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Toys Hardware

Wristwatch USB Drive 410

Posted by timothy from the batman-batman dept.
opwierde writes "For the gadget happy multitude LAKS has made the ultimate wristwatch. It's a USB drive combined with a watch and they've managed to make it look rather nice." (This looks like a nice place to store a persistent homedir to use with Knoppix-MiB ;))
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Wristwatch USB Drive More

Wristwatch USB Drive

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  • Other uses? (Score:5, Funny)

    by Ignorant Aardvark ( 632408 ) * <[moc.liamg] [ta] [syewedyc]> on Tuesday May 20, 2003 @10:27PM (#6004357) Homepage Journal
    Now my hands can be used for other things! Ohhh wait, 128MB ... hmmm, that's a decent sized porn clip...

    Nevermind, there are no new uses for my hands here, sorry.

  • shipping delay? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by ptorrone ( 638660 ) * <pt.adafruit@com> on Tuesday May 20, 2003 @10:27PM (#6004358)
    i ordered one of these from them over 30 days ago, no watch and no returned emails....anyone get theirs yet?

  • USB Drives Rock (Score:5, Interesting)

    by l810c ( 551591 ) * on Tuesday May 20, 2003 @10:28PM (#6004363)
    I purchased my first USB drive a couple of months ago. I love it. As the family and friends 'computer guy'(not to mention work), I'm always fixing this or that on other peoples computers. I keep a collection of utilities on my drive so that I can plug it in and have most everything I need.

  • Wow... Simply Amazing... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by zbowling ( 597617 ) * <zac.zacbowling@com> on Tuesday May 20, 2003 @10:29PM (#6004366) Homepage Journal
    Wow. It really is an interesting watch. The usb cord seems to hide inside the wristband. I bet this will making cheating my collage harder when testing in the testing lab. The already check you body and your keychain for usb thumbdrives.

    I'm getting one i guess. The 128 meg model is only $93...

  • Thinkgeek pics here (Score:5, Informative)

    by sould ( 301844 ) on Tuesday May 20, 2003 @10:30PM (#6004374) Homepage

    Nice looking watch

    Look at loads of pics from thinkgeek here [thinkgeek.com]

    • WHen I want to spend 25 dollars more on a an Item I shop at Thinkgeek!...

    • Re:Thinkgeek pics here (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Y2K is bogus ( 7647 ) on Wednesday May 21, 2003 @12:35AM (#6004953)
      BTW, those are the stock photography, nothing that the linked site doesn't have.

      I'd really like to know why ThinkGeek is always the worst deal at geeky things. They are always way overpriced at most of the things they carry. A good example is this watch, the linked site lists it for $93, whereas ThinkGeek is selling it for $119, a $26 dollar premium. When you consider what USB drives and cheap citizen watches go for, you'll quickly realize that they are making a lot of money off this product. The linked site is still making good money, Thinkgeek is probably just making at least another 50% more.

      It just bugs me that ThinkGeek has some cool stuff, but none of it is a bargain, especially when Fry's carries the same stuff for a lot less usually. Too bad.
      • People must be paying it. That makes it even sadder; the site that bills itself as being the site for geeks is just the site for geeks to find crap they want to buy, but then they go purchase it in meatspace. Often with cash, because Fry's doesn't like to give cash refunds on anything else, and who trusts Fry's?

      • Re:Thinkgeek pics here (Score:5, Informative)

        by Cyno01 ( 573917 ) <Cyno01@hotmail.com> on Wednesday May 21, 2003 @06:26AM (#6006078) Homepage
        Thinkgeek has some deals, but for the rocord the watch on the manufacturerers site is 93,not dollars, that ends up as $108.747 USD(1 USD = 0.855192 EUR). That plus a USB extension cable, and not having to pay international shipping on the watch makes it a comparable deal.

        • Re:Thinkgeek pics here (Score:3, Informative)

          by jeavis ( 198354 )
          The manufacturer's site lists it at 93 and US$93 for the 128MB model, evidently not taking the exchange rate into consideration:

          The first portable Memory on your wrist

          32MB Euro 42,- / USD 42,-
          64MB Euro 64,- / USD 64,-
          128MB Euro 93,- / USD 93,-

          However, they charge 42.15 for UPS international shipping, which may have something to do with Thinkgeek's higher price. This is only shown on their fax order form [laks.com], so most people probably missed it.

      • Re:Thinkgeek pics here (Score:3, Interesting)

        by R.Caley ( 126968 )
        the linked site lists it for $93, whereas ThinkGeek is selling it for $119, a $26 dollar premium.

        93 euro is $109. so only $10, perhaps thinkgeek bought their stock at the euro price. I can only presume LAKS haven't been paying attention to the financial news.

        BTW, why doesn't /. let me include euro signs?

  • I think bluetooth would be ideal for a product like this! After becoming enamored with my sony ericsson bluetooth itunes/dvd/finder hack for OS X i have seen the light on the functionality and ease of use that is bluetooth.

    In any case, im sure the next generation will support such standards, but I want one now. Maybe ill beg fossil to impliment bluetooth in their new palm watch:

    http://www.fossil.com/tech/default.asp?Tier1=tec h

  • Neat tool/toy (Score:3, Funny)

    by Sherloqq ( 577391 ) on Tuesday May 20, 2003 @10:34PM (#6004390)
    I wonder if I could use this at work...

    "Hey, this server's root drive just crashed!"
    "No problem, I'll just boot it off my handyh watch here!"

  • USB everything (Score:5, Funny)

    by Tweakmeister ( 638831 ) on Tuesday May 20, 2003 @10:35PM (#6004396) Homepage
    Okay now, come on!!!

    USB watch, toothbrush, shaver, coffee pot, George Foreman grill...

    yet there's one thing every nerd still needs by their computer, a USB Girlfriend!!!
  • I think it would be a little strange-looking keeping the watch on your wrist while sticking it next to a USB port. And how the heck are you supposed to type at the same time, especially if the ports are in the back of the computer!? It would be cool if you could auto-sync your watch time by plugging it in though.

  • Chicks sooooo dig this stuff (Score:3, Funny)

    by sandbagger ( 654585 ) on Tuesday May 20, 2003 @10:39PM (#6004421)
    I'm going to be the most popular guy in my cubical farm. The babes will be lining up. Fame. Sex. Better gas mileage. All thanks to my new uber-geek watch.

    (PS: Sex for one still counts as sex, no?)
  • I think that this LAKS storage.

    I really typed that, and hit submit.

    Wow.

  • It's ugly (Score:5, Funny)

    by easter1916 ( 452058 ) on Tuesday May 20, 2003 @10:45PM (#6004454) Homepage
    Made it look nice? With that honking USB connector wrapped around the wrist strap? Why not brand the word "NERD" across your forehead?

    • Re:It's ugly (Score:3, Funny)

      by NoData ( 9132 )
      Made it look nice? With that honking USB connector wrapped around the wrist strap? Why not brand the word "NERD" across your forehead?

      Done and done!

    • Re:It's ugly (Score:5, Funny)

      by dupper ( 470576 ) on Tuesday May 20, 2003 @11:43PM (#6004774) Journal
      Hey, don't knock the Geek self-advertising. I've worn the Matrix Binary Watch [thinkgeek.com] I bought from Thinkgeek for the past year. It's been a great conversation piece with non-nerds, and even (gasp!) girls. Just conversation, though, and only about the watch, but it's better than I was doing.

      (pause)

      Kill me. Kill me now.

  • I don't know (Score:3, Funny)

    by Joey7F ( 307495 ) on Tuesday May 20, 2003 @10:49PM (#6004478) Homepage Journal
    Watches from Laks? Smells fish to me...

    --Joey

  • Cable length? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by jerkychew ( 80913 ) on Tuesday May 20, 2003 @10:54PM (#6004511) Homepage
    So, the USB cable doesn't come out any further than that? Still a cool toy, but I guess you gotta take the watch off before plugging it into your puter. I'll probally buy one from thinkgeek once they're back in stock.
  • This is a really cool idea, and if I had spare cash I'd probably buy one. . .

    But "This looks like a nice place to store a persistent homedir..."

    I just don't think 128 megs is practical for the average geeks home directory, I have like 2 gigs+ of stuff in my home directory, and I know I'm not the only one...

    Still a cool idea to move files around, and keep a set of handy utilites with you at all times.
  • ...attached to my wrist. Pro: geek chic (and other applicable oxymorons.) Con: I end up looking like Winona Ryder in Alien Resurrection.
    Eh, I'll stick to the PalmPilot, if I simply must have a portable geek toy.

