It is a rarity to spot nature and technology working together and at the same time getting monotonous, working with the same mechanical metal-brained-computers that only signify how fast the world is getting devoid of trees and forests. If you are among those who prefer going green without sacrificing the technological advances of today, then here is the smallest thing to start with. I bring to you the best 11 wooden USB drives that will make you feel natural, while being surrounded by PCs on your work desks. Moreover, if you fancy storing your data on something, other than plastic, that is more classy and natural, you’ll love this list of nature housing technology.
•USB Pen Drive by Frodos:
I fumbled for words to describe this wooden beauty the first time I stumbled across it. The black ebony-wood body, with silver lining around the top, possesses a rare and appealing beauty. Its designer, Frodos, should be praised for conceiving such a beautiful design. Moreover, to make it appear more exotic and exquisite, other metals like titanium, gold, or bronze can be added to it on order. This wooden beauty can be worn as a pendant because its look doesn’t give it away. The 1GB version is available for $140; add another $10 and you can own a 4GB version. Now you can flaunt your tech with style.
•Mahjong USB Flash Drive:
Personally speaking, I never got my head around playing Mahjong on my mobile, or anywhere else, for that matter (going through the instructions was no help at all). But to buy this handcrafted wooden-Mahjong USB, the only thing you have to get around is the cost, which is a whopping $490 for an 8GB memory stick (or $550 for the 16GB variant), in the blond-wood Lan-Xue version, while the darker Li-Shui version is $100 cheaper. Nevertheless, its data transfer rates are commendable, rated at 18MB/s read and 15MB/s write. The engraving on the Mahjong tile can be pre-chosen by the buyer. This Mahjong drive is hydrophobic, so it stays safer if kept inside the provided leather case.
•Carbon Neutral Flash Drive:
Departing from the contemporary flashy designs, this USB drive, dubbed the Carbon Neutral Flash Drive from Nature Series (at Flashbay), is carved out of European maple and given a very simple, yet sophisticated design. The look is completely natural, and so is the tactile feel. You can even engrave your name on it, through color printing or laser engraving. It comes in memory capacities ranging from 32MB to 8GB. This flash drive comes with NOCO2 and RoHS certificate that goes to prove its environment friendliness right from the production stage. Price on request, from Flashbay.
•Zana Wood USB Drive:
Polands Zana Designs have given a new name to lavishness, by adorning the beautifully crafted wooden USBs with silver and semi precious stones, like amber. This wooden USB, crafted out of Merbau wood, has a silver plate between which the stones are embellished. Some models even have the amber stones lit up when the USB is in use. This gorgeous USB is priced at $110 for the 8GB model. I think that’s a real pretty way to style up your PC.
•Wooden Chameleon USB Drive:
This is surely an innovative design by Etsy, though it’s kinda freaky, because you don’t want to be holding a chameleon for an USB drive. The jump drive is shaped in the form of a chameleon with the tongue sticking out as a connector. This thing can hold 8GB of memory in its belly and costs you $115. Don’t worry, your data is safe inside the belly.
•OOOMS Stick Drives:
Ever imagine a twig hanging out of your PC’s USB slot? You’ll say that’s crazy. But believe me, once you plug the OOOMS stick drive into your PC the view will be no different. The memory sticks will make you feel closer to nature while working on a machine. These sticks are hand picked from the woods, and handmade into USB sticks. You’ll feel as if they have been plucked right out from trees. Well, about the cost, its 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB models are priced at $71, $78 and $85, respectively. I believe that’s also buyer friendly as it (the OOOMS USB Drive) is eco-friendly.
•DIY Wooden USB drive by Matt Burns:
The best thing about this one is that it is a DIY and well, if you are an aesthete like Matt Burns, you can build yourself a nice, laminated and glossy, wooden USB drive. But it will take you almost a week of hard labor to build it. No, it’s not a gargantuan USB, just a normal one. I know what you are thinking, why waste a week on something this stupid, when a plastic-coated, non-eco-friendly USB just suffices the task. The answer to this question escapes my mind, but the closest I can get is beauty is timeless. Anyways, Matt used mahogany wood, for the outer shell and white oak hardwood for holding the USB key. Then he laminated oak wood sandwiched between two layers of mahogany wood and covered it with four layers of a polyurethane finish for a glossy look.
•Woodventure USB Drives:
Elegant - it is probably the right word to describe this wooden USB from the Woodventure series by Etsy. Encased in well-oiled black ebony wood, this USB drive has built-in encryption software that encrypts the stored data, keeping it safe from unauthorized access. The data transfer speeds are good and it is compatible with most of the present operating systems, like Windows ME, 2000, XP, Vista, CE 3.0, Mac OS 9.0 and Mac OS X, and LINUX 2.4 and its higher versions, without the need of additional software. The Woodventure USB comes at $69 for the 8GB memory size. Now, that makes it a beauty with functionality.
•USB from Sao Tome-e-Principe:
Sao Tome-e-Principe is a poor country in West Africa. Designer Pedro Alegria has developed a project, financially supported by Portuguese government, to help these poverty stricken people by introducing the USB flash card design to local craftsmen. So, this designer USB is a result of forgotten traditional art inscribed onto wood piece by the African native handicraft workers. The people/workers are oblivious of the USB concept, but this craft provides them the employment needed to earn the livelihood. All for a good cause: the life standard of the locals will increase and we get the beautiful work of art, plus we get to be more humane.
•Animal shaped USB drives:
Ever wanted a pet that didn’t litter around, and helped you with you work? Well, you got it. These USB pen drives, from Marubeni InfoTech, are extracted out of maple and walnut wood in the shape of 10 different animals. Now you get to keep a “pet” at your office desk that even carries your sensitive data. The 1GB version of these cute flash drives will cost you $72. The only weird thing about this USB is the part where the USB connector is inserted. This can really be a pain in the ass.
•Wooden Cross USB drive:
If you are a god-fearing man, and more on the spiritual side, then Promokeychain has just the product for you. They have crafted a cross out of natural wood and housed a USB drive in it. You can choose whatever engraving you want on its two faces, through laser or imprinting. Each drive can be preloaded with scriptures, hymns and holy photos. You can have a 128MB stick for $19.17 and increase its capacity to 16GB for an extra $41.58. It will surely make you feel closer to god while working.
