Everybody needs a flash drive, that tiny little memory stick that carries your very important work, your latest episode of "Lost and blackmail pictures from your best friend's party last week. For those unfamiliar with the gadget, a USB flash drive (also known as jump drive) is a printed circuit board with a flash memory, enclosed in a hard shell for protection that allows you to save data and is rewritable. They come in various memory sizes, the most popular around town being 2Gs (which takes a whole lot of data.) But not only are these flash drives a practical and easy technology allowing you to stop lugging your laptops around, but they have also become a must-have accessory. You often see them hanging off someone's neck, on a keychain or dangling off a bag. The USB flash drives are "the floppy disks of the 21st century - they are an extension of our handbags, our pockets, Mike Wong, a spokesman for SanDisk told the New York Times. Not only did the flash disk cancel out floppies, it is now canceling out the CD drive. Apple's new state of the art computer Macbook Air doesn't have any drives but the USB port; nope you can not use CD's. And for reasons, designers have gotten creative with them. From SanDisk to Swarovski, they are thinking out of the box, producing the most offbeat concepts. Here are a few of the innovative flash drives available: SushiParallel to the crazy sushi phase going on, somebody out there thought of making flash drives in the different shapes of these Japanese delights. Would you prefer a Maki roll, or Unagi? Yes, your memory stick can look just like one. Stuffed animalsLike them furry? Stuffed animals have been spotted sticking out of computer ports too, just in case you feel like cuddling. Size does matterPretec, a company which specializes in compact disks of all sorts, has come up with the smallest flash drive so far, and is marketing it as a fashion accessory. The drive is barely bigger then the tip that goes into the computer. These have been made into earrings, necklaces and wristbands. Blind cameraThe next one is a bit different, but is definitely worth mentioning; the USB camera. The gadget designed by Sungwoo Park is tiny with no LCD screen or viewfinder, and only one button, so pictures are a surprise. Take your pictures and directly stick the camera/USB into your computer - no wires necessary. Tech-scentSome things are a bit over the top. Debreu, a gifts company, has somehow come up with a way to hold scents in your flash drive. The bamboo motif hiding inside the shell holds your favorite scent for up to two hours. Enough with the odd contraptions, lets talk about the stylish ones. Pearl shellsTranscend, another company in the business, has released its new stylish JetFlash made up of a metal body covered in mother of pearl. It is equipped with a long and short chain, so you can wear as a necklace or a keychain. Crystal fashionThe most beautiful, elegant and tasteful is the Phillips-Swarovski. The two major brands have come together for the second time (first creating a range of cell phone accessories) now creating four designs of USB memory sticks. The Heart Ware and Heart Beat designs feature half a heart in silver (in which the actual drive is) and another half covered in crystals. The heart pendent opens up to reveal the tip which is inserted into your computer. A cord is connected so you can wear the heart around your neck looking like any Swarovski necklace. The two other models, Lock In and Lock Out, are designed to hand off a keychain and look like your average flash drive, except of course this one is coated with crystals. For a selection of USB drives in Egypt, try branches of Virgin Megastore, El Ogeil and Carfour.
