MEGATech Showcase: Flash Drives For Summer 2013 Beth Snyder June 23, 2013 Features It’s that time again, folks…my collection of wacky and wonderful flash drives has almost reached overload, so I’ve got another showcase for you. Some of these are impractical, some of them are ingenious, and some of them just make me giggle, but what they all have in common is the fact that they offer you data storage encased in uniqueness. Off we go! First up is lipstick, for the girls among us who either don’t want anyone to know they’re carrying data around, or simply like the look of it. I think it would be neater if the lipstick were actually wearable, but you can’t have everything for only $17.00 US. The drive measures 8.5cm long, and gives you just 2GB of data storage. Source: 7 Gadgets That song by the Police has been stuck in my head since I first saw this. This is, of course, the message in a bottle flash drive. The USB portion is embedded in the bottle’s cork, and I suppose if you were careful about what you chose you could also store something else in there, but the whole idea is that the data on the 4GB flash drive is the message. This one will cost you £19.99 ($31.00 US). Source: Coolest Gadgets When you have a brilliant idea, you’re said to have a lightbulb over your head. How about storing your brilliant ideas on a lightbulb flash drive? It even lights up when it’s in use, so you know not to unplug it prematurely. This one offers 32GB of storage, and is going to cost you just under $30.00 US. Source: 7 Gadgets No showcase would be complete without a Mimobot, and this one is no exception. Of course, this is Jean-Luc Picard, and he comes standard with all the goodies you’ve come to expect: wallpapers, avatars, icons, sound files, etc. As with all drives from Mimoco, he’s available from 8GB all the way up to 64GB (the 32GB version is USB 3.0), with pricing ranging from $24.95 US to $69.95 US. Source: Geek Alerts Sometimes, when someone is storing something, they say they’re putting it on ice. With this Ice drive, you can put your data on ice, but in a safe way. The “ice” in question is really an acrylic resin, which will glow differently while in use depending on what angle you’re viewing it from. It’s also supposed to be waterproof and dustproof, and is so small you can leave it plugged in even while transporting your laptop without fear of breaking it off. This one offers 32GB of storage, and runs right around $31.00 US. Source: 7 Gadgets So you say you want an ultra-fast flash drive? Waiting 30 seconds or more for a data transfer is holding you back? Intel unveiled a solution for you at Computex this year. The drive is 128GB, and it’s being billed as the “world’s fastest Thunderbolt flash drive”. It supports data transfer up to 10Gbps, which is roughly 100% faster than standard USB 3.0 speeds. It uses an internal SSD to store your data, and is about the same size as a standard flash drive. Unfortunately, it’s only a prototype right now, but you can be sure if they’ve unveiled it, eventually they will build one for you to call your own. Source: DigitalTrends Here’s another one for the girly-girls. This pink and clear crystal heart necklace houses a flash drive available from 4GB to 16GB. It offers read speeds of up to 24 MB/s, write speed up to 10 MB/s. It can be used with most Windows systems, and may or may not be compatible with Mac OS or Linux. And it comes with a leather thong so you can wear it around your neck as a fashion accessory! Pricing is around $13.00 US for the 8GB version, and slightly higher or lower for 4GB or 16GB. Source: 7 Gadgets Getting away from the pretty stuff for a minute, these are of course modeled after Call of Duty: Black Ops II. There are three different designs to choose from (badge, bomb and columns), and each one can be had in a 8GB capacity for just $11.00 US or with 16GB of storage for just five bucks more. I’d go for the bigger one…bigger is better. Source: Geek Alerts Back to the shiny things! I can’t help being distracted by shiny things. This one says it’s a watch, but I can’t for the life of me find a time-keeping function on it anywhere. Rather, it looks like a sparkly bracelet with a watch-type band. At any rate, it’s meant to be worn on the wrist, and you have to slide the inner chip out of its base to access the data storage portion. It offers 8GB of storage for about $15.00 US. Source: 7 Gadgets You know, with the plethora of USB charging cables I own, it never occurred to me I might need a flash drive that would work not only on my computer, but on my phone. But this new one from Force Media does exactly that…it’s got a standard USB plug at one end, and a micro-USB connector on the other. It gives you 8GB of storage, and though it won’t be out until a little later this summer, pricing has been announced at 2.480 Yen (about $26.00 US). Source: TechFresh Emtec is getting into the Superhero game with this line of flash drives. Choose from Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, or Cat Woman, each of which come with 4GB of data capacity. They are compatible with Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7; Mac OS 8.6 or higher, and come in packaging that is purported to “pop off the shelf”. Each one will cost you about $20.00 US. Source: 7 Gadgets If you’ve always wanted a Lamborghini but couldn’t afford one, here’s your chance. Granted, you won’t be able to go speeding down the highway in it, but you can store 16GB of data on it. What do you want for $30.00 US? It’s compatible with Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Mac OS 10+ and Linux, and when not in use you can zoom it around your desk and pretend like you’re in a real one. Source: Geek Alerts This isn’t just a flash drive, it’s also a docking station! Well, not in the sense that you’re thinking, but rather in the sense that you get a UFO Robot Grendizer flash drive and saucer desktop docking station. Can you tell I have absolutely no clue whatsoever what this is made to represent? I can admit my ignorance…I just thought it looked neat. You get 4GB of data storage, and it has articulating limbs and a double harken which can be broken into two axe weapons. All for $45.00 US. Source: Walyou Finally, we have a Transformers Device Label Broadblast Operating USB HUB. It has four ports, and basically acts like any other hub, with the exception of it being a Transformer. Neat, huh? Don’t know if it’s neat enough to shell out $90.00-ish US for, but you can decide that for yourself. Source: 7 Gadgets Share This With The World!
