TechCrunch » flash drive

Super Talent CKB Is A Flash Drive For Your Keychain

Matt Burns — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 14:13:43 +0000

Most flash drives have a lanyard thing but the drives themselves aren’t exactly designed for keychains. They’re cheap plastic and so one. Enter the Super Talent CKB. This flash drive is made out of metal and designed to look like a key. Sure, they’re not exactly novel as the Lacie released iamaKey last year, but still, the form factor is solid and there should be more like these. No word on pricing just yet, but they’re probably not going to be crazy expensive.

Just a Dr. Marten Limited Edition USB Drive

Matt Burns — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 17:26:59 +0000

Nothing celebrates a company’s 50th anniversary like a limited edition 2GB flash drive. Yours for only $25. [DM Store via Likecool]

These USB flash drive cufflinks are a must have accessory

Matt Burns — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 12:41:53 +0000

Picture this: You walk into a job interview well dressed sporting these cuff links. The interviewer will likely ask for your resume first thing. So *BAM* you whip your wrist around front and just like James Bond, pull apart your cuff links revealing the hidden flash drive loaded with your resume and funny pictures of cute kitties. It’s a sure fire way to land any job — or lady.

These things are real and are available in either 2GB or 4GB versions. They’re a bit pricey, though, with the 4GB version retailing for $195. Looking good doesn’t come cheap.

[via pocket-link]

This USB bottle opener flash drive is convergence at its finest

Matt Burns — Wed, 05 May 2010 17:00:05 +0000

So yeah, it’s a flash drive that has a bottle opener built in. Tits.

It’s not the best priced flash drive on the market with the 2GB costing $19, 4GB $22, and 8GB $33, but it diffently is one of the most feature-filled options we’ve seen. Forget about built-in backup software and 256-bit encryption, this Brando drive knows what’s up. Brando

This flash drive probably isn't TSA or workplaced approved

Matt Burns — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:45:44 +0000

Here’s a short list of places where you probably shouldn’t take your fancy new flash drive.

School
A court building
Police station
The airport
Chuck E Cheese’s
England

Any others?

Team outs the USB 2.0/eSATA X092 flash drive

Matt Burns — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:30:36 +0000

Here we go again with another dual interface flash drive, but this time USB 3.0 is no where to be found. The Team X092 comes sporting both a USB 2.0 and eSATA interface. Of course with the eSATA interface, the drive should be rather quick and it is thanks to four data channels feeding separate flash memory modules.

The eSATA interface can see read speeds of 110MB/s and write speeds of 40MB/s. That’s not nearly as quick as the USB 3.0 flash drive from yesterday, but it’s still faster than standard ol’ USB 2.0. Team says it will only take 42 seconds to move a 4.5GB file. There will be 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB flavors available shortly at yet-to-be-announced prices. [Team via SlashGear]

The A-DATA N002 swings for both the USB 3.0 and SATA II teams

Matt Burns — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:05:18 +0000

A-DATA is looking to the future with the N002. The flash drive kicks it with both USB 3.0 and SATA II interfaces, which means that it must be fast. And it is, friends. A-DATA is claiming it’s really fast.

The drive utilizes 8-channel architecture to deliver 200 MB/s read and 170 MB/s write speeds. Of course if you don’t have USB 3.0 yet, the interface is backwards compatible with 2.0 devices although don’t expect the breakneck speeds. The price and availability haven’t been announced, but expect the model to be available in 64Gb, 128GB, and 256GB flavors.

Taipei, Taiwan – December 30, 2009 – A-DATA Technology, the world leader in DRAM modules and flash memory products, launched the industry first ever combo flash drive N002 that features the dual interface of USB 3.0 and SATA II, designed to maximize data transfer speed to the ultimate. Adopting the industry-leading 8-channel architecture, N002 is able to boost transfer speed tenfold compared to ordinary flash drives with USB 2.0 interface by delivering up to ultra-fast 200 MB/s and 170 MB/s in sequential read/write performance respectively.

Ready to hit the market by January, 2010, N002 makes USB 3.0 a reality. It supports all latest platforms that come with USB 3.0 ports, while also being backward compatible with USB 2.0 ports at a lower speed performance. Available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB, N002 is ideal for users who are thirsty for super-sized storage capacities with unrivaled speed via the innovative USB 3.0 and SATA II dual interface. A combination of speed, storage and portability altogether into one device, N002 is by all means the most effective solution to access and transfer large amount of data, including high-resolution images, multimedia files and whole lot more, at an instant and on the go.

