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Norcent announces DCC-1025 / DCS-760 digicams, slew of storage accessories
Hot on the heels of Norcent unveiling its forthcoming lineup of HDTVs, the company has announced that we'll be seeing its photogenic side as well, as the DCS-760 ($199) and DCC-1025 digicams make their debut at CES along with a slew of storage-related accessories. The 10.1-megapixel DCC-1025 ($179; DC-1020 pictured) reportedly sports a "champagne colored, brushed metal finish," 2.5-inch "scratch-resistant" LCD monitor, 3x optical zoom (and 4x of the practically worthless digital variety), 14 pre-selected scene modes, red-eye reduction, 640 x 480 MPEG4 movie mode, NTSC / PAL compatibility, 32MB of internal memory, SD / MMC slot, and AV out to boot. The more compact DCS-760 features a seven-megapixel sensor, "high-end design," 15 scene modes, VGA movie mode, 2.5-inch LTPS monitor, and the same 3x optical zoom and SD / MMC slot as the larger sibling. Making sure your digicam is fully prepared for a long day of shooting, the firm is also unveiling its SD Duo, Micro SD Trio, and Micro SD Reader / Adapter; the SD Duo combines SD and USB support, while the Micro SD Trio adds microSD, and neither unit needs a card reader to interface with any USB-equipped PC. As if that weren't enough, it's also showing off a 1GB ($19.99) / 2GB ($29.99) USB Pen Drive that rocks a LED indicator light and a "twist to open" cap to curb that "missing lid" syndrome so often associated with flash drives. While the DCS-760 won't be available until the Spring, everything else is available right now, and will be out on display in just a few days at CES.Read - Norcent DCS-760Read - Norcent DCC-1025Read - Norcent SD Storage lineupRead - Norcent USB Pen Drive
Gold and silver USB drives celebrate the Year of the Pig
While most of you may think we're just rolling along in 2007, you're probably just paying too close attention to that Gregorian calendar, as there's still a ways to go before the Year of the Pig is rung in. In a collaborative effort between the Beijing Zhongshi Boda Company and Lenovo, a limited run (9,999 to be exact) of gold and silver USB flash drives are being released with celebratory engravings on the sides. Each drive is made from "30 grams of its respective metals," and reportedly sports a purity level of 99.9-percent. Looking to woo folks who just can't get enough of that Chinese culture in the side of their computer, the devices feature a pig pattern and "2007" to commemorate the upcoming new year, and moreover, the Chinese characters "Jin Zhu Tian Fu" are inscribed, which translates to "may the gold pig bring you good fortune." We've no idea if silver users won't be nearly as lucky for typographical reasons, nor how much capacity these things actually have, but the sets should start selling soon for a whopping 9,999 CNY ($1,281) over in China.[Via Spluch & Engadget China]
Boot XP from external USB drive without Boot Camp
jarpy has an interesting post up on installing Windows XP to an external USB hard drive without using Boot Camp to repartition his internal drive. This method makes use of the Open Source rEFIt utility which we've mentioned before. The process itself looks somewhat risky (e.g. jarpy disconnected his internal drive to avoid corrupting his OS X install) and playing around with third-party boot loaders is always potentially dangerous in my opinion. However, the payoff of a USB-bootable Windows drive is rather appealing, so it might be worth a look for some of you. Proceed at your own risk. If any of you decide to get this working, please share your experiences in the comments.[Via Digg]
Don't throw that old USB flash drive away, donate it
Whether you call it a thumb drive, memory stick, flash drive, or disgo, by now you've probably got at least one unused USB flash drive lying around the house or office. Instead of chucking that schwag into the digital dump and making Iron Eyes Cody cry, why not donate your 16MB (or greater drive) to Inveneo in their quest to leverage ICT and close the digital divide in developing countries? The flash drives will be provided to students, aid workers, and small business entrepreneurs among others in need of a quick and easy means to store and share information. Come on, everybody's doing it, and besides, mom always said it's better to make tax deductible donations, than to receive. Click the read link below to contribute or read on for more details about Inveneo.[Via boingboing]
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]
TEAC intros multifunction portable hard drive
TEAC has introduced a new multifunction portable hard drive, although if by "multifunction" you're expecting TEAC to provide many functions, you may be somewhat disappointed. The primary function here is, of course, storage, with 40GB, 80GB, and 120GB options available to suit daily data diet. The multitude of other functions begins and ends with how you get all that data onto the drive, with not only a regular USB 2.0 interface at your disposal, but a built-in memory card reader to accommodate all your standard memory card formats as well. The idea being to reduce the number of memory cards you need to carry around with you to one, which you can offload directly onto the TEAC drive whenever it gets stuffed. What it won't let you do is view the photos or listen to the music you've got stored on it directly from the drive, a la other multi multifunction devices, but you can view the drive's status on its "large" LCD screen. It's not clear how much it'll cost yet, but TEAC says the the 40GB model will be available December 1st, with the 80GB and 120GB drives to follow at a later, unspecified date.
