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Stealth Imaging unveils 120GB PCMCIA NAND hard drive
By now, it's probably safe to assume that you've found a peripheral or two to occupy your previously lonely ExpressCard slot, but if you're still miffed when it comes to the oh-so-overlooked PCMCIA slot, Stealth Imaging's got your answer. During NAB 2007, the firm announced that it would be offering up a 120GB NAND solid-state hard disc drive in the form of a CardBus Type II adapter, which would check in at 86-millimeters long and 5-millimeters thick. Furthermore, the device will reportedly sustain 132Mbps read / write rates, sport random seek times of under 50-nanoseconds, and consume "less than one-third of the power used in a typical spinning HDD." Unfortunately, there was no word on when the Windows / OS X compatible device would grace store shelves, but you can start cleaning the dust out of that PCMCIA slot now in preparation.[Thanks, Kevin]
WiebeTech's Mouse Jiggler USB stick prevents sleep
We've certainly seen crafty methods of keeping humans from dozing off when alertness matters most, but WiebeTech's latest actually does a number on your exhausted computer by refusing to let those power savings settings kick in. The admittedly clever Mouse Jiggler rocks a diminutive USB design, and once plugged into your Mac or PC, it takes over your motionless cursor and shakes it all across the screen, effectively denying the machine its heartfelt wish to fall asleep when idle. Of course, this may not do the average user a whole lot of good, but for those locked-down corporate workstations that frustrate IT heads on end by dozing off just before a download / installation is complete, here's your hero. Notably, the Mouse Jiggler comes in "Fast" and "Slow" flavors to suit your cursor-dementing needs, and each can be snapped up right now for $29.95.[Via MetaFilter]
Philips and Swarovski offer up crystal-clad USB drives
It's not like we haven't seen ritzy USB drives before, but we can't say we expected the relatively conservative Philips to join forces with a top name in the glitz industry and kick out a couple of very superfluous devices. Partnering with Swarovski, the duo is loosing the Active Crystals collection of 1GB USB drives (and sparklin' headphones, too) onto the fashion-conscience set, and aside from sporting a variety of crystal-clad exteriors, they're pretty vanilla everywhere else. Of course, we can't imagine these straying too far from the velvet bag you'll surely tote it around in, and using this out in the mad, mad world probably isn't advisable, but you can still make the lady friend in your life joyous by handing her one of these yet-not-priced luxuries come August.[Via ShinyShiny]
Nintendo to enable USB mass storage devices on Wii?
This kind of stuff is never really set in stone until it's announced, but a press release issued by eSOL announced that Nintendo would be licensing its PrFILE2 FAT file system and PrUSB/Host USB host stack middleware for the Wii. Human-readable translation (if you really want to call it that, since this is the English translation of the Japanese release): "By embedding PrUSB/Host, direct communication with USB devices is supported without using PC. Optional Mass Storage class driver enables using USB flash memory, other mass storage device and digital camera as the external storage." So eSOL's middleware can be used to address devices via USB, but it's still not a sure thing you'll be able to expand storage via USB on your console. Now, why you can only expand via SD is beyond us, but maybe Nintendo's wising up to the fact that maybe they can sell overpriced N-branded USB flash drives, too.[Via C3]
InnoDisk busts out internal ReadyBoost USB drive
InnoDisk looks to have come up with a solution for those looking for a little ReadyBoost action in Vista but not willing to give up a USB port for the pleasure, announcing a drive that bypasses the popular port and goes straight to the motherboard. Apparently available in 2GB and 4GB versions (with the former running only $15), the drives boast a transfer rate of 3MB/s for 512KB random read/write and 5MB/s for 4KB, according to Everything USB, easily exceeding Microsoft's minimum requirement for ReadyBoost use. Unfortunately, there's no word on availability 'round these parts, although we somehow doubt this'll be the last drive like this we'll see.
