Sony Ericsson: We Refused to Build Google Phone

I knew there had to be a reason why it looked like every other Android phone out there.

So far a lot of the Android phones on the market have been made by HTC. So, when Android fans learned the Nexus One was yet another HTC device, they were a little disappointed. Some had hoped they'd see something truly different from Google and when the Nexus One launched, it seemed the only truly different thing was that you could purcahse the device through Google.

However, it seems HTC may not have been Google's first choice either. Sony Ericsson has said the search giant approached the company to make the phone but Ericsson said no. Crave reports that in an interview for a Swedish newspaper, Sony Ericsson chief, Bert Nordberg, said that Google had approached his company about making the Nexus One but he had refused because Sony Ericsson wanted release phones under its own brand only. Nordberg went on to say that Sony prefers to rely on its own efforts to make it in the US market.

Despite the Google snub, Ericsson has plans to release Android devices under its own brand. The company has plans for a handful of Android devices to be released this year. Crave reports that the first of these, the Xperia X10, is expected to be released later this month.

Kingston's 256GB USB Flash Drive is $1,108

A USB flash drive larger than your console's hard disk drive.

Living in the U.S. and in search for a USB flash drive with massive capacity? Kingston is finally shipping its 256GB drive to the United States with data transfer rates of 25MB/sec. read and 12MB/sec. write.

The model known as the DataTraveler 310 replaces the 256GB DataTraveler 300, released in July 2009 to the Asia/Pacific and Europe, Middle East and Africa regions.

“We saw an opportunity to push the capacity envelope for USB Flash drives in the marketplace. Customer feedback and our research determined that this is a great solution for designers, engineers and architects who have a need to easily store and transport large data files,” said Andrew Ewing, USB business manager, Kingston. “For the enthusiast who wants easy access to their full media library, the DataTraveler 310 can store up to 365 CDs, 54 DVDs or 51,000 images. This device makes an entire collection of data easily portable.”

For those thinking of packing this massive drive with sensitive information, the DataTraveler 310 features Password Traveler software, which allows the user to create and access a password-protected privacy zone. The secure area of the drive can account for up to 90 percent of the drive’s capacity and does not require administrator rights.

If you want one of these, you'd better have $1,108 sitting around.

Corsair USB Padlock 2 Has 256-bit AES, Keypad

Don't forget your PIN for this USB flash drive.

Flash drives are great for toting around data, but they can also be easy to lose. While those worried about security can use a third-party encryption software to keep things locked down, Corsair makes it easier than ever with its Flash Padlock 2 USB flash drive.

The Flash Padlock 2 employs a user-definable PIN code that is entered using the integrated numeric keypad to unlock the drive and access the data. The data is secured by a 256-bit AES data encryption and cannot be compromised by disassembling the drive to gain access to the flash ICs.

The built-in nature of the keypad is handy for those who want to access the data without running external software. This could be useful when plugging the USB stick into a consumer device such as a TV or game console. If one should forget his or her password, there is software to completely reset the drive to a blank state.

“USB flash drives are the floppy disk of the 21st century, and their capacity and convenience allows us to carry our lives with us wherever we go,” stated John Beekley, Vice President of Technical Marketing at Corsair. “The Flash Padlock 2 provides valuable protection against loss of personal or corporate data as well as identity theft, allowing us to carry the most personal of data with complete peace-of-mind, and in a rugged, portable, convenient format.”

The Flash Padlock 2 has a capacity of 8GB and will retail for around $60.