Dane-Elec ShareBytes

Note: Given the similarities in performance and design between the Dane-Elec ColorBytes and the Dane-Elec ShareBytes, the two reviews share some material.

At the risk of sounding like a grizzled curmudgeon, I still find myself surprised by the progressively younger age that children have begun using computers over the past few years. Alas, this is undeniably the case, and it therefore makes sense that a market exists for peripherals aimed exclusively towards youngsters. The Dane-Elec ShareBytes Value Pack drives ("ShareBytes") ($12.99 direct) fit squarely into this category. They're not the fastest or most durable flash drives by any measure, but they succeed in seamlessly fusing toy and technology, and kids will almost surely get a kick out of their cartoonish designs.

Design and Features
It doesn't take a team of behavioral scientists and several focus group studies to surmise that children like plastic and bright colors. Accordingly, the ShareBytes drives are constructed entirely out of plastic, including the USB plug. Children also tend to misplace things, so it makes sense that both sets feature capless designs, instead utilizing sliding USB connectors.

The ShareBytes set consists of two 4GB flash drives that symmetrically interlock by sliding into one another in a manner that looks like they're embracing one another; our test units featured two cartoonish monsters donning backpacks locked in a genial hug. Other available designs utilizing the hug motif include bacon and eggs, a devil and an angel, and robots as well as skeletons hugging each other, respectively. A side effect of this hug-inspired design is that the outstretched "arm" of the drives protrudes half an inch to the side and, in turn, crowds out neighboring ports.

On the plus side, the ShareBytes drives come with no preloaded software. On the other hand, that means that there's no encryption or password protection whatsoever. Ostensibly, this makes sense for drives designed for children. However, children old enough to understand computers are surely capable of memorizing simple passwords, and if I were a parent, I personally wouldn't feel terribly safe knowing that my child's personal documents and pictures could wind up in the hands of a random stranger with unfettered access to that data. Kids do lose things, after all. Careful parents would be better served by the Editors' Choice Kingston DataTraveler Locker+ (8GB) . It's not the coolest or most cartoonish drive by any stretch, but it will give your children added protection ? and yourself some peace of mind.

Each ShareByte drive offers 4GB of storage space, with 3.79GB of usable space. They are sold in sets of two for a price of $12.99, coming to $1.63 per GB; according to these numbers each drive, therefore, costs $6.52. As a set the ShareBytes make for a better deal than the Dane-Elec Marvel Avengers USB Drives ($1.87 per gigabyte), the Verbatim Store N' Go Clip-it USB Drive ($1.83 per gigabyte), and the Kingston DataTraveler Locker+ (8GB) ($1.75 per gigabyte). Only the Duracell Rugged USB Drive (16GB) is more affordable, at $1.25 per gigabyte.

Performance
Naturally, one shouldn't purchase a novelty flash drive intended for children and expect blazing fast performance. That said, the ShareBytes drives perform reasonably well compared to other flash drives in their price range. In our timed data transfer tests, they produced speeds of 4.3MBps (write) and 18.1MBps (read). This read speed outpaced that of the Dane-Elec Marvel Avengers USB Drives (4.4MBps write, 16.3MBps read) as well as that of Verbatim Store N' Go Clip-it (6MBps write, 15MBps read). Moreover, the ValuePack drives outperformed the Duracell Rugged USB Drive (16GB) (4.1 MBps write, 12.5MBps read) on both write and read speeds. Only the DataTraveler Locker+ (8GB) (9.6MBps write, 24MBps read) outflanked the ShareBytes drives on both prongs.

In the end, the Dane-Elec ShareBytes Value Pack drives aren't the fastest or most rugged drives on the market, nor are they meant to be. They're designed to amuse children and add a little color to their nascent computer usage. Given their affordable price, they're also good for parents, too. Still, I'd advise parents to go with our current Editors' Choice for flash drives, the DataTraveler Locker+ (8GB), whose uncomplicated encryption program offers a level of security for children that, in my mind, far outweighs the need for bright colors and cute designs.

COMPARISON TABLE
Compare the Dane-Elec ShareBytes with several other flash drives by side.

More flash drive reviews:
??? Dane-Elec ColorBytes
??? Dane-Elec ShareBytes
??? Dane-Elec LifeBytes (8GB)
??? Dane-Elec Marvel Universe USB Drives
??? LaCie RuggedKey (16GB)
?? more

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