It's hard to believe, but there was actually a time when gold USB drives were a rare commodity. Now, it seems like a rare week when we don't see one. But that, of course, won't stop us from rolling another one out. And how can we resist, given the bargains that are to be had these days? The latest model from Israel's E-Jewel, for example, is a 14k specimen that holds 4GB of data for a mere $2,0...

The designer jewelry trend of USB flash drives has been long documented in this space, from a $29,000 diamond pendant to a block of wood--including one from J. Lo. For the most part, however, these items are all meant to adorn the fairer sex. (We refuse to count those gold and diamond Swiss Army knives as anything masculine.) So we were pleased to see this obvious disparity acknowledged by desi...

Not everyone has a USB flash drive outfitted with locks or alarms, but there may be a better deterrant anyway: deception. The aptly named Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories has devised a diabolical way to create a USB key that looks like a hastily severed cable. All that's needed is some epoxy glue, an old cord, and "almost zero technical know-how," according to Uber-Review. A step-by-step ...

Amazon has unveiled a new version of its Kindle e-reader, aimed at reading newspapers, magazines and documents. The device is 250% bigger than the recently-announced Kindle 2 gadget. "You never have to pan, you never have to zoom, you never have to scroll. You just read," Amazon's chief executive Jeff Bezos said at the New York launch. The device has a built-in PDF document reader and...

Mexico emerges from flu shutdown Many businesses in Mexico have re-opened after a five-day shutdown caused by the swine flu outbreak that killed 44 people, including two in the US. From Thursday, all businesses in Mexico City can re-open, so long as they follow hygiene guidelines, including masks for all workers and customers. The number of confirmed infections worldwide rose, including anoth...