Introduction

Most of you already know about the OCZ Rally USB drive. It was designed with highest performance in mind with features like Dual-Channel technology, for example.
Now OCZ has released a thumb drive which is optimized for size - it is just 2.8mm high.

From the manufacturer OCZ Technology:

• Dimensions: 43mm x 19mm x 2.8mm (L x W x H)
• High Speed USB 2.0 Certified
• True Plug and Play (Compatible with MAC OS X)
• Available in 512MB, 1GB, and 2GB capacities
• Blue LED Status Light
• Small Lanyard Keyring
• 3 Year Warranty

Packaging

The OCZ Mini Kart comes in something which is similar to a blister pack. The difference is that the sides are not melted together on their whole length but only on four small areas. You can see it in the high-res versions if you look closely.


The advantage of this packaging method is that there is much less risk of injury and it is a lot easier to open. A disadvantage is that the packaging doesn't look so nice after opening it, you can still close it safely though.


This little plastic casing which reminds me of a CompactFlash case holds the Mini Kart and the attached lanyard.

That's all there is in the package. No driver CD or other accessories are included. This makes sense to me since most people use Windows 2000/XP nowadays which supports any USB stick natively without any additional driver. The same goes for Mac OS X.

The Stick

One key point to note here, except for the tiny size, is that there is no cap which you can lose. The contacts seem to be very rugged, so there's no need for extra protection.


The backside is just black plastic. If you look at the high-res version you can see a tiny gap from where the case has been closed during the manufacturing process. This doesn't look waterproof, a bit of water spillage shouldn't be a problem though.


For size comparison I placed the OCZ Rally and the OCZ Mini Kart on a CD. The OCZ Rally is already one of the smallest "regular sized" USB sticks. But compared to the Mini Kart it is huge.


When the USB stick is in use a small LED on the backside is lit. During accesses it starts to blink.


Wow. Isn't that pretty. The Mini Kart looks like it was made to go together with my notebook.


Given the small size of this USB stick it is well possible carrying it in your wallet. Also noteworthy is that it is extremely light weight because of the all-plastic case. On the other hand this gives it a bit of a cheap touch since you can barely feel the weight in your hands.