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The Swiss Army Knife of USB Drives 314

Posted by CmdrTaco from the see-'cuz-its-a-knife dept.
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.
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The Swiss Army Knife of USB Drives More

The Swiss Army Knife of USB Drives

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  • Old news. (Score:5, Informative)

    by Jaywalk ( 94910 ) on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @09:02AM (#10117070) Homepage
    These have been available from Thinkgeek [thinkgeek.com] 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.

  • Usefull... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by R2.0 ( 532027 ) on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @09:02AM (#10117072)
    Until you can't take it on a plane with you.

    • Re:Usefull... (Score:4, Informative)

      by I confirm I'm not a ( 720413 ) on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @09:04AM (#10117106) Journal

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

    • Re:Usefull... (Score:4, Funny)

      by Epistax ( 544591 ) <<moc.liamg> <ta> <xatsipe>> on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @10:02AM (#10117698) Journal
      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)
      • The nail file that is included would probably not be allowed. It could be used to poke someone's eye out.

      • Re:Usefull... (Score:4, Informative)

        by Sylver Dragon ( 445237 ) on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @11:48AM (#10118869) Journal
        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?

        • Re:Usefull... (Score:4, Informative)

          by orthogonal ( 588627 ) on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @12:54PM (#10119735) Journal
          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.
          • Increased security at airports is a band-aid for the "potential threat". I'm tired of hearing people mock what steps have been taken to help protect ourselves. I'm not a conservative... in fact, I'll probably write in someone like Frank Zappa this November (not really, but I'm not impressed with the two major-party candidates).

            I wouldn't say discussing the issues is "un-American", I'd say it simply escapes politics. The problem is so complicated, and rooted in the differences of our cultures and religio

  • Oh great just what I need on an airplane ... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Average_Joe_Sixpack ( 534373 ) on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @09:02AM (#10117076)
    Shot by an airmarshall whilst trying to back up my data

  • Missing the target market (Score:2, Insightful)

    by d5w ( 513456 )
    a) Hasn't this been out for a while? b) Why do I want a USB drive I can't take on a plane?

  • Why? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by wackysootroom ( 243310 ) on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @09:03AM (#10117089) Homepage
    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?

    • Re:Why? (Score:5, Funny)

      by I confirm I'm not a ( 720413 ) on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @09:06AM (#10117132) Journal

      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...)

    • Re:Why? (Score:5, Informative)

      by Lxy ( 80823 ) on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @09:06AM (#10117136) Journal
      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.
      • I'm waiting for the switchblade USB drives.

        If this nerd ends up breaking his glasses, and subsequently tapes them back together, I'll need to carry around the 'switchblade' to look tough again.

        Either that, or it'll make for a nerdy remake of West Side Story. "We challenge you to a backup. All USB drives out, once and for all. Accept?"

    • Re:Why? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by miskatonic alumnus ( 668722 ) on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @09:07AM (#10117146)
      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.

    • Re:Why? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Renegade Lisp ( 315687 ) * on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @09:11AM (#10117201)
      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.

    • Re:Why? (Score:3, Interesting)

      by jridley ( 9305 )
      I use a swiss army knife every day. When around the house or work, I generally have either the Victorinox Tinker model (several years old) or a Leatherman Juice S2. I have a Leatherman Squirt on my keychain.

      When I'm out in the wild, I carry a rather larger lock-back leatherman model on a belt loop.

      It's a rare day that I don't use my knife, but the sharp blade gets used maybe 20% of the time; more likely a screwdriver, pliers, or wire cutter.

      But I'm the sort that fixes things while waiting around at the

  • wtf? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Lxy ( 80823 ) on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @09:03AM (#10117096) Journal
    Thinkgeek, OWNED by OSDN if I'm not mistaken, has been selling USB swiss army knives [thinkgeek.com] for months now.

    Is it obvious to anyone else that /. has happily traded in sanity for advertising dollars?
    • Not only have they been selling them for months, they have also been advertised on slashdot (via thinkgeek) for months.

      But perhaps this story was okayed with good intentions. You should not attribute to advertising what can be more easily be explained by slashdot editors.
    • Thinkgeek, OWNED by OSDN

      That's OSTG, you insensitive clod!

    • Re:wtf? (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Dracolytch ( 714699 ) on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @09:33AM (#10117413) Homepage
      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

      • Re:wtf? (Score:5, Funny)

        by RWerp ( 798951 ) on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @10:04AM (#10117717)
        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.

      • Re:wtf? (Score:2, Interesting)

        by Samus ( 1382 )
        Seeing as how the site is now down maybe it was intentional? Perhaps it was a DDOS attack idea in the same vein as the one reported a couple weeks ago where the boss skipped out on the hearings and left his "packet monkeys" behind. How long do you think it will be before we read about (on some other site of course) /.s servers being seized by the FBI? Some see stupidity while I see malevolent genious. Post a link to a competitor to take down their site and wait for posters to remind everyone that its al

  • Durability (Score:4, Insightful)

    by keiferb ( 267153 ) on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @09:04AM (#10117099) Homepage
    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.
    • 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.)

  • 128MB? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Overzeetop ( 214511 ) on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @09:04AM (#10117102) Journal
    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.

    • Re:128MB? (Score:3, Interesting)

      by lukewarmfusion ( 726141 )
      I use my PNY 64MB all the time and I've never had space problems. If I needed to store a bunch of music on it or something, I'd go for an iPod or some such. But I keep the PNY stick in my pocket everywhere I go.
    • True 'nuff. I just put cheap multi-format readers on all my machines, and I use a 1024 MB card to carry stuff home and work. Sometimes that's barely enough. It's rare that 128M would be enough for me to do anything at all.

  • Actually, the iPod is the Swiss Army Knife of... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Deep Fried Geekboy ( 807607 ) on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @09:04AM (#10117113)
    ...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.
    • The only thing it doesn't do well is function as a card reader
      Belkin makes a card reader that works with the dock-enabled iPods, but it costs around $100. Check the apple store if you're interested.
    • 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
      • Great -- so let's get this straight. I should carry around with me:

        -- a 120Gb HD in a USB 2.0 enclosure, plus a mains cable, plus some shockproofing, plus a mains converter in case I need to use it in the car
        -- a supply of CDs, which I must remember to burn every time any of my data changes, and which I have to stuff in my overstuffed wallet
        -- my iPod, which I carry around with me anyway

        thanks! you PC guys are great!

      • I'm lazy. And I carry too much crap as it is.

        A 120gig HDD and USB 2.0 enclosure will generally need an external power supply. That's more bulk than an iPod.

        I have a Mac. Lots of people do. Many Macs have slot-loading drives which will *die* when you try to use a business card CD.

        I'll grant you that the iPod is not the best portable storage device, but it's a damned good music player that happens to pull double duty. Why bother carrying more crap than you need?

  • Slashdotted already? (Score:5, Funny)

    by thenetbox ( 809459 ) on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @09:05AM (#10117121)
    They should have used the dual xeon pocket knife.
  • You can backup your data and file your nails. If you do it that the same time, you're going to look silly rubbing your laptop over your fingers.

  • Convergance (Score:3, Insightful)

    by rf0 ( 159958 ) <rghf@fsck.me.uk> on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @09:06AM (#10117134) Homepage
    OK I just about understand this that its a good idea in that you won't forget both the USB and knives. However what next? Prehaps an ice-cream make with built in WiFi. The point is though its cool do we really need it?

    Rus

    • I know a lot of people (lighting and sound engineers, IT folk) who have always carried a Swiss Army knife with them (and those that don't carry a Gerber or similar) as well as numerous floppies, USB sticks, or whatever the storage solution of the day is. This is cool, but that doesn't negate the fact that some people will find them virtually essential.

    • Like half the geeks I know, myself included, carry around both devices. They're all about utility, so the convergence makes sense. An ice cream maker shares virtually no commonalities of function or user with wifi.

  • Keep them seperate (Score:5, Insightful)

    by JohnnyKlunk ( 568221 ) on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @09:08AM (#10117162)
    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.
    • Will 128mb still be enough space for useful storage in 15 years, will we still have USB?
      Considering we still have 3.5" floppies that hold only 1.4mb in use after 20+ years, I'd say it's a safe bet 128mb USBs will still be around in 2019.

    • Re:Keep them seperate (Score:3, Interesting)

      by menscher ( 597856 )
      Agreed. This looked interesting to me when I stumbled across it last week, since I've been thinking about replacing my swiss army knife, which is showing extreme signs of wear after 10 years of use (the previous one was stolen). Here's what has killed it:
      • Scissors got dulled by cutting sheet metal (I resharpened them a bit, but they're still not the best)
      • Lost the toothpick, and, many years later, the tweezers (used for retrieving screws from inside computers)
      • Tip of main blade broken off (which, inciden

  • Dupe (Score:5, Informative)

    by philbert26 ( 705644 ) on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @09:09AM (#10117170)
    It's not only old news, it's also a dupe [slashdot.org].

  • Hmmmm... (Score:3, Funny)

    by StevenHenderson ( 806391 ) <stevehenderson.gmail@com> on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @09:09AM (#10117175)
    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?!?!
    • Wow, a red light! Thats so...useful?

      It could increase your options if you're stranded in Amsterdam without the bus fare home.

