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Design a USB flash drive for Solid Alliance and win... a USB flash drive!
The fine folks at Solid Alliance have never seemed to be lacking for inventive designs, but they're now turning to you for some help sprucing up this otherwise ordinary-looking USB flash drive, soliciting designs in four different categories: foolish, proverb, creative,and "kiyara." You have until November 10th to get your design in (a template's provided on the page linked below), with the winning design chosen shortly thereafter on November 21st. So what exactly do you get for all your hard-fought Photoshopping, apart from the adoration of flash drive users across Japan? Why a USB drive of your own with your design on it, of course, with all the design rights given to Solid Alliance for them to do with what they please. Ah, the price of fame.[Via Akihabara News]
Sony ups Micro Vault "Midi" storage to 8GB
Sony's boosting the storage capacity of its Micro Vault flash drives (again), with the USB sticks now reaching the magic 8GB mark -- territory previously reserved for Sony's larger, squarer Micro Vault Pro drives. Other than doubling up on gigabytes, the new drive remains the same as previous Micro Vault drives, featuring a retractable USB connector and Sony's pre-installed Virtual Expander software (Windows only), which promises to triple the storage capacity by compressing files that are transferred to the drive. No word yet on how much the voluminous new drive will cost, though it should be on store shelves sometime next month -- with 512MB, 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB models still available for the less demanding among us.[Via Photography Blog]
Mimoco announces Star Wars-themed Mimobot flash drives
Designer flash drive company (really) Mimoco has brought a more familiar face to its line of Mimobot flash drives, announcing a Darth Vader USB stick -- with more Star Wars characters to follow -- each limited to 2,500 to 3,500 units. Darth here's available in 1GB, 2GB and 4GB varieties, ranging in price from $79.95 to $169.95 -- a bit of a premium over your standard flash drive, sure, but what price can you put on having the dark side of the force guarding your data? (Yeah, we know -- sorry about that one.) While the remaining three Star Wars characters have yet to be announced, Mimoco's giving you a chance to win 'em all if you can guess them correctly, though we somehow doubt that our favorite fish-faced leader Admiral Ackbar will be among them.
Mighty Key, the new secure USB snake oil?
Anything labeled a "must-have" from a security company that we've never heard of is flips on our huckster radars, and a new startup called Atomynet purports to sell its new "Mighty Key" portable security solution. Basically it's a USB security key that supposedly encrypts data stored to the thumb drive using AES, provides remote encrypted storage, creates a secure connection to the internet, and deletes your browser's cookies and history files. Now that doesn't seem so offensive to begin with, until you find out that the company charges a monthly fee to use this device. Still not convinced that Atomynet could be playing you? Well, it doesn't help that their device is still only a mock-up, and yet they have "feedback" on the company's website, which, incidentally, reads like it was written by a D-average middle schooler. One reads (no, we're not making this up): "great, finally I can surf the internet without fear that my mom or dad knows what I do." Finally, we love how this Windows XP-only product is demoed on an iBook in the demo video on the site. Still, if you do try it out and are convinced of its effectiveness, drop us a line in comments, we're intrigued.
Elecom's U.STYLE USB flash drives
Japanese manufacturer Elecom has busted out a couple of new USB flash drives to suit your style -- if your style happens to be white plastic, that is. Available in four different yes remarkably similar designs, the U.STYLE drives each come in 256MB, 512MB, 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB varieties, except for the "Block" model, which drops the low end 256MB option and ups the transfer rate to 25MB/sec.. No word on when these might available, unfortunately, and Elecom's only giving the standard "open price" line on how much they're gonna cost.[Via Akihabara News]
The BCD-rockin' USB Smart Flash Drive
Sure, this flash drive isn't covertly disguised as a teddy bear or housing an exceedingly capacious 64GB of storage, but it does have one thing going for it: brains. The aptly-named USB Smart Flash Drive apparently does a little thinking of its own while holding tight to your precious data, and conveys that knowledge via the Bi-stable Cholesteric Display. Although it proudly touts itself as the "world's first smart flash drive," we (and Corsair) would certainly beg to differ. Nevertheless, a little BCD competition never hurt anyone, and this rendition boasts a sleek, black enclosure, 11 character customizable display, on-the-fly readouts of megabyte usage (both numerically and graphically), LCD read / write indicator, write protect switch, and USB 2.0 connectivity. Coming in 256MB (£27.99; $53), 512MB (£29.99; $57), 1GB (£64.99; $123) and 2GB (£74.99; $142) flavors, these bright (ahem) flash drives are available now to keep you posted on just how much (or little) info you're toting.[Via Red Ferret]
Homebrew file manager reveals secrets [Update 1]
The TIFF applications keep on coming. The latest one allows you to rename, move and delete files off your Memory Stick, directly from the PSP. I don't see much of a need for this, but it may be helpful for those of you that need to rename, hide and delete all that porn those confidential documents that you've been saving to the Memory Stick. Hey, more power to you. I love using my PSP as a back-up flash drive. It's great for carrying porn term papers around.If you do use the program, it appears that there are folders called GPS and USBMIC hidden on your PSP's flash memory. What could that mean? If we're lucky, it might mean that the upcoming GPS peripheral may have support on 2.80 firmware, without having to upgrade! That would be great for those of you that want to get the official device while running these small TIFF homebrew apps.[Via PSP3D][Update 1: The application has recently been updated. It can now read UMD data as well.]
