Support and Warranty

At time of going to press, the provided Internet Links within the product documentation lead to Chinese language only web sites with no indication of the particular MP4-22 USB disk product.

aigo Digital Music Net Co Ltd provides a one year warranty if the user mails in the included warranty card with proof of purchase.

Since this method is not applicable to certain geographical regions, the relevant local aigo agent should handle warranty claims and in the case of Australia and New Zealand, aigo’s ANZ agent Westwell offer a locally supported 12 month product replacement warranty as well as local technical support.

Considering the significance of the product in terms of branding and the price, the one year warranty is below par and competitors in the flash memory segment with some vendors offer up to 10 years or lifetime warranty solid state flash memory storage often with easy web based RMA procedures on devices. We strongly feel this specific McLaren branded product should have been offered with a longer warranty given the asking price and heritage, significance and reputation of the brand represented.

Price and Availability

Australia/New Zealand

aigo’s ANZ agent, Westwell state that the McLaren USB disk will be available in 1GB at a RRP of $49.95 and 2GB at $59.95

The product should be available from October 2008 through major retailers which specifics to be determined as well as computing resellers via the IT distribution channel.

Global

For our international readers, information regarding global availability of this product was not available at press time and we will update this article accordingly once we receive this information.

Verdict

For the role of a high speed USB disk there is scope for improvement in performance especially for its price point. This device offers satisfactory performance that is expected of a ‘name brand’ USB mass storage disk. If you are after a very high performance speed USB disk then we suggest considering an alternative product.

However, we were quite impressed by the style and design of this product. If you are after a uniquely designed USB drive that will be the envy of your peers or are searching for the ideal gift for a motor racing or automotive enthusiast this product would be ideal. We recommend this product mainly for this purpose.

The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes U-Disk has a unique, innovative design and attempts to represent the prestige and tradition of the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team however the user pays a high price for an otherwise inexpensive disk drive