From an affordability standpoint, portable hard drives are a much better value than their USB thumb drive equivalents, but they tend to be much more bulky, sometimes even requiring their own power source. Not so with the latest from PQI, however, because the U510 USB drive truly is credit card sized, and comes with some added functionality.

The brushed aluminium finish is quite attractive, giving off a distinctly simple yet elegant air about it. Ranging in capacity from 1GB to 16GB, the U510 also comes with “PC-Lock functionality” that protects all your private documents, files, and whatever other incriminating evidence you may be storing on the U510: it keeps it all secure with a password.

Perhaps the most appealing feature of this PQI drive is its ability to automatically compress the files that are stored on it, allowing for up to twice the stated storage. No word on pricing, but it does seem that DAOKOREA has the PQI U510 available for sale.