Custom USB Drives

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Man swallows USB drive

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By on Sep 21st, 2010

It wasn’t known why the old lady swallowed the fly but everyone knows why a guy in New York swallowed a USB flash drive. He wanted to digest the data. Well, not really. The guy in question was accused of fraudulently skimming ATMs for millions of dollars. Earlier this year as police closed in on his apartment, the “alleged fraudster,” promptly swallowed a USB flash drive because he believed it contained incriminating evidence. The judge may or may not have been amused at such a stomach turning development but he was not about to let the USB drive go down – the drain. The suspect was ordered to a local hospital where surgeons removed the USB drive in question and returned it to the authorities.

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The USB drive in question was made by Kingston Technology where they claim to “put portable flash memory in anyone’s hands. They may have overlooked the possibility of portable flash memory in anyone’s stomach. In recent news, Kingston announced that it had shipped its first USB 3.0 flash drive with a read speed of 80MB/sec and a write speed of 60MB/sec. Their internal tests revealed that such speeds translate to a two-and-a-half hour movie being transferred in less than a minute and a half. Perhaps too fast for most folks to digest.

Graffiti on a USB stick

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By on Aug 20th, 2010

Graffiti on a USB stick could be something you would find at the State Fair. It could be a USB drive full of work by a renowned graffiti artist trying to distribute the work publicly. It could be a presentation, product launch or data stored on a USB flash drive ready for duplication and distribution. But in the case of Mach Xtreme, graffiti on a USB is simply the company’s attempt to work with a graffiti artist to create “stylish” looking USB flash drives. Who would have guessed geeks and graffists collaborate. Sure we made up that word graffist, but it’s our prerogative, given that the USB graffiti artist named himself “Does,” after the verb, “to do.”

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Anyway, Mach Xtreme is a relatively new technology company based in Taipei, Taiwan. Their claim to fame includes their experienced team of IT professionals and their high performance products. The latest of these is the CX series, USB 2.0 flash drive, which comes in 4, 8, 16 & 32 Gig capacities. This is a “plug & play” USB drive requiring no extra power cables. Their release highlights the fact that this device stores photos, videos and other data. But of course we know by now that a plethora of USB drives will accomplish these same tasks. And just for the record, if anyone wants artwork of any kind on their USB drive on in their USB data, we here at Creative USB are ready to do that.

Don’t stick USB with Stuxnet

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By on Aug 6th, 2010

So far Stuxnet isn’t making a big name for itself beyond a select few areas, but it is a dangerous computer worm that has most recently shown up in, of all places, Iran, after being discovered in Belarus. Stuxnet is a security threat that spreads via USB flash drives and it can wreak havoc on industrial control systems. Again, so far a majority of the cases of Stuxnet attacks have been in Asia and the Middle East, but in the age of global travel an infected USB drive can make its way around the world in a lot less than – well, you know. Hackers could utilize the LNK component in Windows – which allows shortcut icons to appear on your desktop to infect PCs. An infected PC then corrupts any USB flash drive inserted into its USB ports. Additionally, there are copycat hackers that release new and more virulent “strains” of the infection.

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Meanwhile, no need to give your USB flash drive the evil eye. There are USB protection programs such as USB defender and USB vaccine that are reported to be “fully portable,” which is what we would expect of anything designed for a flash drive. Various companies have released  fixes to guard against such malicious ware. Most notably, Microsoft rushed to release a patch for Windows Vista and Windows 7 that would inoculate against Stuxnet. It turns out Microsoft releases such patches on “Patch Tuesdays,” in case you were wondering.

A faster and bigger solid state drive

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By on Jul 20th, 2010

The march of the solid-state drive continues with Samsung’s introduction of its 512 gigabyte solid-state drive (SSD). Such higher capacity further advances the move away from hard disk drives toward the more rugged and reliable solid-state format. While hard disks were the baby boomers of their time, solid state is for the Facebook generation. Additionally, Samsung’s latest SSD has the bonus of toggle-mode DDR which is not some form of Dance Dance Revolution, but rather a method of doubling the rate of data movement without increasing the power requirements. All of which means this is quite a feat. One analogy could be “working smarter rather than working harder” – though it requires a fair amount of geekly insight to understand how exactly this is done.