Users can also take full advantage of A-DATA’s free-download value-add software UFDtoGO and the latest Norton Internet Security™ 2010 (60-day trial) to enhance both mobility and security of their A-DATA USB flash drives with just few easy mouse clicks away.

The PQI Cool Drive U366 USB 3.0 flash drive can transfer files at 5Gbps

Matt Burns — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 15:00:38 +0000

Get ready for the USB 3.0 flash drive enslaught. PQI has launched its first salvo and it looks mighty strong. The Cool Drive U366 comes equipped with a 64GB capacity and speeds up to 5Gbps. That’s ten times faster than USB 2.0, kiddies. Previously the only way to get that type of speed on a portable drive is to opt for an eSATA flash drive — if you can find one — and even then, most aren’t as fast as this drive from PQI.

Don’t worry if your rig isn’t USB 3.0 friendly yet, the interface is backwards compatible with USB 2.0. The drive will be available in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB sizes, but the company hasn’t announced the release date or MSRPs just yet. You can bet though that it will cost a tad more than the average Newegg-special flash drive.

PQI Announces USB3.0 UFD ~ Cool Drive U366

2009.12.28

Taipei, Taiwan ~ Only just a week ago, Power Quotient International Co., Ltd. (PQI) announced two 2.5inch USB3.0 external hard drives, H566 and S533. Today, PQI releases their first USB flash drive device in the form of Cool Drive U366. PQI’s U366 is encased in an all aluminum shell with a clear plastic lid that can perfectly fit on the end tip so users need not worry about loosing the lid.

The new USB3.0 features 5Gbps/sec maximum bandwidth, which is 10 times the maximum bandwidth of USB2.0 as it eliminates the issue of external connection bandwidth being smaller than the output bandwidth of the storage device. This allows portable, ultra fast and high capacity storage device to flood the market as USB3.0 is deemed to take over USB2.0 as the standard for future external connections!

PQI’s Cool Drive U366 is one of the few USB3.0 flash storage devices on the market, and it features a read up to 97MB /sec. The release of U366 reassures PQI’s dedicated advancement in storage technology, research and development capability!

For more PQI news and the latest PQI product information, please visit PQI at www.pqigroup.com.

Cool Drive U366 specification:

Interface: USB 3.0 (backwards compatible with USB 2.0)

Transfer rate: Read up to 97MB/sec

Capacity: 16GB / 32GB / 64GB

Dimension: 87 x 22 x12 mm

DIY: Secure your data using the Konami code

Contributor — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:30:57 +0000

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=6991298&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1
Ahh the Konami code. Favorite cheat of gamers for years, it lives in legend and will never die. Much like that Rick Astley video. And while it might not be the most secure way to lock your data, it certainly raises your geek cred.

Since it’s all about the geek cred, one of the clever monkeys at Protodojo built a custom flash drive using an NES controller. Not content to just make a cool looking drive (and it is cool, no doubt) the intrepid builder also added a security feature that requires you to enter the aforementioned Konami code in order to access your data.

Now obviously, this is a one off product, and not available for sale. The good news is, if you were slightly dishonest and saw this sitting somewhere and grabbed it, you’d at least know how to access the data.

[via Joystiq]

Look, a hand carved, Alien-themed flash drive for sale

Matt Burns — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 01:00:18 +0000

I can appreciate this hand carved alien flash drive after making a few wooden flash drives myself. It’s clever, seems well done, but is it really worth $155? [Etsy via geeky-gadget]

This steampunk flash drive makes the meme sexy again

Matt Burns — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:50:55 +0000

The steampunk movement is officially dead – except on Warehouse 13 – but this handmade flash drive is still eff’n cool. Apparently some of the gears even move when the flash drive is powered. The Russian maker used some old clock and electronic parts found at a “rag fair.” All I know is that it’s sweet and I want one. [ModNews.ru via English Russia]
[PSGallery=ahl94hm6u8]

The Quirky Split Stick, the first double-headed flash drive

Contributor — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 05:18:05 +0000

Looking for an easy way to separate two kinds of data? Maybe, business documents on one side, music on the other (business in the front, party in the back)? Quirky design might have just the product for you with the Split Stick.

