I do a lot of computer work in my job and always need to back up files but not only do I need to do this for my job, also for my personal life I need to back up music files and so on. This is why I knew it was time to buy yet another USB Drive and I have purchased from SanDisk before so they were my preferred choice. I was unsure really about what size to get but I went for 8gb as I thought that size would be just enough for what I was needing it for as I didn't want to spend too much and to get too big a USB drive would be pointless as I would be better getting an external hardrive.

APPEARANCE

The SanDisk Cruzer Slice is quite distinct looking and all of the Cruzer Slice range look the same. It is quite sleek and is a rounded rectangular shape but has the SanDisk logo in red on the side. The reverse tells you the capacity and has a few markings for safety on it. It has an indent on each side to add an almost streamlined look to it and then on the side is a red slider button which is what you slide left to right to push out the actual USB connection.

SANDISK CRUZER SLICE

The internal memory of this USB stick is 8192MB and it is a Hi-Speed USB. To ensure this works with your operating system you will need to have Linus, Apple MacOS X 10.1.2 or above and Microsoft Windows Vista, XP or 7 so in all honesty an up to date system. The USB stick is easy enough to use as soon as you get it, it is literally read to use as there is no installation required. When you put this into a new computer you will notice it will install the relevant drivers and then it will come up as a Removable Disk and you can name your USB stick.

I store everything on my USB, whether it be a text document or photos or music, or even video files and design files. It doesn't take a lot of time to transfer files onto this and so far so good with this I have not really had any problems with it. Sometimes when I put this into my laptop, it doesn't always show up so I have to use another USB port, but that could be an issue with my laptop rather than the memory stick. Once it does register though it shoes up instantly and you can open the folder to view the files.

You can either play files directly from your memory stick of just drag and drop them onto another computer's desktop. With 8gb, I have found this an ideal size for storing items and when it comes to removing files, I just delete them from the memory stick and it is clear again and ready to use. When it is time to remove the stick you just need to make sure you eject it safely as if you don't you could corrupt files and cause damage which you don't want or you will lose files. I tend to use this on a select few computers to prevent picking up viruses.

The USB is a really good buy, my only issue with it is when you slide out the USB stick because it is on a slider, you have to hold the sticking out button as you put it into the USB port or the stick goes back into the case. It is annoying as it should be a lot easier, I think they are trying to be crafty with the stick sliding out but a lid would probably make life easier. The stick is easy to carry around in my handbag and overall is a reliable method of back up for now.

COST

The SanDisk Cruzer Slice can be purchased on Amazon.co.uk and is currently sold at the cheapest for £9.39 which is reasonable enough I think.

The official SanDisk website is http://www.sandisk.co.uk/uk