According to Acronis' 2009 survey of over 6,000 households, roughly 64% of users perform data backups only once every 2-3 months if at all. Ouch! Now that USB flash drive capacities are growing over 64GB, SanDisk is looking to spur good backup practices by having users ditch bulky external hard drives for their smaller, aptly-named Ultra Backup flash drives. Powered by U3 and bundled with Dmailer's intuitive backup software, is the first thumb drive to feature a Backup button worth it? More importantly, will you finally be coerced into backing up on a regular basis? Press on to our in-depth review to find out!

Verdict:
SanDisk's Ultra Backup USB flash drive fuses fast write speeds with a
consumer-friendly backup program, but is unfortunately hindered by the
neglected U3 platform and high cost of ownership.

The Good:
+ Retractable USB plug
+ Non-obtrusive hardware design
+ Backup software is easy to configure
+ SanDisk Backup software features "live backups" and file revisioning
+ None of the components require administrative rights to run

The Bad:
- High MSRP
- Lack any accessories
- Backup software and U3 Launchpad are Windows only
- Password protection takes all-or-nothing approach that prevents drive
use on Linux and Embedded platforms
- U3 password protection requires software installation for Mac users