Victorinox Makes 1TB Swiss Army Knife

judgecorp writes "The Swiss Army knife has been available with storage for some time — now there is a 1 terabyte version. It comes with two bodies, so the storage can be swapped out into a flight-safe version with no knife or scissors. The company left the price off its release, but sources suggest it is $3000."

Comments

Why?

[slimjim8094]

I like cool toys as much as the next nerd, but I can't come up with anyone who needs this kind of storage but can't carry around a small external HDD. Do they exist, or is this a "because we can" thing?

Re:Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

Easier to conceal, especially for international travel where an external disc drive is more likely to be searched/cloned/confiscated.

Re:Why?

[TheGratefulNet]

I was just thinking, most of my music fits on 1tb (mp3 and a lot of my .flac).

I currently serve music over nfs from a noisy back-room always-on server.

if this is cheaper (soon it will be) then I'll fit all mu music on a noiseless flash drive. I can then play that on some local noiseless (fanless, etc) playback system.

THAT is the draw for me, of large flash drives. thumbdrives are readable by even $30 dvd players (philips) and so your whole music collection can be on a stick that mounts on a consumer level appliance.

that's neat, isn't it?

Re:Why?

[c0d3g33k]

Everyone need this kind of storage. A small external HDD is readily identifiable as such, so will be subject to arbitrary search and confiscation at the whim of the border guards. Better to store your data within ordinary items such as a hairbrush, keyfob or the flight-safe Swiss Army Knife. Preferably encrypted and redundantly distributed among as many innocuous items as you can stand to carry. When you have reached your destination, use your most secure device to update and change your security codes so the folks who confiscated your external HDD can't easily get to your personal information.

Re:Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd also love to be able to store my media across multiple flash drives. There are a couple of issues though:
When USB flash drives have failed for me, I've never been able to recover any of the data.
These tiny things are easy to misplace, be crushed, or be taken. They're large enough in capacity to warrant some kind of special safe-keeping. Maybe mounted inside a computer case...
That price is just not reasonable, even for an early adopter. If it was more on par with an actual hdd, or even relatively close, then maybe, but at $3k, there are still a myriad of alternatives.

Re:Why?

[Sebastopol]

Yes, because they certainly do NOT confiscate knives on planes. ;-)

Re:Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

The problem with easy-to-conceal storage devices is if someone happens to find them anyway. Then, based on the fact that you were trying to conceal it, you get detained (or worse), your data confiscated, and your very own permanent Homeland Security file. The more effort you make to conceal it, the more suspicion you receive if it fails. You'd almost be better off carrying an unencrypted external USB hard drive labeled in Sharpie "porn and other private stuff".

Re:Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah until you loose it.

Re:Why?

[Firehed]

I've travelled with multiple terabytes of "these are obviously hard drives" storage and never had a problem with search or confiscation. They did swab things down and run it through their bomb detector (unsurprising). If I have data that needs protection, it's encrypted - often twice (I run full-disk encryption on my system, and then encrypt any extra-sensitive data on top of that in case my system fails to lock for some reason).

If I had the need of disguising the fact that I was bringing data at all, I'd probably put a microSD card behind/in an earring or something else that would have no trouble going through a metal detector (any concealed compartments would likely show up on xray, if they were really looking). Or just wrap the thing in plastic and swallow it.

Re:Why?

[syousef]

I was just thinking, most of my music fits on 1tb (mp3 and a lot of my .flac).

I currently serve music over nfs from a noisy back-room always-on server.

if this is cheaper (soon it will be) then I'll fit all mu music on a noiseless flash drive. I can then play that on some local noiseless (fanless, etc) playback system.

THAT is the draw for me, of large flash drives. thumbdrives are readable by even $30 dvd players (philips) and so your whole music collection can be on a stick that mounts on a consumer level appliance.

that's neat, isn't it?

You'll be waiting a while for your $3000 1TB swiss army knife to meet the price of your $30 player. Why not just bite the bullet and buy a 1TB drive for $50? With moving parts it will probably develop errors within 5 years but that compromise should get you some way towards your dream while the prices fall.

For me photo storage is important. I have about 2TB of photos (some multiple copies - RAW, converted, and edited) that span almost a decade and a half. I have multiple copies, with a couple off site as I do not wish to lose them!

Re:Why?

[fnj]

In what strange land does a 1 TB drive cost $50 these days?

Re:Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

In the same strange land where cheap "green" 2TB drives cost around $130?

Re:Why?

[magarity]

Yes, because they certainly do NOT confiscate knives on planes. ;-)

I'm thinking that even with the 'flight friendly' version since it has the Swiss Army logo on it, the TSA goons will simply suspect it has a blade and take it away anyway.

Re:Why?

