More than just a USBee flash drive

Reuben Lee | Mar 14, 2008

Some people may find this all a little tacky, but the aptly named USBee flash drive is more than just a bee-themed thumbdrive solution. Beneath its eye-catching yellow-and-black exterior is a thoughtful design concept that addresses one of the most common problems with USB flash drives today--accidental breakage while still in the PC's USB port. After all, even the smallest USB drives stick out slightly from the port to facilitate easy removal.

The USBee drive, however, uses a clever combination of silicon and aluminum shell to create a bendable neck. This can not only prevent the flash drive from being ripped off, it also protects the PC's USB port from damage. What's also interesting is that the USBee drive incorporates a unique cooling system through the black stripes to prevent the flash drive from overheating. (So far, we've not encountered any flash drives overheating, but they do get hot after prolonged usage.)

Designed by Serbian Damjan Stankovic, the USBee flash drive won the first prize in a competition held by a Serbian Design Community forum. Since it is still a concept design, you aren't going to find it in stores, though we have a feeling you won't have to wait too long before it hits the commercial circuit.

Click for larger images: