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White Stripes album sold on limited edition USB drives
For fans of Jack and Meg, it's probably a long-standing dream of yours to purchase the Icky Thump album on limited edition thumb drives complete with cartoon renditions of the rockers, but even if it that understandably bizarre scenario never actually crossed your mind, you can still make it a reality. Apparently, the White Stripes are offering up their latest album on two fairly rare USB drives, each sporting 512MB of internal space, an artistic rendition of one of the band mates, and thirteen rockin' tracks in Apple Lossless format. Only 3,333 of each will be created, and while just one will run you a whopping $57.50, you may as well grab the duo for a discounted $99. Of course, we're still not entirely certain if these things are actually licensed by the band, but it's safe to assume that a seven nation army of fans will have these bought up before the legal teams can even get their case together.[Via BoingBoing]
Marubeni Infotec knocks on wooden input peripherals
While we doubt a vast majority of you have gone and purchased a wooden PC just yet, a natural tower isn't necessary to enjoy the stained goods that Marubeni Infotec was showing off at Computex. While details concerning pricing, availability, and construction were all but nil, AVing's crew did manage to get its camera up close and personal with some of the wares. On display was a USB keyboard (complete with Scrabble-influenced keys), a number of colorful USB 2.0 flash drives, a multicard reader, and a four-port (we agree, the fourth port is hiding) USB hub. Click on through for shots so close, you can smell the sap.
Zip Zip offers up USB flash drives within Lego blocks
We're not particularly sure if Lego is actually getting a cut on these newfangled USB flash drives, but an Australian firm is offering up said storage options within Lego blocks nonetheless. The Zip Zip Memory Bricks will be available in black, white, red, blue, green, and yellow here shortly, and all house 1GB of storage and sport USB 2.0 connectivity. Additionally, a nifty lanyard allows you to attach your new 31- x 15- x 10-millimeter drive to your key ring, and while the A$59 ($48) pricetag may seem a tad high for just 1,024MB, you know the diehards can't resist picking this up to go alongside their Lego LaCie HDD.
Corsair Flash Survivor GT 8GB escapes torture test unscathed
We've seen some mighty rugged flash drives put to the test in our day, but Corsair's Flash Survivor GT 8GB managed to withstand a well-planned and carefully executed attack on its life like none that have come before it. This soldier of a USB drive not only performed great when tested against more fragile alternatives, it somehow escaped sans injury after being submerged in a pool, cooked in boiling water for ten solid minutes, and being creamed with a hammer numerous times. The torturers expected the CNC-milled anodized aircraft-grade aluminum housing to hold up fairly well under duress, but even they were utterly amazed at how invincible this thing really seemed. The $130 drive earned a much deserved 10 out of 10 rating from the flabbergasted review crew, and while we're not quite sure if it could withstand a nuclear attack like one of its competitors, it can apparently live through just about anything that you yourself could.[Thanks, Rodger]
PQI intros Traveling Disk H Series USB drives
For those of you out there who are already proud owners of Power Quotient International's Cool Drive U350, the new lineup from the same company probably looks eerily familiar. While the firm claims that "extra efforts went into differentiating the H series from its siblings by using techniques such as sand blasting, hairline treatment, and mirror finishes," we're not quite buying it. Regardless of looks, the new flash drives tout ReadyBoost compatibility (although it's apparently not likely to yield much benefit), are available in sizes ranging from half a gigabyte to 4GB, and come pre-loaded with a Webaroo offline browser that "downloads and saves internet packets of websites" for viewing whilst not connected. Unfortunately, there's no signs of a price nor an availability date, but aside from the still-nifty retractable nature that the U310H, U350H and U339H all rock, there's not much here to hold out for.[Via PC Launches]
1GB Nike shoe USB flash drive disregards trademark
