MEGATech Showcase: Are You Ready For Some Flash Drives? Beth Snyder February 27, 2014 Features It feels like it’s been about a hundred years since we’ve had a flash drive showcase, but that could just be due to the fact that my sense of time is all out of whack. Before I go off on a George Carlin tangent, let’s just get on with what we’re really here for: flash drives! For a while there it seemed like there were a dozen goofy new shapes of them every time I turned around, and then all of a sudden it slacked off. Not that they don’t still exist, but I keep hoping maybe there will be another wave of them when USB 3.0 finally takes off. In the mean time… Creeper! A few years ago, I have to admit I had no earthly idea what this whole Minecraft thing was about. Then my nephew got into it, and now at 14 he’s got an actual job on a build team that pays actual money. Who knew? Anyway, this is currently unavailable, but when it’s in stock it’ll run about $36.00 US for 8GB capacity. Source: 7 Gadgets When you have to share files with someone, there are about as many ways to do it as there are file extensions. A flash drive is pretty much the easiest, but then that leaves you giving away your flash drive and hoping someone gives it back. Gigs2Go are disposable flash drives that takes some of the sting out of giving them away and never seeing them again. What you get is four flash drives housed in a credit-card-sized bunch of 100% post-consumer recycled paper. Just tear one off, download your data, and give it away. They come in 2GB, 4GB and 8GB, with pricing from $30.00 to $40.00 US. Best part? This was a Kickstarter project that reached its funding, so they’re available now. Source: Oh Gizmo From one end of the spectrum to the other…here we have a pure titanium flash drive. Not one you want to give away at all…but rather one to keep close to you at all times. It measures 15 mm x 45 mm x 8 m, and is available with either a key ring or a 27″ ball chain attachment. It says it’s available in either 16GB or 32GB, but there is only one price ($116.00 US), and I’m not sure which size it’s for. It also says it’s USB 2.0/USB 3.0. Source: 7 Gadgets Did you have a punching bag when you were a kid? I did. Mine looked like Bozo, and since Bozo creeped me out I used to hit him as hard as I could. Of course, he always popped right back up again, more often than not knocking me over instead. That’s basically what this flash drive from LaCie does, but on a smaller scale. It’s got a weighted, rounded base, which causes the USB portion to always stand upright when it’s not plugged into your computer. Unveiled at CES this year, the Culbuto flash drive is USB 3.0 and comes in 16GB or 32GB, starting at a cost of $50.00 US. Source: Damn Geeky You recognize William “Husker” Adama’s Mark II Viper, right? Well, this is obviously a scaled-down version, but you want one. You know you do. If you don’t recognize it, you must not have been a fan of Battlestar Galactica, but you can be forgiven for that. It measures 5-1/8″ long by 3-1/8″ wide, and 1-5/8″ tall, is USB 2.0, and comes in an 8GB capacity. Make one yours for $44.99 US. Source: 7 Gadgets I’m having a hard time deciding if these are neat or not. Wireless flash drives, I mean, not this one in particular. What’s nice is they connect to all sorts of mobile devices without having to be plugged in, so you can far more easily share things between them. This particular SanDisk model gives you 64GB of storage, which seems like an astronomical lot to me. It’ll retail for $99.99 US, and should just now be starting to hit the market. Source: YourTechReport This one is kind of pretty, isn’t it? Not only is it visually pretty, it’s pretty useful. The Silicon Power Ultima gives you a whopping 32GB of data storage in either USB 2.0 ($14.99 US) or USB 3.0 ($18.99 US). The drive itself measures 2.11 inches, 0.71 inches, 0.41 inches, and the USB 2.0 comes in red while the USB 3.0 comes in black. The swivel cap design means you won’t lose your cap, and also allows you to open and close it one-handed. Source: 7 Gadgets If the SanDisk above didn’t impress you, maybe this one will. Meet the Extreme Pro: USB 3.0, an amazing 128GB of storage, and still a very manageable size at 2.79″ x 0.84″ x .45″. Its read/write speeds are listed as 260MB/s and 245MB/s respectively. It even comes with a lifetime warranty. And I’m going to go ahead and assume you already know it’s not cheap…you’ll have to shell out a wallet-straining $199.99 US for it. Source: Everything USB Do kids still wear those slap bracelets? And if so, do they still sting like mad when you put them on? I hope the former is true, because these are probably the first remotely fashionable bracelet flash drives I’ve seen. They come in a variety of colours and patterns, and hidden away inside each one is an 8GB flash drive. The band measures 9.75″ (25 cm), but curls around the wrist to fit just about anybody. Each one runs $15.00 US. Source: 7 Gadgets These are also not bad, although they look a lot more like flash drive bracelets than anything else. These are the OnHand Flash Drive Wristband, and each one has 8GB of data storage. As you can see, they come in a bunch of colours, and can be either solid or patterned. It’s not waterproof even though it’s made of rubber, so take care when washing your hands. Each one costs $19.95 US. Source: Red Ferret This little guy makes me giggle. He’s so obviously unhappy about something, but equally obviously resigned to dealing with it. He reminds me of my niece’s poor dog when the kids are climbing all over him or using him as a couch pillow. He’s Perry the Platypus, and he offers you 16GB of data storage in a cute little package. You can take him home for just $11.50 US. Source: 7 Gadgets Last one. I know I’ve featured this before, but it’s just so darn perfect I can’t help myself. It’s a Tardis, which stores data. Which automatically makes it bigger on the inside. 8GB is a lot of data considering the outside can easily be hidden in the palm of your hand. It comes with a key chain attachment, and in a switch from how these things are normally done, the actual flash drive part is what attaches, leaving the body of the Tardis as the cap. You’re much less likely to lose an entire Tardis than you are just its roof. $39.99 US and it’s yours. Source: 7 Gadgets Share This With The World!
