And something in this case cannot be "Kingston USB drive," which is what this is, and $1,000 is exactly what designer Will Rockwell is asking for it.

Note to steampunk aficionados and aspiring designers: When you hobble something together, call it steampunk and charge $1,000, whatever it is you're making better be powered by a steam engine and have the ability to fight battles on my behalf or fly like an airship. [Etsy via Born Rich]

The first 128GB USB flash drive we say, the Kingston Datatraveler 200, was mostly a proof of concept, with relatively slow read/write speeds of 20/10MB/s. It was also prohibitively expensive at nearly $550. Corsair's drive has the speed to be really enviable, and it comes in even cheaper than the Kingston drive. Note, however, that we didn't say it's affordable, at all—Newegg is selling it for $400. Still, it's pretty great to be able to carry around even a massive music collection in the change pocket of your jeans. [Corsair]

The drive is divided in half—2GB on each side. So separating files is as simple as choosing which side to stick into the computer. The drive also comes in several colors and includes the option of laser etching text or icons on either side of the switch to help you distinguish between drives. Available for $20. [Split Stick]

Too bad these glasses can't store the images you see. Last week at the beach I saw some things I would like to remember. Then again, I saw other things that I would reaaaally like to forget. At any rate, they will be available for $200 this October—just in time for...fall? [Men.Style via GetUSB via Technabob via Geekologie]

"Mnemosyne," in Greek mythology, is the personification of memory, which you of course did not know, and that's why you'll never be able to afford this USB drive. We sort of understand the impulse to create a physical barrier to accessing data, but one of the many things about this product that's puzzling is that reassembling the puzzle is just as difficult as unraveling it in the first place.

Mnemosyne wants to emphasize the "value of memory," so maybe the value of money doesn't really show up on their radar. [Mnemosyne via Crunchgear]

Secure Computing says that an agent only known as T was responsible for the gaffe, which took place on a Colombian passenger train. Apparently the fallout from the incident resulted in a number of agents having to be relocated for safety purposes. But MI6 assures us all that they now take more secure precautions with sensitive data. [Secure Computing via Wired]

The retractable USB drive used the OLED screen to browse files and carry out certain functions. When used as a biometric scanner, the screen will change colors to indicate success or failure. Ennova hasn't mentioned any specific storage capacities for these drives, but they did talk in the presser about people backing up large chunks of data, up to 64 gigabytes. So I'll guess we'll be seeing a few drives bigger than 4 gigs.

Ennova says we should expect to see their hyper-ultra-advanced USB drive sometime in early 2010, under their Ion Technologies brand. [PRweb via OLED Display via Engadget]

Now that every press release anyone gets handed comes on a USB flash drive, I've found it hard to actually purchase one. But an unobtrusive 8GB on my keychain for $33 ($22 for the 4GB) is appealing. At least it looks like I can use it with my MacBook and still have room for something in the other USB slot. [Brando]

Update: Speed is up to 15Mb/s read, up to 6Mb/s write

Aside from the 2-gigabytes of storage it packs, the tail doesn't really do much else, except look ridiculous. Also worth a read is the Akihabara News' write up of this thing, where Daimaou awkwardly rambles about chopped up cats or something.

GeekStuff4U is selling this for an overpriced 5300 Yen (~54 dollars). [Geek Stuff 4 U via Akihabara News via BBG]

Expect 1-4GB USB drives modeled after your favorite Hershey treats along with digital cameras, earphones and speakers shaped like everything from Kisses to Jolly Ranchers. Prices are expected to range from $15 to $30—but there is no word yet on a release date. Needless to say, if you lack willpower, avoid these products at all costs. [Jazwares Gearlog

This Bamboo USB drive with built-in Post-its is, maybe, the absolute cutest little flash drive we've ever seen—in spite of its somewhat confusing stance on the environment. Of course, that cuteness comes at a premium beyond the glare of fellow earthy-crunchy office workers. A 2GB model runs $30, including just 100 miniature notes. And at that price, you may be better off just slicing dollar bills for your grocery lists (like I do now). It works OK as long as you start with crisp bills and keep your twenties far from the singles. [Daramouse via bbGadgets]

In the background you can see that the female has ripped the face off the male and stuck his lifeless corpse up on the fridge with a phony suicide note. Tragic I know—but it's nature and we mustn't interfere. Available in 2, 4 and 8GB capacities. [A-DATA]

