Gadget Lust: Carry a USB Flash Drive That Can Save Your Life
USB flash drives are the floppy discs of the 21st Century. Everyone has at least one, and it's an essential travel accessory for your next business trip. Since you have one anyway, why settle for a generic flash drive when you can carry one that selectively encrypts business documents and contains critical medical and contact information about you in case of emergency?
The TAC Drive is a rugged, secure flash drive. The USB connector retracts into a shock- and crush-proof shell, and it's reported to be able to survive temperature extremes from -110 to 270 degrees Fahrenheit. It's even impervious to immersion in saltwater at a depth of 100 feet.
So, it's secure -- but how does it save your life? The drive comes with an Autorun program that can display your contact and medical information, so you can list emergency contacts, your doctor, blood type, medications, and allergies. You can also put some of that information on the drive itself -- you can engrave up to 5 lines of information on the side, sort of like a military dog tag (it also comes with a chain to wear around your neck, in fact).
And your data is secure as well -- you can drag and drop files to the drive in the ordinary way, but you can also encrypt files for secure storage as well.
You are going to carry a flash drive no matter what -- but the TAC Drive offers security and safety for not much more money. A 4GB drive costs $45 and 8GB is $70. The laser engraving costs extra ($10, or free if you order more than 20). Learn more by watching this video:
