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Corsair launches 16GB Flash Voyager drive
Looks like pirate-loving Corsair is the latest to join the 16GB club, bumping up its trademark Flash Voyager thumb drive to that magical number while still keeping the physical size of the drive in line with earlier models. While it gets a boost in storage (though we're sure it still won't be enough for some), this latest USB drive does take a slight hit in performance compared to some of the company's leaner options, garnering a 22MB/sec read time and 7MB/sec write time. Also, as with other Flash Voyager models, the drive comes equipped with Corsair's "True Crypt" security measures, and has an all-rubber casing and "water-resistant properties" -- all the better for pirates moonlighting as graphic designers, we suppose. This one's available now for $299, which includes a ten year warranty and a stylish lanyard.[Via The Inquirer]
World's heaviest USB flash drive
Here's one record that's not likely to be shattered anytime soon (or at least we hope not). While it's no secret that USB drives have been gradually getting smaller and smaller (that's what we all wanted, right?), this trend has apparently led to an increasing amount of lost flash drives from folks who can't keep up with minuscule property. In meretricious fashion, Chris Spurgeon actually went so far as to "embed his flash drive" into a regulation sixteen-pound Galaxie 300 bowling ball in order to keep it from vanishing while out on the town. While attaching this device to laptops and PCs within cramped confines probably isn't desirable, it should definitely keep that precious data out of the washing machine, but we doubt this bad boy lands a strike anytime soon with such an extrusion.[Via The Raw Feed]
PQI's "pen-like" retractable Cool Drive U350
Power Quotient International -- best known for squeezing exorbitantly large amounts of data onto incredibly small modules -- is at it again with its zany flash drive antics, and this time the company is unveiling a retractable version to keep that presumably delicate USB connector safe. The Cool Drive U350 will be available in 0.5/1/2/4GB sizes and play nice with both Windows XP and OS X-based systems, but differs from the stockpile of other alternatives by "automatically retracting the USB head into the main body" when the outer tab is pulled. Although the U350 is a tad lengthy at 7.75 centimeters, at least it's less likely to be "misplaced" when out and about, and the "pen-like" mechanism will give you one more thing to fidget with while on the subway if nothing else.[Via Far East Gizmos]
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]
Kingston DataTraveler USB drives get Secure and, um, super-secure
When it comes to security on USB flash drives, you're looking for two things: protection against the elements and destructive kids or pets, as well as strong encryption so all your incriminating files stay locked down. Well Kingston's got you covered on both fronts with the latest additions to its line of DataTraveler drives -- the DataTraveler Secure and DataTraveler Secure: Privacy Edition -- which both sport titanium-coated stainless steel cases that make them waterproof down to four-foot depths. The regular Secure model is targeted at small- and medium-size businesses, and features a "privacy zone" protected by 256-bit AES hardware encryption along with read / write speeds of 24MBps and 10MBps, respectively. With the Privacy Edition models -- meant for enterprise customers -- you're getting the same specs boosted by full drive AES encryption and a so-called "complex password protocol" that locks out the drive after ten malicious "attacks" or drunken mistypes on your part. You can pick up the DataTraveler Secure models immediately in sizes ranging from 512MB to 4GB ($33 to $244), while the same-size Privacy Edition units won't be available until January, giving Kingston time to decide how much they can jack up the prices for IT departments with bloated budgets.
