There are USB flash drives, and then there are USB flash drives. We recently got our hands on the Lexar JumpDrive SAFE FIPS certified USB flash drive and have taken it out for a spin. Don't think that all USB flash drives are alike – some of them do come with added security features while others are tough nuts to crack – I'm pleased to report that the Lexar JumpDrive SAFE S3000 FIPS satisfies both categories without missing a beat. Read on in the extended post for the full review.

Active Media Products has just rolled out a first - the Aviator 312 line of USB 3.0 external solid state drives. These will come in varying capacities of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB, and can support read speeds of as much as 240MBps as well as write speeds of 160MBps. The drive is touted to be one of the first USB 3.0 devices in the market that can reach its peak speeds via the USB 3.0 interface, giving one approximately 10 times the speed of traditional USB 2.0 connectivity (transfer speeds of up to about 5Gbps). The 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models will retail for $89, $119 and $209, respectively.

How else are you going to improve your hard drive when competition in this sector gets tough? Western Digital decided to throw in an ebook-like display that is able to stay visible even when the My Book is not powered, showing off details such as the remaining amount of storage space left as well as a standard pie chart to offer a rough visual estimate. As for the My Passport Elite, that model will be the recipient of a dock to make your workspace all the more stilish, coming in a metallic red, blue or charcoal finish with a $170 price tag for its 640GB 2.5" USB 2.0-powered model.

QNAP's latest TS-410 NAS model will target home and home office users, where it retails for $449 without a hard drive to get you started. Inside, you get a decent 800MHz Marvell processor, although other hardware specifications aren't much to shout about including 256MB RAM, support for up to a quartet of 2.5" or 3.5" hard drives, a full range of RAID options, a quartet of USB ports and a couple of e-SATA ports for future expansion purposes.

Following the footsteps of the Freecom USB 3.0 hard drive, along comes the Buffalo DriveStation HD-HXU3 which will also conform to the USB 3.0 standard, where it is able to hit a maximum speed of 125MB/s where data transfer is concerned, making it up to 400% faster compared to the speediest USB 2.0 hard drive in the market today. The Buffalo HD-HXU3 benefits from having the Fujitsu MB86C30A USB 3.0 to SATA IC within, hence being able to achieve such phenomenal transfer speeds. Expect the Buffalo DriveStation HD-HXU3 to come in 1TB, 1.5TB and 2TB capacities when it hits Europe and the Middle East sometime in Q4 this year, although there is no word on pricing to date.

The Mercury On-The-Go Pro 1TB hard drive is the first of its kind, since it relies on a 2.5" configuration instead of the standard 3.5" at that size. There is one drawback with all that space though - you would have to be a very patient person since it runs on 5200RPM, which is a pretty sluggish number even for hard drives. For those who want a faster interface, they'll need to fork out more where USB and FireWire connectivity will set youo back by another $300 and $360, respectively.

Work can be a very stressful affair, so why not lighten up the mood at the office with the 4GB USB Scent Drive? After all, it not only holds up to 4GB of your important data, it is able to emit your favorite aromatherapy scent whenever plugged in. Featuring 13MB/sec read and 10MB/sec write speeds, this $43 purchase will more or less drain your notebook's battery life in no time, so we would recommend using this only at the office as there are ample power outlets to plug your notebook into whenever it runs low on juice.

USB 3.0 is not a standard that everyone is used to just yet as it is still in its infancy, but that doesn't mean companies like Freecom will sit back and let the opportunity to make money pass them by. No sir, Freecom has just revealed its USB 3.0 external hard drive that is the world's first, capable of achieving rapid transfer speeds courtesy of its 'SuperSpeed USB' technology - hitting a quoted 130MB/s speed which is mighty impressive. Freecom is tipped to roll out a USB 3.0 "controller" that enables users to make full use of the USB 3.0 speeds on the XS 3.0, but they have yet to come up with a release date. Expect the 1TB model to go for 119 Euros when it is released later in the middle of November onwards, although you can always opt for 1.5TB and 2TB capacities if your budget permits.

The Eee PC range of netbooks will now be able to enjoy a speedier SaberTooth S3 SSD which boasts read speeds and write speeds of up to 95MB/sec and 70MB/sec, respectively. They will come in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB capacities, slotting in nicely into the Eee PC’s Mini PCIe card slot. There is no word on the 16GB model's price just yet, although the 32GB and 64GB models are going for $89.95 and $159.95, respectively, on Amazon.

Toshiba has released its latest SSD for netbooks that conform to the new mini-SATA standard, where the 32nm drives will come in 30GB and 62GB capacities. They're first off the blocks, so it would be interesting to see the kind of response it gets from the general market, but mark our words - other industry heavy hitters including Samsung, Dell, HP, SanDisk, Lenovo and STEC will also join the mini-SATA fray in due time, so why not be the first? [Press Release]

NetGear has plunged into the consumer NAS market with their 1TB offering known as Stora. This device is basically a "dumbed down" version of their business NAS offerings, where it will play nice with Mac, Linux and Windows platforms, working pretty fine as an iTunes or DLNA server as well. You can pick from its two-bay configuration that has been automatically set to mirror data, ensuring you won't miss a single bit of your work at all times even in the event of a calamity. The NetGear Stora MS2110 model will retail for $229 and comes with a 1TB drive.

The latest 2TB Seagate Barracuda XT hard drive will benefit from a 6Gbps SATA interface that offers double the theoretical bandwidth of existing SATA II drives, giving you the ability to enjoy up to 600MBps in burst transfers. In real life though, the drive blazes at 140MBps where sustained transfer rate is concerned, partly aided by Seagate's use of 64MB of onboard cache for a mainstream drive. Folks who have built a computer around the SATA II interface need not fret - the Barracuda XT will also support SATA II as well. Expect the Seagate Barracuda XT to ship later this week for $299 a pop.

The Kunai is an ancient weapon used by ninjas in the past, but this time round it comes in the form of a USB flash drive, although the cloak and dagger tactics employed eons ago are still prevalent in the workplace today, save that they come in a more subtle format. Unfortunately, this model just comes with 2GB of storage space, and it won't be able to stab anyone to death even if you feel like it. GeekStuff4U is carrying the Kunai USB flash drive for approximately $125 after conversion - totally nuts considering the amount of storage space you get back in return.

The I-O Data HDL-C network attached storage does look rather out of this world, where its nice green glow will definitely make you want to work later into the night with nothing but soft lighting around, letting you imagine that you are still in some sort of sci-fi setting. You can pick from 500GB, 1TB and 1.5TB capacities. The largest capacity model is going for €181 when it becomes available across Japan this October. No idea on whether it will be released outside of Japan or not.