14 DAY TRIAL // HP may not deal in storage devices itself all that much, but it has involved itself in collaborations with companies that can do it instead. PNY is one of those companies, having just launched the HP x778w USB 3.0 Flash Drive.
This flash drive is thumb-sized, making it one of the smallest high-capacity USB flash drives on the market.
Admittedly, 8 GB isn't much storage space at all, and the HP x778w doesn't reach 128 GB or 256 GB either, but 64 GB is still a more than respectable storage space.
Also, considering that even 2.5-inch or 1.8-inch solid state drives don't make it a habit to go to 256 GB or above, it means that the new flash drive line is only one step behind them in the grand scheme of things, while being less than a tenth of the size.
The HP x778w USB 3.0 flash drive
This series of storage devices is made up of four members, with 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB capacities, respectively.
In all cases, the size is the same, at 32.5 x 17.5 x 9.5 mm / 1.27 x 0.68 x 0.37 inches and the design is somewhat alike that of partially melted ice.
The use of USB 3.0 technology allows for a very good performance over universal serial bus ports, with read speeds going as high as 90 MB/s and writing speed of up to 30 MB/s.
Performance varies according to capacity, with the 64 GB unit being the fastest and the 8 GB one not measuring up quite as well.
Either way, that they can pack so much space despite the small size is noteworthy, even if no longer all that unique.
Other things worth mentioning are the durable rubber housing, the built-in strap hole and the weight of only 8.1 grams.
Availability
The USB 3.0 HP x778w flash drives of 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB are compatible with Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows XP, as well as Apple Mac OS: 10.3 and above. The drives ship with 2-year warranties but weren't given prices in the press release.