LAKS USB Memory Watch

Gadgeteer Hands On Review by Julie

July 21, 2003

Product Requirements:
Device:
Win 98SE, ME, 2000, XP, Linux 2.4 or higher, Mac OS 8.6 or higher

USB drives seem to be everywhere you look. A great idea for portable file storage, these little devices can be stowed almost anywhere... But how about a portable USB device that you never have to worry about losing because it's always attached to you? The LAKS USB Memory Watch available from ThinkGeek is just such a device. This watch includes everything you need for a file storage device on the go.

The USB Memory Watch is an unassuming analog watch with a Japanese movement and 3-year battery life. It has a black plastic or resin body with brushed aluminum trim around the face. The straps are a soft black rubber material. Unfortunately for me, the watch is too large for my wrist. Even at the smallest setting, it is too loose. It is also a little too masculine for me... But then, the watch is probably marketed more towards men anyway. I did have a male friend of mine try the watch on, and he commented that it felt ok on his wrist. As far as size, the watch is 1.5" width x .375" thick (watch face) and weighs 1.5 oz (43 grams).

Feature wise, the watch does two things. It tells time and it has flash memory built in that you can transfer to a PC, Mac or Linux box via USB. You might be thinking, "Do I have to carry around a USB cable, and where does it plug into the watch?" Guess what? The cable is built directly into the watch! It's hidden in the strap with a very ingenious design. The strap loop is actually a cover for a standard sized USB connector. The plastic loop can be pulled down to allow the short USB cable to separate from the strap. The cable is only about 2.5in long, but that should be adequate for plugging into the USB port on a PC or laptop. If not, a longer (41in) extension cable is included that you can carry with you to use when needed.

The watch is entirely plug and play for current operating systems (a driver for Windows 98 is included on a CD). I tested this watch with Windows XP Pro and Home. No drivers were required. Just plug it in, wait a few seconds for the computer to recognize the device, and boom, a new drive shows up under My Computer. From there, you can drag and drop files to your heart's content.

When the watch is plugged in to a USB port, a very small red LED in the 9 o'clock location on the front of the watch, will slowly blink like a heart beat. When files are being transferred to and fro, the LED blinks more rapidly. Transferring files is quite speedy. Reading speed is 1000KB/second, while writing speed is 920KB/second.

For those of you that are worried about file security, you can password protect a partition on the watch using the file utility software included on CD. Problem is, that the utility software will need to be installed on every machine you want to plug the watch into, if you want to see those protected files. Using the utility software, you can partition the file area into a public area a password protected area, or both. The nice thing is that even if you have a password on the security area partition, you can still access the public area partition without needing the utility software. The secure partition will just not show up on a machine that does not have the utility software installed on it.

Utool software screen shots

The USB Memory Watch is a handy way to transport files to and from work. Sometimes I'll download a program at work because we have a T1 line there. It's nice to be able to offload that file to the watch and then install it on my machine at home.

I should also point out that the watch is shock proof and anti-static. So you don't have to worry about losing your info if drop it or get zapped by a static spark on a dry day.

There are a couple of things I would change about this watch if it were up to me. I'd add a date function, make it available in different colors, and make the stem longer (it's a little difficult to set the time as it is so short). I'd also make a smaller size for women. If you're in the market for a USB drive and also need a watch, be sure and check this one out!

Price: $149.99 (256mb), $99.99 (128mb)

Pros:
USB storage on the go
Can be password protected
Plug and play

Cons:
Doesn't show the date
Short stem, difficult to set time