USB Drives Are Really Keys to Your Memory

By: Michael Kwan






For a while, people referred to USB flash drives as thumb drives, because their size and shape were pretty similar to thumbs. As the form factor changed, a few folks started to call them USB keys and, well, LaCie has taken that metaphor quite literally with its latest series of memory products.

As you can quite plainly see, the new USB keys from LaCie really are shaped like keys. This makes them a lot more seamless when you decide to include them with the rest of your keychain, including the keys to your home, your office, and your car. No longer do you have to look like a complete geek with a blatant USB drive on there.

There are three versions being unveiled at this time. The LaCie PassKey is the second from the left (the far left is just a regular key for reference) and it is the most basic of the bunch, working as a microSDHC card reader. It'll read at 20MB/sec and write at 10MB/sec.

The LaCie iamaKey and the LaCie itsaKey (interesting names for sure) are also microSDHC card readers, as far as I can tell, but they add 4GB and 8GB of internal flash memory as well. There's no mention of exact pricing or release details just yet, so you'll need to wait a bit to get your hands on these USB keys from LaCie.