I recently admitted my favoritism toward Corsair’s ultra-rugged and admittedly unattractive Survivor flash drive. And while the Survivor is secure in many obvious ways (such as against water and shock), its electronic security is software-based, and therefore susceptible to the prying keystrokes of the technologically-savvy. Corsair’s latest release adds a bit of top-level security to keep those less-savory folks from ever even getting a shot at cracking your internal code.

The Padlock 2 flash drive incorporates an external keypad that allows you to enter your own 4-to-10-digit PIN for hardware-level 256-bit security encryption. Without entering the PIN on the external device, your data is secure and unobtainable. If someone does get ahold of your drive, the device will lock for two minutes after repeated failed entries. And if you forget your PIN? The data on the device can be permanently cleared and the PIN reset.

An 8 GB storage capacity is nothing extraordinary these days, but leaves plenty of room for music, videos, or bits of naughtiness (if you’re so inclined). But make sure to keep a back-up elsewhere, because if someone does get ahold of it, they won’t be able to access your data, but should they clear it with a reset, your dirty secrets will be lost forever.

And that would just be a shame.

Super Talent has taken the USB flash drive to new dimensions – literally. The company’s Pico_C flash drive is tiny, measuring just 1.5″ x 0.5″ and weighing in at under six grams. What makes this flash drive truly amazing is its capacity in relation to its size: it is available in capacities of 2GB up to 32GB, which may not seem that high considering flash drives now reach out to over 100GB, but 32GB stuffed into a device smaller than your thumb is pretty remarkable.

Resembling the USB receiver module for a portable mouse, the drive itself is capless, but Super Talent claims that it’s “rugged” as well as water-resistant. And in addition to the standard plastic version, the device is also available with nickel plating and–get this–24k gold plating.

Of course, ruggedness and beauty don’t necessarily do any good if you lose the drive, which seems like a certainty. Still, if choosing from the 32GB models, going for gold isn’t going to break the bank and is likely the best choice, seeing as the price range for plastic, nickel, and gold versions comes in at between $80 and $90, regardless of casing choice.

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I don’t know whether to embrace or run away from this stylish USB & FireWire combination hub by LaCie. What looks like robo-tentacles are actually 4 USB ports, 2 FireWire ports, a USB fan, a USB light and both a USB and FireWire extension cable affixed to flexible cable “arms.”

I think my favorite part is the fan. Are people really getting *that* hot while working at their computers? Couldn’t they just layer or turn down the heat? Maybe a cool glass of water could do the trick? Clearly, I don’t get the appeal of the USB personal fan, but it seems to be a pretty standard USB gadget.

Seriously though, this is an extremely sleek and very multi-functional hub that’s sure to impress Apple lovers (for whom everything must be white) and design aficionados. It kind of reminds me of the camera-ball device from 12 Monkeys, or something built by the Kaminoans (the really tall aliens responsible for building the clone army in Star Wars). It retails for$89.99 on the LaCie site.

The orb-hub was designed exclusively for LaCie by Paris-based Ora-Ïto, the same designer behind the company’s golden hard drives and lego-brick drives.

The new Phantom Keystroker from ThinkGeek is the latest and greatest advancement in office prank warfare which is guaranteed to drive your unsuspecting coworkers crazy. All you have to do is simply plug in the tiny little circuit board and sit back while it sporadically makes random mouse movements and types out odd garbage text and phrases.

The beauty of the Phantom Keystroker is that it needs no additional software or drivers and it runs on any operating system which means you can be in and out of your target cube in seconds. The stealth like gadget is also equipped with a simple jumper setting that allows you to choose between either keyboard garbage typing, annoying mouse movements or both. You can also turn up the torture level by setting a longer event duration which will have your unsuspecting mark thinking they are losing their minds.

It might be a little late for the perfect April fools prank but, those are way too predictable anyway. For just under 25 bucks you can pick one up today for a boring rainy Spring day.

Thanks to a giant leap in technology, old-school point and click USB missile firing systems will never be the same. The new USB Webcam Rocket Launcher will now give pranksters the newly added feature of being able to control remote missile launching systems via webcam anywhere with internet access.

