OCZ ATV 4GB USB Flash Drive Review

The OCZ ATV drive is of average size for today’s portable devices.  There are some drives that are extremely portable and tiny, and others that feel like a brick, complete with lanyard to hang yourself with.

OCZ’s focus for this drive is dependability and portability.  It is meant to affix to a keychain, as no lanyard is included, but does come with a small chain. This chain also tethers a unique cap-plug to the main unit.  This plug is molded out of the same rubber that engulfs the drive, and snugly holds the rubber cap in place.

I’ve lost more USB drive caps than I have destroyed them, and this is usually due to an inadequate method of securing the caps when the drive is in use. The cap is so snug, that trying to remove the cap will undoubtedly pry the chain apart.  It didn’t take me even an hour before I had noticed that the cap was missing yet again… but I’m apparently accident prone, so take this with a grain of salt.

The drive is meant to look tough, too, as the blue rubber mimics the tire treads of an ATV (All-Terrain Vehicle).  The blue rubber pieces are embossed slightly, which makes the unit satisfying to grip.  The rubber is also slightly tacky, so a dip in your jeans pocket means it will come out looking like a dust bunny.

On the rear end of the drive is a clear plastic button with the markings “4G”, either indicating this is the amoung of force it can take, or that this is the 4-gigabyte flavor of the ATV line.  Underneath this plastic window is an orange LED which identifies when the unit is plugged in, in addition to read or write activity.