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The Swiss Army Knife of USB Drives

Mudzy writes "The Tech Zone reviews what has to be the coolest Swiss Army Knife ever made. The Swissmemory USB Victorinox is the first knife to be equipped with a USB flash drive. " Besides 64 or 128mb of data, it includes such useful items as a ballpoint pen, red light, scissors, nail file, and not surprisingly, a knife.

39 of 314 comments (clear)

  1. Old news. by Jaywalk · · Score: 5, Informative

    These have been available from Thinkgeek for a while now. They also make a "travel version" without those fearsome weapons of mass destruction. (Meaning the scissors, nail file and that itty-bitty knife.) Not that the travel version is necessary, since the USB drive is removable.

    --
    ===== Murphy's Law is recursive. =====
    1. Re:Old news. by cs02rm0 · · Score: 5, Funny

      since the USB drive is removable

      Ohh... that's why the site's down?

    2. Re:Old news. by cosmo_the_third · · Score: 5, Informative

      As they have been around for a while, there are plenty of other sites with pictures if you want to see what it looks like. (The site listed no longer works)

      -Cosmo

      --
      http://cyclocosm.com Pro cycling at its worst
    3. Re:Old news. by Doodleman3 · · Score: 3, Informative

      http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/03/11/139207 &tid=159

      --
      Never Underestimate A Human Being
    4. Re:Old news. by will_die · · Score: 4, Informative

      It also has been reviewed at slashdot.

  2. Usefull... by R2.0 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Until you can't take it on a plane with you.

    --
    "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
    1. Re:Usefull... by I+confirm+I'm+not+a · · Score: 3, Informative

      I thought the same, but the USB drive is removeable, and the rest of the knife will fit in your suitcase.

      --
      This is where the serious fun begins.
    2. Re:Usefull... by Epistax · · Score: 3, Funny

      I'd like to see a swiss army knife sans knife. Everything else. The problem is even this might not be allowed on the plane. One list of banned items I saw included "Tools". When I get on an airplane usually I see several tools but they are allowed on. (read that however you want)

    3. Re:Usefull... by Sylver+Dragon · · Score: 3, Informative

      When I get on an airplane usually I see several tools but they are allowed on. (read that however you want)

      One of my former co-workers used to carry a pocket screwdriver with him on planes all of the time. You know, the little 3 inch, reversible screwdriver; great for small screws and the occasional bending of sheet metal.
      Turns out that this is also on the "no" list. I guess someone is afraid that he is going to unscrew the cabin door or something. Is it just me or is this whole "security" bullshit getting out of hand?

      --
      Necessity is the mother of invention.
      Laziness is the father.
    4. Re:Usefull... by orthogonal · · Score: 3, Informative

      Turns out that [a mini-screwdriver] is also on the "no" list [of items allowed on commercial planes]. I guess someone is afraid that he is going to unscrew the cabin door or something. Is it just me or is this whole "security" bullshit getting out of hand?

      Come on, you know the answer to this.

      "Why do you hate America? Your dissent only aids the terrorists. We're at war with terrorism! Your neighbor could be a terrorist! Be safe and turn him in! Protesters with signs are terrorists! Arrest them! Fear! Fear! Live in Fear! And vote George W. Bush or else the terrorists will win!"

      Well, if you didn't realize that's the standard answer to reasonable and insightful questions like yours, you've got five more days of the Republican Convention, where you'll be able to hear that answer, or variations of it, over and over and over again.

      Because discussing the real issues would be so... un-American.

  3. Oh great just what I need on an airplane ... by Average_Joe_Sixpack · · Score: 5, Funny

    Shot by an airmarshall whilst trying to back up my data

  4. Why? by wackysootroom · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Swiss army knives traditionally used out in the wild on camouts, hiking, fishing trips, etc.

    The concept of this gadget is cool, but could someone enlighten me to the uses of a USB flash drive out in the wild?

    1. Re:Why? by I+confirm+I'm+not+a · · Score: 4, Funny

      GPS data? Backup camping photos? MP3s for round the campfire (and if you've ever heard me singing campfire songs you'll know why taking an MP3 player camping is a good idea...)

      --
      This is where the serious fun begins.
    2. Re:Why? by Lxy · · Score: 5, Informative

      Swiss army knives are handy around the home and office just as much as the outdoors. I carry one with me and use it many times a day for odd things. Adding USB memory to it just adds to its usefulness.

      What would really be handy is if they started making Leathermans with USB drives.

      --

      There is no reasonable defense against an idiot with an agenda
      :wq
    3. Re:Why? by miskatonic+alumnus · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You need to expand your horizons. I've used my Swiss Army knife for such diversified tasks as tuning my carburetor and slicing a wedding cake. You never know when you may need one of these little James Bond tools.

