Kingston DTSE9 G2 USB 3.0 32GB Thumbdrive review

This is a quick review of the Kingston DTSE9 G2 USB 3.0 32GB thumbdrive. Please note that this is a value thumbdrive and will not blow your socks off with the transfer speeds.

Official Specifications from Kingston website

Speed2: 8GB–16GB: 100MB/s read
32GB–128GB: 100MB/s read, 15MB/s write

Compact: capless ultra-small form factor to fit any mobile lifestyle

Guaranteed: five-year warranty, free technical support

Customizable: Co-Logo program available3

Dimensions: 45mm x 12.2mm x 4.6mm

Operating Temperature: 0°C to 60°C

Storage Temperature: -20°C to 85°C

Compatible with: Windows®  10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7 (SP1), Windows Vista® (SP2), Mac OS X v.10.8.x+, Linux v.2.6.x+, Chrome OS™

Aesthetics and dimensions

If you are sick of your thumbdrives failing because of physical damage, you will be happy to see that this thumbdrive sports an all-metal housing that makes it very tough to break.

Some that likes a cap to protect the thumbdrive will shy away as there are no caps for this particular model. To be honest, since the contact points are gold plated, the chances of the contact points oxidizing is minimal. I would not worry about that.















However, since the USB male port on the Kingston DTSE9 G2 is the enclosure as well, scratch marks appeared after one insertion. That is unavoidable on any drives but it sure is more obvious on this one as it lacks a cap.





























A quick comparison with the other drives that I currently have shows us how small the thumdrive is.
If you have a Macbook or any silver notebooks, it will blend right in. Below is how it looks plugged into a HP Elitebook Folio 9470m. The exact dimensions are 45mm x 12.2mm x 4.6mm.





Thermals
During transfer, the thumdrive does get warm to the touch. Do not be alarmed, as it is normal. Thumbdrives with plastic housing isolates your touch to the heat, but instead contains it in which may result in premature death of the thumbdrive. I prefer this bare metal enclosure.

The passes were done one after another. There were no noticeable drops in transfer speeds.

Speed
Speed test for the thumbdrives are ran using CrystalDiskInfo. The tests are ran at the default settings for 3 passes and the final result is the average reading for the 3 passes.

The Kingston will be compared against the thumdrives that I have on hand:
1. Sandisk Ultra USB3.0 16GB
2. Transcend Jetflash JF-560 USB2.0 8GB
3. Kingston DT101 G2 USB2.0 16GB

With this, we can get a rough idea of how the Kingston DTSE9 G2 compares to the other mainstream thumbdrives. Do not that all of these thumbdrives are value oriented and are by no means the fastest drives on the market.

Test system
Type: Laptop
Brand: HP
Model: Elitebook Folio 9470m
Processor: Intel Core i5-3437U@1.9 Ghz (4C4T)
RAM: 8GB DDR3 SODIMM
Storage: Micron RealSSD C400 SED 256GB (500 MBps read, 260 Mbps write)
OS: Windows 7 Enterprise
USB Port: USB 3.0

Graphs

Overall results for the 4 drives.


For read tests, the Kingston DTSE9 G2 blew every other drive in this test away. It maintained a more than 30% lead on the Sandisk Ultra throughout the 4 tests. The USB 2.0 drives are simply not comparable which is to be expected.

Things are also interesting between the USB 2.0 drives where we can see that the Transcend JF560 almost doubling the performance of the Kingston DT101 G2 in sequential read tests. For random reads, the lead drops but is still a much better than the Kingston GT101 G2.



For write tests, it is a different story where we see the Sandisk Ultra leading in every single test. It beats the Kingston DTSE9 G2 handily even in sequential write tests. I find it most interesting as the Kingston DT101 G2 managed to actually match the faster DTSE9 G2 in terms of write speed in the Seq Q32T1 test.

Conclusion
I see people buying thumbdrives without reading reviews. They seemed to have accepted the fact that value drives will always be slow. But I disagree. From the tests, we can see a huge difference between the two USB2.0 drives. The Transcend JF-560 has a faster read speed, but the Kingston DT101 G2 has better write speeds.