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]
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]
Thanko's PIN-protected Morse Code Drive
You may think that those USB thumb drives with biometric protection are keeping your data on adequate lockdown, but with so many Play-Doh-equipped crooks looking to steal your personal information these days, are you really willing to trust your most secure infoswag to a notoriously unreliable fingerprint reader? Our old friends at "innovative" Japanese manufacturer Thanko certainly aren't, as evidenced by their new keypad-sporting model called the Morse Code Drive -- which, despite its name, has nothing to do with the dash-dot-dashing we've seen performed by characters in old war movies. Available in either 512MB or 1GB flavors, this USB 2.0-compatible drive requires the user to input the proper PIN before revealing its precious data on a Mac or Windows machine, although we doubt that a determined hacker would be unable to penetrate its defenses. Still, most consumers will find the $60 and $85 drives acceptable for everyday use, and the fact that they camouflage themselves as a cheap calculator when stored in your pocket protector should only help seal the deal.[Via Fareastgizmos]
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]
Sony's Microvault Tiny USB drive for the ladies
We're still not sure why you'd want to buy a USB thumb drive so small that you'll probably lose it within the first week, but that hasn't stopped companies like Pretec, Lexar, OCZ, and PQI -- and now Sony -- from battling it out until one of them finally achieves the holy grail of a completely invisible storage solution. Well even though they may not be the smallest drives around, Sony's new 1.5-gram Microvault Tiny line is looking to stand out from the crowd by sporting "fashionable" cases for appealing to the female demographic -- although it's not clear how many women will be into outdated designs that resemble 20th Century iMacs. Only available in South Korea for now, the drives range in capacity from 256MB ($30) to 2GB ($124), and in one of the strangest promotions we've ever seen, actually come with a bottle of matching nail polish as a free gift-- so even if you lose the drive, you can still look down at your hands and reminisce about all the good times you and your Tiny had reading and writing data together.Update: Some eagle-eyed readers have already spotted these devices Stateside at Target, so scratch that part about exclusive South Korean availability.[Via Shiny Shiny]
V-Phone: Vonage gets in the game
If you've been hankerin' for some Vonage-flavored VoIP-on-a-stick then listen up friend, because that sweet, cheap, SIP goodness is on the way. Announced by Vonage's very own Jeffrey Citron while on-stage at the TechEffect Convergence 2.0 show, this little red USB keychain can be plugged into any Internet connected PC for Vonage customers to make calls on the go. More details are expected this week but from the looks of that pic, we'll guess the device will feature an integrated mic and good ol' standard 3.5-mm jack for some hot headset-on-stick action. Yeah, not exactly a first, or even a distant second in this game but let's stay tuned anyway to see how Vonage plans to lead follow this Internet phone revolution.
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]
USB teddy bear holds data, scares children
Generally, when someone makes a teddy bear-themed gadget, his/her intention is to overwhelm bystanders with cuteness. But whoever created this little guy, whose head has to be removed in order to access the internal USB drive, must have watched one too many Tim Burton movies. No word on how much it holds or if there are any plans to make these available for purchase, but with your own bear, a thumb drive, some thread and a closet full of skeletons, you can probably make your own without too much effort.
Sony to offer fast, high capacity Micro Vaults
Sony will soon be bulking up its line of Micro Vault USB thumb drives, so to speak, by adding several new models that offer either increased capacity, increased transfer speeds, or both. Though not reaching the 8GB plateau of the Micro Vault Pro, the upcoming units still manage to pack between 256MB and 4GB of data into a pocketable design, and all feature Sony's Virtual Expander software for automatically compressing your bits to store up to three times the drive's labeled capacity. Besides the storage boost, Sony will be offering the same size drives in a lineup called the Excellence range, which promise zippier read and write speeds of 29Mbps and 23Mbps, respectively. While all the new models are expected later this month, Sony is keeping pricing details...hold for terrible pun...locked up in the "vault."
Buffalo's latest USB key packs 8 gigs
They're not the first and most surely won't be the last to join the club, but Buffalo has just added an 8GB thumb drive to their flash lineup. The RUF2-R8G-S manages to squeeze the gigs into a 0.75 x 3.6 x 0.55 enclosure, and promises 32MB/s write and 27MB/s read speeds over USB 2.0. No word on price, but we're sure the Yen required will be many. Now how about a bit of 16GB action?[Via Akihabara]
Flash drives containing US military secrets for sale next to Afghani base
Despite the government's best efforts to secure its classified electronic data, the L.A. Times is reporting that it was easily able to obtain a thumb drive full of sensitive military information -- from a bazaar right next to a US Air Force base in Afghanistan. According to the Times, the 1GB flash drive -- which, at $40, was quite the bargain -- contains details that could put the lives of several informants and sources at risk, including pictures, phone numbers, and even the names of their family members. Furthermore, even though files on the drive lay out specific military procedures and intelligence gathering strategies and contain photos of the base inside the perimeter, few of the documents are encrypted or password-protected. Although Army officials claim to regularly shop the bazaars for stolen material, and have ordered a review of their data security protocols, the fact that such damaging info can be purchased so easily would seem to indicate that the matter is a bit more urgent.[Via Slashdot]
