Flash drives are so ubiquitous these days that it's hard to make a new one stand out. But flashy looks on top of solid substance never failed anyone, and that's what the Cruzer Contour brings to the party. It's got a sexy-meets-solid body, glossy black plastic on the top, solid metal bottom. It's a design scheme that seems to have oozed over from SanDisk's Sansa MP3 players, and it transfers really well.

The mechanism that extends and retracts the USB connector though is this drive's real innovation. Pull your thumb back across the ridges to reveal the connector, then press your thumb forward to extend it. Press forward again to conceal the connector, and back again to return to the original state. The action could be smoother, but it's an experience oddly reminiscent of cocking a weapon; thankfully though this device isn't lethal.

It's fast though, with read speeds of 25MB/s and read speeds of 18MB/s, which means it more than qualifies as a ReadyBoost capable drive, if you're into the whole Windows Vista thing. For software, the Contour comes with a few U3 portable apps and games that'll let you synch folders, make VoIP calls, store passwords, or just generally waste time. More apps can be added to the toolbar from the U3 site. There's a nice file encryption utility included as well.

The only flaw I see in the drive is one that depends wholly on the way you carry your drive. Mine's almost always on my keychain and for some reason, SanDisk neglected to include any kind of eyelet to clip on to your Contour. They include a little black pouch for your drive, which does include a clip. But carrying the Contour in that would be a bit like toting around your iPhone in a burlap bag. And the pouch doesn't look that durable either. This drive deserves to be seen, not sitting snug as a bug in an ugly pouch. For me, this means I'd be much more likely to lose the drive, which would be a shame because aside from its sexiness, my flash drive tends to tote my most important files.

Still, the SanDisk Cruzer Contour is the snazziest flash drive on the block, with the goods under the hood to back up its looks. If you trust yourself to hold on to little shiny things more than I do, the Contour is available now in 4GB and 8GB flavors, for $99 and $189 respectively. Shop around though, because they can be snagged at the usual places for a lot less.

Post by Matt Safford