Kingston Unveils $1000 USB Flash Drive

Barence writes "Kingston has unveiled the 'world's first' 256GB flash drive, raising flash drive storage to the kind of capacity you normally associate with laptop hard disks. Kingston claims the drive is 'ideal for netbook users who want to extend the limited capacity of their machines,' although given that the device costs about twice as much as a netbook, buyers could probably get more storage by purchasing two of the cheap ultraportables. The device is made on a build-to-order basis, with a suggested UK retail price of £650.52 including VAT — that's an astonishing $1074.69 at current exchange rates. Not exactly cheap and cheerful."

Comments

But how damage-resistant is it?

[twidarkling]

If I'm spending that kind of cash, I wanna be able to drop it off a building and have it survive - after it's been run over by a tank. Otherwise, there's no point in using it on a regular basis as additional storage for something you're carrying around all the time.

Re:But how damage-resistant is it?

[Dotren]

I agree. Furthermore, I'd want to know how heavy it is (I doubt it is very heavy at all but it does look rather beefy) as I carry usb flash drives around with me all the time at work. Then again, I'd be extremely leery of taking this anywhere. Should it get stolen or dropped somewhere, thats a rather large chunk of change gone.

I can't imagine every buying one of these. If you need a mobile PC with that much hard drive space, why wouldn't you just get a normal laptop with some of the other nice features? I realize netbooks are ultra small and mobile but still...

Re:But how damage-resistant is it?

[AuMatar]

I actually did drop a corsair USB stick down a 14 story elevator shaft. Since it was on my keychain, I had them fish it out for me because I needed my keys. This was one of the models where the exterior is rubber. Anyway the cap had fallen off and the connector was bent. 30 seconds with a needle nose pliers to unbend it and I popped it into my computer to test it. It ran beautifully. It still works to this day.

So if the outside is made of something soft, it may well survive the drop off of a building.

Re:But how damage-resistant is it?

[shish]

An interesting question for any physics geeks -- what's the terminal velocity of the average USB stick, and is that velocity terminal to the stick? If they're sufficiently light and air resisting I suspect you could drop one from space without damage...

Re:But how damage-resistant is it?

[Jared555]

I think at that point you would be more concerned about
1. The heat it endures during reentry and
2. Finding it

256GB Flash Ultraportables?

[theelectron]

given that the device costs about twice as much as a netbook, buyers could probably get more storage by purchasing two of the cheap ultraportables

What kind of flash netbooks are you buying with that much storage?

Re:256GB Flash Ultraportables?

[CannonballHead]

I doubt they are "cheap" netbooks if they have 128gb ssd's in them. On the other hand, "cheap" relative to the prices of the 256gb flash drive is perhaps a relevant discussion... hehe.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

First 256GB flash drive? Hardly

[dgatwood]

It's the first 256 GB USB flash stick, not the first 256GB flash drive. There are half a dozen 256GB flash-based SSDs out there that attach via SATA. The only thing that makes this even slightly relevant is the form factor.

Re:So

[ivan_w]

Ooops.. Here is a correction for you..

After removing the tax, applying the exchange rate and dropping the price a bit, I've worked out that it'll retail for around $6,500,000.50 (+/- $.50) in the US.

--Ivan

$1000 USB is still USB...

[Guppy]

Kingston Unveils $1000 USB Flash Drive

This is a little like making a gem-encrusted toilet seat. While undoubtedly a useful interface (I use it almost every day), it is ill-suited to fast, bulk transfers, and I'm anticipating crappy performance despite the high price tag.

Re:$1000 USB is still USB...

[EdipisReks]

This is a little like making a gem-encrusted toilet seat. While undoubtedly a useful interface (I use it almost every day), it is ill-suited to fast, bulk transfers, and I'm anticipating crappy performance despite the high price tag.

I find the toilet seat to be perfectly well suited to fast bulk transfers.

Re:$1000 USB is still USB...

[Voyager529]

This is a little like making a gem-encrusted toilet seat. While undoubtedly a useful interface (I use it almost every day), it is ill-suited to fast, bulk transfers, and I'm anticipating crappy performance despite the high price tag.

I find the toilet seat to be perfectly well suited to fast bulk transfers.

...and crappy performance.

A Bet I made.

[jameskojiro]

I made a bet to someone that by October of 2010 we would see some sort of USB 1TB Flash drive. I think my bet is safe.

Re:Not even competitive for notebooks

[thisnamestoolong]

Or you could get a 500 GB HDD for under $100 that will still be much faster than the memory stick -- and will cost you 5% of the price per GB, you would really have to be a fool to buy one of those things right now.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136314

Re:So

[ivan_w]

Tss tss tss..

If you have a Remington 1100 : Unscrew the magazine cap, remove the 1st sealing ring, pull away the barrel, remove the piston seal, the piston, the action bar and the 2nd sealing O-Ring. Using a screwdriver or any thin but sturdy object, remove the front cap to release the magazine spring. With a pin chaser and a rubber mallet, remove the 2 pins that lock in the trigger mechanism. With a pair of pliers, remove the fork spring inside the chamber. Remove the bolt by pushing it forward.

Use the bolt with the shell extractor in place as a can opener !

Once the can is empty, clean the spare parts with some lighter fuel, spray generously with WD-40, wipe with a soft cloth, re-assemble, load a shell (no larger than 2"3/4 shells though) and shoot the can.

--Ivan

Small foot print USB HDD's

[Paracelcus]

Western Digital My Passport Essential 500 GB is $120.00 and it's tiny!

Re:So

[Bobartig]

Wait you've got a screw driver, mallot, pin chaser and pliers and you're using some weirdo gun part to open the can?

Exchange rate, pah.

[asdf7890]

The device is made on a build-to-order basis, with a suggested UK retail price of £650.52 including VAT â" that's an astonishing $1074.69 at current exchange rates.

I love how people quote "at current exchange rates" when talking about tech gear. I don't know how well it works the other way around, but here in the UK it isn't often that we see true exchange rate parity for either hardware or software. Even when the pound was worth ~1.8 of your dollars it wasn't unusual to see consumer kit priced at closer to 1UKP==1USD, and I'm comparing online prices here (so I'm not making the mistake of comparing US online prices to UK high-street prices). Not that I'm bitter or anything...

redundancy isn't the point

[harkabeeparolyn]

... size is. Put simply, for the first time 256 GB can comfortably fit inside a human anus. If you can't see a use for that, then you're not living your life nearly dangerously enough.