We knew wireless USB would eventually rise up and become more than a pitiful excuse for not plugging in your digicam to transfer photos, and lo and behold, it has done just that. Imation's latest Apollo drive packs a lot of promise, thanks in huge part to the integrated WiQuest WUSB solution tucked within. Put simply, the Apollo Pro WX can begin to backup user data as soon as the machine in question comes "into range." Without any wires (save for that pesky AC adapter), this one no-touch backup system can ensure that your most precious 1s and 0s aren't lost for eternity when unforeseen disaster strikes. There's no word on price just yet, but expect these to sell like hotcakes when they ship in Q4.

[Via EverythingUSB]

We had a dream back in June that America would one day be able to buy 6x BD-Rs for these 6x Blu-ray burners without relying on a Japanese importer, and today, that dream has been realized. Imation is bringing TDK Life on Record media to US soil, marking the first time 6x Blu-ray recordable (BD-R) and Blu-ray recordable double layer (BD-R DL) media has been available here. Unfortunately, this stuff is still absurdly expensive -- expect to hand over $13.99 for a single BD-R in October, while a BD-R DL 1-pack will ring up at a staggering $32.99.

We've never been big fans of giving your tween some Nickelodeon-ized gizmo when you can simply hand down your current gear and use it for an excuse to upgrade, but apparently not everyone sees it that way. Nickelodeon, Viacom and Imation have jointly announced the latest line of kid-friendly Npower gizmos, which includes a digital voice recorder, a digicam and a webcam based on the "breakout hit" iCarly. Additionally, the outfit is churning out SpongeBob SquarePants-themed speakers, boomboxes, MP3 players and digiframes, and there's even a few Dora the Explorer toys thrown in for good measure. All the (inflated) prices and shipping details are down there in the read link -- we won't bore the uninterested any longer by fleshing it out here.

[Via Electronista]

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.

As if you didn't have enough options when scouting a totally locked down flash drive, Imation is cranking out a revamped Pivot and an all new Pivot Plus to quell your paranoia. As for the former, it provides "software encryption software," ReadyBoost compatibility and capacities up to 8GB, while the all new Pivot Plus ups the ante with 256-bit AES hardware encryption. And just in case you're still worried, the drive also features "one password-protected partition that only allows storage of encrypted data and a tamper-resistant housing." As for the refreshed Pivot, it's slated to land later this quarter in the US for $29.99 to $199.99, while the ultra-secure Pivot Plus is available as we speak in 1/2/4/8GB sizes for $69.99 to $249.99.

SSD is really going mainstream this year, and while Mtron has been showing up with the goods -- and powering our favorite RAID array ever -- it looks like it took a brand like Imation to take it to the next level. The two companies are teaming up for two new SSD product lines: Imation SSD MOBI 3000 for laptop and mobile use, and Imation SSD PRO 7000 for enterprise purposes. The MOBI 3000 sports 100MBps read times and 80MBps write, with 0.1ms random access times, which supposedly makes it the fastest SSD product on the consumer market -- the drive purportedly cuts boot times in half. The SSD PRO 7000 does 120MBps read and 90MBps write, and has a mean time between failure greater than one million hours. Price and availability will be announced in the "coming months." It can't come soon enough, believe you us.

DigitalLife is all about the tweens today, and Nickelodeon isn't about to be left out in the cold -- the venerable network has paired up with Imation to release an array of brightly-colored gear for the budding young geek. In addition to a line of pretty-decent DAPs, it's a pretty broad array of stuff you'd be mortified to own if you're not 7, including Dora / Diego and SpongeBob-branded cameras in resolutions from VGA to 3.0 megapixels, a Dora the Explorer portable CD player, a SpongeBob 15-inch LCD TV and progressive-scan DVD player, and a whack-SpongeBob-to-snooze alarm clock. The best of the bunch appears to be the $100 7-inch picture frame, however, which has a pretty decent-looking screen. Check it all out -- along with some hands-on shots -- in the gallery.