With the use of MSN messenger you will be able to remotely assess the landscape of your firing station and unleash havoc from the cozy comfort of your workstation. Want to up the ante? Grab one of these USB gadgets for you and a friend so that you can video chat, share files, and fire missiles at each others heads!

The USB Rocket Launching System also doubles as a regular old webcam so, if your already in the market why no take it to the next level for just $59.99?

Liberate your power strip! If you’re anything like us, you’ve got an overloaded power strip somewhere in your house with a pile of wires connected for charging up all of your portable goodies — cell phone, camera, mp3 player, an extra cell charger for when your friends come over with a nearly dead cell phone, etc. It’s an unsightly mess and, if you’re really unsorted, likely a fire hazard. So here’s to simplifying life and consolidating that socket frenzy into a single plugged multicharger.

The Five Device Recharging Station stores and powers up to five devices with four integrated AC ports and two USB ports with surge surpressors (the integrated surge protector is rated at 1,080 joules, the strongest available in a charging station). The grey front panel features nonskid surfaces to cradle your devices as they charge keeping your iPod, PDA and cell phone on display and within reach while juicing up simultaneously. This is extra handy for the traveling types as the unit easily folds flat for charging on the go (never mess with swapping cords in the hotel room again!). For $49.95 from Hammacher Schlemmer, put this on your must-have list for 2008 de-cluttering.

While most pet owners are on top of their petcare game, there are certainly more than a handful that have a pooch running around with an outdated phone number on its ID tag — it’s one of those little things that you don’t tend to think about til a roving squirrel shakes its tail and your mutt turns into Flash Gordon, snapping the leash out of your grasp. You make all of the calls to the local shelters, start circling the blocks calling out your pet’s name, but what’s going to really make it easy for the troublemaker to get home is having accurate contact info right there on their collar.

So if you need an update, here’s a thought: forego the 3-line 25-letter format at your local pet store’s automatic ID engraving machine and upgrade to the Top Tag Pet ID Tag. The tag is actually a 64MB USB mini drive in a waterproof case, and it doesn’t need batteries or any software plugins, so whoever snatches your stray beast can easily plug the USB connector into their computer to find out all about your fuzzball. As the data fires up, your pet’s hero is met with a ton of helpful information about your pet, easily catalogued in pages that include contact info (this is the first screen that loads), food and diet, behavior and personality, words and commands, medical information and even a photo album. Which leads to a ton of other great applications, like making sure that your pet sitter has all of the necessary instructions for taking care of your pet while you’re out of town (because “oh, I didn’t see that note” just isn’t a valid excuse when your dog doesn’t get its meds for five days). For only $39.95 each, the Top Tag Pet ID Tag is a great holiday gift for your best loved pet — or pet lover.

Looking for a quick and simple way to locate a wireless access point without having to wear a light-up shirt? In this modern hour of virtual offices, high-travel days and “working” remotely, being able to secure online access to keep up with your emails and latest web news while you’re on the go is becoming more of an issue. Not that we don’t love our highly portable laptops, but there’s something uniquely frustrating about sitting at a coffee shop hoping to get caught up over a cup of chai tea and only being able to find 5 wireless networks, all of which are asking for a password.

So save yourself the trouble of circling for a parking spot, paying $5 for flavored water, and elbowing your way through crowds only to be digitally shut out — try the WiFi Walker, an all in one 802.11b/g WiFi finder and USB adapter. The backlit LCM display shows detailed information about the list of wireless hotspots in range — including name, signal strength, encryption, SSID, security status and AP number — so you can easily suss out whether or not there are open signals for use wherever you are. The USB Adapter is also prepared to plug directly into your laptop for charging (no batteries, just juice!) and will double as a wireless adapter in case you’re working with a laptop that didn’t come with a wireless card (hey, it happens). The packaging is both sleek and durable — no cheap plastics used here — though we really wish they would’ve added a loop to the business end so it could be tethered to something while not in use.

Check out the video to see the Walker at work:

And then there’s the WiFi Seeker, a boiled-down version of the Walker — no big display, just a series of sweeping LED lights (sort of like the EMF detectors you see on ghost hunting shows) that can detect wireless access points within 300 feet. Just press the big blue button and wait for the red lights to stop sweeping and remain lit — if the red lights don’t stop, you’re in a dead zone, if only 1 or 2 bars stay lit things look shaky, but 3 or 4 bars means you’re good to go. Plus they definitely thought about mobility and threw a thick key ring on the end, making it easy to attach to your cluster of keys or travel case for regular use on the fly.

