technology

Now playing: Your data, anywhere and everywhere.

Just because you’re always working on a mountain of computer files doesn’t mean you have to be a slave to your laptop. Mobile storage devices let you take your data just about anywhere, allowing you to use any computer instead of just that boring, corporate-issue notebook. The latest devices feature enhanced security, rugged casings and other clever features.

1. Lexar ExpressCard SSD


If you have a recent laptop, you almost certainly have an ExpressCard slot—the thinner, faster replacement for the aging PC Card slot. But while ExpressCard is great in theory, your slot is probably doing nothing but gather dust. Put it to good use with Lexar’s ExpressCard SSD, a flash-based storage system that instantly gives you up to 16GB of extra space to stash files in your notebook. The SSD can also work with Windows Vista as a “ReadyBoost” device, working in tandem with your hard disk to moderately juice up your PC’s performance.

$130 (4GB) to $300 (16GB), lexar.com


2. Seagate FreeAgent Go -- EDITOR’S PICK

When you use someone else’s computer or a public terminal, you never know what kind of spyware infestation you might be facing. Seagate’s FreeAgent Go hard drive lets you bring along not only your data, but also your entire desktop environment (with software from Ceedo)—this means you can access stored passwords and browser bookmarks, then wipe every trace of your session clean when you unplug the drive. It also happens to be one of the most handsome portable drives on the market and operates entirely without an A/C adapter.

$100 (80GB) to $140 (160GB), seagate.com


3. Verbatim Store ’n’ Go USB HD Drive

Packing 12GB into a drive the size of a Zippo lighter, Verbatim’s
Store ’n’ Go USB HD Drive is perhaps the smallest external hard drive we’ve ever seen. This stylish device is preloaded with useful applications, including a data synchronization tool for keeping track of files you might alter on both the USB drive and your PC.

$140, verbatim.com


4. Verbatim Store ’n’ Go Corporate Secure USB Drive

One of the problems with storing work files on a USB thumb drive is that the drives are easily lost, which may put potentially sensitive information in unknown hands. Your IT department may encourage—or even require—data security methods, but can they really enforce them on a USB device? Verbatim’s Store ‘n’
Go Corporate Drive can’t be used at all without setting up a password, thus encrypting all data on the device with military-grade security.

$70 (1GB) to $195 (4GB), verbatim.com


5. Digital Foci Photo Safe

Your camera memory is full, and your laptop’s back at the hotel. What can you do besides delete some pictures from your memory card? Trying offloading them to the battery-powered Digital Foci Photo Safe, a hard drive with slots for SD, CF, xD and Memory Stick media, which lets you transfer pics in a flash and free up room on your memory cards. A big LCD display provides information on the capacity and battery life remaining on the drive.

$135 (40GB) to $200 (120GB), digitalfoci.com



6. Memorex Money Clip USB Flash Drive

If you tend to misplace your USB thumb drive, try attaching it to something you know you won’t lose—your money. Memorex’s Money Clip USB Flash Drive is exactly what the name implies: A money clip with a removable 1GB flash drive built right in. When not in use, it hides away inside the money clip, so no one needs to know how geeky you really are.

$35, memorex.com


7. Corsair Flash Survivor GT

If your boss’s idea of a corporate retreat is skin-diving, rock-climbing or running with the bulls, your flimsy plastic thumb drive may not make the grade. Corsair’s Flash Survivor GT is encased in aircraft-grade aluminum and includes a shock-dampening collar to prevent damage. It screws into its storage container and seals tight, making it waterproof down to a whopping 200 meters. Bonus: the low price.

$60 (4GB) to $130 (8GB), corsairmemory.com


8. SanDisk Sansa Express

The SanDisk Sansa Express looks a lot like any USB stick, but it’s actually a pretty sophisticated MP3 player, as well as a place to dump files. In addition to generally good audio playback, the Sansa Express includes an FM radio, a voice recorder and a microSD slot to let you expand its memory endlessly.
A four-line organic LED display makes managing all of this a snap.

$60 (1GB) to $80 (2GB), sandisk.com
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CHRISTOPHER NULL is a freelance writer based in San Francisco.