It's not all just questionably-useful tween gear for Nickelodeon today -- the company is also releasing a line of DMPs that would be pretty tempting if they weren't festooned with giant pictures of The Naked Brothers Band and SpongeBob. The $40 SpongeBob player holds 500 MP3s and goes for 10 hours on the built-in rechargeable battery, while the $50 Fission Digital Music Player comes in SpongeBob and Naked Brothers varieties and features a motion-sensitive remix feature that allows you to tweak your tunes by shaking the player. The cream of the crop, though, is the $100 Fusion Digital Media Player (yeah, no hurried parents are ever going to confuse those names), which rocks a pretty nice QVGA screen with what appears to be fairly smooth video playback, 1GB of internal storage with SD expansion, and a selection of preloaded and downloadable games. Not bad -- except for the terrible, terrible shame. Check 'em all out -- including some hands-on shots -- in the gallery.

Want to get the kiddies indoctrinated into the fast-paced, high-pressure world of early-adopterism, but you're not quite sure how to do it? Let Nickelodeon (and partner Imation) help you out. The kids' network has just announced a line of new electro-toys aimed at your tots and tweeners, sure to elicit cries of excitement accompanied by the sound of money sliding out of your wallet. Here's a rundown of the extensive list of digital products the two companies will be bringing your way:

• Flash Jr. digital camera (available in both Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! models), $59.99
• SpongeBob Squarepants Flash Micro Digital Camera, with USB connectivity, $21.99
• SpongeBob Squarepants VGA digital camera, auto-flash, 1.1-inch color LCD, 8MB, $31.99
• SpongeBob Squarepants 1.3-megapixel digital camera, auto-flash, 1.1-inch color LCD, 32MB, $49.99
• SpongeBob Squarepants Flash Mega 3.0-megapixel digital camera, auto-flash, 1.5-inch color LCD, 32MB, $79.99
• Invision 7-inch Digital Photo Frame (Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go! models available), $99.99
• SpongeBob SquarePants Digital Music Player, stores up to 500 MP3s and WMAs, 10 hours of playback on a charge, $39.99
• Fission Digital Music Player, $49.99
• Fission Digital Media Player, does video, audio, and photos, plus has on-board games, $99.99
• SpongeBob Squarepants 15-inch, LCD TV, remote, $299.99
• SpongeBob Squarepants progressive scan DVD player, MP3 decoder, remote, $59.99

There you have it folks, the next pile of money you'll be blowing on junky electronics your children will outgrow or break in a few weeks. Life is good, ain't it?

Granted, we're not exactly grasping the full connection between aircrafts and Memorex's TravelDrive M-Flyer Pilot, but the sleek, "aerodynamic" design and cutesy wing logo probably make this the USB flash drive of choice for the average commercial pilot. Regardless, this minuscule device touts a retractable, capless design, ReadyBoost compatibility, and comes with Portable Vault USB security software from Migo Software. Available in 2GB and 4GB sizes, the latest M-Flyer should be available in the US and Canada next month for $49.99 and $79.99, respectively.

Step aside TravelDrive, Memorex just busted out a new line of TravelCard memory cards to round-out their line-up of USB drives. The new line-up announced today by Imation's sub-brand features a dual-interface card (like we've seen before) supporting both SD and USB connectivity. They say it's patented technology... only they don't say who holds said patent. The cards will be offered in 1GB and 2GB capacities and eliminate the need for an SD card reader when moving images from say, your camera to your laptop. The dual-interface cards should ship before Q2 2007. The rest of the family is available today in SD, "high speed" SD, SDHC, MiniSD, MicroSD and MMC Micro formats. Also announced is the Ultra TravelDrive (pictured) line-up of USB hard disk drives. These 2.5-inch, USB 2.0 drives deliver up to 160GB of storage capacity and ship this quarter for up to $200.

Update: We dredged a picture of theTravelCard from the show floor. For whatever reason, we couldn't convince the staff to extract it from the impermeable plastic packaging to check that patented sliding action. Whatevs, click-on for a peep.


read -- Ultra TravelDrive
read -- TravelCard

You know those USB flash drive bracelets no one is wearing? Well, consider 'em bumped to a full 1GB in your choice of 8 colors to match you collection of ironic T-shirts. And if you feel like branding your enslaved wage donkeys, you can even order in bulk replete with your own corporate logo. On sale in Japan starting September 21st. Good times.

[Via Impress]