INTRODUCTION

   Portable storage space has always been important to me not only because i've always liked sharing and talking about some of my work with colleagues over coffee but also because i always want to carry around with me important software such as benchmarks which i can use with products/samples that may never find their way to our lab. Of course compared to many years ago right now with 2TB models already available and 3/4TB already in the works USB flash drives can clearly rival portable hard disk drives (PHDs). Still due to high prices these models are nowhere near to the price and performance of their PHD counterparts so naturally most consumers turn towards smaller capacity models. The most popular ones currently are 128GB ones and so today we decided to take a look at the two newest models in the TransMemory line by Toshiba the U363 and U364.

   Toshiba Electronics Europe GmbH (TEE) is the European electronic components business of Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage Corporation. TEE offers a broad IC and discrete product line including high-end memory, microcontrollers, ASICs and ASSPs for automotive, multimedia, industrial, telecoms and networking applications. The company also has a wide range of power semiconductor solutions as well as storage products including HDDs, SSDs, SD Cards and USB sticks. TEE was formed in 1973 in Neuss, Germany, providing design, manufacturing, marketing and sales and now has headquarters in Dusseldorf, Germany, with branch offices in France, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. TEE employs approximately 300 people in Europe. Company president is Mr. Akira Morinaga.

   Both the U363 and U364 TransMemory USB 3.0 flash drives are available in 32/64/128GB capacities, can reach read speeds of up to 120MB/s and feature the "mid-end" Phison PS2251-07(PS2307) USB-to-Flash micro-controller chip along with Toshiba TLC NAND flash modules. Still although the specifications of both drives are identical they are aimed towards different audiences all together since the U363 model features a zinc alloy (metal) enclosure and is recommended for use with netbooks, laptops and desktop computers whereas the tiny U364 is the size of a USB plug and thus also recommended for use with tablets and smartphones. Last but not least Toshiba covers both the U363 and U364 with a 5 year limited warranty.