If you’re ready to buy one of your own (or add to someone’s gift list), WiFi Walker starts at $59.95, and the Seeker’s a bargain at $14.95, both available directly from wifiseeker.com (just look for the “Buy Now” button in the top right corner).

Maybe somewhere during the holiday crunch last week you paused for a moment and realized just how much nonsense we lug around with us for the sake of technology — between the power cords, adapters and carefully wrapped electronic goodies, most luggage cases end up looking like the waystation for tech support. It’s this waste of space that’s edging out more important travel packages, like presents and clean underwear, so here are a few products we’ve been using to maintain our connectedness while keeping the packing light.

Universal A/C Travel Adapter
Forget all of those travel adapters you’ve bought to meet each region you visit, or carrying around multiple adapters for country-hopping. The Universal A/C Travel Adapter is a mildly-priced must-have for power anywhere — covering more than 150 countries, the adapter adapts to each region’s plug system with collapsible plugs and prongs making it a perfect fit no matter where you’re at (there are even handy clues on the backside marked “USA, Japan, Europe, China, Australia, and Thai” if you find yourself trying to force a connection that won’t seem to work). The Adapter also features a power indicator, safety shutter and surge protector so you’re properly protected. For $10.99, don’t leave the country without it!

USB 5-in-1 Daisy Wheel Universal Adapter

…and let’s not forget the need to charge up all of your goodies while you’re on the go, too. The USB 5-in-1 Daisy Wheel Universal Adapter is a two-set package: you get one retractable USB cable (30″ fully extended) that connects the wheel to your computer, and the wheel itself that’s ready to hook up to your USB Mini 5 pin, USB Mini, USB Mini B, USB B, and USB Mini 4 pin plugs. Buyer beware, though — this is for charging only, the wheel does not let you sync your devices, so don’t get frustrated when you can’t pull your pictures off of your camera. But for power on the fly (maybe you’re only traveling for a couple of days and want to be sure you don’t run out of juice), the 5-in-1 is a great tool for keeping your cameras, phones, mp3 players and PDAs charged. Also available from usbfever.com for $12.99.

5-in-1 USB Cable with iPod Dock connector

Lastly but certainly not least, there’s the 5-in-1 USB Cable with iPod Dock connector. Similar to the wheel, the USB Cable is built to charge your electronic gaming devices, plus it goes one better than the wheel and actually lets you sync up your iPod so you can charge and change your playlists while traveling (it’s the little things, right?). Though the USB Cable is a little more bulky with its white bound-together cables vs. retractable zip line, it’s got all of your major entertainment electronic needs covered — with USB-iPod, USB-PSP, USB-NDS Lite, USB-NDS, USB-SP and Mini USB 5 pin connections you’re ready to charge up all of your travel entertainment electronics (if the port names didn’t give it away, this includes your PSP, NDS Lite, iPod, NS and SP). Word to the wise, though — don’t try charging more than one device at a time, it just doesn’t work. Also available from usbfever.com for $12.99.

TwinMOS just introduced their latest in the flash drive line, a mirror-surfaced USB flash drive called Mobile Disk P1 (not to be confused with the S1, M1, F1, B1, A1 or any other alpha-numeric iteration). What makes it special? The flash, it turns out — with its sliding USB connector hidden in a reflective sheath and 6 LED lights dotting the casing for colorful effects, it’s all about the flash with this 4-32 GB mobile memory kit.

TwinMOS is proud of the delivery, even touting that the disk “spreads a peculiar sense of grace, elegance and nobility” — pretty hefty claims for a little drive to live up to (and perhaps you’d rather enjoy spectacular, not peculiar, sensations), but it’s the PR the poor P1 was born with, so here’s lookin’ at ya, kid. The P1 supports USB 2.0 and a wide range of operating systems for plug-and-play functionality, including Windows 2000/XP/Vista, Mac 10.1+ and Linux 2.4+ for seamless cross-platform data exchange. No word yet on where to buy, but we’re sure to see a second-pump of information from TwinMOS when being shiny turns out to not be enough to get you by in this world.