Similarly, the Sandisk Ultra has better write speeds but loses in terms of read speeds to the Kingston DTSE9 G2. So it depends on what is needed more. For my use case, the thumbdrive is for reformatting PCs, so it makes sense to have a higher read speed which the Kingston DTSE9 G2 fits perfectly. But if I am looking for an everyday thumbdrive which involves write and read, I will go for the Sandisk Ultra as it is more balanced between read and write speeds.

I hope this little review helps someone out there. Thank you for reading.

How much does the Palit Jetstream GTX 1070 Turbo Boost to?

I have had the Palit Jetstream (read: non-overclocked) version for a couple of days now. To be honest, it did not disappoint me with its performance. I ran into the issue where there really was not any reviews to be found for this reasonably priced cards. I bet Palit themselves did not even send any of these out. (They are pushing for their new Gamerock cards at the moment)

I am working on sort of a review for the card at the moment. Need to figure out how exactly I would be doing that with just one card.

For the moment, I can tell you that this card is silent, cool and Turbo Boosts as well as the GTX 1070 Founder's Edition. Base clock for the card is 1506 MHz, and it boosts to 1835 to 1873 MHz.

Below is a screenshot for reference.

I hope this will be at least helpful to someone.

Android (Samsung) upgrades pisses me off

This. This is why Android gets whooped when Apple finally saw the light and released phones that do not just cater to ants.

Are you fucking kidding me Samsung/Google? My phone was awake almost the entire time that it was off the charger. This is utterly ridiculous. I might have the technical know how to actually factory reset my phone every time this happens, but it is really getting on my nerves.

Also, I have a nagging feeling that this Android 5.0 update will spell the end for proper battery life on my Samsung Galaxy Note 3, despite Google's claim that Project Volta is supposed to help with battery life.

The screen and the processor are not the most power draining things in a smartphone. It is the stupidity of Android and Samsung. Seriously Samsung, are you surprised that Apple took such a huge chunk of your money with nothing but simply, bigger screens?

Steel Series Sensei [RAW] Na'vi Edition - condition after one year

I realize something pretty strange about the tech review world. Reviewers only concentrate on how good a device is at launch. There are actually close to none how a piece of hardware age through the years. This causes some issues.

Although it is not that important for smartphones as the majority of people subscribe to a 2 year upgrade cycle. However, for other items like mice, keyboard, and mousepads, it is good to know how well they age.

 For example, the first Razer Goliathus Speed was a superb mousepad but only for the first 3 months. The mousepad is ridiculously easy to stain and cannot be washed as the glue will dissolve, leaving the Goliathus frayed. Even without washing it, the Goliathus frayed within 2 months of constant use. Comparing that to my Zowie Gear PT-F, which is washable, stitched at the sides (which makes it not even remotely capable of fraying), the Goliathus is a bad deal.

 I get it. Realistically speaking, professional reviewers that goes through tens of products a month cannot possibly be using all of the reviewed products to write reviews after a year or two. Plus, most of them are not allowed to keep the products.

Hence,  I wish to implore everyone that happens to come by this article to write an article of a piece of tech hardware that you have for a year or two. That will really help out people who are considering to buy products that lasts. I will get the ball rolling with a review of the Steel Series [RAW] Na'vi Edition. I hope this is helpful.

What you are seeing here is the surface of the mouse becoming sticky over the course of a year. However, the issue started surfacing less than a month after I used it. The thing is, I'd rather leave the dust on it so that the stickiness of the rubber is not that apparent. But that of course makes the mouse look horrible.

The most ridiculous thing is that Steel Series said that the mouse has a matte finish. I am not sure who the product engineer is but the matte feeling did not even last 24 hours. After about 2-3 hours of use, the rubber texture is already very noticeable. It completely wore off after a day.

Yeah Na'vi are champions, but you are not, Steel Series.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 LTE (SM-N9005) is receiving Lollipop update in Malaysia now

Hi folks,

If you own a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 LTE (SM-N9005), you might want to check for updates on your phone right now.

Of course, it's been 3 months since its initial launch. But hey, better late than... oh damn it. Android M is coming next month.

Google Playstore increased the app refund window to two hours

From a measly 15 minutes, Android Playstore users now have 120 minutes to regret their purchase and get a refund. This is definitely good news for users who paid for applications that provided false descriptions to goad them into the purchase.

Straight from the Google Playstore refund policy.

Is there anyone out there planning to finish a paid game in 115 minutes and refund it?

