Yellowwheels

We pit Lambo’s Murcielago against Mini Cooper in this USB giant test!

After reading our Motormouse review back last autumn, motor gizmo specialist Auto Regalia were keen for us to try other products. “How about a review of a USB stick” they asked? Seriously underwhelmed by the prospect – I mean, a stick is a stick, it’s just that some are made larger than others, right? “Hey, these ones are die-cast metal, beautifully detailed miniatures” they retorted. “We can even supply them in yellow!” Well that clinched it, and behold, we have a brace of “HotWheels” with capacities only juggernauts could muster to play with (4 GB in this case ).

Whipped out of their packaging, the weight and solidity of the castings were immediately apparent. No flimsy, snap-fit-plastic, 5-second wonder, but finely detailed models of the real thing. Even the Mini’s taillight cluster surrounds are chrome painted. Put the two models together and the major difference is the huge rear protuberance on the 1:72 scale Lambo; like someone bolted a fridge on the back. Unlike the Mini, the USB connector is not retractable and ruins the lines of the car’s backend. Underneath the Mini a press-and-slide catch neatly stows the USB connector when not in use.

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Big surprise: setting up the beauty shot on the roof of our yellow golf, the Mini nearly rolled right off! The wheels are not just for show, and with a little flick the car will roll just like the little toys we all used to own as kids. The Lambo wasn’t so eager though: a badly centered wheel meant a wobbly ride when fingered along. Next surprise is that the headlights work when plugged into your computer – obvious really when you think that most USB sticks have activity lights – but a nice touch nevertheless.

Are these cute desktop trinkets or useful gadgets? We could find no fundamental reason for not using these just like any other USB sticks, but remember their girth might block adjacent slots (although an extender lead is supplied) and you need to be careful not to knock them. For fun we loaded a few MP3s on board and stuck them in the car ICE. The radio played the songs fine but the model looked a bit vulnerable sticking out of the dash near the indicator stalks.

Conclusion: Despite its metallic paintwork and svelte lines the Lamborghini Murcielago is seriously hampered by it’s low roofline, preventing connector retraction. The Mini’s shape allows the USB tongue to be hidden when not needed, meaning you have a cute little model to push around your desk, and that clinches it for the Mini Cooper, but better hide it from the kids or your powerpoint presentation will disappear into the toy cupboard…

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