem with the plastic casing around the USB connector is already well known here so I won't harp on that further. I had done a lot of research to get the smallest possible drive without sacrificing transfer speeds. The Atom came at the top of the list. The form factor is so amazing that if the connector casing didn't disintegrate like it does for everyone who bought one, it may have been a winner.
It may be redundant to mention that Imation customer service has absolutely ignored all the emails I sent regarding this flaw. It would seem like they didn't test this this by plugging it into an actual PC for more than five times. I expect that to be an obvious part of testing a wear and tear item.
However the shoddy construction is the least of my issue. Recently while transferring a large number of files the little thing was running hot for a while. The next day it stopped working. I don't know what connections got severed or if the drive itself The PC will recognize the drive but attempting to open it shows "Insert a disk into drive E:". So all my data is irretrievably lost.
Suddenly the stars don't matter anymore do they?
It may be redundant to mention that Imation customer service has absolutely ignored all the emails I sent regarding this flaw. It would seem like they didn't test this this by plugging it into an actual PC for more than five times. I expect that to be an obvious part of testing a wear and tear item.
However the shoddy construction is the least of my issue. Recently while transferring a large number of files the little thing was running hot for a while. The next day it stopped working. I don't know what connections got severed or if the drive itself The PC will recognize the drive but attempting to open it shows "Insert a disk into drive E:". So all my data is irretrievably lost.
Suddenly the stars don't matter anymore do they?
Very fragile - thin plastic . I specifically wanted this for the small size and higher capacity. But the tip doesn't easily fit into a USB port. In fact, the edges are sharp and easily catch rather than slide in.
After the 2nd use, a portion of the tip broke off and it's only a matter of time before it's unusable.
The speed of file transfers is good though...
After the 2nd use, a portion of the tip broke off and it's only a matter of time before it's unusable.
The speed of file transfers is good though...
Small but Flimsy . I purchased this drive in order to carry it around on my keychain. I needed something very small and sturdy. I found the Imation Atom with its aluminum shell and tiny footprint and purchased it right away. I thought the size was perfect, in fact I still do. It is the one redeaming quality of this item.
First I almost lost this drive off my keychain twice because of the poor quality strap. The strap has a screw in connection that can be disconnected in case you want to remove it. This connection slowly became unscrewed over a couple weeks and one day the device was gone. I found it on the floor of my car. The next time I lost the device the strap just plain broke. It is made from a waxy piece of string and had snapped right at the base of the screw in connector. I found the device laying next to my car outside of work.
Finally and most importantly, I will mention the poor construction. Although this device has an aluminum shell that protects the memory components, there is nothing but incredibly cheap plastic covering the USB connector. This thin, fragile plastic began to chip, crack and break apart after only 2 months of use. At this point I can barely get the device into a USB port and everytime I do I am afraid it will be its last connection.
First I almost lost this drive off my keychain twice because of the poor quality strap. The strap has a screw in connection that can be disconnected in case you want to remove it. This connection slowly became unscrewed over a couple weeks and one day the device was gone. I found it on the floor of my car. The next time I lost the device the strap just plain broke. It is made from a waxy piece of string and had snapped right at the base of the screw in connector. I found the device laying next to my car outside of work.
Finally and most importantly, I will mention the poor construction. Although this device has an aluminum shell that protects the memory components, there is nothing but incredibly cheap plastic covering the USB connector. This thin, fragile plastic began to chip, crack and break apart after only 2 months of use. At this point I can barely get the device into a USB port and everytime I do I am afraid it will be its last connection.
Illusion of quality . The aluminum shell is very interesting attribute which led me to believe in its quality. After a few months the drive was rendered unusable.
The shell was a little too large to fit into every type of mac USB port I had at disposal.
I ended up jamming it in and shaving off a small amount of plastic while doing so. A few weeks later the plastic tip was cracked on one side and eventually fell off. The drive will no longer mount.
If you're going to buy this product. Take good care of it, put it in a desk and leave it there: pockets, wallets, purses or key-chains will inevitably destroy this device.
The shell was a little too large to fit into every type of mac USB port I had at disposal.
I ended up jamming it in and shaving off a small amount of plastic while doing so. A few weeks later the plastic tip was cracked on one side and eventually fell off. The drive will no longer mount.
If you're going to buy this product. Take good care of it, put it in a desk and leave it there: pockets, wallets, purses or key-chains will inevitably destroy this device.
Nice size but quality issues . I've had my Imation Atom for about 5 months. I bought it for both storing files and for playing mp3's using my car stereo that has a USB input on the front. I had trouble with the other mini USB flash drives that are out there that don't have a full USB connector staying in the USB ports in my PCs, and especially in my car stereo where some keys are hanging off it. The Atom fits nice and snug in both. After I had the Atom for about 2 months, my car stereo started displaying read failed when I inserted the Atom, however it would read my other flash drives fine. I finally ended up copying all the files off, reformatting it, and copying all the files back onto it. That actually worked, and clearly lead me to believe that it was actually a problem with the Atom. About 4 weeks ago the same problem cropped up again. I don't have prblems with any other flash drives in the stereo. About 2 weeks ago, I noticed that the plastic USB plug on my Atom had actually melted and deformed. I'm assuming it was from being in a PC where the port got really hot. Now the top side of the USB connector has completely broken off. They should have made the USB connector out of metal, and not cheap plastic. So, I guess I'm going back to my Sandisk Cruzer Micro Skin.
Feature Imation 8GB Atom Flash Drive
- Smallest form factor of Imation flash drives provides ultimate data storage portability
- System Requirements - Windows 98SE, 2000, ME, XP, Vista, Mac OS 9.x and above, Linux 2.4 and above, Windows 2000, XP, and Vista
- Dimensions - Length 0.47 x Width 1.26 x Height 0.19 (12x32x4.8mm)
Product Details
EAN : 0999992967777UPC : 999992967777
MPN : 27115
Brand : Imation
Weight : 1 pounds
Height : 1 inches
Length : 5 inches
Width : 4 inches
Binding : Personal Computers
Format : CD
Hardware Platform : Linux
Manufacturer : Imation
Model : 27115
Operating System : Windows
Platform : Windows
Publisher : Imation
SKU : 051122271151-27115
Studio : Imation
Where To Buy
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