By now you know the drill. I’m sure this 8GB grenade shaped USB flash drive will result in a few laughs at work, particularly if you use it to share files by pulling off the cap and tossing it to your co-worker before cowering as you wait for the explosion that will never come. But if you’re stupid enough to stick it in your carry-on before heading to the airport, well then you deserve whatever fun the TSA decides to send your way. $39.99 from ThinkGeek.

[ USB Grenade Flash Drive ]

While I certainly applaud the concept behind festooning random gadgets with solar cells, I have to question how useful it actually is. I mean, even with dedicated solar chargers with lots of panel area you have to make a special effort to leave them out in the sun for them to be useful. Still, I guess hypothetically a little tiny solar cell that spends most of its time in your pocket is better than no solar cell at all. This particular befestooned gadget is a USB key called the Sun Drive, available in capacities of 2^1 gigs, 2^2 gigs, 2^3 gigs, and 2^4 gigs. The solar cell and associated battery make it way fatter and less convenient than it needs to be, but fully charged, it can give your cell phone an extra 100 minutes of talk time or power one of those budget MP3 players for an additional 35 hours through some kind of interface that looks suspiciously non-friendly.

The biggest redeeming factor of the Sun Drive is the fact that it starts off at only $23, so worst case, you just end up with an overpriced flash drive, and best case, you get useful little portable and eco-friendly gadget charger.

[ AVing (Translated) ] VIA [ DVICE ]

Nothing goes better with the blues than random computer files, so the FlashHarp miniature harmonica includes a 4GB flash drive with a USB connector hanging off one end. It was actually created to provide a convenient way to deliver harmonica lesson videos for those wanting to learn to play, and it’s available from Etsy seller ‘BackyardBrand’ for $54.95.

[ Etsy - FlashHarp ] VIA [ Coolest Gadgets ]

For those needing 64GB of nearly indestructible flash storage, Corsair has just announced a larger version of their Flash Survivor USB drive. They still feature a super strong CNC-milled aircraft-grade aluminum casing, shock-dampening collar and water-resistant EPOM seal, but it looks like they’ve managed to shed a little girth when compared to the 32GB Flash Survivor I reviewed back in May of 2008. As for pricing, well it looks like they’ll set you back somewhere in the neighborhood of $220-230, but can you really put a price on the peace of mind knowing your files are safe?

[ Corsair Flash Survivor ]

It might not have a lot of sex appeal, or even a novel design, but Kingston’s DataTraveler 410 flash drives have been improved where it’s really important. Besides a maximum capacity of 32GB (they’re also available in 4, 8 & 16GB sizes) the DT410 features 20MB/sec read and 20MB/sec write speeds for faster data transfers. It also comes with Kingston’s SecureTraveler1 software which allows you to create a password protected area on the drive called the “Privacy Zone” for storing your indiscretions. $114.99 available from Newegg.com right now.

[ Kingston DataTraveler 410 ] VIA [ SlashGear ]

Sony is known for making some unusual decisions at times, but not when it comes to design in my opinion. Take these relatively new USM-L Micro Vault flash drives. They’re clean, compact and feature a BIC-inspired ‘click to open’ mechanism that hides and protects the USB connector when not in use. The drives are color-coded based on their capacity (they range in size from 1GB up to 32GB) and a “prism” LED flashes and glows to indicate when the drive is in use. The USM-L Micro Vaults also support Windows Readyboost, and include Sony’s Virtual Expander software which will automatically compress or decompress files as they’re copied to or from the drive, roughly tripling their capacity.

[ Sony Micro Vault USM-L ] VIA [ Fareastgizmos ]

They might not be the first kid on the block with a 128GB flash drive, I believe Kingston took that honor a few months ago, but Corsair is claiming their new 128GB Voyager GT is the world’s fastest. Thanks to a “unique dual-controller architecture” the flash drive has a read speed of up to 32MB/sec and a write speed of up to 25.6MB/sec. The drive also features a durable and water-resistant rubber housing, so while it probably won’t survive a plunge under water, getting caught in the occasional spill shouldn’t be a problem. Available now, though pricing info wasn’t included in the PR.

[ Corsair Flash Voyager GT 128GB ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Once in a while, the size of technology just amazes me. Flash drives were awesome when they first came out, because it was a storage drive about the size of a keychain. Inevitably those have shrank until they’re smaller than the USB connector itself. Well here’s a new one that is rediculously small, and manages to somehow pack in a card reader to boot.

This tiny little USB device will read your MicroSD cards, and hold a whopping 16GB at the same time. I’m pretty sure the only reason there is a plastic bit is so that you have something to grab when you want to remove it. This would be perfect for a netbook, you could insert it and forget about it. Of course that small size and high capacity doesn’t come cheap. The 16GB version will set you back around $160, though you could settle for a 4GB version for just $35.

[ GeekStuff4u ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

Over the next few weeks if you happen to be having a conversation at the water cooler and the question of who makes the smallest 32GB USB flash drive comes up, you can confidently drop Super Talent’s name. Today the company announced six new models of their Pico drives that each feature 32GB of NAND flash storage as well as transfer speeds up to 200X, or 30MB/sec. Three of the new models are water resistant and feature gold or nickel finishes ($85) while the other three include AES-256 hardware encryption for extra security ($99).

[ PR - Super Talent Unveils World’s Smallest 32GB USB Drive ] VIA [ I4U News ]

I seem to be fighting some manner of cold or flu today, not sure which it is, so we’ll keep these brief this morning. As cool as this USB Bomb flash drive might look, I’m afraid it isn’t actually for sale. It was designed by Joel Escalona Studio to serve as a “metaphoric and conceptual object designed to be show on a desk or a work place not so much to carry around.” But they are looking for someone to make it a reality, so if you happen to have a novelty USB flash drive factory at your disposal, why not drop them a line?

[ Bomb USB Memory ] VIA [ Likecool ]