Large multifleck Zalman VE300: specs, reviews, photo

In the focus of this article - a wonderful device called Zalman VE300, which on the market is presented as a multimedia flash drive for operation and administration. Many buyers, seeing on the shelves of the store or in the photo in the media this miracle, mistakenly take it for the usual case for the hard drive, not realizing how close they are to their dream. After all, the functionality of the multimedia device is so extensive that many compare it even with a Swiss knife that will help in any situation. Getting acquainted with the capabilities and characteristics of the Zalman drive, as well as the feedback of happy owners and IT professionals, will help to learn about the novelty of the user a lot of interesting things.

An unusual pocket

In fact, a large multi-flash Zalman ZM VE300 Silver is a controller that extends the functionality of a conventional hard drive that has a form factor of 2.5 inches. It works with USB 2.0 / 3.0 interface, and it is supported by all known operating systems. In addition to the standard access to the file system of the drive, the device can be presented to the system at the hardware level as a virtual optical drive and back up. For convenient control and communication with the user, the controller has a liquid crystal display on which all the information necessary for operation is displayed.

The market value of the gadget is about 3000 rubles and, judging by the feedback of the owners, the price is considered acceptable for such a worthy device, which has so many claimed characteristics. However, some potential buyers are confused by the functionality claimed by the manufacturer. The fact is that the product has many minor defects, and instead of fixing them, Zalman tries to close several niches on the shelves of the store (a USB flash drive, a pocket and a backup tool) with one device.

Serious brand

Acquaintance of the user with any product in the electronics market begins with a box. Owners of Zalman devices that are already familiar with the manufacturer (case, power supply, cooling system or USB flash drive) will confirm that the brand takes its customers very seriously. First, informative packaging - it contains a complete description of all the functionality of the device. The second key point is the bundling - as always, there is everything necessary for assembly and connection. However, later it will be found out that additional equipment is necessary for the Russian market.

In the box, the user will find: a stylish and high-quality cover, CDs with software, a screwdriver with four cogs, a USB 3.0 cable and the Zalman ZM VE300 pocket. The instruction is not available in paper version, but if desired, the buyer can find it on the disk or download from the official website of the manufacturer. Judging by the feedback of the owners, before purchasing the drive, you should certainly familiarize yourself with the list of recommended hard drive models on the Zalman website (so that the power characteristics comply with the stated requirements).

Appearance of the device

Delivering a multimedia USB flash drive Zalman ZM VE300 out of the box, the owner agrees that the designers of the company have worked on the glory to create the device (in reality, the gadget looks nicer than in the photo). The case is made of light, but very durable aluminum alloy, which will provide an installed drive with an excellent heat dissipation. There is a small LCD display that displays information about the device. Access to the control menu and settings is carried out using a special joystick, which can be found on the side of the device. Also at the end of the device, the user will find a backup button and a connector for connecting a USB cable made in a micro-USB form factor.

Looking inside the device, the owner will find a cloth shred - there is no need to throw it away, this is a gasket so that the drive does not hang around in the case, but firmly presses against the metal for better heat dissipation. Mounting the hard drive is quite simple: connect the controller to the SATA interface, secure the drive in the housing with two clamping screws and close the lid of the pocket with the latch.

Oddities with firmware

Many owners do not quite understand the company's policy regarding several different firmware for the device, because everything should work without "dances with a tambourine". System administrators note that when creating image files, they are incorrectly recognized by the Zalman ZM VE300 controller. Firmware from the official website of the manufacturer eliminates the problem, but some feeling of dislike remains. The fact is that the world has adopted two standards for working with the file system. NTFS markup was created for the big continent (Europe, Russia, Asia), and the rest of the countries work with exFAT sections. Unambiguously, the owners of products created for the US market have already faced a problem when a stationary TV set or a radio tape recorder in a car refused to understand USB flash drives in NTFS format.

To reflash the device you need to go to the official Zalman website, find the desired file and update the controller with the software provided on the disk. No difficulties should arise, as the manufacturer described in detail the procedure for updating the first pages of his instructions.

Technological breakthrough

Given that the large Zalman ZM VE300 multi-flash drive is positioned on the market as a device using USB 3.0 technology, many owners of non-modern laptops and personal computers may face another problem. To work with the old interface USB 2.0 controller requires additional power. The problem is solved by purchasing an interface cable with a splitter for two USB ports or by purchasing a hard drive that requires less than 500 mA for operation. It is better to give preference to the first option, since it is considered more stable and reliable in operation.

Also, many laptops released before 2012 at the BIOS level categorically refuse to accept the controller at the level of the optical device. In such cases, when creating images for installing operating systems, it is necessary to register a multi-boot area in the drive. Buttons, including a three-way joystick, are programmed for several actions and support combinations of presses in the Zalman VE300 device. The instructions will help you to understand everything, so it is necessary to familiarize with it before starting work.

Functionality of the device

Regardless of which HDD is in the pocket, the Zalman ZM VE300 is guaranteed to use all the functionality claimed by the manufacturer.

1. Compatibility with any hardware at the hardware level without installing additional drivers and utilities (except backup, which requires running the program on the workstation). Accordingly, the drive will be determined not only by the computer, but also by any electronics.
2. The device is fully controlled using its own menu. You can even configure the controller to turn off when idle or send it to sleep.
3. The additional functionality of the menu not only allows you to adjust the brightness of the display, but also get information about the status of the installed hard disk: temperature, voltage, SMART and similar characteristics.
4. The menu has tools for administrators: secure disconnection, write protection, and scan the device to find the available images on the disk.