While we've seen the swoosh used on questionably licensed apparel before, we're fairly certain that a one-off Japanese e-tailer isn't selling a svelte Nike USB flash drive before the company itself with due permissions in place. Nevertheless, users can (well, for the time being, at least) pick the 1GB training shoe USB drive for their Mac or PC, and while it doubles as a keychain or hangs on tight to your Kensington lock port, the real utility is stored beneath the toe. Admittedly, it doesn't look half bad (click through for more proof), but we'd recommend plopping down your ¥2,480 ($20) real quick like before the legal teams return on Monday.[Via EverythingUSB]
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]
Kingston unveils flash storage vending machine in UK
We wouldn't recommend hopping on the next non-stop flight to London Gatwick Airport's North Terminal or anything, but for those passing through in dire need of an extra SD / CF card or USB drive, Kingston's got your back. Joining SIM cards, iPods, digicams, shoes, and all sorts of other bizarre goods, Kingston's self-branded vending machine will doll out presumably overpriced flash memory to travelers in need. Reportedly, New Jersey-based MyMemory will be operating the machines, and of course, they will all be open 24/7 for your late night (and mid-day) flash storage requirements. Interestingly, the UK units will supposedly utilize the oft hacked Chip & PIN technology, which means the countdown to gobs of free memory (and a high-speed police chase) has officially begun.[Via EverythingUSB]
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]
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]
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]
The ultra-tiny USB Micro Drive microSD reader
Either those or some pretty dang huge keys, or this new USB Micro Drive for microSD being sold by Brando is most likely "the world's smallest microSD reader" it claims to be. There really isn't a lot to know: it runs at full-speed USB 2.0, measures 5mm thick, weighs a tenth of an ounce and reads microSD cards. With this kind of size, you could just leave your microSD card inside the $14 reader for a DIY thumb drive, or use it as a card reader all normal-like, but that's about all that's going on here. Fire this thing up with one of those fancy new 4GB microSD numbers and watch the sparks fly!
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]
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]
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]
Gemalto intros USB smart card to curb phishing
The long, long list of uber-secure USB flash drives continues to grow as paranoid data carriers attempt to protect their lab reports and award-winning recipe books, but Gemalto has a slightly different kind of security in mind with its latest USB smart cards. The forthcoming keys will function much like the Mighty Key already does, as it offers up phishing protection by requiring that users have the USB stick plugged into their computer before being able to access files, online banking accounts, or your secret stash of 90's anime. While the company already provides such security measures for governmental / enterprise agencies, the Network Identity Manager is purportedly tailored for the average joe, won't require "any specialized software," and will play nice with standard browsers. Additionally, the system will utilize a token management system and support Verisign's VIP Network Identity federation framework, but won't require users to carry around a perpetually changing key fob as does PayPal. Gemalto hopes to "simplify" user security and curb the growing phishing problems in America, but there's currently no word on when we'll see these protection measures available for sale here in the States.
PQI's U510 flash card gets ritzy for Chinese New Year
Although PQI's not cramming 16GB onto this rendition of its U510 USB flash card, it is giving the device quite a fancy makeover for the Chinese New Year, as the Limited Fortune Pig Edition Card Drive (seriously) dons red and gold colors in preparation for the celebration. Moreover, the "hairline treated surface," along with the peony at the bottom right corner surrounded by fortune pigs, are reportedly meant to symbolize "prosperity, joy, happiness, sincerity," and all sorts of other good things to kick off the New Year. Interestingly, this isn't the first time a USB flash device has gotten ritzy for the forthcoming occasion, but considering that these aren't actually made of precious metals, we have a good feeling they'll be a bit more manageable on the wallet. Per usual, the cards come with a flat, retractable USB 2.0 cable, carrying bag, and personal file management software, and though we aren't sure just how much these nifty cards will run you, only 1,000 1GB flavors (pictured after the jump) are being produced while just 500 2GB units will see the light of day, so we'd suggest you place your dibs right about now if you're interested.[Via FarEastGizmos]
