14 DAY TRIAL // PNY Technologies Inc. together with HP launched the new and compact HP v160 flash drive as a convenient way to store, share and transfer digital media like photos, videos, music and more.
The small HP v160 comes with a protective cap to protect the USB port from any external damage, and also it claims the drive has a “resilience” towards dust and water, which allows the user to use the drive during all sorts of scenarios and external conditions. A strap hole at the top of the flash drive will encourage mobility by having it attached to your keychain or simply use it as a stylish accessory.
Measuring 10mm x W 16mm x L 35mm (HWL) and weighing only 4.4 grams, it will be easily lost in your pockets or anywhere in your house. The HP v160 is using a USB 2.0 connectivity port and it will come in storage capabilities ranging from 8GB to 64GB.
According to TechPowerUp, it promises to work smoothly with Windows 2000/XP/Vista/Windows 7, 8, Mac OS: 10.3 and above operating systems. It also comes with a limited warranty of 2 years within the date of purchase.
Sub-par innovation
This seems to be a low-price, accessible flash drive that, however, is lagging behind from a technological stand point. In our previous coverage of SanDisk’s 128GB UltraFit flash drive, we emphasized the downfalls of extremely small flash drives as they can get easily lost if they are not permanently attached to a device. In HP v160’s case, not even the specs will probably attract anyone as it has only a USB 2.0 connectivity port, it comes limited to 64GB and the read/write speeds even though are unknown, are quite likely to be under 100mb/s.
The HP v160 wants to sell through mobility and accessibility, and here it may succeed if prices are in its favor, and considering its specs, they most likely will. Nonetheless, considering how fast technology is moving forward and how companies like SanDisk managed to cramp 128GB in a drive the size of a thumbnail, and how other manufacturers already came with USB-C flash drives, it’s hard to see the HP v160 as a true innovation in any way.