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The NAND or flash memory technology behind the solid state drive is what makes it possible for us to store so much more in less space in the digital format. Whether it’s thousands of images on a digital camera or thousands of tunes on an iPod to headsets and smart phones, it could be said, the state of the art is solid. And so is the state of the future. Geek designers and engineers everywhere are continually on the lookout for more capacity and faster speeds in a more reliable format. Since the solid state drive has no moving parts, it is thought to have more life in its years than hard drives. Now it could also be said to have more drive in its gears. The 512 gig SSD is one giant leap for Samsung which was previously limited to 64 gigs.

USB chickens and eggs

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By on Jul 16th, 2010

Someone has finally determined that the chicken came before the egg. And the egg then came from the chicken. But no one can explain where the chicken came from. Various sources come to mind but we’re waiting for the official answer. In light of this, some may be wondering, which came first, the USB interface or the USB flash drive? And were they invented by the same person? And what about the mini USB and micro USB? Is the micro USB shorter than the mini USB, and should you keep them all at arms length?

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It turns out, there is quite a long and winding road attached to Flash memory, the USB flash drive and the USB interface. The first removable flash drive, using flash memory came into being in 1984 thanks to Dr. Fujio Matsuoka working for the Toshiba Company. The first USB flash drive was introduced in 1998 and its inventor is in dispute but credited to Dov Moran, co-founder of SanDisk among other co-foundings or co-findings, as the case may be.

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The USB interface is thought to have been invented by Ajay Bhatt as part of a collaborative effort to establish a standard for peripheral devices. And just in case you were wondering, just as the QWERTY keyboard was deliberately designed for slower typing, USB connecters are designed with the intention that try as you would, you couldn’t possibly attach it incorrectly. Well you could, but not with ease. As for the mini and the micro? These are, as their names suggest, smaller, sleeker and possibly “hotter” advancements that make it possible for ever smaller and more mobile applications such as in the Primo Cube – a charger for mobile phones. And of course, at the point where whimsy connected to technology you’ll find the Creative USB, which is where we come in.

A USB rechargeable battery

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By on Jul 8th, 2010

By now you know the routine. Wherever you are, there you’ll eventually need to plug in. It’s the first rule of technology ownership. Being connected means, well, connecting. But now you’ll need to connect less frequently with USB batteries. At a glance it may seem like this is a version of the creative USB – a flash drive that looks like a battery. That is until you realize, it really is a battery. Use it in pointers during presentations, wireless keyboards and mice, digital cameras and other personal devices. usbcell3

The USB batteries are available in AAA, C, D, 9V and mobile device sizes. They’re rechargeable from any USB port on a computer, game station or other powered USB. Just a little charge time yields a lot. An hour charges it up half way. Plus these are not just batteries, they’re a fashion accessory. The company plans to release a line of pastel colored batteries. Okay, so the USB battery won’t really free you from the hunt for the next available outlet at the airport, but they’re said to be environmentally friendly and at the very least, they’re cute.

Infinite USB plug

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By on Apr 12th, 2010

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In a classic case of “why didn’t we think of this first,” Chinese design student Gonglue Jiang has shown us a new way for overcoming the limitations imposed by the scarcity of USB ports on some computers. Instead of forcing you to constantly hot swap devices …

Read More @ Engadget >>>

Infinitec Infinite USB Memory Device (IUM)

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By on Feb 28th, 2010

The Next Generation Flash Drive is Here

Set to launch Monday March 1st, 2010, the company predicts this will be
the most talked about product since the flash drive was invented.

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Infinitec, the Dubai based start-up is set to unveil the the worlds first Infinite USB Memory Device on March 1st, 2010. The companies website states that this product will not only give you infinite Gigabytes of Storage, it will also also allow you to stream media to any USB equipped DVD player, PS3, XBOX 360, HIFI, or Home Theatre system.

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Look for a big splash in less than 24 hours, in the meantime …
Read more at Infintec >>>

Military ban against USB drives partially lifted

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By on Feb 19th, 2010

Military ban against USB drives partially lifted

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February 19, 2010

After a more than yearlong ban, USB drives and other removable media devices may now be used on military networks under “very specific circumstances and guidelines,” according to the U.S. Strategic Command.“This is not a return to business as usual,” Vice Adm. Carl Mauney, deputy commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, told SCMagazineUS.com in an email on Friday. “There remain strict limitations on using these devices.”

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) originally banned USB drives and other removable media devices in November 2008, after a worm infiltrated Army networks. A variation of the worm, W32.SillyFDC, was targeting thumb drives and other removable media and spreading through military networks. To stop the infection, all removable storage devices — including USB drives, … READ MORE >>>

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