Mimobot has set a new record, most presidential flash drives ever created.  Well to be fair they are the only ones that have done so thus far, but come on guys you have to see the obvious market for this!

Mimobot created cartoonish versions of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln with working flash drives.   Both USB 2.0 drives are available in 8, 16 and 128GB variations for $20, $30 and $130.  There is a limited number of the George Washington model, only 1000, so you better jump while they last!

These look like awesome gift ideas, or just something for yourself.  My only gripe is Lincoln doesn’t have a top hat, I mean come on, obvious oversight on that one.

Would you pick one or both of these up? Or do you feel that the extra “premium” on the price isn’t worth it?

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Flash drives have evolved significantly over the past few years. There was a time when 64MB of space in a bulky USB package was considered an achievement, and yet now an individual drive can hold upwards of 64GB while being less than half an inch in length. IntelliPaper looks to take the thickness (or thinness) of flash drives to the next level.

The idea is what it sounds like: a USB storage device made on paper. With the help of IntelliPaper, you can send paper thin flash drives in the mail alongside business cards, invitations, gifts and more. The company behind the product recently created a website www.intellipaper.info, and is selling inserts and handouts for $0.50/unit. Although the storage on these drives only ranges from 8 to 32 MB, that should be plenty of room for attaching files, images, and even small lower-quality video files.

While such small amounts of storage space aren’t that practical in most situations, it is just another proof of how far we’ve come storage technology in general. Imagine what future storage methods will look like in another 5 to 10 years. Of course with the growing importance of cloud storage, the idea of physical storage might soon be a thing of the past. What do you think of IntelliPaper, like the idea or do you feel its small storage size severely limits its usefulness?

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USB flash drives are getting more and more affordable. Case in point is the Patriot Xport XT Rage USB 2.0 high speed flash drive, the 32GB version of which is now on sale for an amazing $32. Remember that the regular price on this drive is $95, so you’re getting quite the deal.

One other cool feature about this drive is that there is no cap for you to lose. Instead, it uses a retractable design where you slide the top cover in to reveal the USB connector and then slide it back to cover it up. While it’s not really a “ruggedized” USB drive, the Xporter XT Rage is rubber coated for some level of protection from daily abuse too.

Yes, it’s not USB 3.0, but the quad channel technology allows the USB 2.0 drive to reach up to 27MB/s read and 25MB/s write. You can find it on sale on Amazon.com for the aforementioned $32. Variations with 8GB, 16GB, and 64GB capacities are also on sale, ranging from 44% off to73% off.

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USB flash drives, as you know, are useful for storing your favorite songs, videos, important documents and more. And it’s certainly interesting when folks come out with new designs for their flash drives, especially when the design is inspired by war gear. The USB AK-47 Assault Rifle flash drive lets you save your data on the go and will also remind you that your boss will kill you if the work isn’t finished on time.

But the folks over at Brando appear to have done little research before naming the new product after Avtomat Kalashnikova. It definitely does not look like an AK-47 as it’s shorter (well, nobody would want to carry around a flash drive the size of an actual AK-47) and it also doesn’t come with the signature wooden color.

But take the AK-47 part out, and it’s your usual flash drive.  Unfortunately it’s coming with the now ancient USB 2.0, probably to show respect to the aged rifle. You can choose from four different capacities including 2GB, 4GB, 8GB and 16GB, and will retail for $16, $18, $22 and $28, respectively.

But if guns are not your area of interest, you can also check out the USB Sword flash drive or the USB Hand Grenade flash drive.

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SanDisk plans to make 2GB models, right up to 16GB. If you’re interested in the actual specs, it measures 1.63 x 0.69 x 0.29 inches. SanDisk will sell the Cruzer Blade in the US and Canada, a 2GB will cost you $14.99, while a 4GB, 8GB and 16GB will run $21.99, $38.99 and $77.99 respectively.

Although the 8GB is selling for just $16.99 right now at Amazon. I’m not much of a fan of red and black, and if you’re going for the smallest possible, then take a look at the Wink, half the size, straight black, and easier to loose.

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The Kanguru Defender Elite passes FIPS 140-2 Certification

Kanguru Solutions is trying to entice organizations such as the Department of Defense (DOD) who have recently banned flash drive use by their employees for carrying sensitive information.  The ban extended for 15 motnhs and has recently been “partially” lifted.

FIPS 140-2 is a rigorous federal security accreditation program, a standard for the encryption used for protecting sensitive government information.  It’s managed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and FIPS is required for encryption related products within the DOD.  The  Kanguru Defender Elite has just achieved FIPS 140-2 certification, meeting Sarbanes Oxley and HIPAA standards, and using 256-bit AES hardware encryption and remote management.

Other security features include a limit on password attempts, master password support, restricted IP range/domain support, tamper resistant designs, anti-virus/malware protection, and no administrative rights required for use.

Prices range from $49.95 for a 1GB model, up to $599.95 for a 128GB unit. The best deal seems to be with the 64GB for $349.95 and they are all available from Kanguru’s website.

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Well, the good news is that this barrier has been absolutely crushed by the newly announced PQI Cool Drive U366 flash drive. The bad news is that it makes use of the USB 3.0 standard, so you won’t be able to achieve that kind of speed on your computer for now.

