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."

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: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: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 [newegg.com]

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!

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...

Re:Size wars

[level_headed_midwest]

Nobody will do that. What you will see is USB 3.0 USB sticks. That should give you about the same bandwidth as eSATA, plus it is an always-powered port.

Re:So

[Anonymous Coward]

It's wheelbarrow. A barrow is like a cart.

"Desmond had a barrow in the marketplace."

Re:Size wars

[HiThere]

I think they're planning on USB3. It's supposed to be quite speedy...though I've no idea what that means.

Re:But how damage-resistant is it?

[ZosX]

1. Thermal tiles/Heat Shield.

2. GPS / Homing Beacon Transmitter

Also you might have a hard time finding a good LZ that isn't covered in water...so you might want to prepare for those thermal tiles to conveniently float.

That would survive the drop from space. Terminal velocity would be far easier for it to survive. I'm too tired to do math, but you can find the equation here:

http://www.vias.org/physics/example_1_6_08.html [vias.org]

I'd imagine a lot of rubber padding would certainly be the key. (no pun intended)

Apparently humans can somehow survive terminal velocity in rare instances, or I've heard too many urban legends.... (citation needed)

Don't know why your comment was marked funny. I personally found it insightful.