Two products were merged into one to create the Ubuntu H2 Micro USB Drive. A tiny 1" hard drive with 3 GB capacity by Cornice was teamed up with the Debian-based Linux distribution Ubuntu (aka Warty Warthog). Ubuntu is free open source software that focuses on the end user and puts its emphasis on usability. The Ubuntu project describes itself as free of charge, predictable (due to scheduled software updates), fast and easy to install and immediately useful. This is something that any customer is going to experience, because Ubuntu is not pre-installed onto the USB storage device. Instead, there is an installation CD that is required to deploy Ubuntu.

Inside the little blue box we found Cornice's 3 GB Storage Element - in other words, a micro hard drive. It interfaces via USB 2.0 and has some features that specifically target consumer product use. According to the company website, the drive is able to withstand a drop of 6 feet (1.5 m) when installed in a proper enclosure. In addition, the Skip Control feature won't stop the drive while there is motion.

At 4,400 RPM, it operates within the usual speeds of small size hard drives. Cornice specifies a data transfer performance of up to 5 MB/s. We found the performance to range between 3 and 7.5 MB/s, with an average performance of slightly above 5 MB/s.

The Ubuntu H2 looks pretty much like a candy box. It can be attached to any computer through the direct USB cable, or by using the connector module. This one was designed to fit into the synthetic leather bag.