This is a great little piece of machinery. It's straightforward, functional, and--what can I say?--truly cute. It's one of the teeniest USB flash drives I've ever seen, and for me, that's a good thing. I needed a USB drive that could fit into the back port of my Xbox 360 (the original white Arcade model), and the HP v165w does the trick beautifully. It also works great as a storage device for your computer.
Here's a breakdown of its features:
>> The package
The v165w comes in a thin, minimal-plastic package that looks exactly like the container shown on the product photos. It's basically a plastic holder sandwiched between two pieces of cardboard. Nice to look at, hard to open (just like most electronics packaging). Inside, you get the actual USB drive and a tiny lanyard similar to something you'd find on a cell phone charm. No other instructions or slips of paper are included (not that they're needed).
The back of the packaging lists the following system requirements:
- Windows and Mac compatible
- Operating systems supported:
Windows: 2000, XP, Vista, 7
Mac OS: 10.3 or later. USB 2.0
>> It's tiny!
This is a very small USB drive, which can be good or bad depending on your needs or tendency to lose small things. The entire drive could almost fit on a U.S. quarter, meaning it can go all the places a quarter can: a pocket, a wallet, or underneath the sofa cushion. With the lanyard, you can easily hang it from your cell phone as an ultra-techie decorative charm. It won't crowd your keys, either. If you're a person who needs some on-the-go storage available at all times, this ultra-portable drive won't let you down.
The translucent blue covering is a great color, too. With its sleek, concave styling, it's almost reminiscent of a bite-sized blue Xbox 360, which brings me to my next topic...
>>It plays well with the Xbox
The v165w is one of the few USB drives that actually fits into that secret USB port at the back of most original Xbox 360 models. It also fits quite nicely in the front two ports, if you prefer to use those. It's small enough that it'll fit snugly without sticking out of any of the ports, and yet you can pull it out if need be.
The great news is that it passes Microsoft's performance tests with flying colors. Once I formatted it for my Xbox--a total of 14.5 GB were available--I got the thumbs-up that this USB drive met specifications. Awesome!
Update Nov. 30, 2010:
It seems some people have been having problems with the 4GB version of this USB drive when using it for Xbox data storage. I wanted to come back and say that I have not encountered any problems with my 16GB drive at all. Since this drive is supplementary to an official Xbox hard drive I have on the system, I don't keep any vital data like my profile or current game saves on this 16GB USB. I do, however, save all my videos to it, and I'm able to play back all videos without a hitch. I've also put old game saves and downloadable content on the USB without any issues. My recommendation is to use this drive as a companion to your official Xbox hard drive in order to free up space on your primary HD. Likewise, I suggest keeping the USB connected to the system if you decide to use it that way, so the Xbox continually recognizes it as a data storage device.
Since I haven't tested the other sizes of this USB, I can't accurately review them. But I continue to recommend the 16GB version of this USB drive as supplementary Xbox 360 storage.
>>It plays well with computers
Before commissioning the USB stick for Xbox storage, I tried it out with my computer. I was happy to see that the v165w is a straightforward storage device with no hidden or extraneous software pre-installed. You pop it in, wait a few seconds for your computer to recognize it, then open up the folder to find 15.1 GB of fresh space waiting to be filled. Beautiful.
I'm not a speed maven, so I didn't do any special speed tests with transferring large files and such. I will say that it seemed as quick as other USB drives I've used--maybe even quicker.
The v165w also works perfectly across Windows and Mac platforms. Files saved on one operating system are easily recognized by the other.
>>Things to note
* This USB drive comes with a cap, meaning the cap can be lost or misplaced. It fits very snugly on the drive, though, so it shouldn't come off on its own.
* There are no LED lights or other indicators to let you know the drive is running. This is understandable, because the whole point of the v165w is portability. Still, it's something to keep in mind.
* You get 15.1 GB of computer storage and 14.5 GB of Xbox storage because the Xbox uses up about 500MB for storing settings and other hidden data once it formats the drive.
>>Closing comments
Overall, I love this tiny drive! It's cute, straightforward, and ultra-portable. It works with my computer and my Xbox, and it fits in all the places I need it to fit. Highly recommended for folks who want something small and powerful. I'm still amazed they could pack a whole 16GB (15.1GB, really) onto something so tiny. It's great! HP v165w 4 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive P-FD4GBHP165-EF (Blue) - Thumb Drive - Usb Flash Drives - Usb Hard Drive - 4gb'
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