The Gadget Blog » flash drives

First USB 3.0 Thumb Drive Debuts

Rico Mossesgeld — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:15:03 +0000

Super Talent has recently come out with what’s probably the world’s first thumb drive fully compatible with the USB 3.0 standard. Thus the RAIDDRIVE has the potential to transfer data at 4.8GB/s—under ideal conditions of course—promising transfer rates up to ten times faster than USB 2.0’s 480MB/s. Just for reference, that’s 4.8 gigabits and 480 megabits a second respectively.

Capacities are currently 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB. No word yet on pricing, but El Reg has shared a December debut date. The RAIDDRIVE is of course backward compatible with USB 2.0 ports, but will only achieve USB 2.0 speeds. The only motherboard I know right now that supports true USB 3.0 is the Asus P7P55D-E, available from NewEgg for a hefty $280(!)

ASUS P7P55D-E Premium LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Intel Motherboard

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Introducing the USB Tampon (Must. Keep. Straight. Face)

Rico Mossesgeld — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:00:43 +0000

Whoever came up with the USB tampon deserves some credit. He (or she) didn’t only just cram flash drive electronics into an everyday object. Marketing wording was coined to complement the setup! Instead of simply listing “capacities”, meninos lists “data flows”. How witty!

(Image from meninos, thanks Geekologie!)

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Sandisk Ultra Backup: Flashdisk for Partial Archiving Out this March

Rico Mossesgeld — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 14:30:19 +0000

Lugging around a USB-powered hard disk with your laptop may be the easiest thing to do, but the Sandisk Ultra Backup still commands consideration for its key premise: up to 64GB of encrypted backup storage packaged as a thumbdrive. Just like its bigger, hard-disk based cousins, the Ultra Backup features a handy backup button that ostensibly does as labeled. And forget about losing covers, since this flash drive’s USB plug slides into the body when not in use.

Perhaps the best feature of the Ultra Backup though is its onboard backup program, making archiving possible right out of the box. No more need to install software to get things going in other words. Check out the product page on Sandisk’s website to see the entire range, which ranges from 8GB ($40) to 64GB ($200)—once it becomes available this March.

(thanks EverythingUSB, image from Sandisk.com)

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CORSAIR 16GB Flash Drive for $30 (After Rebate)

Rico Mossesgeld — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:30:37 +0000

Need to bring around 16GB worth of data? Check out this 16GB CORSAIR flash drive going for as low as $30 on NewEgg.com. Just remember to figure in the additional tax if you live in CA, TN, NY & NJ, and the 3-7 days free shipping time.

Also, be prepared to jot down $60 in your loss column, since that $30 mail-in rebate will probably take forever to arrive.

Random Geekiness: Doesn’t this CORSAIR remind you of the Battlestar Galactica?

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