Drive Compatibility

If the Zalman 2.5 ZM VE300 does not have any limitations for working with the USB 3.0 interface, then owners of older USB 2.0 ports have something to think about. Even with a splitter, there may be problems with power interruptions. First of all, this applies to all hard drives operating at 7200 rpm or more. The gadget will see them, launch them and even connect them to the system, but the slightest power failures will be regarded by the device as an unauthorized trip, and the reading head of the drive will immediately return to the zero track.

To properly select a drive, you need to know just one truth - to choose a device that needs a weak current for operation (no higher than 700 mA). You can buy a hard drive and with 450 mA (green series), but their speed of work leaves much to be desired. The same goes for SSDs. Unlike magnetic disks, which simply will be turned off, the solid-state instance has a very sensitive to the power controller - a dozen failures and the device can be discarded.

The target audience

The listed functionality of the device Zalman VE300 many potential buyers will certainly lead to the idea that the gadget will be of interest only to administrators. In addition to the huge opportunities provided by the manufacturer, the controller has a number of problems that IT professionals can solve. If you think so, then any electronics in the world is designed for administrators.

In the world market, this device is popular in the segment of medium and corporate business. After all, the main task of the controller is not the restoration of operating systems, but the reliability of work, security and backup.

Accordingly, the gadget is in demand first of all, where infrastructure security is on the first place (financial institutions, government services, advertising agencies and laboratories for innovative developments). Having created a Live-image on a hard drive and connected to a computer, you can work with any system resources, not being afraid that someone will use the data in the absence of the user.

Nearest competitors

The computer market quite strangely reacted to the innovation of Zalman VE300. For several years, no competitor has provided its similar device to consumers. Famous manufacturers of pockets for hard drives have found that their devices are quite comparable (boot the system in RAM, backup and install the operating system). And the manufacturers of flash drives do not see competitors in the market at all, because, in addition to all the listed features, their devices have increased wear resistance and high reliability.

However, recently the Zalman ZM VE300 analogs appeared in the gadget. ISOstick devices (cost in the US - about $ 100), made in the form of a card reader, work with microSD memory cards and can be presented to the system as an optical drive. While this is implemented for laptops and personal computers, but the manufacturer promises that in the near future the controller will be able to communicate with electronics. Of the additional functions of the device is worth noting the blocking of recording on the media, the ability to switch modes of reading (drive or image to install the system). Also, there is a LED indication, indicating which mode of operation is active.

A look into the future

It's funny that for the gadget Zalman VE300 analog in the market is presented in the form of an improved device from the same manufacturer. The four-hundredth model is released taking into account all the shortcomings of the previous generation and is a real masterpiece from the company Zalman (just look at the photo). The manufacturer added the ability to encrypt the data with a 256-bit key, provided the gadget with a touchpad with a quick selection of the necessary functions at boot (much more convenient joystick) and solved a lot of small problems that the administrator had to struggle before.

Uniquely, the novelty surpasses the convenience of its predecessor - the Zalman VE300 gadget. The firmware of the device is not required, since it is adapted at the controller level (the choice of the file system format), and with the USB power supply full order (the proper cord is already included). However, judging by the opinions of IT specialists, there are questions to the manufacturer regarding the price, because to give 6000-8000 rubles for such a gadget is not every administrator is ready. Not to mention ordinary users.

Tips and advice to owners

As is customary in our country, the reading of instructions by buyers is completely ignored. All owners, having unpacked the box and enjoying the bundling, immediately begin to test the gadget. A brief instruction on how to operate the Zalman VE300 will help you quickly understand the operation of the pocket.

1. Holding the backup button when connected to a PC includes write protection. Remove the protection by holding the left button on the end of the device.
2. If the joystick wheel is turned all the way to the left and held, the gadget will safely turn off.
3. When you turn the wheel up to the stop and hold, the search for recorded images in the "ISO" directory starts.
4. You can not start the backup if the corresponding utility is not active on the computer.
5. It is better to connect to the USB ports of the personal computer from the back of the system unit. Unlike the front panel, they give out "honest" 500 mA to each interface.
6. If the installed drive is partitioned into logical disks, the images should be stored on the primary partitions (Primary).
7. Installed SSD-drive requires always to safely disable the SATA standard. Zalman ZM VE300 has a very sensitive to potential difference controller.

Summing up

Given that Zalman ZM VE300 has no analogues on the market, the following conclusions can be drawn:

• The declared functionality and technical characteristics of the gadget are not so much in demand that competitors rushed to share this segment of the computer market;
• The cost of the device is somewhat overstated, and the operability requires user intervention (firmware, for example), otherwise the novelty would have long ago displaced portable pockets for hard drives from the market;
• Users and administrators are not yet ready to give up optical disks, which, according to the reliability needed for data storage, take first place in the world.

In the dry balance, for the Russian market the device looks raw, requiring many improvements, including price reduction, because this is a usual pocket for a hard drive that has been endowed with several functions and is trying to sell as an expensive smartphone. Perhaps, in new versions, the manufacturer will take into account its mistakes and provide potential buyers with a decent device.