[MichaelSmith]

There should be a container for micro sd cards which you can swallow. Its not 1TB but it could carry an OS which you use to download the rest of the data.

Re:Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, because they certainly do NOT confiscate knives on planes. ;-)

If you fly first/executive class, the flight attendant will give you a metal steak knife if you order the steak option as your meal. That just shows how ridiculous the temporary banning of nail clippers was.

Re:Why?

[jittles]

I've travelled with multiple terabytes of "these are obviously hard drives" storage and never had a problem with search or confiscation.

Was this international travel? Because it's international travel that is associated with confiscation of computers, hard drives, and other electronics. And if you don't unencrypt it, don't expect to get it back if they try to look at it.

Re:Why?

[Wingman 5]

pre-flood I would have agreed with you, but the cheapest 1TB drive on newegg is $120. (interestingly the 2TB version of the same model costs only $10 more)

Re:Why?

[c0lo]

I currently serve music over nfs from a noisy back-room always-on server.

With this, you can give the customers cutlery for their serve of music.

Re:Why?

[Radtastic]

If you want to make sure the TSA leaves your digital goodies alone, label it 'Viruses for AV Testing". Bonus: Carry a disclaimer form releasing you of damages if they do plug it in.

Re:Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

In the land before the Thailand flood.

Re:Why?

[TheGratefulNet]

no, $3k is absurd.

but that comes down fast. we have all seen it.

at about 1/10 that, it starts to become appealing.

Re:Why?

[Dynedain]

I'm thinking that even with the 'flight friendly' version since it has the Swiss Army logo on it, the TSA goons will simply suspect it has a blade and take it away anyway.

Well, then that means they'll probably confiscate my brother's backpack, or all this luggage, simply because they have the Victorinox logo on it!

Re:Why?

[hairyfeet]

The problem I've found with cheaper players is they often have a file and/or size limit and simply won't go over that. For example there is a car MP3 player that is popular in this area which i always keep a couple of 8Gb SD cards for because anything bigger than 8Gb simply throws up a read error. it never fails somebody will buy the thing and pick up some 32gb SD card and then find out the hard way their shit don't play.

As for TFA anybody who pays $3000 for a thumbstick really needs their head examined. if its one thing that Moore's law has taught us is storage capacity grows like a weed while the price drops like a stone,so the smart money stays a step or two behind cutting edge and saves a ton of money. I have no doubt you give it another two years, maybe even less, and 1tb SSDs will be down to the prices a 3Tb HDD is currently at if not less. hell the 60Gb and 90Gb models have dropped so fast tiger is throwing them into their $300 barebone specials instead of HDDs anymore and just a year ago anything above 32gb was insanely overpriced. While this might be nice for those with more money than sense, or for a VERY small niche of use cases where having a hidden Tb might be desirable for everybody else its just nuts.

Re:Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

It doesn't have to have a blade the leather punch found on most swiss army knives is enough to get it confiscated bye tsa

Re:Why?

[treeves]

Is that the one described in the Epic of Gilgamesh?

Re:Why?

[mjwx]

If you want to make sure the TSA leaves your digital goodies alone, label it 'Viruses for AV Testing". Bonus: Carry a disclaimer form releasing you of damages if they do plug it in.

You mean a shrink wrap license?

If the US court system worked, it would be enough to cover your arse for any damage they TSA did by ignoring the license. That would be _if_ the US courts worked the way they're meant to.

I'm not an American and have nothing to do with the idiodic organisation known as the TSA, but surely if you want the TSA to leave your data alone you would just send it through the internet rather then carrying it on your person. Seems pretty stupid to have sensitive data on you when you know what the TSA is like.

Re:Why?

[mjwx]

Everyone need this kind of storage. A small external HDD is readily identifiable as such, so will be subject to arbitrary search and confiscation at the whim of the border guards. Better to store your data within ordinary items such as a hairbrush, keyfob or the flight-safe Swiss Army Knife. Preferably encrypted and redundantly distributed among as many innocuous items as you can stand to carry. When you have reached your destination, use your most secure device to update and change your security codes so the folks who confiscated your external HDD can't easily get to your personal information.

Well the first thing I thought of is set up a RAID 5 or 6 of micro SD cards ensuring that no complete file is no any single SD card. Micro SD cards are small enough that they can be hidden inside a lot of innocuous items including inside the body itself.

Then I thought, why bother, If the data is that sensitive or incriminating, I'll just store it on a server and access it over the internet. Even Dropbox holds a few GB for free, if it's sensitive data why not pay them or hire a server and some storage and DIY.

Smuggling data is not like smuggling drugs, why endanger your person going through customs when you can bypass the entire thing.

Re:Why?

