MEGATech Showcase: It’s Time For More Flash Drives Beth Snyder February 15, 2013 Features It seems like ages since we’ve had a flash drive post, but I guess it really hasn’t been all that long. The collection this time around is a little heavily populated by one site over all the others, but that’s how the cookie crumbles sometimes. Those other folks will just have to start posting more flash drives if they want their names to appear more often, won’t they? First, we have something that literally made my jaw drop when I saw it. You know how I’ve been saying for years that flash drives are the Pez dispensers of the new millennium? These are Pez dispensers with flash drives inside them! I mean…holy cow! I cannot believe no one, including me, thought of this before now. Plus, they’re Star Wars themed! There is no losing involved here, not even a little. The USB part is hidden in the base of the dispenser, which allows it to give you those little bites of sugary happiness, and also makes it so no one would suspect its existence. Each one offers 4GB of storage, and costs $20.00 US. Source: Gizmodiva Star Wars not your thing? How about Star Trek, specifically Mr. Spock? He’s a MIMOBOT, so you know you’re getting way more than just a storage device. He also comes with wallpapers, audio files, digital comics, and all the other goodies you’ve come to expect. This particular model is 16GB and costs around $30.00 US. Source: MTN Most of these I’ve shown you before, but there is a new one or two. And they’re all pretty darn neat, so here they are again. There’s the safety pin, which allows you to attach your drive to your clothing so you won’t lose it (4GB of storage, not actually available for sale). There’s the credit card, which allows you to keep your data in your wallet, but runs the risk of it being stolen along with everything else (2GB to 8GB, around $8.00 to $17.00 US). Then you have the transforming panther, which looks neat even if it’s not actually licensed by the franchise of a similar name (2GB, $45.00 US, currently sold out). Who wouldn’t want a wine cork flash drive? Just as long as you don’t actually use it in a bottle of wine, it looks neat and helps the environment by recycling old wine corks (1GB, not actually available). And finally the clothespin, which since it actually is a clothespin will attach to a whole lot of things, making it harder to lose (not actually available). Source: Gajitz Speaking of wine corks, how about a cork in a bottle? You can keep little things in the bottle, and it will help you keep track of your flash drive since it’s mounted in the cork. I would keep something like this on my desk with ibuprofen tablets in it, so I would always know where both things are when I need them. This one offers 4GB of storage, and costs about $20.00 US. Source: 7 Gadgets I guess for this one you’d really have to be into the band, but since I do kind of like them, I think this is neat. It’s a 2GB bracelet flash drive engraved with Matchbox Twenty. If that’s all it was, it would be way overpriced. But it contains a recording of an entire live concert from the band! You get to choose from cities on their Australian tour (where available), and the audio is fully downloadable to your other devices. See, the $40.00 US price tag doesn’t seem too ridiculous, now does it? Source: MatchboxTwenty.com While we’re talking music, how about a guitar-shaped flash drive? This offers 8GB of storage, and to access the USB part you pull the guitar apart. Which will seem wrong to those of you who play, but really it’s ok. I promise. This is HDE brand, and only runs about $11.00 US, so why not grab one today for yourself and/or a friend? Source: Geek Alerts Continuing on with the musical theme, we have Elvis. If you didn’t read the CES press release on these, you should. Obviously made by Mimoco, this one comes with the usual complement of goodies, including sound effects. I haven’t bought one yet, but it’s on my short list, because I really want to hear what he has to say every time he’s plugged in or unplugged. He’s dressed in his Aloha outfit to commemorate his famous concert in Hawaii. 16GB of data storage will cost you about $30.00 US. Source: 7 Gadgets I featured this one quite a while ago when it was still a concept piece, but now you can buy it! The momma pig acts as a USB hub, while each of her babies is a separate pseudo-flash drive. I put it that way because they actually hold a microSD card rather than being a traditional flash drive. The pig will be available starting March 1, and then in July you’ll be able to buy a dog family and a cat family as well. Pricing is at about $31.00 US for each family, which seems ridiculously cheap until you realize that doesn’t include any memory cards. Source: Technabob These don’t have a goofy shape, but they do have exceptional function, so that’s how they belong here. Silicon Power presents its Firma F80 flash drives, and they take a licking and keep on…well, not ticking, but you know what I mean. They are waterproof, dustproof and shockproof inside their unibody construction, which means you don’t have to worry if you’ve got one in your pocket when suddenly your drunk co-worker decides it’ll be fun to toss you in the pool. They’re available in 8GB through 64GB, with pricing ranging from $10.00 to $50.00 US. Source: TechFresh This pink silicon heart has a Swarovski crystal center which houses a 4GB flash drive. It comes on a stainless steel chain so she can wear it as a necklace, or she can choose to remove that chain and carry it with her keys or clip it to her purse. There are 54 Light Rose Swarovski crystals on this one, so it won’t come as much of a surprise that it’s going to cost you $75.00 US. Source: 7 Gadgets Last up is a USB 3.0 super speed hub. It may only offer four ports, but at USB 3.0 speeds you won’t even notice. It supports transfer rates up to 5Gbps, and is backward-compatible to your USB 2.0 and even USB 1.1 devices. It also has an external power adapter, so you get even better performance out of it. There are LED lights so you know which port is in use, and it has an on/off switch. You can pick one up for right around $30.00 US. Source: 7 Gadgets Share This With The World!
