Luigi of I4U had some time yesterday to review the PNY IronKey USB 4GB UFD. In short it’s a great security device but you give up performance for such security.
The PNY IronKey uses AES encryption which is always on and keys generated by the on-board cryptochip uses FIPS 140-2 true compliant random number generation. Since the IronKey uses the cryptochip the keys used to generate access never leave the UFD (and onto computer).
The PNY IronKey has an on board stealth browser via Firefox and is entirely incased with a water tight sealant which sits underneath the rugged, outside enclosure.
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Buffalo just put the call to action for SanDisk, Western Digital and the like for the world’s largest portable hard drive, the MiniStation.
I’m a big fan of portability. I’m a big fan of storage space. And I’m going to need to get some serious work-on to fill up the 300GB hard drive in addition to my standard 120GB HHD of my laptop. Not to say, I wouldn’t turn down some extra space.
The Buffalo USB MiniStation (HD-PS320U2) is just over $300 and comes with Buffalo’s 256-bit AES encryption security software and Memeo’s autobackup utility. After all, out of 300GBs there has got to be something worth saving.
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ZaNa Design is looking to raise the bar for classy looking flash drives. Sure we’ve seen UFDs made of wood, but not like this.
Using only high quality wood such as Merbau and natural Amber, ZaNa hand crafts each USB drive for 100% customization. In addition, the UFD gets further enhancements with stone flint – which if I understand things correctly – glow from the underlying LED during operation.
Not that my geeky girl would turn flush-pink at these UFDs, it does make for a good
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A-Data introduces their Nobility Series USB drive with a unique swivel cover where losing that USB cap is the last not a worry.
The A-Data PD 19 features a metal clip backing for a lanyard or key chain (although not recommended). The USB Nobility Series is available in 2 and 4GB capacities.
The rotating cap only rotates one direct at a full 180 degrees and despite the fact Readyboost doesn’t do much, the PD 19is enhanced for that application.
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Convergence is always a technology innovation most appreciate. The folks with the most creative and useful ideas generally land on top. Here is an example of an idea that is middle ground. The rechargeable USB lighter that doubles as USB drive.
So here is how the design works. Rather than using fuel as in traditional lighters, the USB lighter uses electric coils for sparking up. So just like a car cigarette lighter (if they even make them anymore) the electric coils recharge via USB. The convergence is where you stuff in some solid state memory so when your Kool cigarette lighter is plugged into your PC you have a logical excuse that it’s a novelty USB drive rather then broadcasting your smoking habits – although it’s the same difference I suppose.
For the decreasing number of smokers out there the design is unfortunately just that, nothing in production as of yet.
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Vavolo is known for sticking USB into crazy looking gadgets and gizmos and their latest collection is no exception.
Not much to say. USB storage in the ultimate novelty deliverance.
USB donut, USB fortune cooking, USB coffee cup, USB beer bottle and USB camera.
What the hell are these guys thinking.
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If I’m sending my kids off to college and they don’t know how to use the internet for spelling…well that’s money poorly spent.
On the other-hand, it’s always nice to load up a flash drive with 140MBs of data so you can spell check on the fly. Wait…doesn’t every program, including Photoshop, include spell check these days? Ya I thought so. I’ve never understood the USB dictionary.
The Mimico Halo 3 Master Chief isn’t R rated, but is one cool collectors item if you’re into Halo. As with all Mimobot items, the Halo 3 is only available in limited quantity (5,000) and available in 1GB, 2GB and 4GB capacities.
The Master Chief comes with exclusive content such as Halo 3 artwork, episode of “This Spartan Life” and other digital content.
Halo fanatic? We’ve got the source.
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Do you have a UPS that went south on you? Don’t throw it away, turn it into the ultimate hard drive storage spot.
Our good friend Alan from Hacked Gadgets found this 77 second video on hacking your broken UPS to include a USB drive. Who would ever think to look in a UPS for your porn library secret files.
[Thanks Alan] link to video here.
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Buffalo figured out a way to turbo boost USB 2.0 to claim increased transfer speed of up-to 60%.
So what’s the deal? Buffalo gives no detail to this increased performance and makes a broad statement about Windows and Mac compatibility for the two new USB Turbo products, the MiniStation and DriveStation.
I would figure Buffalo addressed power issues as many USB devices have poor power management which directly effects performance.
The Buffalo MiniStation with Turbo USB is a portable storage device designed to withstand durable environment such as bumps, drops and turbulence (what?) you’d experience in everyday life.
The Buffalo DriveStation with Turbo USB is a tower configuration ideal for home or office and includes a 7200 RPM SATA drive with Turbo USB enhancements.
The MiniStation has a price range of $99 to $250
The DriveStation has a price range of $130 to $500.
Buffalo Turbo USB information page
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The Freecom USBcard has been around since 2003, but the design, look and capacity have clearly changed over the years.
The fold out USB connector is crafty at best, but including the credit card housing for no apparent reason is rediculous. If size matters, get a OCZ Roadster or Wallet Flash…or…I hate to say it, a micrSD card.
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I didn’t have a good answer for him. Sure portability is something you can’t put a price tag on, but there is a point of diminishing returns where this just doesn’t make sense. First off, the delta on price points between the 64GB flash drive and say a 120GB Western Digital Passport ($89) is $4,268.
So other than the fact of extreme price differences lets look at some other factors.You might not know this, but the average life cycle of a flash drive isn’t that great so it’s not the best choice for long term storage. Especially at +$4 grand. Next, consider the size. The example Western Digital Passport is about the size of my wallet. 5.3 inches long and 3.5 inches wide. That’s portable enough for anyone. Although the Busdrive (64GB) is smaller, it’s not so impressive for a “must have” gadget.
Now consider this, lets take the $4,357 and sink it into some WD Passports, what do you end up with? Oh… about 5.8Terabytes of data storage. Of course your office space would look ridiculous (something like this), so buying one mini hard drive at double the capacity of a Busdrive is a very obvious choice. Other than making an extreme tech-geek argument on size verse MB what’s the point?
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