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Kingston HyperX is an SSD soul stuck in a flash drive's body (video)
Every time we get a free USB key, we wince at the memory of spending $70 on a measly four gigs back in '06. That's why a company like Kingston has to up its game with kit like the new Data Traveler HyperX 3.0. Far from your average thumb drive, this little monster is powered by the same HyperX technology that you find inside the company's premium SSD line. The performance is pretty impressive, getting 225MB/s read and 135MB/s write -- making it Kingston's fastest ever flash drive (and a tempting shot at expanding the solid state storage on a laptop). The setup is capped off with a sturdy rubber cover and keyring hook, although we wouldn't fancy putting gear this expensive at the mercy of our car keys. Kingston isn't saying when the devices are coming out, but expect the 64GB model to set you back $193, with 128GB running up a tab to the tune of $377. Rather ominously, 256GB has no price -- presumably, if you have to ask how much it costs, you clearly can't afford it.
Corsair releases "Flash Padlock" PIN-based flash drive
Innovation in the flash drive sphere seems to be limited to bringing the price down, and adding on new security features. Corsair's new "Flash Padlock" flash drive seemingly does both, by retailing at $29.99 and $39.99 in 1GB and 2GB variants, and tacking on a PIN based security system that limits who can access the drive. The benefit to the Flash Padlock is that its security solution is entirely hardware based, so it's supposedly impervious to hackers and crackers and other deviant folk: the downside is that if your computer's USB ports are out of reach, then this solution is going to be extremely bad for your back.
Transcend's JetFlash T2K USB drives are light -- duh
Transcend is bustin' a play at Sony's Microvault line-up of tiny USB flash drives. As such, they want you to know that their new JetFlash T2K drive weighs just 2-grams. Not bad, but still 33% heavier than Sony's little 1.5-gram whisps of colorful NAND. Still, just like the rest, it is small, damn small. So small that you'll be happy to strap on a lanyard to safeguard the ¥3,980 ($33) / ¥6,980 ($58) / ¥10,800 ($89) you just dropped on the 1GB / 2GB / 4GB models, respectively. Kind of defeats the whole "lightweight" sales pitch, eh? Add an RFID locator tag and give us a call, mkay?Update: Thanks Sam K for pointing out in the comments that Transcend's US store sells the 1GB / 2GB / 4GB models for $15.90 / $25.10 / $48.30 (pre-tax), respectively.[Via Impress]
