LaCie mosKeyto

USB keys are getting smaller, and larger. Four gigabytes is common and 8GB and 16GB sticks are no longer unfeasibly expensive, or big and bulky. In fact some of the smallest USB sticks on the market, SanDisk's Cruzer Blade and PNY's micro Attache, are both available as 16GB drives. LaCie's rather absurdly-named new mosKeyto comes in 4GB and 8GB sizes for now (a 16GB version will follow), but it's smaller than either, weighs just 10g and has LaCie's signature well-thought-out design.

Silly name, nice product; LaCie's mosKeyto

The mosKeyto isn't as geekily funny as the iamaKey and it'sKey USB sticks from LaCie, which actually look like door keys (although it's rather lovely that the drive icon looks like the mosKeyto to make it easier to pick out). Most small USB keys concentrate on just being small, but this one is designed to be small and convenient. The clip-on lid comes with a lanyard so you can keep it on your keyring, but the USB stick itself sticks out just 5mm from the USB port and it's only 15mm wide. Once you've tucked it into a USB port, you can leave it there rather than having to unplug it or safety every time you pick your laptop up and move it around. That way, when you need to copy a file, or open one, you're likely to have the drive plugged in, ready to use. It might make you marginally more likely to leave the mosKeyto plugged into your PC when you want to take it away with you (the downside of LaCie's advertising line that you can 'plug and forget in your laptop') but you do have the cap on your keyring to remind you.

The mosKeyto in a Mac, ready to forget

You've also got 4GB of online storage with Wuala (free for two years). This lets you synchronise chosen files from one PC to another and into the cloud, so if you set it to sync the files from the mosKeyto it won't matter if you do leave it plugged into a PC you don't have with you.

Small product, not-so small price: the mosKeyto is £19.99

You pay for this nifty design — £19.99 to be precise. There are cheaper 4GB drives on the market; there are cheaper ultra-portable USB drives (the 4GB PNY micro Attaché is £12, and £18 will get you the 16GB version of SanDisk's small and curvy Cruzer Blade) and you can get 5GB of synchronised online storage free with Windows Live Sync Wave 4 and any USB stick you have lying around. What you're getting with the mosKeyto is the portability. Although you'll still notice it sticking out of the side of your laptop, if you're looking for a take-everywhere USB stick, the mosKeyto is the smallest, the lightest and probably the most convenient.

Mary Branscombe