    Now, if it came with the Sean Connery or Pierce Brosnan model 007 attached - yum! Where's my credit card??

  • Batwatch (Score:5, Funny)

    by wideBlueSkies ( 618979 ) on Tuesday May 20, 2003 @11:01PM (#6004550) Journal
    When I first saw the watch with the cable sticking out if it, I thought of Batman using it in lieu of something in the batbelt. You know, the Penguin pushes him off the top of a skyscraper and he saves himself by shooting a cord out of his watch and attaching it to a flagpole or something.

    Then spiderman finds out and sues him for IP or patent infringement or something.
  • Someone give the Star Wars dance-fighter one of these, and his choice of one of these [pocketcalculatorshow.com] on the other arm.

    Which side will be beaten down first?

    I predict the calculator watch will take the most punishment. YMMV.

  • Waterproof (Score:4, Insightful)

    by kyoko21 ( 198413 ) on Tuesday May 20, 2003 @11:02PM (#6004557)
    Is this thing waterproof? If so, how deep can it go before it cracks under pressure?
    • Do some research. Get one and a take a trip couple of miles out to sea in a boat. Attach watch to wrist. Attach a large lump of concrete to your ankles and throw the concrete overboard whilst grasping nokia communicator firmly between your teeth. Post results to slashdot as you go.
    • You need USB under water?
      • Parent has a fine point, it's the one that's bothering me. USB drive on watch = good idea because I carry my watch everywhere so I'll always have my data nearby... but ... if the watch can't take my lifestyle and I need to have "office watch" and "other places watch" the memory resource is no longer ubiquitous and so loses its value...

        Conclusion - I'll buy this watch if it can take my lifestyle. Which has some fairly mundane but demanding requirements like cycling home in the rain, fixing my house and my w

  • Now if only (Score:3, Interesting)

    by bigattichouse ( 527527 ) on Tuesday May 20, 2003 @11:10PM (#6004604) Homepage
    there was a USB-boot option in my BIOS, I would think this a very cool thing.
    • More importantly, you'd need a USB-boot option in everyone else's BIOS. Having it in your own wouldn't really do a lot of good.
      • You could have your usb watch have a special boot that acccess thing that normally couldn't be found.
        Like a special driver that reads a floppy disk differently, so other people looking at it would think it was unformatted.

        I read your user name, and its the 3rd reference to KrispyKringle today. Man, I got to find out what it is.

  • not expandable (Score:4, Interesting)

    by io333 ( 574963 ) on Tuesday May 20, 2003 @11:20PM (#6004649)
    It's too bad it doesn't have an SD slot in it as that way it wouldn't be limited to 128megs. With an SD slot I could stick a 1gig (coming out in a few months) SD card with Knoppix on it in there and on many new PCs (USB2.0) boot from the watch ready to go with networking, KDE and the whole shebang.

  • Remote Keyless Entry (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Great1Bob ( 674828 )
    I'd love to see the functionality of one of those keyless entry remote dealies for your car embedded in a decent looking watch. Has anyone ever seen such a thing? A quick google turned up nothing.
  • Knoppix MIB though.... Yummi!
    -b

  • timex tmx2 (Score:5, Informative)

    by CreGen ( 628609 ) on Tuesday May 20, 2003 @11:54PM (#6004812) Homepage
    If you're going to be storing files on your watch, you might as well listen to music at the same time with one of these [timex.com].

    You can buy one for the low price of $129.99 USD at your local Radioshack [radioshack.com].

    Not only does it function as a watch, it also plays mp3 files (4 hours of play time on one AAA battery) and stores data (by way of usb mass storage device).

    You get a choice of wearing it on the GripClip cradle, wriststrap, or lanyard. Much more convenient than just a watch.

    It works without drivers in winXP (or newer, when we get newer) and MacOSX.
    Best of all. Because it acts as a USB mass storage device it works under linux. Simply compile in the usb drivers, usb mass storage drivers, FAT files system drivers, and scsi generic drivers and your ready to go (after a simple mount =)

    It even includes the AAA battery =)

  • Thinkgeek/Slashdot Cross Promotion??? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by dameron ( 307970 ) on Wednesday May 21, 2003 @12:36AM (#6004960)
    Two of the following are true:

    1) Love slashdot.

    2) Push nearly everyone I know in IT to read slashdot.

    3) Slashdot is still important.