For a glimmer of hope, PQI does mention that the Cool Drive U366 is backwards compatible with USB 2.0 ports, but you won’t get anywhere near the claimed 5Gbps maximum speed with that kind of connection.

The PQI Cool Drive U366 will be made available in your choice of 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB capacities. There is no mention of a release date or pricing scheme just yet, but you can expect things to be pricey when they are new and shiny.

Source: CrunchGear

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It was just a concept when we first heard about the Quirky Split Stick USB Drive earlier this year, but now the dual-wielding memory device has hit production and it is available for sale through the Quirky website for $24.99.

What’s the Deal with Quirky?

For those of you who are not as familiar with the Quirky business model, the idea is that an original designer proposes a product on the Quirky site and then solicits feedback from the community in how this product idea can be improved. This feedback can hit up the physical design, technical specifications, and any other of the finer details. Anyone who contributes positively to the creative process can then earn a portion of the profits to come.

Opening up the package for the Quirky Split Stick, we see the list of contributors. All of these people will be sharing 30% of the revenue generated through the sale of the product and this money is split up according to their level of influence. The original guy, Marc Zech, gets the biggest share, receiving almost three bucks on every sale.

This makes for a very interesting collaborative effort, because everyone involved wants the product to do well. And that’s where we find ourselves with the Quirky Split Stick.

Two Separate Drives, One Device

Unlike just about every USB flash drive on the market, the Split Stick is actually comprised of two separate drives. There is a slider in the center that you can push to either side, exposing the USB connector to each of the 4GB drives. The idea is that you can separate your work stuff from your home stuff… or whatever other separation you desire.

In addition to the home/work design that you see here, the Split Stick is also available with love/hate, plus/minus, look/lock, and dots/solid dots. You can also choose from black, pink or orange. You’ll also notice that the design of the slider mechanism has changed from the original concept and I think this “raised” switch is much more effective.

You’ll also be glad to hear that the Quirky community decided on a metallic body rather than a cheap plastic one. This helps to make for a nice, solid feel to the drive. The slider mechanism seems to be quite robust too; it’s not that flimsy at all.

Performance Testing

Running the “home” USB flash drive through HD Tune, I got the results shown here. The first 60% of the drive seems to sustain a reasonable read speed of about 18MB/sec, but this suddenly drops off to about 8MB/sec.

Thinking that this was an anomaly, I ran the same test on the “work” side of the flash drive and got very similar results. This can be a major hurdle for performance junkies, because the 17.7MB/sec maximum read speed isn’t even near the top of the heap. It’s worse yet that the speed gets cut in half about two-thirds of the way through.

For the real-world test, I tried dumping a 700MB video file onto the drive (write speed) and then I tried copying it back out (read speed) onto my computer’s hard drive. The write test took approximately 181 seconds, representing a speed of about 3.9MB/sec. The read speed took about 43 seconds, which works out to about 16.3MB/sec. That’s a huge discrepancy and it’s one that you should keep in mind if you are considering this drive.

Conclusion

So, is the Split Stick worth your consideration? The physical separation of your work and home lives seems like a good idea, but you could really achieve the same thing by having one larger drive with two folders in it. Nonetheless, this is an interesting idea.

From a value proposition, the 4GB x 2 Quirky Split Stick is $24.99 (it was $19.99 during the pre-order period). If you were to shop for a similar-sized 8GB drive, you could find something by SanDisk or Kingston for about $20. In this way, the Quirky offering isn’t really more expensive by comparison.

Unfortunately, the performance left much to be desired. The write speed was disappointing and the sudden drop in read speed at the 60% mark is disconcerting too. If Quirky decided to switch memory providers, they could have a great product on their hands.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

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There is no official connection to Star Wars and George Lucas, but the resemblance between the gold version of the USB Man and C-3PO is utterly undeniable. Even his head is shaped roughly the same way. It’d be nice if he came bundled with an R2 unit, but I guess you’ll have to find his robotic companion elsewhere.

To make things even more interesting, the legs on the USB Men are fully bendable and posable, just like what you’d get with a Lego Minifig. That’s pretty cool. I think the arms can move too, though there’s no explicit mention of movement for the upper extremities.

Available in your choice of gold or silver, the 1GB USB Man does not come cheap. Find it thorugh the Gift Library UK retailer for a whopping 55 GBP. That works out to about $88. For that price, you can get a much larger albeit more generic-looking USB drive elsewhere.

Source: BookOfJoe

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From the product page, we are reminded that “everyone always tells you to keep your work and your personal life separate.” With the Split Stick, you really can do that with your digital documents, storing personal photos on one half of the drive and work-related documents on the other half.

The double-sided USB drive is really two flash drives in one. Using the simple sliding mechanism on top, you can choose between the two drives, accessing the files that you need. To differentitate between the two, you can choose from pre-designed logos for either side or you can have custom text laser-etched onto the surface.

The Split Stick houses a pair of two-gigabyte retractable USB flash drives, giving you a total capacity of 4GB. That doesn’t really compete against the larger drives in the marketplace, but we’re looking at the idea of this drive first and foremost. Quirky? Yes. Useful? Maybe.

The double-ended Split Stick USB drive is currently up for pre-sale for $19.99. It seems that they need 200 sales before it’ll go into production and they’re currently up to 21.

Source: Quirky

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