LaCie's new Sally Struthers-approved USB key drives

If you felt that LaCie's CurrenKey ultraportable storage solution was a bit too heavy in the yuks department, the company's back with something that might be a little more up your proverbial alley. With a form factor that reminds one of a late-night ad for a correspondence course in locksmithing, these miniature microSD card readers offer 20MB/s read and 10MB/s write speeds. Additionally, PassKey supports microSDHC cards, and both iamaKey and itsaKey are available with either 4GB or 8GB of built-in storage. Sure, this guy won't open a cold one for you, but the shock-proof, Windows ReadyBoost-compatible device does look good on a keyring. You know, if that's what you're into. Price and availability to be announced.

[Thanks, Dwayne]

[Romelo @ Mar 2nd 2009 6:12PM]

nice..i can put it in my keychain..

[Jack Bauer @ Mar 2nd 2009 6:37PM]

IN it? Wow. Some size of keychain.

;-)

[wako @ Mar 2nd 2009 6:33PM]

as if we couldnt before?

[Mr. S. @ Mar 3rd 2009 2:34AM]

I've had a stripped down one on my keychain for years, and held up just fine despite the water and dents. :-)

[Jack Bauer @ Mar 2nd 2009 6:36PM]

I can see these causing confusion whilst trying to enter your home after a night on the booze.

Yip. Wouldn't be the first time...

...the shame!

[engler @ Mar 2nd 2009 6:48PM]

Yea, and being fatally stabbed by a homicidal manic wearing a hockey mask because you accidentally choose the usb drive when trying to frantically unlock your door is one of life's great ironies.

[sinai @ Mar 2nd 2009 6:14PM]

these are a great way to leave your keys at your workstation and get locked out of the house!

[bandigolo @ Mar 2nd 2009 7:14PM]

Not if you need to drive home. But yes, can I see this happening.

[Towncivilian @ Mar 2nd 2009 6:14PM]

avaialable?

[Patriks7 @ Mar 2nd 2009 6:16PM]

So now not only can you get locked out of your house, but someone can steal all your important files together with your keys?
I want 5!

[Funkdafied @ Mar 14th 2009 6:13PM]

Right... because losing a bit of data is so much worse than someone having the keys to your house :/

[Rob Conway @ Mar 2nd 2009 6:17PM]

cool, cause the little plastic part on most flash drives i get always breaks after i have it on my keys for a month or two!

[BigD145 @ Mar 2nd 2009 6:35PM]

Why won't these work in my door locks?!

[Gilbert Tang @ Mar 2nd 2009 6:39PM]

You know what? These are awesome. Seriously. It's always awkward having this random thumb drive on my keychain.

[ED @ Mar 2nd 2009 6:53PM]

noitreallyisn'tactuallyaKey

[maveric101 @ Mar 2nd 2009 11:18PM]

yeah, "i am a key," "it's a key,".... *groan*

[Hawkman @ Mar 2nd 2009 6:54PM]

These look fantastic. Though I already have way too many keys...

[insky @ Mar 2nd 2009 6:56PM]

I hate to be the one to tell you this, but if you carry a flash drive on your keychain then you are officialy a geek...and not the good kind...the oily hair, dandruff, neck beard, mouth breathing, wolf t-shirt, morbidly obese, orthopedic shoe having type of geek. I'm sorry but it's true. How do you combat this evil stereotype? Just put it in your pocket like the rest of the world.

[ripslymemc @ Mar 2nd 2009 8:23PM]

putting a flash drive in a pocket is the same thing as hooking it onto your keys, genius.

[insky @ Mar 2nd 2009 10:35PM]

Not quite. When you've got your flash drive dangling from the ignition of your car, you're announcing to everybody that rides with you that you can't be more than 2 feet away from your data at any one given time. If you keep it in your pocket at least you don't have to take it out everytime you want to unlock a door.

It's like wearing your cell phone on a holster, or wearing a bluetooth headset on your ear at all times, or using a pocket protector for your pens. We all carry these things, it's just how you carry them that determines if you're a geek or not.

[BASboy @ Mar 19th 2009 2:08PM]

Hmmm.... I guess convenience and less chance of losing your USB Stick = stereotype look?
I am willing to risk it. The less I have to carry seperately the better. That is why I got an iPhone. one device to replace 2 devises. So far no overweight, dandruff, oily hair stuff happening to me.

[bandigolo @ Mar 2nd 2009 7:17PM]

"Honey, have you seen my car keys?"

"Yes. By the way, that's some porn collection you have there."

"Why thank you. It's Sally Struthers approved."

[Anthony @ Mar 2nd 2009 8:10PM]

TrueCrypt

[Ranga Gunasekaran @ Mar 2nd 2009 7:36PM]

Nice little Conchords reference, there. :)

[jonwil2002 @ Mar 2nd 2009 9:24PM]

Now all we need is someone who can make a door lock with a USB port where you insert one of these and a special file on it opens the door.

[rivetgeek @ Mar 2nd 2009 11:44PM]

Like this? http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/10/23/the-usb-based-door-lock/1

[skiesm6 @ Mar 2nd 2009 11:17PM]

test

[mixtus @ Mar 2nd 2009 11:49PM]

can't wait to take one for a test drive.

[carlfj @ Mar 3rd 2009 4:15PM]

A whole lot of danish people would gladly open a beer bootle with this USB key :-)

[MaxSMoke @ Mar 3rd 2009 1:15AM]

It's pretty sweet, but wouldn't the open port get clogged with dust and lint? The lack of any kind of port cover is the only thing that would stop me from making that a part of my keyring.

[Wwhat @ Mar 3rd 2009 10:54AM]

DO NOT sell these to 'normal' people (those that don't read engadget and such), because the chance that they'll try to turn them and break the thing and an USB port is a good 70%.I estimate.

[NPC @ Mar 4th 2009 12:00AM]

nice!!! i can use it as my keychain!!!


www.npcFreeGame.com

[tinman @ Mar 4th 2009 8:07AM]

iamakey... What a joke it seems to have some self image issues its seems to not realise that it is a "i am a pen drive"

[Rollo Martins @ Jun 27th 2009 5:09AM]

Hm. Bady idea, very bad. Anyone thought about what will happen to your keys once you lost them? Yes: The finder will check the content of the USB stick, find your name and probably address and take a walk to your house. And he will enter it. Sorry, but a USB key to carry around on your key ring without strong encryption is completely MAD.