PQI has released what it calls the world's lightest, thinnest, shortest, and smallest USB 3.0 flash drive: the Intelligent Drive U819V. The 3 centimeter product is capable of very high performance, high speed transmission, and is very easy to misplace!
The company says it encountered a few issues when developing the product. When it applied COB encasement technology to the USB 3.0 interface, it had to overcome a transmission overheating problem. At the same time, PQI had to solve a data reading problem caused by high-frequency noise.
The exact dimensions of the drive are 31.5mm x 14.8mm x 7.3mm. It weighs 3.6g, although the company admits that this is an average and the number could actually range from 3.5g to 3.7g.
PQI's Intelligent Drive U819V features the usual LED display at the tip, which flickers when data is being read. The drive is available in capacities ranging from 4GB to 32GB. Unfortunately, pricing has not been revealed, though the company is guaranteeing a lifetime warranty.
USB 3.0 offers a transmission speed of up to 5Gbps, which is 10 times faster than USB 2.0 (480Mbps). It significantly reduces the time required for data transmission, reduces power consumption, and is downward compatible with USB 2.0. This means all USB 3.0 drives will work in USB 2.0 ports.
To be honest, I would consider grabbing one of these drives, especially to upgrade my current 16GB flash drive to a 32GB version. That being said, I would have to keep it on my keychain at all times or I would definitely lose it within a week.