CES 2009: Flash Drives Merge Form and Function

By TWICE Staff -- TWICE, January 9, 2009

Las Vegas — Seeking to keep USB flash drives healthy amid falling flash prices, vendors have updated the style and functionality of their 2009 lineups.

Lexar leaned on style for its new line, while SanDisk introduced new designs and new backup functionality in a new product family.

Lexar will debut two new JumpDrive USB flash-drive product series — the TwistTurn and Retrax. Both will be available in up to 32GB capacities and will be compatible with XP, Vista and Apple OSX operating systems. Windows users will enjoy a 30-day trail of Dmailer software, along with Microsoft’s Outlook and Outlook Express. They are due this month.

The Retrax drives will feature a cap-less design with a retractable case. It will be sold in 2GB in white, 4GB in red, 8GB in blue, 16GB in gray and 32GB in black. The TwistTurn will feature a rotating cap-less design with the same capacities and color configurations.

Pricing was not announced.

SanDisk will introduce a new line of Ultra Backup drives in capacities up to 64GB.

The drives feature password protection and AES hardware encryption. They contain a backup software application which launches when the drive is connected for automatic back-up.

The company’s Cruzer line will get a makeover courtesy of the frog design company as well, with capacities up to 32GB. The new designs are cap-less with amber, pulsing LEDs

Despite announcing a new partnership with Microsoft intended to supplant the U3 format, SanDisk will continue to support the U3 flash operating system in its 2009 drives.