What Will They Think Of Next?: Bring Back the Mix Tape

Anyone who grew up in the '80s or early '90s will have given a girlfriend/boyfriend, potential love interest, friend, or family member that popular gift of a "mixed tape". Yes, before the CD, and then the downloadable MP3 format became popular, the cassette tape was king. People popped them into this cool device called a Walkman, listened to tunes blasting from a square-shaped player hoisted atop their shoulder, and flipped them from side A to side B to get a whole new listing of songs (accessed only by a tedious manual fast forward/rewind process: no song skip with these babies!) Today, about two decades later, a company called fi-hi aims to bring this format back, but with a modern twist.

Called the usB-Side Mix'D Tape, the device is designed to look exactly like a cassette tape. But there's a secret: it's actually a USB flash drive, with a connector that flip-outs from its side. Then, just connect it to your PC and load up all your digital files, including music, as well as documents, videos, or images onto the gadget's 512 MB of internal memory. Now you have a nostalgic "mixed tape" for your love; and you can even add your own personal touch via the two included labels.

Aside from the mixed tape, the device can obviously also be used for sharing other data, or for transferring files back and forth. The inconspicious tapes are also great for storing or backing up sensitive data. A thief might grab USB drives, CDs, and your PC, but whose going to swipe your old tapes and 8-tracks?

Business persons might also find good use for these stand-out flash drives. They can contain promotional materials for distribution (in the same way many companies already use standard-designed USB keys); press kits, or flyers.

The "tapes" work with either PC or Mac, and come with their own little gift box for US$15 ea. at http://www.fi-hi.com/. I must say it's a pretty cool idea, and will certainly be a conversation-starter for anyone who receives them. But buyer beware: in case you didn't realize, they won't actually play in old cassette players!

What Will They Think of Next?: Solid Gold USB Drive

What do you do when the economy is in the dumps? You spend money frivolously on things that you don't need. OK, so a USB flash drive is certainly a useful accessory to have. But would you spend $600 on one?

A company called Super Talent Technology has introduced a limited-edition 18-Carat, solid gold USB drive called the Pico-C that it deems the "ultimate executive gift". Sure, it has neat features like a water-resistant design, ample 8 GB capacity, encryption software, and support for 200x (30 MB/sec.) transfer speeds. But is the use of gold really worth the extra, oh, $550 you're spending on the gadget? Oh wait: it also comes with a serialized Certificate of Authenticity and black velvet jewelry box; and you can have your name/logo laser-etched onto the device at no additional charge. Now that changes everything! (Insert sarcasm here).

I apologize to those who think this is the coolest thing ever, but I just don't get it. Perhaps there will be plenty of gift-wrapped holiday USB drives under the trees of IT geeks everywhere. But I can't imagine any gal (or guy, for that matter!) opening up a box with a gold USB drive and declaring in awe to their loved one or boss: "oh my, you shouldn't have!"

Nevertheless, if you think you know someone who would like one, they're available by pre-order for a limited time, and require 3-4 weeks lead time.