Corsair's Flash Survivor drive takes a beating, stays dry
It looks like Corsair just can't get tough-stuff flash drives out of their system. They had us with the swashbuckling, buoy-like Voyager, but if you're less Baywatch and more Survivor, their new, um, Survivor drive may be more inclined to float your boat. The 4GB and 8GB sticks screw into their protective aluminum canisters with a rubber seal to prevent water from invading precious content. While we're not exactly sure when these adventurous drives will be ready for your credit card, we're hoping they'll at least be ready for your carelessness.[Via Crave]
SolidAlliance coughs up 1GB of USB Horse Mackerel
Mmmm, nothing says "I'm a dangerous loner" like plugging a SolidAlliance USB anything into your PC. At least this time, the USB Horse Mackerel Sushi nudges SolidA's novelty flash drives just beyond the free tradeshow schwag range -- 1GB if you must know. But if storage was your primary interest you'd be spending your ¥7,980 or $68 elsewhere.[Via Impress]
Pretec unveils waterproof i-Disk RFID flash drive
No question, vendors are constantly throwing out those "world's smallest" bits in a halfway futile attempt to wow consumers who simply don't know any better than to continually fall for it, but for those even mildly in tune with yesterday's news, they know better. Pretec's latest in the i-Disk Diamond series claims to be the "world's smallest," but measuring in at 45.7- x 12.2- x 2.2-millimeters, it simply can't be true without some sort of fine print stipulations. Nevertheless, the i-Disk RFID differs from most USB flash drives by sporting a rugged, waterproof enclosure as well as a built-in RFID tag, which should work wonders in tracking where your employees carry the company's precious data until they find a way to circumvent The Man. While we won't be the first to recommend a Big Brother-enabled thumb drive without a sound reason, these strange sticks will hit the market for a currently undisclosed price in Q2 and range from 128MB to 1GB in capacity.[Via Gadgets-Weblog]
Kingmax unveils "world's smallest" USB flash drive
Hmm, where have we heard this one before? Here, here, here, and oh yeah, here too, but all those "world's smallest" flash drives now have to face Kingmax's USB 2.0 Super Stick as it looks to challenge all the previous (and currently unconfirmed) claims of diminutive superiority. While it looks to be a revamped version of the company's first iteration, this uber-slim flash drive weighs in at just a single gram, and measures 34- x 12.4- x 2.2-mm, which also means this just might be the easiest possible storage medium to lose track of. Nevertheless, this Vista / OS X-friendly drive comes in 512MB ($19), 1GB ($29), 2GB ($39), and 4GB ($55) flavors, and if you're interested in picking up a thumb drive that can probably double as a toothpick, it's available as we speak.
Folder Action Initiated Automatic Backup of Flash Drive on Mount
Constantinos had a problem that I suspect some other folks have as well. He stores data on flash drives which he carries around between multiple Macs and after losing one of his drives he wanted to work up some kind of automated backup plan. His solution was to work up a method for making an automated backup of the drive every time he plugged it in. Although there were previous approaches to this problem using an Pref Pane called Do Something When, Constantinos wanted a solution that would not depend on having a 3rd party program installed on each of his Macs. Working off of an Apple supplied Folder Action for inspiration, he whipped up a nice solution that uses a Folder Action on the /Volumes folder so that each time he plugs in a drive it runs a backup script that calls rsync to do the actual backing up. (One potential downside of this is that you leave a copy of your data on each machine you plug into).Check out Constantinos' solution here, but this got me thinking that this would work just fine in the other direction as well. That is, you could set up a Folder Action that would immediately copy over changes in your, say, ~/Documents folder every time you plugged in a flash drive. And of course there's nothing limiting this to flash drives, iPods or external HDs could serve as well. And if you don't have Constantinos' reasons for avoiding it, check out our previous tip using the free Do Something When, which makes this process even easier.[Via MacOSXHints]
Intel prepping line of NAND flash drives
Intel has already made its NAND affection pretty clear, but the company's now officially made things official, announcing that it's hopping into the crowded storage market with its own line of solid state offerings. Catchily-dubbed the Z-U130, the drives will come in 1GB, 2GB, 4GB and 8GB varieties to start with, boasting read and write speeds of 28MB per second and 20MB per second, respectively, with a standard USB 2.0/1.1 interface hooking things up. While you won't be able to buy one to do as you please with, Intel certainly doesn't seem to think the drives will be lacking for homes, foreseeing them being used in everything from laptops, desktops, and embedded applications to handheld systems and video game consoles, in each case promising to boost start-up times and reduce power consumption. According to Intel, the 1GB and 2GB drives are already in production, with the 4GB model set to follow in April and the 8GB not expected until December. While it's not getting specific on pricing just yet, Intel says the 4GB drive should be priced below comparable 1.8-inch drives by the second half of this year once production ramps up, with the price expected to come in line with 2.5-inch drives by 2008. Not so clear, unfortunately, is when we might see some drives larger than 8GB.
