Other by stefan @ 2015-05-28
The market is currently flooded with USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 flash drives from different manufacturers; to make it more interesting, Lexar saw fit to introduce a new element, the always-on, easy-to-read capacity meter which shows us how much space we have left on the device but for added value we also have the ability to encrypt our files thanks to the EncryptStick Lite software, which is pre-loaded onto the device.
At first we would like to thank Lexar for sending out a sample of their latest M10 Secure USB 3.0 Flash Drive for testing and reviewing.
“Lexar. A world leader in reliable, award-winning memory solutions.
Whether shooting photos, capturing video, watching movies on a tablet, or simply transferring and sharing files on the go, Lexar® memory solutions provide the performance and reliability needed to get the most from your digital device.
As our award-winning lineup and 15 years in the memory business will attest, we know memory. Our strong retail, e-tail, and OEM presence make Lexar a global player in every major customer channel, including value-added resellers, system builders, and e-commerce. And we’ve built a name synonymous with quality, innovation, and customer service.
With a comprehensive portfolio of high-performance, award-winning products in every major memory category, including memory cards, card readers, and USB flash drives, Lexar products are backed by outstanding customer support, industry-leading warranties, and an ever-expanding selection of products that are designed to meet the growing needs of our customers. What’s more, all Lexar product designs undergo extensive testing in the Lexar Quality Labs, facilities with more than 800 digital devices, to ensure performance, quality, compatibility, and reliability.
Lexar is a leading global brand of Micron Consumer Products Group, Inc., a subsidiary of Micron Technology, Inc. Micron is one of the largest memory manufacturers in the world, and our relationship allows us to leverage more than 30 years of experience and expertise to offer industry-leading technology.
Lexar. When Memory Matters.™”
Secure, High-Speed File Transfer
The Lexar® JumpDrive® M10 Secure USB 3.0 flash drive provides comprehensive data protection and features an easy-to-read, always-on capacity meter. And with speeds up to 4x faster than standard JumpDrive USB 2.0 drives, it allows you to quickly and safely store and transfer files.* JumpDrive M10 Secure is available in 16GB-128GB capacities.
Convenient, Reliable Portable Storage
Securely Protect Files on the Go. Looking to protect personal information, financial records, or other sensitive files on the go? Lexar JumpDrive M10 Secure includes EncryptStick™ Lite software, an advanced security solution with 256-bit AES encryption to help protect your essential files against corruption, loss, and deletion. Easily create a password-protected vault that automatically encrypts data.
Securely Erase Files After Use
For peace of mind, files that are deleted from the vault are securely erased and can’t be recovered.
Check Available Storage Space—at a Glance
Lexar JumpDrive M10 Secure sports an easy-to-read, always-on capacity meter that’s powered by the same technology as today’s popular e-readers. This convenient meter lets you determine your available storage space at a glance, and maintains the reading even when disconnected.
Transfer Content Faster
With a busy life on the go and so much to do, the last thing you want is to spend extra time waiting for your files to transfer. The Lexar JumpDrive M10 Secure offers speeds up to 4x faster (up to 100MB/s read and 55MB/s write) than standard JumpDrive USB 2.0 drives.* Quickly transfer a 3GB HD video clip in less than 90 seconds—that’s 13x faster than the 20 minutes it takes using a standard USB 2.0 drive.**
Store More
The drive is backwards compatible with USB 2.0 devices. And with a range of high-capacity options from 16GB-128GB, you can securely store more of what matters.
Securely protects files using EncryptStick™ Lite software, an advanced security solution with 256-bit AES encryption
Easy-to-read, always-on capacity meter displays available storage space
Speeds up to 4x faster (up to 100MB/s read and 55MB/s write) than standard JumpDrive® USB 2.0 drives*
High-capacity options to store more files on the go
Compatible with PC and Mac® systems
Three-year limited warranty
Capacities
16GB (up to 100MB/s read, 20MB/s write)
32GB (up to 100MB/s read, 30MB/s write)
64GB (up to 100MB/s read, 55MB/s write)
128GB (up to 100MB/s read, 55MB/s write)
Here we will take a look at another interesting product from Lexar and to be more exact, the M10 Secure JumpDrive; the product comes with an always-on capacity meter, via special software we can encrypt data which resides on it and the manufacturer advertises up to 100MB/s read speeds. As it can be seen from the original packaging, we have received the 32GB version to test and review:
On the back side, we will be able to check some words regarding warranty but also the system requirements:
The M10 Secure JumpDrive comes with a high-quality plastic chassis and retractable frontal cover for the USB 3.0 port; the small arrow sign near the total drive capacity inscription is also the area where the blue activity LED is located:
The main point of attraction regarding the hardware of the drive is the always-on indicator, which shows us at all times how much space the drive has left, thanks to the technology which also comes with today’s popular e-readers:
The back side of the M10 is a bit curved and comes in a grey color; some inscriptions in white are also to be found here:
In the other extremity we will find the area where we can fit a lanyard:
The testbench was composed from the following hardware:
CPU: Intel I5 3570K Retail @ stock
Motherboard: Z77 OC Formula
RAM: GeIL Black Dragon 2x4GB DDR2133 (@1600)
Video: Sparkle GTX 470 with stock and OMNI A.L.C.
Power Supply: Nexus RX-8500 850W modular
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200.11 & OCZ Vertex 4 240GB SSD
Case: Thermaltake Armor+ LCS, stock cooling
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate x64
The Lexar JumpDrive M10 Secure USB 3.0 Flash Drive has arrived formatted FAT32:
To determine the flash drive read speeds, the HD Tune v5 utility was used:
To measure the real life performance, I have used the Total Commander application to copy to the flash drive and from the flash drive the same file and recorded the transfer speeds, when they have stabilized.
File Copy
File Read
We have also performed some extra tests with this drive and the results can be checked out right here:
The M10 Secure JumpDrive from Lexar is also supplied with the EncryptStick Lite software, which adds extra functionality to the product:
In its Lite form, the software will be able to help us encrypt specific files, but the full version will also enable the Password Manager and Privacy Web Browser:
In order to set up the encryption mechanism, we will have to define a password; the password hint is optional:
The software is also equipped with an indicator which shows us the password strength as soon as we type it:
Moving on, we will be able to check the main GUI of the application, which sets us with a “vault” where we can move our sensitive items; the Lock button will take care of the rest:
The encrypted files will be moved to a separate folder on our drive:
We can revert from the locked state by entering up the password and this way we will be able to access the files:
The market is currently flooded with USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 flash drives from different manufacturers; to make it more interesting, Lexar saw fit to introduce a new element, the always-on, easy-to-read capacity meter which shows us how much space we have left on the device but for added value we also have the ability to encrypt our files thanks to the EncryptStick Lite software, which is pre-loaded onto the device.
Thanks to the retractable plastic cover, we have one less thing to worry about and the chassis of the M10 is also provided with the orifices for fitting a custom lanyard (not included in the original packaging).
While the M10 Secure is quite speedy regarding reads, it is quite mediocre when saving data to it, when compared to other product we have tested in the past.
M10 Secure is available in 16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB capacities; our 32GB sample can be picked up online for about 20 Euros, which we think that it is fair for what we have offered.
We would like to thank again to Lexar for making this review possible!