[CarboRobo]

I'm in Australia (with the AUD 102% of the USD at the moment) and I can buy a 1TB disk here for $70, or a 2TB disk for $100

Re:Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

You know, those cocksuckers in Cairo took away my Titanium SPORK. I'm still kind of pissed off about that. I think they just wanted to steal it.

Re:Why?

[sootman]

Yes, we all know why large flash drives are neat. Now explain the appeal of having a dozen stainless-steel tools sticking out of the USB port of your media player. :-)

Re:Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

I asked newegg about that - they were selling a 1.5TB drive for $60 less than a 1TB drive of the exact same specs and manufacturer. Their response was that they were running low on 1TB drives. Have to wonder who's running the asylum over there. (Additionally, the 2TB drive with the same specs was $10 more than the 1TB drive).

Re:Why?

[Maow]

There should be a container for micro sd cards which you can swallow. Its not 1TB but it could carry an OS which you use to download the rest of the data.

Regardless of container, stomach acids would induce bit rot, turning data into... shit.

/zing!

Re:Why?

[arose]

Have to wonder who's running the asylum over there.

The customers who didn't stop buying 1TB drives even when bigger ones became a much better deal.

Re:Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

Sure, maybe the TSA won't want to handle it, but there are a few other three-letter agencies that might suddenly take an interest in you...

Re:Why?

[ediron2]

If you want to make sure the TSA leaves your digital goodies alone, label it 'Viruses for AV Testing". Bonus: Carry a disclaimer form releasing you of damages if they do plug it in.

Better yet, label one stick 'P0Rn' and stuff it full of malware, rootkits, or even some lame old nasty stuff made new and shiny with shakataganai. Minimal bonus points if it phones home to some hitcounter or webbug, so you can discretely see if it gets taken. Triple bonus points for buried stuff having phone-home code to sites interesting to the TSA (i.e., axis of evil, redneck militias, or truly heinous child porn). The goal here is to get an agent that slurps *FIRED* or into headlines.

Meanwhile, don't let them enjoy the other mem sticks: Buy a few different models that are light on the metal componentry and keep them on your person ( A couple trips through airport security will tell you which ones can make it through scanners or frisks). Use encryption for bigger stuff.

Tune in next week for "arc welding unauthorized accessors with faux-usb coils and cap circuits".

PS: never NEVER never burn 0day here. Rank and file airport TSA staff are somewhere **down** the cop-fu chart below renta-cops. 0day would be becoming a ninja to kick ass on the short bus.

Re:Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

"It comes with two bodies"

Easier to conceal, especially for international travel where an external disc drive is more likely to be searched/cloned/confiscated.

WTF

Re:Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, because they certainly do NOT confiscate knives on planes. ;-)

I still use my 512MB version all the time. Never fly on planes though, can't afford Europe right now and wouldn't be caught dead flying into the US(from Canada).
Every young man should have a pocket knife though, just got a 1GB knockoff for my 9 year old.

Re:Why?

[bemymonkey]

If you're just looking for silent replacements for hard drives, just get a few SSDs. 1TB should barely come to $1500 (thinking two Intel 320 series 600GB drives), and it'll be MUCH MUCH MUCH faster than a dinky oversized thumb drive.

Re:Why?

[syousef]

pre-flood I would have agreed with you, but the cheapest 1TB drive on newegg is $120. (interestingly the 2TB version of the same model costs only $10 more)

$130/2 = $65. You are quibbling about $15???

Re:Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

TSA stole my lighter, but was perfectly ok with letting me take matches with me.

Re:Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

Write some bullshit little file utility of some kind, setup a web site where you sell the utility for $10,000 and be sure to include the utility on your media. Then if they make a copy of your media or confiscate it, they are pirates and you can sue for your estimate of every single copy that may have been made or distributed. Be sure to warn them that your media contains your intellectual property and you are as serious as the RIAA at protecting it from piracy.

Re:Why?

[L4t3r4lu5]

These hollow coins might provide some level of protection. I've never seen one up close, but they claim to be milled from real currency. Not much good if you're not American, though.

Re:Why?

[L4t3r4lu5]

This is why I would encrypt the data and put it onto Dropbox or similar. Or mail it to my destination.

I don't fly to America, though, so this idiocy is unlikely to affect me.

Re:Why?

[mlush]

Well the first thing I thought of is set up a RAID 5 or 6 of micro SD cards ensuring that no complete file is no any single SD card. Micro SD cards are small enough that they can be hidden inside a lot of innocuous items including inside the body itself.

Then I thought, why bother, If the data is that sensitive or incriminating, I'll just store it on a server and access it over the internet. Even Dropbox holds a few GB for free, if it's sensitive data why not pay them or hire a server and some storage and DIY.

Smuggling data is not like smuggling drugs, why endanger your person going through customs when you can bypass the entire thing.

