Corsair PadLock 2GB Review

[BenchZowner]

A week ( or so ) ago I've received a package from Corsair, containing something named "Corsair PadLock"...
When I opened it I found out that it's a USB Flash Disk Drive with one unique ( market-wise ) feature...it has 5 buttons on it, and a security hardware chipset that allows you to use a PIN ( code ) as a password to authorize yourself and get access to the data stored in the drive.

Some quotes from the review:

Originally posted by BenchZone's review
Now is it affordable "security" or affordable Security ?
Is it some sort of security that can be taken down easily, a not so hard one, or a bad ass "CIA" approved security ? ( LOL ).
Well, let's take a look at some facts and insights:

* The security chipset used in Corsair's PadLock is placed in-between the on-board USB Controller ( the PadLock's controller ) & the storage controller ( the PadLock's controller as well, not the computer's ).
Thus you can't use any of the common "software" attacks from a computer to the device ( like Brute force attacks, or using a keylogger to 'steal' the owner's pin ) as the PadLock security chip blocks any communication ( electrically ) between the PadLock and the computer.
If the PadLock is locked the computer can't detect it or communicate with it at all ( unless you unlock it...but hey! Then you already have the PIN! )
* The PIN is stored to a location ( firmware ) and isn't accessible to the computer
* The PIN ( Password ) and the whole authentication process is never transmitted to or 'realized' by the host ( the computer where the PadLock is attached to )
* Can somebody steal my data ? There are two ways..and both are kinda difficult...1 way is to remove the Flash chips and place them on another drive ( difficult enough, plus requires expeeensive equipment )...the other way is by opening up the drive again, tampering with the Firmware with a reader/writer and 'deciphering' the pin ( and that also depends on the firmware structure, and the encoding used by the firmware writer ).
Both sound more than difficult and sort of impossible to happen in real-life ( unless you're FBI's target! )

So it's virtually ( at least ) invulnerable...

Originally posted by BenchZone's review
Ok, here's the tricky part, I need to express my feelings over this little portable storage thingy...well, I'll try.
There are several similar products in the market that are equally fast and can store the same amount of data, but there's something they can't do, they don't offer...hardware-based data protection. While it might sound a bit 'silly' to some people, I think that there are some people who'd like to have their data protected from...indiscreet people ( one of them is me! LOL ).
Apart from the security module, there's nothing else separating it from the rest USB Flash Disk Drives of its price range.
It all comes down to branding, warranty & support, and mainly...its pricing...well, the 'competitors' on the market with the same capacity & performance are priced at around 20-25$ while the PadLock kicks in at 30$, considering the hardware security feature, it's worth the price asked.

Wonder, what I'd really like to see/have ?
A PadLock GT...yes....you know what I'm asking for...a speedy edition of this 'unique' product, it deserves it.

Here's the full review of the Corsair PadLock 2GB