This one goes out to the same folks who buy bullet hole stickers for their whip, hang stuffed arms from their tailgates and have those half-baseballs suctioned to their windshield -- all in the name of garnering attention. HACKED! is a user creation-gone-commercial that features a severed USB cable with 2GB of internal capacity. For those not in the know, it looks as if you had a nasty encounter with a vicious canine (or a hacksaw), but in reality, it's simply a 2GB flash drive in disguise. This has success written all over it.
Before you start having a complete panic attack, let us inform you that this whole fiasco actually took place last year, but as these things have a way of going, it's just now coming to light. Reportedly, a 33-year-old captain in the Ground Self-Defense Force ganked a USB flash drive (along with ¥2,000 [$19] and a ¥10,000 [$94] airline coupon) and proceeded to "dump it." Aside from the laughably small amount of cash and prizes this guy accepted, the unfortunate part of all this is what resided on the flash drive: troop deployment maps used in Japan-US military exercises. Worse still, we get the idea that said USB key is still out there somewhere undiscovered (or unrevealed), so if you happen upon one with all sorts of undecipherable schematics on there, now you know what's up.
Imation's Atom Flash Drive may not be the most capacious USB key you've ever seen -- heck, it's probably not even the smallest -- but it is this company's most diminutive of all time, and that just has to count for something. Available in 1/2/4/8GB sizes, these units feature Vista ReadyBoost compatibility and support for passwords while measuring less than 1.5-inches long and .5-inches wide. Slip one of these sub-1-ounce drives into your pocket today for $17.99 to $99.99, depending on capacity.
iriver sure does know how to cut away the excess on its products, and it looks like its new Domino flash drive is no exception. Available in 2GB and 4GB capacities, this one packs one of those sliding USB connectors that iriver seems to be increasingly fond of these days, and is available in your choice of white, silver, black, chocolate, pink or coral pink color options. No word on a release 'round these parts, unfortunately, but those in Korea can apparently get their hands on one now for the local equivalent of $21 or $34, depending on the capacity.
Kingston's got a thing for über-secure flash drives, and its latest DataTraveler definitely keeps the trend alive. The waterproof BlackBox is the outfit's first Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS)-validated drive, which means that it was given the seal of approval from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Communications Security Establishment of the Government of Canada. More specifically, you'll find "256-bit hardware-based AES encryption via a dedicated processor which automatically encrypts and decrypts data on the fly" and it'll also enter lock down mode if you happen to forget your password ten consecutive times. Of course, Kingston's pretty proud of this thing, so don't be shocked when you see the $165 (2GB), $242 (4GB) and $424 (8GB) price tags, alright? Alright.
Another day, another ridiculously tiny USB flash drive. This one comes to us from the folks at Imation, and while it's a few millimeters shy of Super Talent's supposed record-holder, the company's Atom drive is still plenty easy to lose (despite the best efforts of the attached keychain). If you aren't swayed away by that prospect, you can look for the drive to be available in capacities from 1GB to 8GB, with it boasting the usual Windows Ready Boost feature and some basic security measures -- no word on pricing just yet though.
Score, another "world's smallest" USB drive. Never seenoneofthosebefore. Super-Talent's latest Pico drives are mighty small though, and if one of you is somehow running the Tiny USB Hall of Records, it measures just 1.5 by .5 inches and holds 8GB in swivel, retractable, and waterproof versions. $35, should be out now.
It looks like anyone that makes regular use of an RSA key for one reason or another could soon have a new favorite USB flash drive, with SanDisk announcing the availability of so-called "two-for-one" Cruzer Enterprise drives, which provide both secure date storage and RSA SecurID software tokens for two-factor authentication (eliminating the need for a separate hardware authenticator). The drive is also apparently no slouch when it comes to the usual storage security measures, with it boasting 256-bit AES encryption, and a setup process that requires users to create complex passwords before they're able to make use of the drive. No word on pricing just yet, but you'll apparently be able to get the drive in your choice of 1, 2, 4, or 8GB varieties, with each boasting a respectable read speed of 24MB per second and a write speed of 20MB per second.
We see so much insane USB crap around here that we were pretty apprehensive of a link entitled "Accordion USB drive," but color us magenta if the damn thing doesn't actually look incredibly useful -- instead of an easily-lost cap, the connector simply pops back into the case. Sadly, it's not a real product yet, just a concept by Polish design student Jacek Ryn, but we'll be the first in line if it ever gets real -- Engadget HQ is littered with far too many capless flash drives.
