Lexar JumpDrive Mercury Review

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Have you ever wanted to know how much data was on your thumb drive, but you weren’t at a computer to check? Then the Lexar JumpDrive Mercury might just be right up your alley.

This thumb drive feathers an e-paper display, which marks off the capacity and storage used in increments of 20%. It is a non-volatile display, by a company called E-ink, which means it keeps power in the display from the time you unplug it from your computer to the next time, and is also shatter proof. Additionally, the drive does not require any special software on the host system and can conceivably work with any OS can write to the drive. I found the read and write time to be a bit sluggish at times, but it is completely within spec for a USB 2.0 drive.

Lexar has included the advanced PowerToGo mobile computing software platform for Windows, which enables users to install and run most standard Windows applications from their JumpDrive. Also preloaded onto the drive is Lexar’s Secure II software (Mac and PC compatible), which uses AES 256-bit encryption to protect your files. The Secure II software lets you create password-protected partitions called Vaults. Any file you drag into the Vault is automatically encrypted with the AES key. Also, this software includes a file shredder that renders deleted files unrecoverable.

This thumb drive is also enabled with Windows ReadyBoost(tm) for Windows Vista, which can improve overall system performance by using portable flash memory devices as additional system memory, also known as virtual ram. Also supported, is fully support of Windows vista features such as BitLocker(tm) drive encryption, and Windows PE 2.0 For Vista. Since I do not have access to a Windows Vista machine yet though, I have not been able to test these for myself.

Overall, this is an average USB drive with an innovative idea in the capacity meter.

The Lexar JumpDrive Mercury is available in 2GB and 1GB capacities for $59.99 and $39.99 respectively.

Pros

• Nice E-Paper display.
• Decent transfer speeds.

Cons

• A little on the large side.

Final Verdict
4 out of 5 stars.