Having a big screen laptop without Blu-ray is kinda like missing an opportunity to cruise down an empty highway. Granted, you can download HD content, but if you are geeks like us, there’s an urge to fully leverage the full potential of the notebook. For whatever reasons you are getting Blu-ray, the USB-powered Asus’ slim & sleek drive has you covered. It has upped the max. read speed to 4.8x for BD-ROM/RE which should relieve the agonizingly slow Blu-ray disc loading time. This however doesn’t help with writing Blu-ray as the Asus SBC-04D1S-U is only a BD reader, a tray-loading one.

What we also like about the BD reader is the big glowing ‘X’ on the side, making it far more aesthetically pleasing than the FastMac. A copy of CyberLink is bundled for movie playback. Keep in mind you can only output the HD content given both the laptop and the LCD screen have either HDMI or DVI (HDCP).

The FreeAgent series (i.e. XTreme, Go, Desk, Theater) has long been Seagate’s cash cow. So when the manufacturer rolls out new, bigger drive, the FreeAgent will be the first to get it. Seagate’s own website provides a teaser on what appears to be the largest FreeAgent Go ever, equipping with a 640GB 2.5″ drive. Before this, 500GB is the max. capacity offered by anyone in the laptop-friendly HDD form factor. So, this product page sheds light on what is to come.

As a consumer storage line-up, the FreeAgent Go comes in 250GB, 320GB and 500GB as well as the unannounced 640GB. While all the other capacities are available in at least 5 colors, the 640GB will only get two (titanium silver and tuxedo black) for now. In-house developed backup software is for Windows only and oddly works with Seagate drives only. And a 5-year warranty is about as good as it gets for a portable USB drive.

Let’s face it – you can’t get enough of storage. When you think your brand new 32GB flash drive has you covered, you will soon find new ways to fill it up, such as backing up the whole system for data recovery on the go. Before you know it, you will be googling your next thumbdrive again. Kingston will be shipping a 128GB flash drive – the largest capacity yet as of this writing.

Designated DT200, the series also comprises of 32GB and 64GB, has a capless design, comes with five-year warranty, and includes data protection that is less likely going to rival that of Ironkey. It’s not going to matter anyway since most recovery software already incorporates some form of AES encryption. Keep in mind the 128GB is build-to-order only, and Kingston asks for a staggering $546, not to mention the drive is limited to USB 2.0. (Where is SuperSpeed USB when we need it?) As for the other two, the same company has been selling 32GB and 64GB that belong to the DT150 at a relatively attractive price.

The guy who came up with the toaster-style USB hard drive dock should really deserve a medal. No longer do we need to figure out what to do with those old drives. We can easily jam in the spare 2.5″ and 3.5″ drives, and eject them like Nintendo cartridges.

Ever since the first dock shipped, we’ve seen no less than a dozen of ambitious, yet practical designs that expand on this cartridge system idea. However, those who are stuck for ideas simply copy the idea of a multi-slice toaster, and put as many as five slots like this extra-wide USB dock from Icy Dock. We couldn’t think of any viable way of putting this dock into good use besides creating a JBOD; perhaps this is just for show to spice up their Computex booth and won’t be in production.

No need to call in the CSI guys, this isn’t the work of the Miniature Killer but it sure could qualify. What has to be one of the most detailed replica USB drives has arrived in the form (bidding has ended… sorry) of Canon EOS 450D. All the way down to the options on the LCD screen no detail is left out. The LCD is also back-lit when plugged in. Accurate down to every detail these are available on ebay now for between $90 to $150 depending on the competition for each one. Okay, they don’t really take pictures but it could make a great gift for the Canon fanboy on your list.

The only minor detail you’ll have to contend with is the odd shape of the drive. If it even fits directly into your USB ports it will likely block any nearby ports with its bulk. Worst case scenario it may not fit at all. Fortunately the seller includes a USB extension cord to help out. The model that’s currently for sale is only 2GB but previous versions were 4GB. Check them out for yourself. There may even be a few of the original 5D MarkII’s still available if that’s your favorite EOS.

Ennova Direct an IP company has been granted today a patent for an OLED lit fingerprint scanning thumbdrive. The flash Drive sports an OLED sensor screen capable of reading and storing fingerprints. Once the drive has been biometrically unlocked the OLED area can also be used as an interactive display. Consider it effectively an Optimus Micro if you will. The display will let you select which files you wish to unlock. The display to also be used to read out status information like remaining capacity or battery level. The clever flip cap hides and protects both the USB connector as well as the OLED screen.

Ennova Direct has been in business for five years now patenting device concepts. Their most recognizable patent is the retractable USB flash drive. Their concept picture looks strikingly similar to the Cruzer Contour flash drive. they also hold patents on Bluetooth audio devices, specifically for portable audio devices. Some other more pedestrian holdings aren’t as clever like their ‘flashlite’ flash drive plus rechargeable flash light, illuminated mouse pad and an illuminated mouse. I wonder how much money Brando has had to pay to these guys.

Flash drives have reached the capacity that most people will find enough for a full data backup. A problem is that those of us who lack the will to organize files will find it extremely difficult to backup everything to an external drive in a timely manner since they don’t keep things together. Well, ClickFree Traveler is the answer to this. It doesn’t require any kind of software installation.

As soon as you plug in the credit card-sized flash card into a PC, it automatically finds documents, video, photos, tax returns, favorites, or any of the 400 file types on your system, and then copies them onto the ClickFree Traveler. Next time you hook it to the same PC, it will begin incremental backup, and only grabs the modified files as well as new ones. Also unique to the ClickTree Traveler is Apple compatibility so you will be able to restore PC files on a Mac. The company however never mentioned data encryption since that is of paramount importance.

Who has the biggest external drive? The race will never end. Western Digital has the lead so far with its 2TB already making its way into My Book Essential. Designed to look like a standard hardcover book, the Essential 2TB like others in its series has a glossy black finish and features vent holes on top that spell out a message in Morse code.

The My Book comes with a standard WD Caviar Green 2TB with 32MB cache. The eco-drive is smart enough to stop drive platters after 10 minutes of inactivity, and the unit can also turn and off with the PC it is connected to. The drive’s capacity is however pushing USB 2.0 to the limit as trying to fill up the 2TB at 35MB/s+ transfer rate is a test of patience. Let’s hope USB 3.0 will be here before drive hits 3TB. The My Book Essential lacks visual gauge and backup software, but if what you are looking for is pure storage, this is the one to go for. We can expect Seagate will try not to fall behind much, but for now, Xtreme 1.5TB is still the largest the company offers.