I was just about to agree with you and quote http://xkcd.com/538/....

But then I though 'Frist World Problems'. If you smuggling sensitive data chances are that that its into or out of somewhere repressive where the internet is slow, locked down or even non existent ... Satellite internet is an option but a bit on the slow side and worse but you have smuggle the modem into the country.

I think you were right the first time, RAID6 on microSD (though I'd also encrypt the files:-)

Re:Why?

[pepeperes]

Maybe all that steel would improve wifi reception?

Re:Why?

[Blade]

Terrorists can't afford 1st class, you insensitive clod!

Re:Why?

[petermgreen]

Sounds reasonable to me, they are running low on a product for which they are alternatives that will be superior in most cases but they want to keep some in-stock just in case someone REALLY wants that exact product. So they crank the price to a level where superior products are cheaper.

Re:Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

You can carry your data on a 2.5" HDD. Nowadays you can also carry it on a 1TB solid state media which is smaller and more durable.

Re:Why?

[pmjpmjpmj]

"640K ought to be enough for anybody" - Bill G.

Re:Why?

[karnal]

But when the size of a "dinky oversized thumb drive" fits your space constraints better than 2 2.5" SSDs stacked on top of one another (not to mention a native USB interface? Not sure if the SSDs have that, I know some do) then you'll pay for the convenience.

This is definitely not for everyone. Even I have trouble seeing the market for this. But someone will buy it. Guaranteed. Would it be enough to make a profit? Maybe that's why it's $3000.

Re:Why?

[b0bby]

I've never had a problem either - out of the millions of people who fly each year, only a vanishingly small number have anything confiscated. If something is important you should have it encrypted, because you're more likely to have it stolen than confiscated. I have no love for customs officials, but seriously, the level of paranoia on here is too much. Yes, I'm new here.

Re:Why?

[karnal]

So with RAID-5 I won't need all of your cards, just N-1.

Re:Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

These hollow coins might provide some level of protection. I've never seen one up close, but they claim to be milled from real currency. Not much good if you're not American, though.

Europeans can't carry American currency?

Re:Why?

[bemymonkey]

He's talking about replacing his "back room file server" with something noiseless... SSDs would allow that.

You won't be plugging them into a dumb player of any kind (HiFi, car stereo, AV receiver), but hey, I doubt that most "dumb" players with USB ports will read a 1TB Flash drive :p

Re:Why?

[jittles]

I wasn't trying to say that everyone who travels internationally has trouble with ICE. The person never specified if the travel was foreign, or domestic, however. That's a key difference, because no one has their data searched on domestic travel. I don't agree with searching the data on Foreign travel, either. But I'm not all wrapped up in tin foil either. Most people will never be bothered by customs, but I've never seen customs swab for explosive materials either. They leave that to the security people.

Re:Why?

[mjwx]

I was just about to agree with you and quote http://xkcd.com/538/....

But then I though 'Frist World Problems'. If you smuggling sensitive data chances are that that its into or out of somewhere repressive where the internet is slow, locked down or even non existent ... Satellite internet is an option but a bit on the slow side and worse but you have smuggle the modem into the country.

I think you were right the first time, RAID6 on microSD (though I'd also encrypt the files:-)

I dont think you've been through a really thorough customs operation. The TSA are a bunch of amateurs on power trip, this does not make them competent.

If a government is oppressive about internet access, it is then reasonable to assume that said oppression will be just as great, if not greater at border entries. This still makes it easier to smuggle data through the internet. This way you dont have to put yourself in immediate danger of discovery nor do you have to face the person who is attempting to stop you. Also, VPN's, TOR and other methods of hiding data have been far more effective then attempting to hide objects. An X-Ray will reveal any hidden compartments in luggage so the items will have to be stored on your person who only has to travel through a metal detector for the most part.

Smuggling in person is actually a very hard thing to do.

Re:Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

I remember a 2TB drive from... oh hell, somebody , that was the "first" (as in not yet available for purchase) USB3 drive. Is this similar? For 3000 anything (except maybe Laotian money) it isn't worth it even then.

Re:Why?

[fnj]

Jeeze, can you buy ME some? We're about 70% above those numbers in the land of the free and the home of the shafted.

Debian Swiss Army knife

[vlm]

I would much rather have a Debian Swiss Army knife... mine is somewhere between Switzerland and the US right now...

http://wiki.debian.org/Merchandise/SwissKnives

Re:Debian Swiss Army knife

[Synerg1y]

3 linux advertising. It's always something subtle yet interesting :)

Re:Debian Swiss Army knife

[laejoh]

I'd rather have a Debian Chainsaw!

If They Confiscate Your Cupcake?