    Unfortunately I'm struggling between #2 and #3.

    This post is nothing more than an advert for a 128MB USB wrist watch that has been heavily advertised by www.thinkgeek.com. I've seen half a dozen popular web sites today that mention this watch and -every- one mentions thinkgeek yet somehow slashdot manages to find a "submission" that doesn't.

    Odd. Yep. Unlikely. Yeppers.

    Still, a neat piece of tech, not nearly worth $100. A 128mb keychain is like $30 and few will care if you're keychain is goofy. They're much more likely to notice the geek watch.

    I mean, but your friends will dig it, and that's what matters...

    -dameron

  • Some Points (Score:4, Interesting)

    by onosendai ( 79294 ) <oliyoung AT gmail DOT com> on Wednesday May 21, 2003 @12:54AM (#6005013)
    1. Why is the cable on the watch and not vice-versa?
    2. Why doesn't it use a MicroUSB Connector?
    3. Why doesn't it use Bluetooth instead? For that capacity, the lack of speed ain't an issue.

    • Some Answers (Score:4, Interesting)

      by RandomCoil ( 88441 ) on Wednesday May 21, 2003 @01:51AM (#6005239)
      1. Why is the cable on the watch and not vice-versa?
      That's kind of a metaphysical question isn't? "You cannot bend the spoon..." Actually, I think it would have been amusing if they could have used the USB connector as the catch for the band. Of course it would have to be modified to include a real latching mechanism and not just a friction fit.

      2. Why doesn't it use a MicroUSB Connector?
      Do you have a MicroUSB connector on your computer? I don't have one on mine (home, work, laptop, etc.) That's probably the reason, though it would be convenient.

      3. Why doesn't it use Bluetooth instead? For that capacity, the lack of speed ain't an issue.
      For that size, power must be an issue. I'd really rather not have a recharging cradle to put my watch in ever night.

    • Re:Some Points (Score:3, Interesting)

      by drinkypoo ( 153816 )
      USB is everywhere. I don't have any bluetooth but there's three PCs with USB in the house, and I could bring up two more if I wanted to :P

    • Counter points (Score:3, Informative)

      by TWX ( 665546 )
      "Why is the cable on the watach and not vice-versa?"

      Probably because it would feel a lot worse to have a small plastic rounded watch band, and you would then also have to remove the watch to make use of it. If you're a contortionist, you don't have to now.

      "Why doesn't it use a MicroUSB Connector?"

      Probably because there are already two different small USB implementations, neither of which are on any standard-design PC. Sony desktop computers do not count. It's much more useful if you can plug it

  • Get one for free!!! (Score:5, Informative)

    by sbryant ( 93075 ) on Wednesday May 21, 2003 @02:53AM (#6005471)

    If you're in Germany, you can get one for free! The ISP 1&1 [1und1.de] is giving away the 32MB version when you sign up for DSL. The offer ends in a week.

    Some features it lists:

    • Watch by Citizen
    • Drive by Toshiba
    • Password protected
    • Waterproof (DIN 8310)

    Although it doesn't say so, it is the Laks watch that they are offering. Personally, I preferred the combo DSL/ISDN PCI card that 1&1 used to offer.

    -- Steve

  • Argh.. no more arms! (Score:4, Funny)

    by Scorchio ( 177053 ) on Wednesday May 21, 2003 @03:02AM (#6005506)
    My left [casiowristcamera.com] arm and right [wessalmon.com] arm are already taken. I don't have any [web-watches-casio.com] more [about.com] arms, you insensitive clod!

  • handy tip (Score:5, Informative)

    by pixelbeat ( 31557 ) <P@draigBrady.com> on Wednesday May 21, 2003 @06:42AM (#6006121) Homepage
    I got one of these myself and it's really nice.
    Anyway I wanted to be a bit more sophisticated
    and have multiple disk images that I can just
    dd to the watch (/dev/sda) as required., rather
    than just have the 1 vfat partition on it.

    However when you dd a 2 partition disk image to
    the watch for e.g. after it's been registered
    with having only 1 partition, you can't mount
    or do anything with /dev/sda2

    So you need to get the linux kernel to reread
    the partition table, and the handy way to do
    this is: blockdev --rereadpt /dev/sda

    also the best size to read/write the watch (32MB
    version anyway) is: 32k, so to backup the watch
    just: dd bs=32k if=/dev/sda of=watch.backup

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