User installs Windows Vista from USB flash drive
Let's get one thing straight on this right from the start: this methodology makes little sense if you've got exactly one machine to install Vista on, as you'll probably spend more time making your USB flash drive bootable than it'd actually take to get your single machine up and running. So, to those of you who are staring down that daunting line of machines that you're fully responsible for, and can't imagine pulling yet another 18-hour day just to get Vista on every single one, here's a way to cut out early without being reprimanded. Joining the list of other high-profile applications that are better booted from a flash drive than CD / DVD or external hard drive, Windows Vista has now been figured out, and the process looks to be relatively painless; just snag a 4GB (or so) high-speed flash drive, format it, and copy Vista's DVD-ROM content over. Of course, you want to be real sure you get all the command lines right, so if you're seriously pondering doing this yourself, do yourself a favor and hit the read link for the expert's take, and watch each successive installation go from 20-minutes or more to "around 5 to 10" -- and leave it in your machine when you're finished for a bit of that ReadyBoost advantage, cool?[Via EverythingUSB]
Adtron's 160GB drive nabs the 2.5-inch SSD record
It's not quite the coup that A-DATA's 128 gigger was, but just 'cause Adtron didn't 2x the previous record holder doesn't mean 160GB is anything to sneeze at. Adtron's new 2.5-inch SSD drive just grabbed the industry crown for capacity, and they're also boasting about sustained read/write performance in the 70MB/s range, which is supposedly "the solid state industry's best performance." The drive is already shipping in commercial and industrial versions, and comes in I25FB (IDE)and A25FB (SATA) varients. No exact word on price, but we hear you might be looking at somewhere in the range of $80-$115 per gigabyte. Yeah, we know. Aren't you sorry you asked?[Via jkOnTheRun]
Trim the fat off PSP flash with Outa-Space homebrew
Your PSP been weighin' down your pocket lately? You know, lookin' kinda bloated? Before you trade for something Lite-er, consider slimming down your portly portable with the new homebrew utility Outa-Space. Get this, it actually removes functionality from PSP's flash memory!Useless fonts? Gone. Photos, Music, and Video menus? Gone, gone, gone. XMB web browser? C'ya! GPS? 'Outta here! RSS? What RSS? Network Update? Puh-lease, I gots custom firmware n00b!"But why?" you might be asking. Well, Outa-Space supposedly removes up to 4mb of flash memory, freeing up room for -- what else -- an extra-long gameboot clip! FTW! Um, yeah... ftw.[Via PSP Fanboy]
Pretec's bulletproof iDisk meets its match: .500 Magnum
We love when lofty claims actually get put to the test, and while we know that an iPod can't hold its own in a blender and an unshielded PSP is no match for a katana, neither of those actually touted any form of defense to begin with. Not so with Pretec's iDisk flash drive, which actually goes so far as to claim that it's "bulletproof," spurning a few shooters at a gun club to grab a few pistols, a camcorder, and give it a go. Initially, the battle-tested drive brushed off a 9mm round, .357 shot, and even a .44 slug without too much damage to the enclosure, but the little fellow didn't fare so well against the mighty .500 Magnum, which practically obliterated it in one fell swoop. Of course, a data thief desperate for your information isn't likely to destroy the very bytes he or she is after, but if you're frightened that Pretec's offering isn't quite macho enough for your needs, we're sure the "nuclear proof" Iron Drive could fit the bill -- until it meets the GP-219 or an eight-Megajoule railgun, of course. Click on through for the (admittedly lengthy) destruction process.