    4. Re:Why? by Renegade+Lisp · · Score: 3, Insightful
      The concept of this gadget is cool, but could someone enlighten me to the uses of a USB flash drive out in the wild?
      Hmmmm, I use my pocket knife pretty frequently, but the last time I did it in the wild is far in the distant past. It's a perfect everyday tool for countless situations, and so a USB drive on it would be very handy at times. If only because it saves you from having to carry around two gadgets, instead of just one.
    5. Re:Why? by lcsjk · · Score: 4, Funny

      The knife might come in handy for that also! :)

    6. Re:Why? by tekunokurato · · Score: 3, Insightful

      James Bond?? Try MacGyver!

  5. wtf? by Lxy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Thinkgeek, OWNED by OSDN if I'm not mistaken, has been selling USB swiss army knives for months now.

    Is it obvious to anyone else that /. has happily traded in sanity for advertising dollars?

    --

    There is no reasonable defense against an idiot with an agenda
    :wq
    1. Re:wtf? by Dracolytch · · Score: 3, Interesting

      What's even more bizzare is that the article doesn't link to the ThinkGeek page for this. Instead, they link to a competitor, thetechzone.com.

      Congratulations slashdot! you've just shot your sister-company in the foot!

      ~D

      --
      This sig has been enciphered with a one-time pad. It could say almost anything.
    2. Re:wtf? by RWerp · · Score: 5, Funny

      What's even more bizzare is that the article doesn't link to the ThinkGeek page for this. Instead, they link to a competitor, thetechzone.com.

      Congratulations slashdot! you've just shot your sister-company in the foot!


      No, they've just DDoS'ed^H^H^H^Hslashdotted the competition.

      --
      "Long run is a misleading guide to current affairs. In the long run we are all dead." (John Maynard Keynes)
  6. Durability by keiferb · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I have to wonder how this thing would hold up, though. I'm rough on pocketknives, and while it's true that there aren't many parts, I don't think it would take me long to render the flash drive useless.

    1. Re:Durability by Short+Circuit · · Score: 3, Funny

      If it's as durable as most flash drives, it should be fine. I've got three flash drives, a cluser of keys, a few dollars of change and my wallet all in my right pocket.

      My left pocket holds misc. receipts and my more fragile Palm Zire 21.

      (And yes, it's been suggested to me that I switch to cargo pants from blue jeans.)

  7. 128MB? by Overzeetop · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Well, the site's already /.'d, but 64 or 128MB? I picked up a 128MB Lexar Sport a few weeks ago 'cause it was cheap, and have already found times when it wasn't enough memory.

    Too little, too late.

    --
    Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
  8. Actually, the iPod is the Swiss Army Knife of... by Deep+Fried+Geekboy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...storage devices.

    I always have it with me, and it has my emergency backup documents plus it functions as an emergency boot disc. It also has all my contacts, registrations, passwords etc. Obviously it functions as a transfer disc too. The only thing it doesn't do well is function as a card reader, which would be the icing on the cake. Oh yeah and it plays music.

    I have a nice SAK that I use for back country camping, during which time the USB drive does not get much of a workout.

    --

    I'm not wrong. You haven't thought about it hard enough.

  9. Slashdotted already? by thenetbox · · Score: 5, Funny

    They should have used the dual xeon pocket knife.

    1. Re:Slashdotted already? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      "They should have used the dual xeon pocket knife. "

      Evidently blade servers don't scale as well as expected...

  10. Keep them seperate by JohnnyKlunk · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Don't know about you lot, but I'm quite happy having them seperate. I've got a 15 year old swiss army knife. It's been soaked/dropped/heated and been through every other possible mistreatment and it's still great. I don't see one of these coping with that.
    Will 128mb still be enough space for useful storage in 15 years, will we still have USB?
    My way I only ever buy top quality tools and keep them many, many years. My technology I can replace whenever I like.

  11. Dupe by philbert26 · · Score: 4, Informative

    It's not only old news, it's also a dupe.

  12. Hmmmm... by StevenHenderson · · Score: 3, Funny

    it includes such useful items as a ballpoint pen, red light, scissors, nail file, and not surprisingly, a knife.

    Okay a few things:

    1. Wow, a red light! Thats so...useful?

    2. What the f*ck does a techie that buys this need a NAIL FILE for?!?!

  13. Re:Missing the target market by Jtheletter · · Score: 4, Informative
    a) Hasn't this been out for a while? b) Why do I want a USB drive I can't take on a plane?

    Answers:
    a) yes.
    b) they make a travel version and the drive is removable from the rest fo the tool.

