Kingston DataTraveler with urDrive – {Review with Giveaway}

Thank you to Kingston for sponsoring this review. Please click here to learn more about Kingston. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.

These days it seems that flash drives are a dime a dozen, at least that’s been my experience in recent years. Every time I attend an event or a conference I come home with at least one or two new flash drives. Nick loves them, but he doesn’t really care for the product information that the brands who give them to me add to the drives. Very smart on their part, but not fun to look at when you’re a teenager. I tell him they are priced right and he usually stops complaining.  When I got the invitation to try the Kingston DataTraveler 109 with urDrive software I was a little skeptical, but also eager to check it out and hopefully get Nick a little excited about another new flash drive.

First, let’s talk about the size. It’s 8GB. That’s way more than the average 1GB ones I usually bring home, which makes it almost like you’re carrying around your own little computer in this tiny little flash drive. It is quite small, but has a small loop on one end making it easy to attach to your key ring so you don’t lose it. It comes preloaded with Kingston’s exclusive urDrive software, which you launch after popping the drive into your computer’s USB port. Once the software is launched, the urDrive interface appears, like having your very own desktop from your USB. With features like storage, ability to organize your photos, videos, and music, along with Fooz Kids-safe apps and a web browser, I think we’ll be taking a urDrive with us where ever we go. Oh! And as an added bonus? There’s free online back-up storage.

So, what makes this so great? What makes it better than a traditional flash drive? These are seriously the questions I asked myself when I looked at it initially. I’ll give you an example of what makes this my new favorite buddy when we travel and visit family. When we arrive at my aunt and uncle’s house the first thing that Cody does is help himself to their computer. Luckily, they are really great about it and have always made us feel comfortable when visiting their home. I often worry and feel badly, though, because sometimes when Cody is browsing around on YouTube and playing videos and games that he loves, he clicks to download stuff that he might not even need, stuff that my aunt and uncle definitely don’t need on their home computer. The next time we visit, which happens to be the end of the week for Thanksgiving, I’m totally going to bring a urDrive with us and make sure Cody pops it into the computer before he does anything else. Why? Because it’s like traveling with your own little web browser once the interface pops up. With icons for Facebook, Twitter, and even YouTube, it’s super easy to get to all of your favorite places on the web, even bringing your favorites and bookmarks with you on the road. I’m actually a little excited to test it out this way and I’m pretty sure my aunt will appreciate it, too. As gracious and welcoming as she is, she simply doesn’t need a hundred of Cody’s silly downloads on her computer. Just in case I caused more confusion than I hoped to, here’s a wonderful video that explains just how cool the urDrive is:

I know. It’s pretty cool, right?

I have to briefly mention the Fooz Kids apps. While my kids are both older and they probably won’t utilize this very much (I definitely wish we had something like this when they were little, though.), it’s so very cool. There are several pre-loaded video clips from some of the best kids’ shows along with games to keep them busy for that extended visit at Grammy’s house. Sorry Grammy, the kids love you, but your house can get a little boring for them. Seriously though, it will put your mind at ease to sit your little one at a computer, plug in the urDrive, and know that they are playing safely without concern for them or for the owner of the computer that they are using.

Okay, I’ve blabbed on enough. Here’s a little bit of fun! They, the awesome folks at Kingston, want one of you to have a five-pack of these handy little devices. I know, I know. They rock, I rock, and you rock, too.  I’d love to keep it simple and easy to enter, so that’s just what I’ll do.

Mandatory entry: After reading about the Kingston urDrive and watching the video, what are you most curious about trying with it? Leave me a comment and tell me. Tell me, tell me, tell me!

Bonus entry: Because my Facebook page could win an award for the lowest number of likes, if you happen to like it, leave a comment here telling me and I’ll give you another entry in the giveaway.

So that’s it. Simple. Everyone can have two entries. One lucky person will win that 5-pack of Kingston Traveler urDrives.

The giveaway will end on November 30th at 7:59 p.m. EST and I’ll use the handy dandy random number generator to pick a winner. The winner will be contacted via email and will have 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.