Words by Dante Hutchinson
Having a reliable USB drive not only saves time, but lightens the encumbering stress load of carrying and securing digital files such as term papers and answer keys ;). Most importantly, it’s the perfect back-up tool to save and transfer multimedia files (music, movies, video games, etc.). Just saying. So now with back-to-school season in full effect, it’s time to start thinking SAVE. And with that said, we’ve complied a list of the coolest flash drives to help you with your portable storage needs.
Victorinox Slim and Slim Duo Drives
• Innovative Swiss Army knife design w/ removable USB drive
• Writing speeds of 29 MB per second and reading speeds of 23 MB per second
• Password, bookmarks, and favorites manager
• Synchronization for Office Outlook and Outlook Express files
• Water-resistant and shock-proof
• Storage space from 8GB to 128GB
Buy It Now At Swiss Army, $45.99 – $857.14
Aleratec Portastor USB Drives
• 256-bit AES Hardware Encryption
• User-Defined Public Partition & Secure Partition
• Password customization up to 16 characters
• Storage range from 2GB to 16GB
Buy It Now At Aleratec, $40.99 – $75.99
Lacie Fast Key USB
• USB 3.0-ready
• AES 256-bit Hardware Encryption
• Transfer speeds of up to 260MB/s
• Stylish and sturdy metal casing
Buy It Now At LaCie, $149.99 – $449.00
Kingston DTU30G2 Drive
• USB 3.0-ready
• Transfer rates up to 100MB/sec
• Backwards compatibility with USB 2.0 technology
• Five-year warranty
• 32GB of storage space
Buy It Now At Amazon, $80.74
Verbatim Clip-It USB Drive
• Cool paperclip design
• Resistant to dust, water, and static discharges
• Lifetime warranty
• 4GB of storage
• Variety of ecstatic colors
Buy It Now At Verbatim, $11.25
Adata S102 USB
• USB 3.0-ready
• Read speeds of up to 68 MB per second and write speeds of up to 30MB per second
• UFDtoGo synchronization for data, emails, and favorites
• 60-day Norton Internet Security 2011 trial
• Storage capacities of 8GB to 32GB
Buy It Now At Amazon, $15.99 – $49.99
Silicon Power Blaze B10
• USB 3.0-ready
• Transferring speeds of up to 70mb/sec
• External heat-sensitive technology that changes from blue to red to warn users of overheating
• Lifetime warranty
• Storage space ranges from 8GB to 32GB
Buy It Now At Amazon, $19.99 – $64.99
Corsair Flash Voyager
• Delivers read speeds up to 34MB/s and write speeds up to 28MB/s
• Durable and water-resistant design
• 10-year warranty
• Storage space ranges from 4GB to 32GB
Buy It Now At Newegg, $59.99
Lexar Echo MX Backup Drive
• High-performance up to 30MB/s read and 17MB/s write
• 128-bit AES Hardware Encryption
• Compatible with all major operating systems
• Five-year limited warranty
• Storage space ranges from 8GB to 128GB
Buy It Now At Lexar, $29.99 – $399.99
Super Talent Express Duo 2-CH
• USB 3.0-ready
• Backwards compatible with USB 2.0 technology
• Includes Microsoft Security Essentials Single-Storage Partition
• Blue activity LED that shines through black casing
• Storage space ranges from 8GB to 32GB