Review: Tyme Machines Star Wars flash drives come to a galaxy very, very close
When it comes to giving geeks presents, nothing says “I love you and respect your need to move large files quickly” like a USB flash drive. And nothing says “I am a geek too” like giving them a flash drive that looks like a bobble-head Star Wars character.
Currently the big name in Star Wars-themed flash drives is Mimoco, with their adorable line of smooth-headed characters. However the Star Wars flash drive arena just got a little more crowded with Tyme Machines’ new line of sculpted USB flash drives.
Unlike the super stylized Mimobots, Tyme Machines went for a somewhat more realistic, yet still comical look for their drives. The characters are more physically detailed than the Mimobots, from Boba Fett’s dented helmet to the “011”on the back of the Storm Trooper, there’s some pretty impressive detailing going on. The overall look is reminiscent of the dashboard “bobble head” dolls that I assume all of you have distractingly placed in your rear windshields.
Each drive consists of a 3-inch tall figure from the original Star Wars movies (aka, the good ones). Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Yoda, and a Storm Trooper are all available in capacities ranging from 4 GB to 16 GB, at prices ranging from $29.99 to $59.99. (Tyme Machines also makes a “Twilight” drive for those of you into such things).
To get at the drive itself, you need to pull the head off the drive, which isn’t all that creepy except for Yoda. Then it’s simply a matter of plugging him into any open USB port. Performance wise there really isn’t much to say here, as flash drive technology has been around since before Attack of the Clones, and the drives perform as you would expect.
Given how similar in concept the Tyme Machine drives are compared to the Mimobots, obviously some comparisons beg to be made. The Mimobots cost $10 more across the board for the same capacity. Although the Mimobots have a sleeker design, both drives are bulky enough that they will block the 2nd USB port of most Mac laptops when inserted, so really they take up TWO USB ports. The Mimobots have a power indicator light that the Tyme Machines do not, and the Mimobots tend to plug in “face down” while the Tyme Machines plug in “face up”. Missing on the Tyme Machine drives is the extra “themed” digital content that often comes on the Mimobots.
Ultimately the decision on which way to go (Mimo or Tyme) is going to be up to a personal preference in style.
Issues
As I said, there is not much that can go wrong with a flash drive these days, so the only real issue I have is that the drive tends to block both USB ports on my Mac, as I mentioned above. Of course, Apple has placed the slots so close together almost ANY flash drive you plug in will have the same effect, so there’s not much Tyme Machines could have done about that.
Conclusion
Tyme Machine’s Star Wars flash drives are really pretty adorable and a great gift for any geeky Star Wars fan (as if there is another kind). However, despite their $10 advantage over the Mimobots, I don’t know that there is any clear “winner” in the Star Wars flash drive wars, and ultimately the decision between the two will come down to personal preference. Or you could always just buy both.
Price: $29.99 to $59.99 (sizes from 4 GB to 16 GB)
Pros: Cute, pocket sized flash drive, Star Wars characters let your freak flag fly
Cons: a little bulkier than Mimobots, does not come with any star wars branded digital content
Cool! If you think decapitating is bad, at least the usb isn’t in the same place as where they have it for the usb humping dog.
It would be cool if Luke’s removable part is his arm…
Purchased a flash drive from them, it doesn’t work on any of the computers I’ve tried it on( XP, Windows 7, Linux). I emailed them on 12-16-09, 1-2-10, and 1-6-10. No reply on any of the emails, not even an automatic no reply email. Their policy states that they will cover a “bum” drive. They don’t.