What more could you ask from Hitachi’s SimpleTOUGH 500GB portable hard drive? It connects to devices via USB 2.0, comes with its own back-up software, and allows access to Hitachi’s online backup service (with 2GB of free storage to play around with).
And that mini gadget hagiography doesn’t even consider the integrated USB cable that retracts into the unit itself, and ruggedized case designed to withstand 10-foot drops. Heck, if somehow the hard disk controller gives out, you can just pull out the internal hard disk, place it in a 2.5″ enclosure and start anew!
The SimpleTOUGH’s portability and durability can only …read more

Over a week since it’s announcement at akihabaranews.com, the Samsung Mini S2 USB 2.0 external hard disk line comes in “Ocean Blue”, “Sweet Pink”, and “Snow White” variants. And yes, it’’s designed for the ladies.
Slightly bigger than its predecessor the S1, the Mini S2 takes advantage of the increasingly roomy 2.5″ hard disk platform, offering capacities of up to 500GB. Keeping with the feminine theme, the casing is designed to not look out of place in a handbag, as the pic below illustrates:
No word yet on pricing, but the S2 should be available throughout only South Korea by the end …read more

Tom’s Hardware recently put a bunch of “hand-held drives with up to 500GB” through their respective paces. All drives connect to PCs via USB 2.0. Despite the curious choice of including a 320GB and (a 1.8″) 120GB drive in that round-up, the conclusion is clear:

Consumers: Go Samsung
That leaves Samsung, Seagate and Western Digital. Performance differences clearly shouldn’t dictate your purchasing decision here. All three offer backup and encryption paired with great style. Samsung clearly focuses on consumers, while Seagate and WD also support synchronization and go after real enthusiasts.
Enthusiasts: Pick Seagate or Western Digital
Seagate has the optional drive dock that …read more

The Slim Data USB Card from TopTech Products is quite simple: strip down a flash drive to its bare essentials, and cram what’s left into a plastic case a quarter-of-a-centimeter thick, featuring the breadth of your average credit card. Now you have a thumbdrive that fits nicely into your typical wallet, as well as a potentially interesting—and useful—giveaway for your business’ next convention.
It’s also easy to imagine self-styled internet celebrities handing out their own data business cards, containing a personal profile and CV. Let’s also not forget the portable browser configured to load said celebrity’s main website.
Just like most flash …read more

So you’re a computer programmer who loses a finger thanks to a motorcycle accident. What do you do? Why, cram in a 2GB USB flash drive into your prosthetic finger of course! You can always pull it off your hand and plug into the computer as needed, right?

That’s what Finn Jerry Jalava has done, and he plans to add more functionality to his artificial digit. How does an RFID chip and additional storage sound? I can imagine the former would be really useful for those who use that technology on a daily basis (like say, office access doors and subway …read more

At least, based on first impressions. What else are you to think, when the Aegis Mini:

Is similar in size to a deck of playing cards
Features shock-mounts that protect from daily wear and tear somewhat
Weighs only 3.7 ounces
…and connects to computers through an integrated 1-meter cable that can neatly wrap around the unit itself?

USB and FireWire variants are available. According to CrunchGear: “$149, $189 and $269 for the 80GB, 120GB and 240GB, respectively. The FireWire models go for $10 more than their USB counterparts.” Full details to follow if and when we get our grabby hands on a review unit.
(Image from …read more

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!)

Need a 1.5 TB external hard drive for under $115? Head over to this product page on Dell.com, and enter T4346M$Q6GRJB$ upon checkout. Sale good until April 4 or until supplies last, so get going!
The 1.5GB Seagate FreeAgent USB drive runs at 7,200rpm and plugs in via USB 2.0. Take note! It only works on Windows XP and later (no Mac support out of the box), and some customers regret their buy. Thanks CNET!
(image from Seagate)

Today’s Valentine’s Day, so of course something related had to come out on this website today. Without further ado, here are some heart-shaped thumbdrives:

Complete with a ball chain and a tag to remind you that, yes, you’re using a USB gadget, these heart-shaped peripherals is totally impractical. Those who really really want it will have to pay ¥3,450.00 ($37.50), pay some more for delivery from Japan, and wait least 10 business days. But, as Geeksugar reports: “all I see is the pretty, pretty heart. Sigh.”
(image from Geek Stuff 4 U)

The chances of damaging a thumb drive seem pretty small. But not for Damjan Stankovic! His new design, currently a figment of his imagination and not in production, solves the apparently common problem of bending flash drives by granting the classic form factor some flexibility. Stankovic has done away with all that long and stiff plastic, visualizing a design where the components fit into a shape reminiscent of a bee’s thorax (hence the name?). All your data is stored at one end, while the USB connector at the other is free to twist and bend all over, thanks to the …read more