Quirky will allow you to select design elements based on your particular needs, including colors, text, or icons. So say you’re a college sorority sister, and you want a giant purple double-ended USB drive for the long nights when you need to store your data, they’ve got just the thing for you. Regardless of the design you choose, the drive has two, 2 GB USB drives, with a connector on each end allowing you to choose how you separate your data. Priced at just $19.99, they are currently available as pre-sale, and will be produced once enough orders have been placed.

Kingston outs the first 256GB flash drive

Matt Burns — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:00:25 +0000

First off, you can’t afford this flash drive. But even if you can, you shouldn’t buy it. I mean, today, it will cost you $900, but we all know next year it will be $90, if not less. So take a good look at the Kingston DataTraveler 300 and drift off into a dream of what the future holds for SSDs and flash drives.

A USB flash drive sealed with wax

Matt Burns — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:40:10 +0000

There is something classy and timeless about a wax seal. This porcelain and silicone USB drive brings it back into style. Now, we just all need to wear a signet ring with our Twitter pic as a seal.

Yes we can put Obama's face on a thumbdrive and sell it for $9.99

John Biggs — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:56:56 +0000

Are you into our President? Prove it by carrying this Obama 2GB flash drive from Active Media Products. You’d be pretty hard-pressed to say that this was anything other than a cynical marketing ploy, but whatevs, it’s the POTUS!

The drive comes with 80MB of data including 35 speeches, ten pics of the Prez and his lady wife, and two hours of speeches. Yes you can also buy the 8GB version for $30. The arc of storage is long and bends towards pricing parity.

A mechanical flash drive too cool to be steampunk

Matt Burns — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:03:39 +0000

Stunning. Too bad the flash drive is $165 and there is only one for sale.

The key is made out of purple heart & has approximately 26 Ruby’s which look great when the key catches the light, & when the Keys plugged into a USB, it glows green from underneath the gears giving the key a good sense of movement.

A couple more pics after the jump.

[PSGallery=6r9muhru0c]

Etsy via Geeky Gadgets

A bunch of random flash drives

Matt Burns — Wed, 20 May 2009 00:04:02 +0000

Got a DIY itche like I do? Need some inspiration? You may wanna check out these 35 creative USB flash drives for some creative juice. Some can be constructed with nothing more than a Dremel and super glue.

Like this LEGO drive. Take three approperiate size LEGO blocks, glue two together, and carefully cut out the top LEGO to fit the flash drive. Put the flash drive in the cut out and glue the top LEGO on. Easy. Others, are a bit more involved but still cool to look at.

LEGO! Flash Drives!

Matt Burns — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:45:26 +0000

Some geeks are extremely obsessed with LEGO. You know who you are. We’re not showing these homemade LEGO flash drives for you. Oh no, we’re not supporting your addiction. This post is for the rest of us who enjoy a well-built LEGO creation, but don’t lose girlfriends over the damn blocks.

It seems that a person could probably theme an entire desk around these creations. Everything from flash drives, to USB hubs, to a webcams, to paper clip holders are available. These things are pretty expensive, but everyone that visits your cube will be envious. Even the chick from accounting.

The EagleTec USB Nano flash drive: it doesn't get much smaller

Matt Burns — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:23:28 +0000

Will you look at that. That’s one tiny flash drive. The EagleTec USB Nano takes small to a whole new, and welcomed, level. No longer are we going to be subject to large appendages sticking out of our laptop’s side. Oh now, now that this drive is out from EagleTec, chances are we’ll see ‘em from other manufacturers too. But really, the EagleTec one seems good ‘nough.

This little guy comes in two sizes: 4GB and 8GB. Both support upto 15Mb/s read and 6Mb/s write speeds, which doesn’t make these the fastest on the block, but the overall charm is enough to have us look the other way. Expect to pay either $22 for the 4GB or $33 for the 8GB.

New MIMOBOT drives

Contributor — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 04:46:20 +0000

I always like MIMOBOT usb drives since they’re kinda like vinyl figurines, but are actually functional. These new ones are no different. Choose from a new selection including the Pirate Nero, Fairybit and Pastaio. Make sure to check out the great deals on the site too. My personal favorite, the Boba Fett (which features a helmet cap which when removed reveals Boba’s face) is on sale for 19.98. If you can’t think of a cheap but cool gift to give this Christmas, this could be a great choice.

via eModa