Prestigio offers up leather-wrapped Data Safe II portable HDD
Prestigio is at it again, this time bringing a somewhat prestigious portable hard drive wrapped in supple, sure-to-be-costly leather. This tidbit of luxury sports a 0.69- x 3.20- x 5.16-inch enclosure, which is covered in a "stylish classic black or brown leather coating," and houses your choice of 40, 60, 80, 100 or 120GB 2.5-inch hard drive. Additionally, it boasts a "one touch" backup system, allowing you to clone your data onto the portable drive with just the press of a button, and while it supports a software-based password system, the lack of a biometric scanner keeps it from true greatness. The classy Data Safe II comes packaged in a "fashionable box," derives all the power it needs from just a USB 2.0 port, and should be available real soon. Although there's no price set just yet, you can sign up for the "pre-sale" on the company's website should you so desire.
Zune USB drive hack 'splained
As promised, we have journeyed into the deep recesses of the internets and returned with golden Zune-bustin' instructions. Turns out the hack is just a clever bit of RegEdit action, so you shouldn't have much trouble following along at home and setting your Zune free to load whatever dang files it chooses over USB. The best news is that after renaming your .zip file full of super-secret Thanksgiving recipes to a .jpg, you can transfer it via WiFi to all your Zune-toting pals. Now if you only had some Zune-toting pals...[Thanks, Nathan W]
Zune hacked for USB drive use
Microsoft won't let the Zune function as an external USB drive? Fine. We'll make it function as an external USB drive our damn selves. Looks like the fine chaps over at ZuneBoards have divined a method to make the non-MSC non-MTP Zune open the hell up and act like a real drive for god's sake. They haven't yet posted the tutorial on how to do it (so as far as we know this might be a hope-shattering Thanksgiving-day hoax) but we're kind of thinking those guys wouldn't let us all down like that, so watch out here for further developments.[Thanks, Aaron R]
Sony announces 007 Micro Vault USB drive
Looking to leave no corner of your gadget bag untouched by its license to cash in, Sony is following up its Bond-themed laptop/digital camera bundle with a 007-branded Micro Vault USB drive. Available in only a 1GB model (Q would definitely not approve), the drive sports a sleek piano black finish and comes pre-loaded with the Casio Royale movie trailer, as well as four 1,920 x 1,080 Bond-related wallpaper images. Other than that, however, it's a standard Sony flash drive, with the trademark retractable USB connector and Virtual Expander compression software to squeeze as much data as possible onto the drive. No word on how much of a premium it'll cost you over a regular Micro Vault, if any, but it should be available sometime before the movie's premiere later this month.[Via Photography Blog]
SolidAlliance's $850 MOTTAINAI USB drive: 2GB of flash
Oh hell yeah! One-upping their own lurid kitsch, SolidAlliance just introduced this ¥100,000 ($850 plus), MOTTAINAI USB flash drive. Obviously, at 2GB it's not about capacity here, this gold and brass drive is a salute to ostentatious pomp with embedded Statsuma Kiriko crystal. Make them crystals spin Solid-A and we might pop for a few ourselves. Now come on dear readers, admit it, which one of you designed it?[Via Akihabara News]
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]
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.
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.
Alfa Media's "world's smallest" miniSD reader: MNCR
While the miniSD cards themselves certainly aren't the leanest of the SD bunch, Alfa Media has unveiled the self-proclaimed "world's smallest" reader for these minuscule cards. Coming in at a hair smaller than Apple's latest iPod shuffle, but not quite as petite as the nearly microscopic Oki Electric Industry MP3 chip, the 24 x 21.5 x 2.4-millimeter MNCR plugs directly into your computer's USB port, theoretically creating an incredibly tiny USB flash drive. The company claims its (presumably) easy-to-misplace reader will play nice with Windows and Mac-based operating systems and keep those transfer moving along at 26Mbps. Although we aren't yet sure of pricing and availability details, we'll go out on a limb and assume your 2GB miniSD card will demand a bit more coinage than this bantam liaison.[Via Red Ferret]
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]
The USB, um, syringe
We kind of hoped Kiloo's crack cocaine business model wouldn't give way to further narcotization in the gadget industry, but it sounds like they really struck a chord with the easily addicted among us. Today's piece of paraphernalia is a rather, um, colorful USB drive ranging in sizes from 128MB to 1GB, which we're lovingly dubbing the Doherty Drive. Crack-rock n' roll dude.
Pasha De Cartier's luxurious USB flash drive
While there's a USB drive for just about every obsession or off-the-wall niche out there, we're glad to see that the same folks rocking the million dollar beds, musical showers, and D&G RAZRs can finally toss a USB memory stick on their keychain that expresses their style status. Pasha De Cartier, the world renowned French jeweler, has unveiled a 1GB flash drive that supposedly borrows styling cues from the eloquent line of Pasha watches. Surrounding the stainless steel bezel are numerical etchings that resemble the dial of a luxurious timepiece, a nice, if purposeless, touch. To cap it off, the device rocks a silk drawstring that's likely to be worth more than your entire stash of flash memory alone, and of course, the engraved "Cartier" is nothing short of priceless. While this just may be the most expensive way to carry around 1GB of data, its price is likely the least of your worries if you're even pondering picking this up.[Via Sybarites]