There are nearly endless ways to bring a USB stick out of retirement, and they're not just gimmicks: virtually all USB sticks, 32MB USB 1.1 dinosaurs included, can be repurposed into anything from a lifesaving troubleshooting tool to an entire portable OS. Here are your best options:

Turn it into a physical "key" for your computer
For security freaks or the extraordinarily literal-minded, Vista has built-in software to convert your USB key into an actual key, such that your PC won't boot without having it inserted. It might not be ideal if your key may be old enough that it is likely to fail on you, if you have a propensity to lose tiny things, or if your laptop only has one or two USB ports to begin with, but it definitely offers a special kind of peace of mind. For Macs, Rohos essentially does the same thing, but at $30, it's not particularly recession-friendly.

Install a portable OS
This is actually simpler and less esoteric than it sounds—installing a wide array of Linux systems is pretty easy nowadays, and will more importantly net you a fully functional desktop that you can take with you wherever you go. Lifehacker recently assembled a useful comparison of popular USB-able Linux distributions, in which they recommend the fantastic UNetbootin or creating the bootable keys in the first place. It's worth noting that two of these distros will work on keys at less than 128MB capacity (DSL is just 50MB, total) and all carry a legitimately useful range of apps.

Use portable apps to create a pocketable user profile
Most free software now comes in a portable variety, meaning that at least under Windows, programs that normally extend their tentacles into your user profile and registry can be installed completely—user data included—onto a USB stick. All you do is insert the stick and find the desired .exe, and you're good to go.

The most obvious advantage to this is profile portability—in other words, your portable Firefox (or Opera or Chrome) isn't just the app, it's your favorites, history, user preferences and cookies too. The portable version of Pidgin, a multiprotocol IM program, can hold your account data, transcripts and settings. Most of these installations are quite small—Firefox is just 8MB, for example—so you can build an extensive user profile on all but the oldest keys.

The very best one-stop shop for portable apps is the, well, aptly named PortableApps.com.

Create a powerful troubleshooting toolbelt
Portable antivirus and file recovery apps are convenient, but a USB key can be loaded up with much more powerful software. Ultimate Boot CD for Windows is a sort of software panacea which, in addition to including a selection of Windows maintenance apps, carries a veritable treasure trove of low-level troubleshooting programs, made accessible by booting into a sort of temporary "Windows Lite" desktop. It can manage disk deletion and partitioning, software and hardware diagnostics and a huge variety of lifesaving recovery functions. Despite the "CD" part of its name, Ultimate Boot CD for Windows can be loaded onto a USB key, though it requires a Windows installation disc from which to build the aforementioned "Windows Lite" environment. If you don't run Windows but still want a basic DOS-based suite of hardware diagnostics and disk tools, the vanilla Ultimate Boot CD has you covered.

Convert it into a tiny SNES, Genesis, MAME, etc.
Emulators are tiny, and most ROMs are even tinier; a USB key, no matter the size or speed, can probably hold more vintage console games than you can find the time to play. Many popular emulators come in a portable flavor, so your display settings, saved games and cheats will follow you everywhere. Without the need to install anything, this potentially opens up work, school or other public PCs to most pre-PlayStation gaming. Popular portable NES, SNES, Game Boy, Genesis, and arcade emulators. As for ROMs, that's on you. (Pro tip: GOOGLE).

Carry a portal to your home computer
Virtual Network Computing (VNC) sounds more complicated than it is—it simply lets you see and control your computer screen remotely. Whatever OS you run (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux), VNC servers are simple to set up and, if configured correctly, plenty secure. While many provide web interfaces to be accessed through a browser, they're almost always clunky, Java-based monstrosities. A simple VNC client (download the binary archive version) will carry your settings, run responsively and offer more quality, speed and transfer options than its bastard HTTP brother, transporting a home computer's desktop to wherever you happen to be.

Donate it to charity
If you're some kind of ingrate who doesn't see the potential in any of the above options (or you're just a good, charitable person), InVineo, a non-profit tech outreach organization will find someone who does. They'll gladly take your 64MB Cruzers and send them to developing countries to be used in schools or local governments.

Hat tip to Lifehacker and Portable Apps.

Dealzmodo Hacks are intended to help you sustain your crippling gadget addiction through tighter times. If you come across any on your own that are particularly useful, send it to our tips line (Subject: Dealzmodo Hack). Check back every other Thursday for free DIY tricks to breathe new life into hardware that you already own.

[Plankton via Likecool]