Tech Toy of the Month – Walletex Wallet Flash Drive
USB flash drives have become extremely popular in the last year or so. This is for good reason. With the demise of the floppy drive, there has been a need for simple, portable, and inexpensive data storage. USB flash drives fill this need quite nicely. Ladies who carry a purse can easily keep a flash drive with them at all times, but many of us guys tend to forget “extra” things, especially small things like a flash drive. About the only thing that many guys have with them at all times is their wallet. If you are this type of guy (or gal who doesn’t carry a purse), the Walletex Wallet Flash Drive is for you (http://www.walletex.com/gp.asp?gpid=2).
The idea is very simple. The Wallet Flash Drive is a flash drive like any other. The only real difference is that the shape of the drive is just like a credit card – with the addition of a USB connector. So this makes it very easy to keep in your wallet, which if you always have your wallet with you, you will always have your flash drive with you as well. Having a flash drive with you at all times may seem like an excess, but we live in a data-centric world and for many people, flash drives are becoming as important as pens and paper. Also, for example, in the not too distant future, people will have their entire medical history available to them in electronic format. Perhaps they will be able to carry this data in a device like this, to which having quick access by medical personnel could end up saving their lives.
Technology-wise, the Wallet Flash drives have a few nice features. First, the USB connector is double-sided, which means you can orient the drive “up” or “down”, which will allow it to fit into more connectors. Second, the drive is extremely durable, as most flash drives are, but this is very important to a device that will spend a lot of time in a very tight space, even perhaps taking a trip through the laundry. Finally, the drives come in many capacities to fit many budgets, and for comparison, the Wallet Flash Drives do not cost much more than regular USB flash drives. My only real concern is the durability of the USB connector. For such a slim device, I worry that the USB connector would be susceptible to snapping off. It seems like Walletex has built the device with strong, flexible plastic, so this probably won’t be an issue, but I thought I’d mention this concern to be fair.
Overall, this device is great because it can be many things to many people. Even if you don’t want one for yourself, I’m sure you can think of someone this would make a great gift for. Also, if you need a promotional item for your business, this could really get your company noticed. Along these lines, Walletex has also come out with an MP3 player in credit card format, which could be a very interesting product. If you are in the market for a USB flash drive, do check out the credit-card sized Wallet Flash Drive from Walletex – and I’ll refrain from making any bad jokes about trying to check out with it at the grocery store.