Toshiba's TransMemory flash drives reach 16GB, go U3
We're not so massively fond of the whole U3 machine-independent application and computing package thing, but if there's one thing we can get behind, it's a big ol' damned flash memory drive. Toshiba's new TransMemory line, which they're launching in November in sizes from 512MB to 4GB, are all well and good, but only the 16GB Limited Edition due in December would have gotten get us through the year (what with the occasional Vista build and Leopard beta and all). Of course, as with the other 8GB+ flash memory drives, we leave it to Toshiba to ensure we aren't extorted for five or more figures in order to get our unworthy hands on one.[Via FarEastGizmos]
Kingston launches Mini Fun flash drives
We're not sure if Kingston is making a statement about the entertainment to be had from owning a USB flash drive (especially those pre-loaded with a couple of simple puzzle and adventure games), or if they really think "mini" and "fun" are both good qualifiers to brand a lineup of unusually shaped storage peripherals, but we can say with some certainty that their vaguely LEGO-like Mini Fun flash drives will run you between $15 and $33 for between 256MB and 1GB of storage. It's summer time, live a little, have some, um, fun.
Samsung's 4GB Vista flash SSD, under $200?
After Samsung announced a new solid state drive yesterday, they came back today to clarify a few things. First off, they come in 2.5-inch and 1.8-inch form factors for mounting in standard PC case slots -- as one might've expected. Second, they're meant for high-end PC users who want to improve performance under Windows Vista to take advantage of Vista's "Ready Boost" feature, which we're sure is a part of the flash-based drive enhancements they've made (see: hybrid hard drives) to improve the lumbering behemoth's performance. Oh, and watch out for these drives to start appearing as OEM upgrades in "Vista Ready" PCs before they supposedly show up for the after-market at or under $200. Clear 'nuff?
Corsair's Flash Readout USB 2.0 drive
Wouldn't it be nice to see how much space was left on your flash drive without having to find a computer to jam it into? Although the problem already has a few solutions, Corsair has released the CMFUSBREADOUT-1GB and CMFUSBREADOUT-2GB USB 2.0 drives rocking a not-so-typical Bi-stable Cholesteric Display (BCD). While internal functionality is nothing out of the ordinary, the snazzy external display features a 4 digit readout showing the capacity remaining (in MB), a pie chart showing the space used, and just for those who just love to customize, an 11 character programmable display to enter the drive's content. If you're concerned about the longevity of the display, it's presumably charged while in use, and can function "without a battery" for a year (saywha?). These data-driven drives will run you $39.99 (1GB) and $59.99 (2GB) and should go perfectly with your collection of devices that sport unnecessary, yet beneficial, displays. [Via The Gadgets Weblog]
Jeep USB flash drive
So maybe this USB drive isn't the the cutest, the biggest, the smartest, or even the weirdest, but how can you deny the Jeep drive's rugged allure? Oh sure, perhaps it's just a fickle attempt to overcharge for a cheap accessory, but whatever the case, EDGE Tech Corp has unveiled these presumably trail rated jump drives to store your maps, hiking trails, emergency contacts, and nearest parts dealers just in case cruising off-road leaves you in a pinch. Aside from looking rough and tough, these USB 2.0 drives seem barely more durable than your run-of-the-mill versions, claiming "shock resistance" as the lone rugged attribute. Considering the absurdly high prices -- $29.95 for 256MB and $44.95 for 512MB -- we can't really understand why these would be appealing, but maybe "it's a Jeep thing," so we wouldn't understand. [Via USBDriveSoft]
Apacer's Audio Steno AU522 flash-based DAP
What do you get when you cross an iPod Shuffle with Nokia's 7280 fashion phone? (Hint: it's not Transcend's T.Sonic 310, but good guess.) Why, Apacer's upcoming Audio Steno AU522 DAP, of course. This fairly-stylish little number comes in capacities ranging from 256MB to 2GB, supports MP3, WMA, and WAV files, and includes a memory card slot for boosting storage by another gig. A built-in USB connector allows you to use the AU522 as a flash drive or reader for all those MMCmicro cards you have lying around, and you can also record directly from the FM tuner and share your music with a friend thanks to dual headphone jacks. The two-color, 128 x 64 OLED screen is another nice touch, though it probably contributes to the player's mere eight hours of battery life. No word so far on either pricing or availability, but if you really have a desire to snatch one of these up, we're confident that you'll be able to make it happen.[Via MP3 Player Guide]
Sony's Micro Vault Tiny now officially shipping in the US
Hey "fashion-forward consumers," yeah you. Sony's uh, "byte sized" Micro Vault Tiny USB drive is now shipping in the US. That's the official Sony poop although the Tiny, as Sony likes to call them, was spotted weeks ago giving some of you that 1.0 x 0.5-inch storage fix you obviously crave. About the thickness of a US quarter and weighing in at 1.5-grams, the drive ships in 5 capacity/color combinations: 256MB (orange), 512MB (violet), 1GB (blue), 2GB (green) on up to 4GB for the full-sized purple-nurple. Tiny comes preloaded with Virtual Expander built-in to automatically compress and decompress data albeit with a hit on access speed. All but the 4GB model are shipping now at an MSRP ranging from $30 to $200.