[Jeremiah Cornelius]

The TSA will surely snag your "flight safe" Victorinox!

They took a 3-inch plastic toy doll's rifle from a child - because it was a "replica firearm".

Someday, they will face the gates of Hell. Today? They are your middle-school hall-monitors, with an authorization from the American STASI.

Re:If They Confiscate Your Cupcake?

[amicusNYCL]

It's pretty hard to justify confiscating a drive. If this is anything like the little 128MB version I've got, the "flight safe" version is where you physically detach the drive from the knife housing, and then you're only carrying the actual drive.

Re:If They Confiscate Your Cupcake?

[dgatwood]

You haven't been paying attention. The TSA has no need to justify anything, citizen. They repeatedly commit dubiously legal searches and seizures, illegal detentions, random groping, and unlicensed irradiation of the flying public under the threat of invalidating your expensive plane ticket purchase (extortion) if you do not comply. They can't justify most of what they do. That never stopped them from doing anything before. Why start caring now?

Re:If They Confiscate Your Cupcake?

[amicusNYCL]

I was just trying to make the point that you're not flying with some sort of "flight-safe" knife, you're probably able to detach the actual drive.

Re:If They Confiscate Your Cupcake?

[The Grim Reefer]

I was just trying to make the point that you're not flying with some sort of "flight-safe" knife, you're probably able to detach the actual drive.

You're still flying with some part of a "weapon"/knife. That's grounds enough for the TSA, I'm sure.[/sarcasm]

I fly often and used to try to be understanding of the TSA. But in the last year, or so, they've become increasingly obnoxious. I've seen other passengers harassed because they choose a pat-down over being irradiated. Passengers treated like criminals because they had a tube of tooth paste in their luggage. I had a VGA card ruined because a idiot agent pulled it out of the antistatic bag and swiped it all over with a cloth while arguing with me the entire time. Then afterward told me I could have just checked it, which was exactly what I asked to do while she argued with me.

Re:If They Confiscate Your Cupcake?

[Anonymous Coward]

It's pretty hard to justify confiscating a drive.

The TSA will indeed not confiscate your storage devices, notebooks, tablets, etc. The customs/border officials have declared that they want to keep those for themselves.

Re:If They Confiscate Your Cupcake?

[Anonymous Coward]

I had a VGA card ruined because a idiot agent pulled it out of the antistatic bag and swiped it all over with a cloth while arguing with me the entire time.

Sounds like a case for small-claims court.

Re:If They Confiscate Your Cupcake?

[vik]

I've had medical shears taken from me by Australian customs (who are even worse arseholes than the TSA) despite the fact that they are (a) not sharp, and (b) classified as exempt medical equipment.

Basically, if they don't like the look of it, it doesn't go on the plane. You have no "rights" in this respect.

Re:If They Confiscate Your Cupcake?

[Anonymous Coward]

They are very stupid, they make like $12 an hour FFS. Little point in trying to reason with them.

Re:If They Confiscate Your Cupcake?

[mkiwi]

[Politician] Note to self: Political Plan, "Put America back to work! TSA jobs for all the unemployed!"

Re:If They Confiscate Your Cupcake?

[donscarletti]

Customs are the arseholes that search you _after_ a 14 hour international flight. Air screening in Australia is not done by federal agents but conducted by the airport operators according to federal government regulations and policies.

Only one use I can think of

[Anonymous Coward]

Finally, enough room for my porn collection :-)

Re:Only one use I can think of

[Anonymous Coward]

You can do that with any 1TB drive. This is much better. It has a handy knife feature, meaning I can stab you then steal your porn all with the same tool.

Re:3k???

[Imagix]

Uh... read the specs again... that's 1 *TB*, not 1 *GB*.

Re:3k???

[Idbar]

It doesn't seem to have moving parts. I got a 1TB passport HDD for $95, but a 128G SSD is more expensive and even smaller form factors, like the Patriot Magnum are very convenient.

Just what the world needs

[Bohnanza]

A Swiss Army knife with no knife.

Re:Just what the world needs

[Anonymous Coward]

Nah, it's what *Victorinox* needs -- regular headlines on the fashion sites.

Yup, /. took the bait.

Practical? Right. To go flying you can take out the bits that make SAKs worth taking along. In exchange you get a storage body that going to cause the security theater to require an explanation, and likely earn you intimate treatment for the delay. This isn't about being useful at all, it's about Victorinox's 6-month regular need to be talked about on the fashion sites. I guess they already did diamond encrusted.

Re:3k???

[Anonymous Coward]

reading fail.

1 TERAbyte. 1024 Gee Bees.

Re:3k???

[timeOday]

1 tb usb drive = $10 on any day

The Ironkey you listed is 1 GB. That is 1 / 1000 of a TB. The solid state device you listed is $700, and, judging by the size of the USB connector, probably 50 times the volume of the supposed 1 TB chip on the swiss army knife.

