I promise this is the last time you'll hear about my keys.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)When my colleague Dong Ngo introduced us to the LaCie key-shaped USB drive back in March, the timing could not have been better, as I had just ended yet another frustrating relationship with a keychain-based USB key.
I've gotten into the habit of keeping a USB drive attached to my keys in the past year. Moving into a new laptop on the average of twice a week, I got tired of re-downloading all the software I'd want on a just-unboxed laptop, and decided to create a package of must-have install files, including FireFox, AVG Free, Open Office, etc.
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LaCie recently introduced three key-shaped USB-storage devices, including two USB drives--the itsKey and the iamaKey--and one USB microSD card reader, the PassKey.
I got my hands on the iamaKey today and loved it. The drive is about the same shape and size as a small house key and is literally as tough as a nail, but it looks much better than a nail.
LaCie's three new USB storage devices.
(Credit: LaCie)Designed by 5.5 Designers, the award-winning studio that focuses on research and consulting, the iamaKey and the two others look stylish and can fit conveniently in a pocket or on a key ring.
All three key-shaped devices are built with sturdy metal, making their surfaces tough. Additionally, the Gold SIP connector on the iamaKey is both water- and scratch-resistant. It sure is the thinnest and toughest flash drive I've ever seen.
I found one design flaw, however. The iamaKey has a transparent little lid that covers the drive's connector. The lid needs to be removed when the drive is in use, but is not attached to the drive in anyway, which means it can easily slip through a crack and disappear. However, the lid is only for aesthetic purposes.
Both the itsaKey and the iamaKey store up to 8GB of flash memory. The Passkey, on the other hand, is a microSD card reader that lets you use your memory card as a handy USB drive. Or you can also use it as a card reader on the go. All of these keys feature USB 2.0 with throughput speed up to 480Mbps.
These new and sleek USB storage devices work with both Macs and Windows and are available now starting at $9.99.
SanDisk's new USB drive secures data with 2x hardware encryption
The widespread proliferation of sensitive data via USB thumbdrives demands a need for data encryption, and SanDisk is stepping up to bat. Their newest Ultra Backup USB flash drive uses both password protection and 256-bit AES hardware encryption to reduce holes in vulnerability across the board.
Sandisk's entire line of USB flash drives, including their Cruzer series, is also getting a much-deserved makeover. The new designs use a capless
...Read the full post at CNET's CES 2009 blog.
(Credit:
Perpetual Kid)
USB key drives usually only serve one boring purpose: to give users an inexpensive way to download and take information with them on the go. But who said all USB keys have to be so boring? We're starting to see manufacturers get more creative, but whatever happened to the classic practical joke?
Peep this "Hacked!" USB flash drive designed to look like someone got pissed and Hulked out on your USB cord. You even get a few frayed wires at the end for added effect! It only comes in a single 2GB model, and $49 is a wee bit expensive, but you gotta pay to play your co-workers, even though they probably won't give a crap when they see this sick little gag.
We're a big fan of USB keys for their convenience, small form factor, and price per gigabyte. They're a quick, simple way to transport data through a connection that can be found on every modern computer, but what happens when companies take an already good idea and add extra features? This is exactly the case with the 4GB SanDisk Cruzer Titanium Plus.
Sandisk partnered with BeInSync to build their automatic online backup software into the $50 Cruzer Titanium Plus, so every time you plug the key into a computer with an Internet connection, all of your data is scanned and copied onto a remote server that can be accessed using a user-specified name and password. All data is secured using 256-bit SSL encryption and is available for download at any time. To save room, BeInSync compresses all information into .zip files. The first six months are free, but a renewal will set you back $29 per year.
We're always wary of added functions that require annual subscription fees to continue service, especially ones that are provided by a third party. The data that lives on a USB key usually only lasts until you get home to your desktop computer anyway, so is there really a legitimate need for online backups? It seems pretty redundant. The key is already expensive at $50, but the idea that Sandisk wants an extra $30 a year for this unnecessary service pushes the Cruzer's value over the ledge.
Have you ever heard the adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it?" Check out our SanDisk Cruzer Titanium Plus review for a perfect example.
(Credit:
Debreu )
There are all manner of activities associated with USB drives--many of them useless--but the one thing that will always defy logic to us is their relationship with the sense of smell. The most recent case in point: The "Scent Drive."
Most such items try to pass themselves off as aromatherapy devices, sometimes combining their functions with other dubious features. But we're beginning to think they're actually targeted at people who are, to put it delicately, hygiene-challenged.
Think about it: Giving them a bar of deodorant soap might be a tad obvious, let alone offensive (even though they're the ones who did the offending first). Instead you can give them an innocent USB key with a surreptious dual purpose.
Hong Kong-based Debreu has expanded its initial line of Scent Drives to include a "lower-cost variation" for $20. We think they should team up with Axe to expand their natural consumer target.
(Credit:
Golden Store)
Excessively blinged USB thumb drives are so common that they've become passe, but this may be the first one we've seen from a German manufacturer. The defiantly named "Adamant" comes from a company called Golden Store, a limited-edition gold USB key accented with 3 diamonds and lapis lazuli deposits. There's even a solitary diamond in its lacquered box, according to BornRich. Sure, $5,650 is a lot to pay for a flash drive, but what other accessory would be appropriate to use with a $760,000 gold and diamond PC?
(Credit:
Akihabara News)
(Credit:
Technabob)
Apparently the Lego-iPod mashup that surfaced last year has tapped into a demand for other brick-like products, though we can't help but wonder if trademark complaints are in the offing.
Yesterday, for example, Technabob passed along a selection of "Lego-esque media players" and matching stereo docks in various colors. And today, Akihabara News tells us of a "Lego-like USB key" that can be joined with other pieces to create a custom flash drive.
The keys have only 1GB of storage space, but don't worry: When it's full, you can still play with them because they are "100 percent compatible" with authentic Lego bricks. We doubt, by the way, that these products are dishwasher-safe.
(Credit:
Chip Chick)
The most remarkable thing about this particular item is that it's the first silly USB flash drive dubbed a "luxury item" we've seen in more than a month--which, as these annoying keys go, is an eternity. Yet the "SwissMemory Prestige" is in a class by itself.
Where to begin? The cost, for one--ranging in the gold and diamond versions from $3,200 to $6,000 for 1GB of storage, which is hardly anything these days. Second, their designs don't exactly lend themselves to elegant wearable jewelry. And third, as Chip Chick rightly points out, this is undoubtedly the most impractical of items ever to bear a Swiss Army mark. Talk about adding insult to injury.
Other than that, we think they're just fine.
(Credit:
Bissol)
In this day of $49,590 hearing aids and $150,000 gear shift knobs, we're not quite sure how Bissol's 4GB flash drive qualifies as "luxury," but that's how it's being marketed. Sure, its brass finish is nice enough to look at, but it's not exactly a Dupont.
Still, Engadget says it's made with Old World care like a Swiss watch, so somebody is bound to appreciate it. And at least it's being up front about not being gold
