Gizmodo: solid alliance

Terrifying T-600 USB Drive Has Rhinestone Eyes of Doom

Danny Allen — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 04:04:00 EDT

Based on the T-600 skin job from Terminator 4, this 2GB USB drive has eyes made of swanky Swarovski rhinestones. And like the USB Skull Rings (also from Solid Alliance), it'll be a limited edition run.

Given the $160 asking price, no kidding. Hardcore fans can pick one up from GeekStuff4U in September, and use it with their Mac or PC.

Like your T-600 toys? Check out the T-600 Voice 'N' Vision Skull and Power Fist, or the T-600 bobble head. Good times! [Solid Alliance (translated) via Akihabara News]

Solid Alliance Silver Cross USB Drive is Holy Data Bank, for Goth Jewelry Geeks

Kit Eaton — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 05:39:00 EDT

Solid Alliance's newest USB thumbdrive will either appeal to geeky clergy-types, or vampire-goth-geek types, since it's an ornate metallic silver-colored drive that comes in a cross-shaped caddy. And it's specifically designed to hang on a necklace. Bizarre: both markets for this product can't be all that big, can they? Still, this gizmo might even contain real silver, since the 2GB drive costs $180. If that's too rich for your blood, there's a brass-colored one, also 2GB, for $145. [Akihabaranews]

Christmas Cake USB Hub from Solid Alliance Heralds the Arrival of Festive Tat

AddyDugdale — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 03:51:41 EST

When Solid Alliance and Christmas meet, there can only be one winner: fans of all things USB. What collector of dumb peripheral stuff could refuse this Christmas cake, complete with 1GB memory key strawberries? And then you see what else they use to decorate the cake.

Prawns, rubber duckies and bunnies — hmmm, about as seasonal as strawbs, I suppose. As well as being pointless, the hub is expensive. A set of four cakes will cost you 50,000 , that's around $450. [Solid Alliance via Akihabara News]

RC Mini 'n' Garage Combo the Hottest USB Thing in Yonks

AddyDugdale — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 09:07:05 EDT

See this remote-controlled Mini in Racing Green from Solid Alliance? You're probably not that impressed with it, are you? (I admit, the headlights are just shonky.) Well, you should see what it comes with: a garage that acts as a charger and connects to your computer's USB port. Find out how to control the car and watch the video after the jump.

[Solid Alliance via New Launches]

Park the Mini in the garage for just 10 minutes to charge it up. Then, you can make the car zoom all over your table, re-enacting scenes from the original version of The Italian Job, via the desktop application.
Costing $30, the RC Mini and USB Garage charger will be available at the beginning of next month.

Solid Alliance USB Stress Button Actually Does Something

Jason Chen — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 13:30:54 EDT

Unlike the bullshit button or the Staples' Easy Button, this Solid Alliance USB Stress Button actually does something. When hooked up, pressing the button alternates between Explosion, Punch-out, and Worksheet mode. Explosion counts down and makes an explosion on your screen, Punch-out punches a face on screen, and Worksheet brings up a fake Excel doc to pretend like you're working. Sure beats yoga. [Solid Alliance via Tokyo Mango]

Solid Alliance's Mr. Tengu Does Pretty Much Nothing

Jason Chen — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 15:10:19 EDT

Following up on our theme of Japanese gadgets that do pretty much nothing, we've got Solid Alliance's Mr. Tengu. It's a small brick with a face that plugs into your USB port and reacts to sounds and music around "him." Different sounds make him make different "facial expressions," and when he's tired he'll actually "go to sleep." This is "a great way to spend money." [Solid Alliance via Raw Feed via Sci Fi]

Solid Alliance Confound Their Critics With Naked USB Key

AddyDugdale — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 08:48:45 EDT

Solid Alliance, so beloved by fans of japanese kitsch, has gone in another direction with its latest USB key. Totally stripped down - I mean totally - the Hadaka's only flourish is a little pink light that zings up when plugged into your computer's USB.

Weighing just 4 grams, the Hadaka is Vista Ready Boost-compatible, and comes in 1GB and 2GB sizes.

Product Page [Solid Alliance via Akihabara News]

USB Engine Hub

Jason Chen — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 14:40:48 EDT

Aside from Thanko, the craziest Japanese manufacturers we know of would probably be Solid Alliance. You know, the people who brought you the USB Food Hub? They've got a new hub out now called the USB Engine Hub.

Not only is it a three-port USB hub, it actually makes engine noises and vibrates up and down. It's very unlikely that you'd want to keep this motorcycle-esque racket going the entire time you're using the hub, but revving up the engine once in a while seems like lots of fun. Your cube mates probably won't agree.