Let me be the first on this thread to say, I don't believe for a moment that is a 1 TB chip on that knife screenshot. There's no way you could make a 1TB drive that small at this point in time. Famous last words, I know.

Using that knife, MacGyver builds . . .

[PolygamousRanchKid]

. . . a whole data center! . . . with some junk he finds lying around . . .

. . . and creates a world wide social network . . . and all the members help him save the world and escape . . .

Victorinox: "Yes, that was what we envisioned that could be done with our new knife . . ."

USB 2.0

[Anonymous Coward]

Should really be 3.0 not 2.0 for 1TB of space to fill.

Re:USB 2.0

[fnj]

AS IF the flash came anywhere near even 2.0 speed.

Should really be 3.0 not 2.0 for 1TB of space to fill.

Re:USB 2.0

[Anonymous Coward]

usb 2.0 has a transfer rate of about ~35 MB/s where most SSD's can go well past that.

Re:USB 2.0

[Neil Boekend]

The question is: at what point will bit rot degrade bits faster than you can put them in?

Me wantsssss it!

[Anonymous Coward]

Drool. Not that I really need 1TB of such portable storage, but I can't help but look at it and thing, "Oh! SHINY!"

Re:3k???

[Khyber]

Typical million+ UID nonsense, Failure to read and comprehend.

Itb in a knife

[Master Moose]

That's cutting edge!

Windows Only?

[Anonymous Coward]

In previous models the encryption is software based and for Windows only.

Re:Windows Only?

[Em Adespoton]

It's a USB drive... wipe it and install TrueCrypt.

Re:Windows Only?

[Formalin]

I always just wipe drives and use dm-crypt / luks.

Chances are good that whatever included encryption doesn't bloody work, anyway.

Re:3k???

[dgatwood]

Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin'...

Oh, wait, I thought you said 1024 Bee Gees. My bad.

Re:3k???

[Synerg1y]

Your right, my mistake, maybe the physical size of the stick is what can make it 3k as opposed to the $700 1tb version. Still I remember when a 1gb one ran for like $250, thus the confusion. I have no need for these, but they're cool as hell.

Re:3k???

[Em Adespoton]

You must be new here.... I remember when 16MB USB sticks ran about $250... it wasn't all that long ago.
Then again, I remember when the only storage computers had was 4KB of RAM... and I'm sure some on here can remember when you had to fit it all on a punch card. Those were a bit bulky to carry on a flight, I'm sure.

Re:3k???

[Synerg1y]

It's probably that your just old, but... my reference is from like 3-4 years ago (as opposed to yours that span decades), they weren't new then, but they were very uncommon and relatively unheard of (usb hd encrypted sticks).

Eh...

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

Just what I've always wanted in a durable metal tool: a delicate electronic attachment highly likely to break or become obsolete well before the rest of the thing. Can we think of a way to make it rely on some obscure teeny batteries, with a chintzy plastic door that falls off if you look at it funny? That's the only thing I like even better...

Just get a damned K-bar and intimidate the bits at your destination into the correct pattern.

Re:Eh...

[Anonymous Coward]

They do come with installed watch batteries, which I'll explain later.

I have the 2GB version of the Swiss Army Knife and I love it. It's not the standard size Swiss Army Knife, but the smaller pocket knife version, and it's just as durable. The reason I love it is because it single-handedly replaces 4 items that I would normally carry on me. Before, I used to carry a pocket knife, a flash light, a pen and a USB drive. The Swiss Army USB Knife contain all those. So now I can reduce the number of items I carry around from 4 to 1.

who.the.hell.cares

[Anonymous Coward]

This is something no one needs. Giz has been plugging the hell out of this thing and no one is going to buy it.

Re:3k???

[Anonymous Coward]

15 dollars for a Swiss army knife? Maybe if it is Chinese knock of, but a quality pocket knife will be a bit more. Top end can easily pass two hundred.

Re:3k???

[the_fat_kid]

that's Jive Talkin'

Re:3k???

[froggymana]

Typical million+ UID nonsense, Failure to read and comprehend.

Typical million > UID nonsense. Failure to acknowledge that people make mistakes.

file this

[Anonymous Coward]

under the dumbshit category

Two solutions...

[Anonymous Coward]

1. Checked baggage.

OR

2. Separate the drive from the rest. (It was incredibly easy with their past versions.)

Re:Two solutions...

[Cigarra]

1. Stolen baggage.

FTFY

They need to train these people...

[Anonymous Coward]

OR GET OUT OF THE BUSINESS

Re:3k???

[Khyber]

Confusing a T with a G should only happen on the keyboard, not in the head.

Let me guess, you graduated high school within the past 8 years. Sad.

Is it worth it?

[InspectorGadget1964]

Well, I can get a terrabyte drive for under $100 and a Swiss Army knife with all the other stuff for under $200 easy, so, why should I pay $3000? To show off?

Re:Is it worth it?

[Dynedain]

Really, you can procure 1TB tiny form-factor SSDs for under $100? You should be making a fortune right now!

1TB huge spinning disc is nowhere near the same thing as what's being shown.

Re:Is it worth it?

[InspectorGadget1964]

Obviously you either can't read or must be a journalist putting words in my mouth. I never said anything about "tiny form-factor" that device is as irrelevant as all those diver watches with chronograph worn by people that do not dive nor know how to use them. It to people that are desperate to show they are something. If you are not worth a damn without the device, you still not worth a damn with it. Stop following useless fashion and start thinking!

Re:Is it worth it?

[Dynedain]

You asked why you should pay $3k when you can get the components for $200 + $100. I pointed out that you can't actually get the components for that little.

Re:Is it worth it?

[InspectorGadget1964]

You are convincing me your reading ability is below primary school level. Just in case, this is what I wrote “Well, I can get a terrabyte drive for under $100 and a Swiss Army knife with all the other stuff for under $200 easy, so, why should I pay $3000? To show off?” I never wrote “you can get the components for $200 + $100”. Please pay attention and stop following fashion, that is only for women and homosexuals

not a good combo

[amoeba1911]

The problem with Swiss army knife+usb is that you can have the Swiss army knife for a lot longer than the life of the USB stick. Fifteen years ago I bought a 1.2GB 3.5" hard drive for $150. It was a good deal. Today, 16GB comes on a micro SD sells for a measly $20. But my Swiss army knife from is still just as precious and useful as it was when I got it.

Re:not a good combo

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm sure you can buy an updated USB stick from Victornox to stick in it. The USB drive itself is detachable if needed, so you should be able to swap out the old one for a larger one.

I Own One

[juventasone]

Victorinox has had a line of these for several years. I own one of the early ones from when 512MB was as big as you could buy. It's been on my keychain all these years and still works great.

I've found the tool I use most often is the knife, usually for opening packaging. When the pen stopped working, they sent me a new one, no questions asked. And I'm not sure what other people store on these things, but I hardly ever use more than 100MB.

Re:I Own One

[plopez]

*And I'm not sure what other people store on these things, but I hardly ever use more than 100MB.
*

I've been working with a large number of maps recently. I'm up to 16 GB now and seriously considering going to 32 GB.

I'm not buying

[plopez]

unless it comes with Perl

I've had one of these before.

[Anonymous Coward]

I had one of the flash versions. A 16GB dream that I left in Hawai'i. *sigh*

The flash drive part was much like any other flash drive. Insanely durable (went through my washer and dryer more than one - oops).

I wouldn't be so quick to knock it.

Re:3k???

[dissy]

I say this because... swiss army knife = $15 on a good day, 1 tb usb drive = $10 on any day,

Could you please provide a link where you purchased your 1 TB drive for $10? please?
Or was that "$10" a typo of "$100"? Or was the "1 TB" a typo for "1 GB"?

Looking at your provided links, Amazon sells that encrypted 1 TB drive for $700.
The other link doesn't have 1 TB drives at all, they max out at 32 GB for $300.
Even their 1 GB modals are $80.

Even with RAID-0 (Only spanning, no redundancy) you would need 32 of those flash drives to reach the 1024 GB mark, and at $300 each that's a total of $9600.
($9900 for 33 of them to do RAID-5)

Even before the flooding in Taiwan a 1 GB internal sATA drive was around $80 or so, and currently seem to be averaging over $100.

Re:3k???

[dissy]

Then again, I remember when the only storage computers had was 4KB of RAM... and I'm sure some on here can remember when you had to fit it all on a punch card. Those were a bit bulky to carry on a flight, I'm sure.

Warning: Pure nostalgia only below!

I still have a working 10 meg MFM hard drive, that requires two 5.25" bays to mount in. My 8086 only has 8 bit ISA slots, and the only IDE controllers I've come across have required 16 bit ISA or PCI.

Before I gave up the display shelf space, I had 4 drives sitting next to each other to show off how physical size is shrinking while storage size is growing.
http://i39.tinypic.com/20a9jsl.jpg

Left to right is:
10 MB - 2x 5.25" bays and 8" deep (And about 10 pounds)
300 MB - 3.5" IDE drive
750 MB - 2.5" IDE drive
1 GB - 1" wide Compact Flash card

Now I just need to add in a 32 GB micro SD card...