You know something is really catching on when companies starts branding otherwise generic products as specially designed for said something, and it now looks like that's now true for the Eee PC, thanks to these two new clever bits of marketing from A-DATA. While you could of course use any USB flash drive of SDHC card with the laptop, A-DATA's apparently hoping that its new "special edition" flash cards and drives will sway over at least a couple of Eee PC users, and we don't doubt that they will. Apparently available only in 8GB versions, they each come in Eee PC-coordinating white, with the USB flash drive also boasting the extra bonus of a leather carrying strap. No word on pricing or availability just yet, unfortunately, but we wouldn't be surprised if they demand a bit of a premium over their non-Eee counterparts.
Corsair's Flash Voyager comes straight from the factory in a water- and shock-resistant enclosure, but for one particular owner, said chassis just wasn't hardcore enough. Rather than swapping it out for an Iron Drive, he took matters into his own hands by gutting the innards and custom building an ultra-rugged aluminum casing. Showing off his fantastic attention to detail, a machined slot for the keychain and a LED indicator hole were included, too. Hit up the read link for the walkthrough if you're feeling atypically industrious -- otherwise, just kick back and admire.
Pricey flash drives are a dime a dozen (so to speak), but just in case you haven't found one quite ugly enough to call your own, why not feast your eyes on the Adamant? The limited edition drive will be limited to 50 units worldwide and will feature 16GB of capacity, a trio of diamonds, a dash of yellow gold and a sleek black box that'll quickly get tossed moments after it arrives. Granted, you'll have to shell out $5,650 in order to even have that luxury, but you better act fast.
We hear it's pretty tough being a gadget with an identity crisis, and unfortunately for Asus' MS71, it definitely feels that pain. Thankfully for consumers who aren't turned off by rectangular (or atypically slender) mice, at least it provides a bit of extra utility. Quite simply, the base of the critter snaps off to plug into any open USB port; from there, it enables what's left to function as a wireless mouse and allows users to store an undisclosed amount of files on the appendage. No word on pricing or availability, but unless you place absolutely no value on ergonomics, we'd probably look elsewhere.
Don't worry, you're not losing it -- yet, anyway. Corsair has indeed already launched a 16GB (and 32GB, for that matter) Voyager flash drive, but its forthcoming Voyager GT promises access speeds "up to four times faster" than standard USB 2.0 drives. Furthermore, this one comes housed in a water and shock resistant all-rubber casing, and could be entirely more appealing if that keyring slot were expanded to open bottles. Nevertheless, Corsair's hoping that you'll find enough to love to drop $169.99 after it debuts at CeBIT in just a few days.
Oh sure, we've seen Mickey-themed flash drives before, but for avid fans and collectors alike, there can never be too many, right? On the docket today is the T703 Mickey Flash Drive from A-DATA, which wouldn't be comfortable at all in one's pocket for any length of time. Nevertheless, the iconic drive can apparently double as a keychain, and since it's really the ears that give Mr. Mouse away, the firm decided to let you insert your favorite image in place of his face. Expect 'em to start right around $20 in "three dazzling colors," with sizes ranging from 1GB to 8GB.
Imation's Atom Flash Drive may not be the most capacious USB key you've ever seen -- heck, it's probably not even the smallest -- but it is this company's most diminutive of all time, and that just has to count for something. Available in 1/2/4/8GB sizes, these units feature Vista ReadyBoost compatibility and support for passwords while measuring less than 1.5-inches long and .5-inches wide. Slip one of these sub-1-ounce drives into your pocket today for $17.99 to $99.99, depending on capacity.
It looks like anyone that makes regular use of an RSA key for one reason or another could soon have a new favorite USB flash drive, with SanDisk announcing the availability of so-called "two-for-one" Cruzer Enterprise drives, which provide both secure date storage and RSA SecurID software tokens for two-factor authentication (eliminating the need for a separate hardware authenticator). The drive is also apparently no slouch when it comes to the usual storage security measures, with it boasting 256-bit AES encryption, and a setup process that requires users to create complex passwords before they're able to make use of the drive. No word on pricing just yet, but you'll apparently be able to get the drive in your choice of 1, 2, 4, or 8GB varieties, with each boasting a respectable read speed of 24MB per second and a write speed of 20MB per second.
