Lexar JumpDrive Secure II USB Flash Drive - Mac & PC Support

The Drive in Hand

Although its name indicates otherwise, one of the most noticeable features about the JumpDrive Secure II is its sleek construction.  Lexar has quite possibly put together the best form factor for those who want a reasonably sized device that isn't easy to lose, yet don't want the bulkiness of something like a DataTraveler Elite or Lexar's own JumpDrive Lightning. 

The construction of the plastic drive is top-notch, easily comparable to Kingston's offerings, and the sides of the drive are curved slightly inwards very similar to the case of Microsoft's Xbox 360. 

The drive itself is about average length, but the biggest selling point of the JumpDrive Secure II's form factor is its thickness - or relative lack thereof.  The drive is reasonably thin, and its design minimizes the thickness to make the drive appear smaller than it actually is.  At its thickest point, the JumpDrive Secure II is comparable to SanDisk's cruzer mini. 

Lexar's JumpDrive Lightning (top) vs. Lexar's JumpDrive Secure II (bottom)

Lexar's JumpDrive Secure II (top) vs. Kingston's DataTraveler Elite (bottom)

Lexar's JumpDrive Secure II (top) vs. SanDisk's cruzer mini (bottom)

Unfortunately, as with most of Lexar's drives, the JumpDrive Secure II comes at a fairly hefty premium.  The 512MB version is fairly competitive with drives from Kingston, but no where near as affordable as Crucial's Gizmo!.  But once you get up to the 1GB size, the JumpDrive Secure II ends up being almost as expensive (sometimes even more) than Lexar's JumpDrive Lightning.  At over $80 for a 1GB stick, the JumpDrive Secure II had better be as good of a performer as the Lightning or the Kingston DataTraveler Elite. 

But, we'll get to that in a moment. First, it is time to take a look at Lexar's new Windows XP/OS X security software.