I understand the desire to have your computer stuff look good, really I do. But things like this are just silly to me. They are obviously pointed at a market that doesn’t know any better, and buy things based on the appearance rather then the functionality. Brinell, the company that makes these fancy veneer clad drives, has even won a couple of design awards for their form over function.
So here’s what Brinell did: they took a standard USB 2.0 external drive, and wrapped a fancy finish around it. Brinell offers several choices in the external finish, including carbon fiber, wood, leather, and brushed stainless steel. Just be aware however, that Brinell is quite proud of their products. For example, the Macassar wood enclosure pictured above will cost you $255 for the 160GB model. Ironically, Brinell calls that drive the “understatement”.
[via Oh Gizmo]