Flash drives are supposed to be really convenient, but when you actually go to use them, they can really be a pain. They’re small enough to easily misplace, but just big enough make carrying one everywhere inconvenient.
If you try to attach one to your keyring with the little loop they always have on them, you’ll either have an awkward chunk of plastic sticking off of your keys at a funny angle, or you’ll break the flash drive off at the connection point and lose it. Or both.
LaCie’s iamaKey flash drive aims to solve those problems. It’s a super-thin metal drive that’s the shape and size of a key, and therefore not only easily fits on your keychain, but it fits in on your keychain. Unless you only have one or two keys, you won’t even notice you have it with you — and that’s the point.
The iamaKey is more expensive than other drives (currently $24 for 4GB or $33 for 8GB), but — at least in my opinion — it is totally worth it. From the looks of it (and from the other reviews I’ve read online), it is very durable. Not only is it completely encased in metal, but it has scratch- and wear- resistant electronic contacts, so it should stand up to the abuse a ring of keys regularly endures.
I bought the 8GB model, and within days of adding it to my keyring, I’d already been in a couple of situations where it came in handy because it was with me when other flash drives would have been left at home. I’m now able to carry higher-quality samples of some of my work than my iPhone screen can display, and I was also able to easily get more than 5GB of video files from a friend just hours after receiving the drive in the mail.
If you think of flash drives as a convenience and wish it was easier to always have one with you, LaCie’s iamaKey is a product you should check out.