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

      Filing serial numbers down on stolen hardware after booting off the usb disk?
      • The nail file can sometimes be used as a flat head screwdriver. On my regular Swiss army knife, the end edge is slightly rounded, so it's not great for that use, but it can be used in a pinch for small screws.

        I agree with you, though. How many guys are giving themselves manicures with these little knives? They should replace the nail file with a real screwdriver or something else useful.

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

      Cleaning the contacts of the USB drive after it makes through the laundry.
  • As everybody seems to point out, you can't take it on a plane, which makes me wonder: How much do you think security issues have hindered sales of products of this nature? How long before victorinox starts selling swiss army knives without any type of blade? If they did, would they still call it a Swiss Army knive? And even if they did, how many times do you think the security guy would tell you that you can't bring it in only because it has the Swiss Army icon? Hmm.....
    • What would be the point of having a swiss knife without a knife ?

      Until what we all know, we could bring that kind of knife on a plane. A swiss knife is very useful in all sort of situations, especially when you are travelling and just taking a piece of bread and some paté instead of eating a burger ;-)

      Stick to Tux, get your own TuxSticker [ptaff.ca] !

    • Okay... let's be stupid a minute here. You want to take a penknife through an airport. It's not hard... put it in your luggage.

      I would no more expect to be able to carry a knife openly through customs than a diamond-edged cutting saw but you don't see people complaining that they won't buy one cos they can't take it through an airport.

      Use your noddle, bung it in your luggage, not your hand luggage (carry on's for you americans). It's not difficult, it's not brain surgery and it's common sense that you
  • 5 months ago:
    http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/03/11/ 139207 &tid=159
  • Wierd that they didn't make a variant of the Cybertool with USB, since it is actually targetted at computer support people. A generic swiss army knife with USB doesn't make sense.

  • If only MacGyver had one of these... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Xpilot ( 117961 ) on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @09:18AM (#10117272) Homepage
    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!

  • Ok, interesting but... (Score:2, Interesting)

    by jmcmunn ( 307798 )
    The USB memory is only the first step. Now put a little GPS reciever in the knife, and let me load the USB memory with maps of the area I am camping/traveling in. It would need a little LCD screen to show basic roads or trails as well I suppose.

    Basically I am looking for a leatherman, combined with a Garmin Etrex (or your favorite GPS). Now that would be useful...

  • It's slightly lacking (Score:4, Interesting)

    by jandrese ( 485 ) * <kensama@vt.edu> on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @09:23AM (#10117312) Homepage Journal
    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 [thinkgeek.com], preferably in White
    7. Scissors
    That's all I want. Is it really too much to ask for?
  • Here in india , knives are not too popular due to a similar security reason.Anyone found with a blade(knife) which is more than 2 inches can be arrested.Not that anyone checks but you don't wanna be caught with one.What is the size of the main knife blade of the SAK anyway?
    In USA are you allowed to keep the knife in your 'checked in' baggage?
    • Dunno about the USA but in the UK we have the same rules... and penknives tend to come into the safe category. Also, the fact that a penknife is not a locking knife means that you're able to carry it if it is useful for your job, etc. I always have a 2" penknife on me for cutting cable ties, opening bottles, etc.

    • Re:Not too popular here.. (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Jaywalk ( 94910 ) on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @10:11AM (#10117784) Homepage
      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 [swissarmy.com] is on the same pattern of the executive [swissarmy.com] line, so that's just about a two-inch blade, but most [swissarmy.com] Swiss Army knives have bigger blades; around three or four inches. My old favorite was the Tinker [swissarmy.com] because it had a phillips head screwdriver. (Honestly, did anybody ever use that stupid corkscrew?) But I've since replaced it with a Leatherman [leathermanstore.com] 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 [leatherman.com], Micra [leatherman.com] and Mini-tool [leatherman.com].

  • Just be careful not to cut yourself when playing your platformers on your phone.

  • How does the Swiss Army... (Score:4, Funny)

    by callipygian-showsyst ( 631222 ) on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @10:07AM (#10117754) Homepage
    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?

  • /.: news for nerds who only read read /. (Score:4, Funny)

    by junk ( 33527 ) on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @10:17AM (#10117846)
    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.
  • "the wheel".

  • My take on the Victorinox (Score:4, Interesting)

    by dze ( 89612 ) on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @11:10AM (#10118417) Homepage
    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 [johnhaller.com] however it's not fully working yet, but I'm sure that's my fault.

  • Can we buy one without a tiny little blade that more than likely will get taken when we go through airport security?

  • *yawn* (Score:3, Informative)

    by scdeimos ( 632778 ) on Tuesday August 31, 2004 @05:56PM (#10123024)
    This was on /. six months ago [slashdot.org].

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