Migo USB 1.1 Flash Drive

The concept of flash storage in a USB form factor has intrigued me for quite some time. When Agate Technologies came out with one of the first USB flash drives on the market, I rushed right out and picked one up. The unit held a whooping 64MB, considerable for the time; however, it lacked an onboard driver, which made the unit ineffective, especially when working with unfamiliar systems.

Eventually companies started marketing USB drives equipped with onboard drivers. I spent some time with a couple of these variants but found them to be basically just a larger (as it relates to storage), more reliable version of a floppy disk. The form factor was great and proved to be a great conversation starter, at least with the geek crowd, but I used multiple PCs and it just seemed more effective to save my work to the network (Internet) than to the USB drive.

A little over a year ago I started hearing about a company that was using USB flash drives to allow users to port their current desktop to any system on which they were working. The product, known as the Migo, uses a standard USB 1.1 flash drive and then incorporates special software to allow the user to copy over certain elements of their primary computer (i.e. files, wallpaper, Internet Explorer settings, and Microsoft Outlook data) to the device. The software also contains a synchronization feature that keeps data between the Migo and its local computer always up-to-date.

After reading some of the product reviews and with endorsements by such tech heavyweights as John C. Dvorak, I figured that perhaps finally someone had actually delivered a USB flash drive that would actually fit the way in which I work. Upon completion of my review, I think it’s safe to say that I’m still looking for the holy grail of USB flash drives.

But before I get too deep into the review portion of this article, I think it’s important to expound on how I actually work with my data on a daily basis and some of the applications that I use. It is this unique user approach to working with data that I feel determines why one user finds the Migo to be extremely effective and another user to claim the device is nothing more than a high priced USB flash drive.

On any given business day I use multiple computers, three of which garner most of my attention – laptop, office desktop, and home desktop. All three systems are running Windows XP Professional. Files that I need to access from multiple systems I usually store in locations readily accessible from anywhere on the Internet. For my personal e-mail I use Microsoft Outlook but at work I use Novell GroupWise. My browser of choice these days is Mozilla Firefox 0.9. Migo supports neither Mozilla Firefox nor GroupWise so I made sure to use Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 and Microsoft Outlook 2003 during my review.

The Migo 256MB Flash Drive

Setup

Setting up the Migo is straightforward. You simply plug the device into the USB port on your computer and it is automatically recognized (Windows 98 systems require the installation of a driver first). Go to My Computer and the Migo will appear as a “Removable Disk”. Open up the drive and click on the “PocketLogin.exe”, which will guide you through the rest of the initial setup. This setup is designed to establish a relationship between your “local” computer and the Migo. It is this relationship that allows data to be synchronized between the two devices.

After you have created the relationship between the computer and the Migo, you can begin selecting which files, IE settings, and Outlook data you would like to synchronize.

Usage

The Migo’s functional concept is a relatively simplistic process.

• Create a relationship between the Migo and a local computer.
• Select the data from the local computer that you would like synchronized to the Migo
• Use the Migo with any other computer and have access to the look/feel and the original data from your local computer.
• Return the Migo to the local computer, where any changes on the Migo can be synchronized between the two devices.

In theory this sounds like a great improvement over standard USB flash drives; however, in practice my experience proved quite different.

First, I struggled with connectivity issues when moving the Migo between systems. In most cases it was recognized initially but if I unplugged the Migo and then reconnected it shortly (2 – 10 minutes) thereafter, the system would typically fail to recognize the device.

Second, the Migo seemed to have issues with foreign systems that already had applications running when it was connected. The Migo by design will prompt you in such situations and recommend that you close the applications; although, in every instance I saw you had to close the requested application for the Migo desktop to either load or to restore the foreign systems original desktop. A good rule of thumb when using the Migo is to make sure that no applications are running in the toolbar when you connect the device and be sure to close all open applications before logging off the device. Although it is a bit inconvenient, it does reduce the likelihood that the device will become confused.

Third, in order for the device to be truly effective, the application software installed on the foreign systems must be compatible to what is loaded on the local computer. At first glance this may not appear to be a big deal; however, the Migo is being marketed as device that allows you take your desktop (and its data) with you and access it from any other computer. For example I use Microsoft Outlook 2003 on my “local” laptop and Microsoft Outlook XP on my “office” desktop. Because of this incompatibility, I’m unable to access the Outlook data from the Migo while using my “office” desktop. Although application compatibility is nothing new in the technology industry, it can be an absolute death knell for a remote device. The only way around this issue, and to ensure access to all of the Migo’s features, is to make sure that the foreign systems you access have software that is compatible with the Migo’s “local” computer.

Fourth, the storage capacity of the Migo is sub-par. 256MB, in my opinion, is just too small for a standard USB flash drive, much less one that is designed to synchronize data between devices. Typically when I think of data that I would synchronize, it involves files that change with some frequency like spreadsheets and databases not pictures and MP3s. A synchronization storage device, like the Migo, needs to have enough capacity to accommodate data that will grow over time. Instead the Migo’s size is more representative of a device used to transfer files between systems and not so much one intended to be used for storage.

Although I feel the aforementioned points greatly reduce the effectiveness of the Migo, there were some aspects of this product that I did like and felt should probably be incorporated into all USB flash drives.

The first was the use of integrated security, both hardware and software, which protects the Migo’s data from prying eyes should you misplace it. On the software side the Migo uses a “password” authentication scheme via the PocketLogin software. As for hardware security, it appears that the Migo uses some form of encryption; however, I’ve been unable to verify the algorithm or key strength used.

The second feature that I felt added real value was the use of integrated synchronization software. Because the Migo is a remote device, it is nice to have the “local” computer automatically replicate any changes that occur to the Migo’s data.

One other plus that I discovered late in the review process was that the user is not required to load the Migo’s desktop in order to work with data that is stored on the device. The data can still be accessed, like any other USB flash drive, and will synchronize when the Migo is re-attached to the “local” computer.

Bencharks

Test system

• Pentium 4 (HT) 2.8 GHz
• 512 MB DDR400 Memory
• Radeon 9800 PRO
• Hitachi Deskstar (HDS722540VLAT20) 40 GB HDD
• WindowsXP SP1

The Migo would not show-up as being a valid drive in Sisoft Sandra to allow a “drive speed test” to be run. Instead I used the “Removable Storage/Flash Benchmark” utility.

File Transfer

Transfer Rate Results (~130MB MP3 files copied):

• HD to HD (folder to folder on same partition) = 9 seconds
• HD to Migo = 4 minutes 18 seconds
• Migo to HD = 2 minutes 25 seconds

Conclusion

I think the biggest thing I came away with after reviewing the Migo is that it is a device that is only perfect for a small percentage of users, i.e. when you take into account what it offers; only a select few will be able to leverage all of the Migo’s features to their advantage. My current way of working does not allow me to do this. So, considering the Migo’s price, this would probably not be a wise investment for the minimal advantage it might provide.

Users who find themselves working on “known” systems with compatible software will have an easier time integrating the Migo into their digital work habits. To these users, the Migo may offer tremendous benefit over the standard fare of USB flash drives currently available.

I will state that the Migo is a nice attempt at building a better mousetrap. However, if it is to reach mass consumer appeal, it will need to increase the amount of applications that the product works with, provide additional storage capacity, and offer it at comparable price of standard USB flash drives. The Migo is definitely a step in the right direction, but without some serious changes it is destined to become just another also-ran technology device.

The Migo is available for a list price of $149.95 USD for the 126 MB model and $199.95 for the 256 MB model.