Is this the future for flash?

No, not that kind — we’re talking USB flash drives. Cloud storage services like Dropbox have all but removed the need to carry a removable storage device around in a pocket, but Corsair and Kingston are both plugging away with technology to keep their USB flash drives relevant.

Corsair’s Padlock 2 drive is an update to the clunky Padlock drive that it launched in 2007, but this model packs a 10-digit keypad into a sleeker device that’s styled along the lines of its Flash Voyager drives.

The keypad is required for the Padlock 2 drive’s built-in 256-bit encryption — you use it to enter a four to 10-digit PIN. Since the encryption is handled by the drive itself, the encrypted drive is reckoned to work with any operating system with no software installation. Failed PIN attempts lock the drive for two minutes and there’s 8Gb of storage. The Corsair Padlock 2 is available for pre-order now, for around £45.

Rather than make your data more secure, Kingston Technology’s Data Traveler 310 instead lets you carry more of it with you — or, most likely, all of it with you. With a 256Gb capacity, the Data Traveler 310 is has more storage than many laptops — enough for 54 4.7Gb DVDs or 51,000 10-megapixel images, according to Kingston. That’s an awful lot of data to leave on the back seat of a taxi, but we suspect the $1,108 price tag (around £700 — UK pricing to be confirmed next week) will limit the Data Traveler 310’s appeal when it launches in the UK.

[via SlashGear & HotHardware]