Full Review

16 January 2008 - If you need to carry data around with you or use your notebook on the move and want to backup files, then a USB memory key makes perfect sense.

This small, black and rather nondescript memory key sports 8GB of storage, which is more than enough for most people as it’ll readily hold 160 hours of music, as well as all your work files and folders.

With such an amount of storage on offer it pays to have security in place, so Freecom ships this key with Carry it Easy software, which password protects your data. Should you lose the key, it can even pass on your details but won’t allow the finder to access your files.

Carry it Easy has a simple interface that allows you to load programs such as Outlook direct from the key. It also offers No Trace Browsing, so all the data related to your online activity, such as Cookies, Cache and History are stored on the key and not the machine you used so can be safely deleted afterwards.

When it comes to using the key, it has a 7Mbps write and 8Mbps read speed, which translated in tests to copying 1GB of data in a little over two minutes, which is quick enough for most uses.

VERDICT
Memory keys have become an everyday object and while the Freecom DataBar isn’t much to look at, we found it a versatile addition to the mobile user’s kit.