Gizmodo: secure

Video of the Only National Security Agency-Approved Smartphone, the $3,350 Sectera Edge

Dan Nosowitz — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 13:00:00 EST

We showed you this NSA-approved Windows Mobile secure beast-phone already, but this video shows more information about the Sectera Edge. It features one-touch high-level security and— wait for it— customizable ringtones!

The Sectera Edge, a brick of a smartphone with the styling of a five-year-old Palm Treo, is the only device of its type to be approved by the NSA. But it's not just a super-secure BlackBerry replacement: the Edge has two distinct "modes," normal and secure, and the phone toggles between them with the press of a button. In secure mode, it uses powerful encryption and constant monitoring to keep the data safe, while in normal mode, the phone functions pretty much like a typical smartphone with the same commercial encryption we normals are stuck with. I especially like the color themes signifying the difference: bright red means top-secret, just like in the movies.

Of course, nobody has confirmed that the Sectera Edge is going to be used by President Obama, but it will certainly be used by high-ranking members of the Department of Defense and others who need its functionality. The Edge costs $3,350, although it doesn't seem likely that they're available to purchase even if somebody was inclined to.

No word yet on the speed-dial number for the Kremlin. [YouTube]

Masterlock's iCage Bike-Lock-Style Case Chains-Down Your iPod

Kit Eaton — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 10:00:00 EDT

An iPod case that doubles as a secure bicycle-lock-style chain for your iPod... I can't work out if this is marketing madness or shrewd targeting of a small customer sector by Masterlock. I mean, you'd have to work in a very crappy office environment indeed if you felt the need to chain your iPod to your desk while you skipped off for a coffee. Maybe it'll appeal to kids into baggy pants adorned with multiple chains. Hmmm. It's not uber-secure, consisting of a metal shell for the 'Pod and a three-digit numeric-combination lock and security cord, but it may deter the casual thief. Available for iPod classics and first and second gen nanos from later this month, prices starting at $15. [RegHardware]

Hands-On With Lexar's JumpDrive Secure II Plus with Encryption and Capacity Meter

Jason Chen — Mon, 14 May 2007 14:30:27 EDT

Lexar's JumpDrive Secure II Plus brings the e-ink capacity meter previously seen in their other drives and the 256-bit AES encryption previously seen in the JumpDrive Secure II. The result? Something pretty convenient and secure, not to mention that it's the cheapest drive they have that has the e-ink capacity display.

The drive comes with the Lexar dashboard software for both Mac and Vista (although the OS X version required a driver install and a reboot) that was easy to use and easy to create mounted encrypted partitions on the drive. After setting aside 500MB of our 1GB drive on the partition—which was then mounted as a separate disk—we could drag and drop files onto it and it would be completely unreadable (it just looked like a file) when the drive was on another machine unless you knew the password.

What's also convenient is the ability to encrypt and decrypt files that are not on the drive, meaning you can use the drive to encrypt half the files on your hard drive if you wanted. Except if you lost the drive, well, you'd probably have to go buy another one. All in all, their claims of this being the cheapest drive with the e-ink and 256-bit AES encryption makes this drive worthwhile in sizes from 512MBs up to 4GBs. An 8GB version should be available soon. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Lexar]

Kingston's Waterproof USB Drives For Aquaman's Home Business

Jason Chen — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 16:43:17 EDT

If you're worried about losing your data to theft or water damage—Hurricane Katrina victims?—Kingston's DataTraveler Secure should be right up your alley. Not only does it have 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) hardware encryption, it's protected by a titanium waterproof coating that protects your drive from agua for up to four feet.

The drives are available in up to 4GB sizes ( 147 or $273), and have a read and write speed of 24MB/s and 10MB/s respectively. Definitely useful if you're using your flash drives out in the field like Jack Bauer where you can get wet at a moment's notice. – Jason Chen

Kingston Launches Waterproof USB Drive [Bios Magazine]

Kingston DataTraveler Elite-Privacy Edition

Travis Hudson — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 10:32:01 EST

Kingston is unveiling their latest USB flash drive, the DataTraveler Elite-Privacy Edition. What makes this flash drive more private than the next? It is the first USB flash drive that secures 100-percent of the data with 128-bit hardware-based AES encryption. This ultra-secure flash drive also features advanced password protocols and lock-out mechanisms. It is available up to 4GB in size and prices begin at $48.

Kingston Announces DataTraveler Elite [MobilityToday]