USB Sound Flash Drive packs integrated speaker
If picking up a Les Paul-inspired, iNAND embedded, and aromatherapeutic flash drive still hasn't quelled your cravings for more of that USB key love, here's yet another spin on plug 'n play storage. While the average consumer might not view an integrated, USB-powered speaker flanking the end of a thumb drive an actual "necessity," the eNECESSITIES USB Sound Flash Drive might very well be a priority in an advertisers bag of tricks. Designed to make promotional managers and marketing gurus drool, this device is ideal for loading up "10 to 20 second" WAV, AIFF, or MP3 sound clips which play back when connected to a computer, essentially leaving users no choice but to hear your plug every time they insert the drive. Sadly, you aren't likely to pick one of these up on your own, as the 250 piece minimum order quantity eliminates just about everyone except those running a business, but if you dear readers want to get a group buy started in the comments, be our guest.
Debreu's Scent Drive brings aroma to the flash drive
As if the world this week needed any more odor-quelling USB flash drives to make their debut, Debreu is offering up a stylish, more sophisticated rendition to blast those smile eliciting fragrances out of your USB port. The aptly-named Scent Drive packs a shiny metal alloy enclosure, between 128MB and 1GB of storage capacity, USB 2.0 connectivity, and a vented top which emits the wondrous smells of "fragrance oils" that can be reloaded once your sour apple scent has run dry. Unfortunately, we're a bit miffed when it comes to where to actually purchase this thing, but fret not, as there's plenty of other stench covers available for your office if BO is that great of a problem.[Via Everything USB]
Sandisk intros 8GB iNAND embedded flash drive
It may not be 16GB, but Sandisk's new embeddable 8GB NAND flash drive is still pretty darn spacious as far as these things go, so much so that the company's deemed it necessary use an extra letter to fully express the drive's expansiveness. Dubbed the "iNAND," the drive is fully JEDEC-compliant (that's Joint Electron Device Engineering Council, for those that have better things to memorize) and SD bus-compatible, designed for use in just about anything that needs to cram a lot of storage into a small space, including cellphones, PDAs, MP3 players, and GPS devices. It looks like we'll still have to wait a while before we see one of these actually turn up in a device, however, with SanDisk only just now distributing engineering samples for testing and evaluation, with mass production slated to get underway sometime in the third quarter of this year.[Via Tech Digest]
French students to get USB drive with open source software
Sheesh, where were these guys when we were in school, huh? A number of (admittedly admirable) French authorities have okayed a plan to dish out 175,000 USB drives to Parisian high-school students at the beginning of the next term, and each stick will pack a bevy of open source software aimed at "further reducing the digital divide." The USB drives will likely contain Mozilla's own Firefox and Thunderbird applications, OpenOffice, an instant messaging client, and of course, an unnamed media player to play back tunes and videos. The exact mix of software will be determined by whichever firm ends up winning the bid to provide said thumb drives, but the council plans to spend a whopping €2.6 million ($3.4 million) on the devices alone, leaving us to wonder if these won't be crafted out of precious metals or something. Nevertheless, it looks like just the 15 and 16-year olds will be getting the gifts this time around, but if the implementation "proves successful," it could very well be renewed (and expanded) the following year.[Via SmartMobs]
Buffalo offers up Disney USB flash drives
Now that you've returned from your potentially magical trip to Disney World and seen the more robotically inclined characters dancing a jig, the sore spot on the entire trip was likely the lack of Disney-inspired flash drives at the gift store. Fret not, as Buffalo has just unveiled a lineup of USB drives that sport licensed Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, and Stitch, which are all part of the RUF2-DFNR series. Judging by the shapes, each character is more suited to sit on your desk rather than becoming your everyday pocket drive, and with just 512MB of capacity, it's fairly clear that these are aimed squarely at Disney fanboys (and girls) who just can't let the opportunity to own a "limited edition" Disney item pass them by. Landing late next month, only 5,000 of each character will be available for sale, and while we're not sure of the exact prices, we're certain the trio will be at least somewhat overpriced (and highly coveted).[Via Impress]