    Homework assignment: RTFA

    --
    -- I'm not a pessimist, I'm a realist. It's not my fault that life sucks so much. --
  14. If only MacGyver had one of these... by Xpilot · · Score: 4, Funny

    Back in the day when MacGyver got stuck in that "smart building" and got attacked by dalek robots, he had to devise all kinds of things to stop them... if he had this he could have done a Jeff Goldblum-esque "upload virus" from his Swiss Army knife and have the rampaging robots under his control!

    --
    "Backups are for wimps. Real men upload their data to an FTP site and have everyone else mirror it." -- Linus Torvalds
  15. It's slightly lacking by jandrese · · Score: 3, Interesting
    The biggest problem I have with this knife is that it doesn't have a Phillips head screwdriver. The screwdriver is by far the most common tool I use on my knife, although I would absolutely love to have a USB stick built in (I rarely remember to carry my USB key when I absolutely need it, but I always have my knife). The light would be great except that it is the "press and hold" kind, not the toggle switch kind, which makes it far less useful as it only lets you use one hand if you need light.

    All I ask for in a knife is:
    1. A blade
    2. A large flathead screwdriver/bottle opener
    3. Small flathead screwdriver/can opener
    4. Philips head screwdriver
    5. 256M+ USB stick
    6. Built in Photon III, preferably in White
    7. Scissors
    That's all I want. Is it really too much to ask for?
    --

    I read the internet for the articles.
  16. Re:All these grooming kit tools by mr_z_beeblebrox · · Score: 3, Funny

    Well-kempt geeks?? *guffaw*

    MCSEs

  17. Re:Actually, the iPod is the Swiss Army Knife of.. by stratjakt · · Score: 3, Insightful

    And it only cost you 400 bucks!

    Awesome!

    A 120gig HDD and USB2.0 enclosure would run you about 80 if you shopped smart. And it won't overheat if you actually try to use it as a HDD for any extended period of time. I've seen them used as HDDs, they get real hot. And they don't charge over USB. And the batteries arent replacable.

    Backups you always keep with you? Burn it on to a business card sized CD. Total cost? About a buck including a nice little hard-case that fits in your wallet.

    Why do slashbots keep modding up people who tout the virtues of a $400 dollar iPod as a $90 external drive, when it's really a pretty miserable external storage solution.

    I could tolerate the endless Mac advertarticles, and even quietly ignore people who claim Apple invented (well, anything really). But come on, this is supposed to be a geek tech site.

    Yeah, you can use an iPod as an external HDD. But you shouldnt because it sucks at it. Actually pretty much any mp3 player can do the task. I can use my cell phone as a USB drive and mp3 player, but I dont go around recommending people piss away 600 bucks on the thing to back up their files.

    --
    I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
  18. How does the Swiss Army... by callipygian-showsyst · · Score: 3, Funny

    How does the Swiss Army defend itselves against Nazis, Commies, and Al Queda with those itty-bitty knives? Do they know something we don't?

  19. Re:Not too popular here.. by Jaywalk · · Score: 3, Interesting
    In USA are you allowed to keep the knife in your 'checked in' baggage?
    Yeah, but practically nothing for carry-on. There's even some stuff that's theoretically allowed (like small blunt scissors or nail clippers without a nail file) that poorly trained security folk confiscate.

    It looks like the USB Knife is on the same pattern of the executive line, so that's just about a two-inch blade, but most Swiss Army knives have bigger blades; around three or four inches. My old favorite was the Tinker because it had a phillips head screwdriver. (Honestly, did anybody ever use that stupid corkscrew?) But I've since replaced it with a Leatherman because of the pliers. Unfortunately, it looks like the only part of the Leatherman line that has blades of two inches or less are the Squirt, Micra and Mini-tool.

    --
    ===== Murphy's Law is recursive. =====
  20. /.: news for nerds who only read read /. by junk · · Score: 4, Funny

    you know you're on the cuting edge of technology when Stuff and Maxim have both already covered your articles in print. come on, this is retarded. raise your hand if you didn't already hear about this. everyone else, reach over and smack those people.

  21. My take on the Victorinox by dze · · Score: 3, Interesting
    I bought one of these (the 64 MB regular version) a couple of weeks ago from ThinkGeek. Ordering time was pretty fast, three days I think (and I live in Canada). One minor caveat about the shape of it, is that it was definitely a bit thicker than expected (about 1.9 cm thick), and possibly a bit shorter (6 cm length). It's not a real problem, just know what you are getting. Consequently, the knife blade is fairly small.

    Overall the gadget is great, has been very useful. Oddly I think the ballpoint pen has gotten a fair amount of the use, but it's great having some portable storage. I was on vacation last week and it was perfect for use at Internet cafes.

    I tried to get Firefox installed on it however it's not fully working yet, but I'm sure that's my fault.

    --

    "Luck is the residue of design" -- Branch Rickey