Samsung Galaxy S5: Disappointing looks

The looks
Let's face it. Samsung is not known to make the best looking hardware for their phones. The internals and display are powerful, but it just looks, boring, and sometimes, plain ugly.

This is the case with the newly announced Samsung Galaxy S5.

Samsung has clearly taken the faux leather back to new heights of ugliness. Source: Phone Arena

It looks reminiscent of the Nexus 7 (1st generation) but that device was never meant to be a premium device. At $199, the first Nexus 7 was meant to be a tablet that you can throw around. This phone, however, will be the top of the line Galaxy S phone for 2014. It will also cost at least RM2200 and it is really hard justifying to pay that kind of money for this phone.

Previously, Samsung phones just feel plastic-ky. No matter how this feels in hand, it feels like Samsung has already lost in terms of looks.  If I got one, I will probably superglue some cover onto it so that I don't have to ever see the back again.

The Notification Panel has been revamped a little, making it looks less 2009 and more 2011. Source: Engadget

It is not a complete revamp of the entire Touch Wiz, but it is a step in the right direction - into present, or almost. This still looks incredibly outdated compared to what Google/Sony/HTC has on their phones.

This is a summary of the revamped areas in the Touch Wiz UI. May I conclude that it is not enough? Source: Lowyat.net

The camera section also got a new UI that makes it easier to use compared to the hellish experience on the Note 3.

The new stuffs
On the bright side, the screen of the S5 got a little bigger (5.1" vs 5.0" - resolution stays the same at 1080 x 1920 pixels). It has 2 new sensors - heart rate monitor, and fingerprint sensor, to make your lives easier. It also packs in a 2800 mAH battery, an incremental 200 mAH upgrade from last year's 2600 mAH battery.

The fingerprint sensor is a no brainer for Samsung. Apple has it, so Samsung has to have it as well. The problem is that I am not too sure if Samsung has implemented it as well as Apple has. Knowing Apple, the fingerprint sensor on the iPhone 5S or Touch ID, might have been in the pipelines for years. It might have taken them years to perfect it and confidently place it on their flagship phone. For Samsung, it might be a rushed "cut-and-paste" job. That, we can only tell when it has been launched and extensive testing have been done.

The heart rate monitor is included because of the health/wearable craze that seems to hit no one but the developers themselves. I would see heart rate monitors be better on wearables such as the also newly announced Galaxy Fit, but I am not too sure about it being on a phone. Granted, it might save a few lives when people can check the heart rates with the phone digitally instead of doing it manually.

The S5 also got a new 16 MP camera but regretfully OIS (optical image stabilization) or hardware stabilization, is not included. That sample pictures now are not of the final production hardware/software. So that, we shall wait to conclude its effectiveness.

Also, included are Wifi MIMO (multiple in multiple out) with 802.11ac support. I guess this might mean that the S5 is able to handle connecting to a dual band router properly. It also has an interesting Download Booster that performs downloads over both your Wifi and Mobile Data connection. It should be good when you are in a place where your LTE speeds are way faster than your broadband.

The S5 is now waterproof
Yes, you read that right. It seems like Samsung is also taking a leaf out of Sony's pages. The new S5 has a IP67 rating - which means you can temporarily submerge your phone in water of up to 1m depth for less than 30 minutes. This is still lagging behind the IP58 certification that the Xperia Z2 has - which allows it to be submerged for more than 30 minutes.

This is a welcome change, as no one likes to be too careful with their phones. I wish the standard of smartphones are like the Panasonic Toughpads, where I can simply throw my phone around and not giving two hoots about dunking it in water. But we cannot always have what we want, so this, I agree is a good move.

New internals
Better processor, better GPU is expected in the S5. The new Snapdragon 801 processor is said to be 15% faster and the Adreno 330 GPU is said to be 28% faster than the Snapdragon 800 processor. Not much to write about actually. So I will just leave it at that. Oh, RAM is the same at 2 GB.

Conclusion
Truth be told, I am disappointed. But that's the beauty of competition. The Xperia Z2 sure got me thinking of trading in my phone for it. Depending on how the new HTC flagship will come to be, I am sure that the Z2 will be held in the top 2 spots for the best Android phone of 2014.

Sony Xperia Z2 vs Samsung Galaxy S5. Source: Android and Me