Thanko's 512MB USB lanyard
You know, even Thanko can ignite a bright spark now and again. Here we have the Thanko USB neckstrap which brings 512MB to your MP3 player or cellphone's lanyard. Sure it's not for everyone but for all those crazy kids flauntin' their high tech wares up front, well, why not for the ¥4,680 or about $41 bucks it'll cost ya? We're just wondering what happened to the integrated earphones, huh Thanko? [Via Fareastgizmos]
Buffalo drops 4GB USB drive
Having already joined the ranks of 8GB thumb drives, Buffalo has busted out a separate line of "entry-level" USB drives that top out at a mere 4GB. The RUF2-E series apparently don't have the same "UltraSpeed" transfer times of the higher-end RUF2-R series, and they've further differentiated them with a questionable clear bluish-purple casing. Prices start our reasonably at 2,000 Yen ($17 US) for the 128MB model, but you'll have to fork over a whopping 47,800 Yen (or $415 US) for the pleasure of being able to carry 4GB on a string.[Via Digital World Tokyo]
Adata's solar powered USB flash drive
So Adata has really been jumping into the latest fad of slapping a display onto a memory device in order to read its available storage. They've dabbled in e-ink and the like, but this time they're powering a good old fashioned pocket calculator LCD with a pocket calculator solar panel. The good news about this is that the proven tech should allow them to get these 128MB to 1GB drives out the door before long, the bad news is that it looks pretty lame, and you can't tell all your friends that you own an e-ink display. Not to worry, Adata was showing one of those as well, along with a USB key with a retractable headset for all your VoIP needs.[Via The Raw Feed]
OCZ's Mini-Kart USB flash drive
We've seen plenty of tiny USB flash drives, not to mention all those SD cards with built-in USB connectors, so we thought that portable storage had finally gotten small enough for everyone to be happy. Storage device manufacturer OCZ doesn't think so, however, and are hoping that their Mini-Kart USB flash -- available now in sizes up to 2GB for around $60 -- will lure consumers away from other Lililiputian options on the market. The folks at XYZ Computing broke out a magnifying glass and took one of the little drives for a spin, finding that the transfer rate was slower than on a larger drive -- but apparently, they were willing to live with the trade-off for the smaller size and coolness factor. We say that since you'll probably just end up losing this thing anyway, you're better off keeping your most sensitive data more tightly guarded -- like by wrapping it around your wrist.
Sima's Hitch allows USB devices to share files
Transferring digital files between disparate hardware no longer has to be such a chore thanks to a new Mass Storage- and Picture Transfer Protocol-compliant offering from Sima Products called Hitch (model USB-101), which lets you connect nearly any digital camera, DAP, PMP, or flash drive with a USB connection and send single files or entire albums to a like device. Once both products are hooked up, you simply need to choose what you want to send and where you want it to go using Hitch's 2.5-inch backlit black and white screen, and your digital swag starts zipping between devices at USB 2.0 speeds (or USB 1.1, if your gear is a bit pokier). You'll be able to pick one of these up -- DRM-compliance and all -- later this month for about $150.
BioCert ClipBio Pro 1GB biometric flash drive
Last time we heard from BioCert, it was regarding that there Guardian biometric fingerprint door lock. Now it looks like they're back in the game with the ClipBio Pro 1GB biometric flash drive. Yeah, it's more of the same when it comes to integrated-biometric personal data storage, but their fingerprint reading piece will only set you back $130, which ain't too bad for a gig of room (sans whatever space is required for that bundled iQBioDrive security software).[Via Mobility Site]