Not to mention a few boxes of 8" floppy disks, and a crate of 5.25" floppies (Back when floppy disks actually flopped!)
http://i41.tinypic.com/3588aza.jpg

Re:3k???

[mkiwi]

I can't speak for him, but don't be too pedantic when criticizing him. I graduated high school seven years ago and my UID is lower than yours.

Instead

[Anonymous Coward]

I prefer a smartphone/knife combo. Do they plan to make such combos too?

Re:Instead

[box4831]

I'd like one of those. *brrring brring* "hello? why yes this is box48-AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Re:3k???

[Khyber]

And in some countries, High School is College.

Might want to clarify which country you're in for those of us in the USA.

Safe?

[xenobyte]

...so the storage can be swapped out into a flight-safe version with no knife or scissors...

The security theater related to flying never ceases to amaze me... You can get steak knives onboard (first class) but cannot bring a small folding knife...
But of course, those people travelling on first class are decent people so they're safe... Oh wait, the 9/11 hijackers travelled on first class to be near the cockpit. Bummer...

Switzerland has army?

[galanom]

I didn't know that!
This country was neutral to all wars I can remember. I am surprised to hear it has army.

Re:Switzerland has army?

[Anonymous Coward]

There's a reason they could afford to stay neutral in all wars...

No, it wouldn't

[Kupfernigk]

I don't recommend this idea at all, but stomach acid is only dilute hydrochloric. There are sealed USB sticks with gold plated copper contacts that would have no problems with it at all.

International travel

[arcite]

I too travel all the time with External Harddrives. I've never had a problem. They just to through the xray machine with everything else. If border guards had to check every computer or harddrive for data they wouldn't be able to do their jobs very well. Of course, I'm not on any watch lists nor do I look like a terrorist, so that might help.

Re:3k???

[polymeris]

Even before the flooding in Taiwan a 1 GB internal sATA drive was around $80 or so...

Could you please provide a link where you purchased your 1 GB drive for $80? please? ... this decade?

Re:3k???

[jones_supa]

Let me be the first on this thread to say, I don't believe for a moment that is a 1 TB chip on that knife screenshot. There's no way you could make a 1TB drive that small at this point in time. Famous last words, I know.

True, true. Using today's tech you could cram maybe 64-128GB into that size.

Re:3k???

[Anonymous Coward]

And now you're just being a douche.

Re:3k???

[dissy]

Yea that one was a typo. I meant a 1 TB internal drive for $80.

It's been quite some time since 1 GB drives cost that much, although my second ever hard drive was an external 1 GB SCSI "Quantum Fireball" drive which when new was $250. Seeing as most systems shipped with 40-80 MB at the time, a full gig was a ton of space.

As for the link, it was at NewEgg, specifically the western digital "green" drives, although they had some Seagates at that price too.
After the flooding and price hike, they all seem to be around the $130+ range now.

Easy - just fly w/Guns Re:If They Confiscate

[Fubari]

Just take a gun with you. Seriously, I'm not kidding - Packing & the Friendly Skies (Why Transporting Firearms May Be The Best Way To Safeguard Your Tech When You Fly) by Deviant Ollam (content starts at 0:41). This looks like the best way to fly with things you don't want the TSA to mess with.

flight friendly

[Anonymous Coward]

the TSA has been pretty good about supporting flight friendly versions of these products.

I don't get it.

[Anonymous Coward]

I've never quite understood all of the apparent suspicion, and desire to hide, data being moved around on physical media.

If I had something really secret, and I wanted to cross a border, and also wanted the data to cross a border, I'd feel much more comfortable encrypting it and moving the data electronically.

I suppose there are some exceptions (national firewalls or poor transmission rates in a particular country), and maybe the few people out there with large chunks of data that are considered trade secrets. But for your average user, I just don't get it. Most people don't travel with electronic data that's any more sensitive than the physical data (passport, credit cards) they're also carrying.

I have an older model

[billstewart]

Ok, the main reason "Why?" is that it was a present from my wife, and it's 128MB from back when that was a typical size for a USB memory stick. It was geeky and cute. You could fit a small Linux distro on it if you wanted, though I mainly just used it to move files around (and open boxes), and if you need to fly on an airplane, the memory stick part pops out so you can carry it without the knife body. And even today, I very seldom use data files bigger than 128MB (except for music, ISOs, and mailboxes), so it's useful for carrying things around. (OTOH, 4GB memory sticks are getting to be too small for a lot of things, since Outlook mailboxes are bloated and collections of music are much larger than individual tunes or albums.)

Re:3k???

[Khyber]

No, I made a valid point, one which your brain obviously can't understand, hence why you posted as AC, to avoid the obvious embarrassment.

Re:3k???

[Synerg1y]

Because it's hardware based encrypted.