Review: USB Storage At Less Than $23 Per Gbyte

Germany-based TrekStor is offering up to 8 Gbytes of storage in its new USB thumb drive, the TrekStor USB-Stick CS-D. Though that capacity has already been met by other USB thumb drive makers, they haven't met the USB-Stick CS-D's cost per Gbyte.

The suggested retail price for the USB-Stick CS-D is $179.99--a breakthrough, considering each Gbyte costs only $22.50 for the 8-Gbyte model. A 6-Gbyte CS-D stick is available for $139.99.

The CS-D stick is about twice the width of current USB sticks, but it's thinner and shorter. It measures 1.25 inches wide, 0.375 inches thick and 2.5 inches long with the connector cover in place. It features an aluminum casing with a brushed metal finish. A red LED indicates when the stick is active.

Instead of flash memory, the CS-D contains a shock-mounted, one-inch hard drive. If used to store digital music, for example, the 8-Gbyte CS-D stick can hold about 2,000 songs. The product carries a one-year warranty.

TrekStor has its headquarters in central Germany, but its U.S. marketing arm, Data Station, is located in East Rockaway, N.Y. and can be reached at (516) 593-1515 or via its Web site (English version), www.trekstor.de/en/.