Head over to Akihabara News for a video demonstration.

Product Page (sell starting tomorrow) [GeekStuff4U via Akihabara News]

Ghost Radar, a Ghost Detector with a USB Attached

Addy Dugdale — Fri, 11 May 2007 07:01:15 EDT

Solid Alliance. Let us all bow down and worship Solid Alliance. Please. Humor me, I've had a bad week. This is their latest USB, with a ghost detector attached. If it detects a shift in the magnetic waves within a room an alarm sounds and lights on the unit flash.

There are six different Ghost Radars and they cost between $60 for 128MB and $220 for 4GB. And when I read that, I heard a mocking "BWAH-HA-HA-HA echo eerily round the room. I'd have named it the Dr Beat USB, after my favorite Miami Sound Machine track—but then, while I don't believe in ghosts, I DO believe in Gloria Estefan. – Ad Dugdale

Product Page [Ghost Radar via Product Dose]

USB Business Card is Just so Practical

Adam Frucci — Tue, 08 May 2007 11:45:00 EDT

Why carry around business cards that are portable and cheap when you can carry something around that's much bulkier and more expensive? That's what you'll do if you go with SolidAlliance's brilliant idea of printing your business card on a USB thumb drive. Sure, you won't be able to carry around more than a couple, and you'll offend people by deeming them uncardworthy, but I'm pretty sure your current business card can't be loaded up with photos of your giving the camera a thumbs-up or double shooter in various poses. –Adam Frucci

Another SolidAlliance product, just click! [Akihabara News]

Crazy Ass Solid Alliance Makes Aura Monitor Cellphone Strap

Jason Chen — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 20:30:22 EDT

We love a crazy company like Solid Alliance that takes chances and does insane things much more than a company that just plays it safe and throws out yet another me too device and hopes it sells. Following up on their USB Food Hub and Food-shaped Flash Drives, SA's just released an Aura Monitor cellphone strap.

Essentially a giant mood ring, the Aura Monitor changes between eight different colors depending on your mood. So yes, it's just as useless. But it does look pretty cool as a cellphone strap. – Jason Chen

Solid Alliance does something crazy [Akiba News via Uber Gizmo]

USB Food Hub is the Best Thing We've Seen All Week

Jason Chen — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 12:30:25 EDT

Weirdo Japanese company Solid Alliance is no stranger to weird USB gadgets, but this USB FoodHub is the best thing they've ever done. By far.

If you take a close look, you'll see that the rice is a 4-port USB 2.0 hub, and the four other things (pudding, chicken, and two bits of seafood) are USB sticks. Together, they form something so awesome that the USDA changed its name to the United States Department of Awesome just to regulate the import and export of it.

Way to go, Solid Alliance. We salute your handmade goodness. – Jason Chen

Press Release [Solid Alliance via Akihabara News]

Fruity Smelling iCool MP3 Players

tgrumet — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 12:15:15 EST

Wanting desperately to stimulate 2 senses instead of just one, Solid Alliance has announced its fruit fragrance iCool MP3 players in Japan. The players come in 6 flavors (and include chocolate- and rose-smelling products, as well as fruity scents) and come with 256MB of internal memory and an SD slot, with USB 2.0 connections and MP3/WMA playback, FM-Tuner, and voice recorder.

You might be surprised to hear that this is not the first smell-enhanced MP3 player on the market. Audiotronic has a line of smelly players out as well, including a marijuana-scented model.

iCool MP3... come and smell my MP3 player [Akihabara News]

Ugly USB Stick Collapses Space and Time

Noah R — Tue, 06 Dec 2005 17:19:27 EST

In what must be a direct result of the space-time continuum collapsing around us, an LCD-screened USB stick device has been released that ISN'T yet another mp3 player.

This is a USB memory stick, and a pretty ugly one at that. But wait, before you all say "meh" and start throwing rocks, look at the screen on it! For behold, this memory stick has a neat little dot-matrix screen, onto which it can display useful data such as the amount of free space or, uh, the date and time. There is also a "custom" mode enabling you to put your own text message on the screen. A nice idea, if a little generic-looking.

Special mention must go to the actual company behind all this. The curiously-named "Solid Alliance" is a company obviously made up of post-cyborg-war human survivors, determined to take back the planet they once owned by using human guile, the power of hope and the desire for freedom—all supported financially by their penchant for producing innovative yet reasonably-priced consumer electronics.

Solid Alliance's USB memory stick with screen [Solid Alliance Store]

Press release [Solid Alliance]