(Credit:
Gizmodo)
Over here at CNET Asia, we've seen some quirky thumbdrives, but this might hit the sweet spot for some photographers. The acclaimed Canon EOS 5D Mark II has been miniaturized to fit a USB plug into the lens rear, which can be screwed into the faux camera body to protect the contact points.
We're guessing this USB peripheral is as petite as the Glico-issued Nikon collectible, though the difference is that the Canon thumbdrive actually works and is available in only 4GB capacity. It can be found on eBay for $95. I wonder if we will ever see an 8GB version built to replicate the higher-end EOS 1Ds Mark III.
(Source: Crave Asia via Gizmodo)
(Credit:
NewLaunches.com)
I'm really not sure who these hand-gesture thumbdrives are supposed to impress, but I kind of want one. But only kind of. I, being a rocker, would take the devil horns first. The other one's got a weird Dan Brown thing going on, and it kind of creeps me out.
The main reservation I have is how these would feel in my pocket. The drive I carry in my back pocket now is fairly small and unobtrusive. Something like this would definitely be noticed were I to have a seat on a hard surface. At least it would remind me to get the work stored on there done.
The drives come in three colors and cost $35 for a 2GB version, which sounds a little high. However, you're paying for the novelty, not the capacity, so I can see why some people wouldn't have a problem with that.
(Via NewLaunches.com)
Not my personal choice of liquid, but...
(Credit: CNK Promotions)I wouldn't recommend putting your thumbdrive in liquid. But how about putting liquid inside your thumbdrive? Now that's cool.
That's exactly what CNK Promotions is offering. The merchandising company sells USB thumbdrives with an acrylic body (PDF) that's hollow and can be filled with the colorful liquid of your choosing. The drives can be made with a customized logo or mascot printed on the case and offer storage space up to 8GB.
Another thing about the liquid-filled thumbdrives is that they can float, which betters the chance of their being found when dropped in water. Whether or not they are actually water-resistant is unclear. However, thumbdrives are known to be very resilient. (My last one died only after I let it run through the laundry process three times--by accident, of course!)
Personally, I think the 8GB capacity is a little small, but I would totally look past that if the drive is filled with gin or vodka. How about you?
Taking an old-school tack to an ages-old computer problem, the PortableApps Suite approach to mobile computing feels more Web 0.5 than 2.0. Instead of hosting programs online, PortableApps is a comprehensive application suite that fits onto and runs from almost any thumbdrive with at least 512MB of space, and can be shrunk down even further if need be.
The suite's flexibility is impressive. It manages some of the best freeware applications from a taskbar menu that runs instantly when clicked on. User-favorites Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird are here, as well as the entire OpenOffice.org office suite, a calendar and day planner app, instant-messenger manager Pidgin, an antivirus program, and even a Sudoku game. If you want additional portable goodness, you can download even more stripped-down but fully-functional programs from the PortableApps Web site, including a media player, a Web page editor, and an FTP client. Support is also provided for all your ancillary settings, plug-ins, buddy lists, and document and media files, making this the easiest way to take your work with you, but without an Internet connection.
(Credit:
Mimoco)
If you love Halo 3 but hate staying up till midnight to attend over-the-top launch parties, there's hope for you yet.
Mimoco has announced its line of Halo-themed Mimobot USB flash drives, so you can now experience Halo without all that gameplay. The drives are available for preorder on Mimoco's Web site.
The thumbdrives are available in three styles: the Master Chief Mimobot, the Blue Spartan Mimobot, and the Red Spartan Mimobot. Irregardless of the style, all three USB devices look like they're stuck head-first in your USB port when you're using them.
They're pretty pricey. The 1GB version costs $50, the 2GB version costs $70, and the 4GB version goes for $110. The Halo 3 game itself sells for $60.
Josh Lowensohn is the odds-on favorite in the office to buy all three of these USB drives.
(Credit:
PQI)
Those familiar with PQI's U510 USB Card Drives already know the deal: they're 3 millimeters thin--thin enough to slide in your wallet as you would a credit card--and they pack an unbelievable amount of flash storage in that sleek frame.
The storage device even has a sliding USB dongle that folds into the Card Drive, eliminating the presence of an awkward cable dangling out of your billfold.
Past models offered a whopping 16GB of storage, and now PQI has upped the ante to an incredible 32GB with its latest model. That's perfect for lugging around your favorite videos, songs, and huge files right there next to your baby photos.
Pricing information for the 32GB version isn't available on the PQI site, but YesBuy.net is selling it for around $290.
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