So you’ve got about a hundred lighters laying around, just like you have a huge pile of flash drives, because all you do is smoke like a fiend and save data all day for some reason. I feel your pain. Why not combine the lighter with the flash drive and have both in one convenient device. It’s made to look like a Zippo. A refillable Zippo with an 8GB flash drive and retractable USB connection that slides out of the bottom. The flame is adjustable, but the price is not at $59.99. If the Doors were around today they might sing Come On Baby Light My File.

Packard Bell gets into the netbook arena, with the dot. According to a company spokesman, the netbook is aimed less at the business user and more toward families. Features Intel’s 1.6GHz Atom, 1GB of RAM and an 8.9-inch display running at 1024 x 600, and a 160GB hard-drive. It also sports a built-in webcam, 6-cell battery, three USB 2.0 ports, one VGA, microphone and headphone ports, and a 5-in-1 multicard reader. In fact, it’s alot the Acer Aspire One. It will be available in Europe in November, priced around $584, with Windows XP Home.

Buffalo Technology says it is set to release the world’s thinnest external hard drive (currently, that is). The anorexic looking Buffalo MiniStation Shinobi can be yours to fatten with files for around $120 for the 30GB (HD-PT30U2) and $170 for the 60GB (HD-PT60U2).

The Buffalo MiniStation Shinobi models are 5mm (.2 inches) thick and weigh around just two ounces. This makes them pretty very compact and portable, of course, and the fact it is USB-powered just adds to that on-the-go image.

We recently got a chance to go hands on with Epson Artisan 800 All-in-One Printer. Just like the Epson WorkForce 600 All-in-One, it didn’t disappoint. The Artisan 800 is geared toward the more creative type of office. Designed to combine sleek styling with high performance. It has many of the same features, but with a creative slant. The Artisan 800 features built in wired and wireless networking, ultra fast print speeds (38 ppm), 6-color ink, a 7.8” touch panel, a 3.5” LCD screen, standalone photo capabilities, faded photo restorations, and a smart ink system. The Artisan 800 is smaller then the Epson WorkForce 600, which is nice as it can be tucked away a bit more conveniently.

Out of the box you get an ethernet cable, power cable, driver/software disc, user manuals, some sample paper, a small bit of phone cable and the necessary printer cartridges. No USB cable, but if you plan on using it wirelessly, that’s no big deal.

Making USB drives that function in other ways seems to be all the rage. While this one won’t open a cold one, the Aigo USB flash drive you see here features an odd cap to protect the USB connector. No, this USB drive doesn’t double as a baby pacifier, but good guess. The cap is shaped like an apple and doubles up as a paperclip. I’m not sure anyone needs a paperclip so badly that they must have one on their USB drive, but what do I know. It’s available in 2GB and 4GB capacities, and retails for $18 and $28, respectively.

Buffalo Technology has unveiled a hybrid device which marries an “external USB drive and a network attached storage solution.” It is called the DriveStation FlexNet and it will be available around $150 for the 500GB (HD-CE500LU2), $170 for the 640GB (HD-CE640LU2) and $260 for the 1TB (HD-CE1.0TLU2) storage models.

Buffalo says the FlexNet lets one toggle between USB 2.0 and NAS via a single button. It features a 10/100 Ethernet interface and makes use of Buffalo’s USB technology to offer up to “20 percent” faster transfer rates over standard USB drives.

There’s always a solution for charging gadgets when your batteries crap out, but the problem is most of them aren’t any fun at all. Why can’t gadget charging be fun? In fact, I demand fun! Fun in the form of the iYo from Swedish designer Peter Thuvander. The iYo makes charging up your devices into a game, by way of a small induction generator to charge a battery inside the iYo. Just play with it for awhile and when you’ve given the battery a charge, then connect your gadget to the iYo’s USB port and the power will be transferred.

Play is fun and all, but can you imagine all of the Geico caveman types that will break it. The same people who broke wiimotes because they don’t have the cognitive capacity to hold something and apply pressure so it doesn’t leave one’s grip. This could be fun. I can’t wait until we get Kerbanger hard drives and ball/paddle chargers that put people’s eyes out. As far as I’m concerned the world just got more interesting, because it got more dangerous with this concept.

Printers can go either way. I’ve found that they are generally terrible due to high expectations, or in some cases they actually live up to the hype. I can tell you straight away, the Epson WorkForce 600 All-in-One Printer lives up to and even exceeds the hype. First, it looks great and it’s not much bigger then your standard printer, so you don’t need a lot of extra desk real estate. That’s a good thing for anybody, but being designed for small and home businesses, it’s a huge plus to have a work horse that looks good and goes just about anywhere. Some of the features on the 600 include WiFi capabilities, laser quality printing, fast printing speeds, built-in memory card reader, and a super handy LCD to preview your pictures and operate the whole thing effortlessly.

Right out of the box you get an ethernet cable, power cable, driver/software disc, user manuals, even sample paper, a small bit of phone cable and the necessary printer cartridges. No USB cable, which is common and with the Wi-Fi capabilities you really don’t need one.

Here’s a flash drive for those with a love of Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars. But don’t zoom this one all over your desk or make it jump ramps, because your precious data is inside. This 2GB USB memory stick from Green House is molded to resemble a Formula One race car. A very shiny and tiny race car. The USB connector is in the rear. Like all good things we seem to want, this one is currently only available in Japan at the end of the month, where they love shiny little cars and pink kittys.

The eco minded geek is always on the lookout for the next environmentally friendly gadget. The Recycle USB flash drive is all Mother Nature, fit for eco geeks and hippies who have given in to using tech and washing occasionally.

The entire exterior case is made up of recycled newspaper and has a storage capacity of 512MB – 16GB. I’m confused though. Does this mean it’s okay to just throw it in the forest when you’re done with it or will it choke small furry creatures? Either way, it’s not my concern after that. Still, I think they could have given it some style while making it Earth-friendly. I mean it looks like a paint chip off the wall.

It’s just not cool to drop lots of cash on a svelte notebook like the MacBook Air and then have to pair it with an ugly, fat, and plain external hard drive that is just too ugly to be associated with a MacBook Air. The good news for you is that Iomega has a new hard drive that is the perfect Air external drive.

The USB 2.0 hard drive is called the Iomega eGo Helium Portable Hard Drive. The drive is encased in aluminum, the same shiny hue as the Air, and shares the Air’s thin profile. The Helium is a mere 16mm thick and weighs only 7 ounces. Inside the thin case is a 2.5-inch 320GB hard drive.

Western Digital (WD) is adding a new storage size option for fans of its My Passport Portable USB Drives. The new storage size is 500GB and you’ll be able to purchase My Passport Elite and My Passport Essential portable drive models for around $220 and $200, respectively.

WD says these new drives weigh less than seven ounces and are somewhat durable. They are USB-bus powered, use synchronization software which lets users sync their changes and offer plug-and-play capability with gaming consoles so one can play music and view photos and video files on a TV.

Kensington has itself today some new accessories for notebook, iPhone and iPod users. A small range of devices prices between around $30 and $60 and should all be available at retail by the end of this month.

The products included in today’s release are a four-port USB charger for mobile devices, a media sharing cable and several car mounts for iPhones and iPods. You can get full details from Kensington after the jump.

The Eizo C@T-one from Nanao Japan is a roundish mouse that also doubles as a TV remote. The wireless mouse works on the 2.4Ghz frequency, has a scroll wheel and an optical sensor which turns off automatically after 30 minutes in order to save power. It also sports a tilt sensor similar to the iPhone, so that when you tilt the mouse it activates the remote control.

It’s got all of your typical controls like power on/off, channel and volume control, mute etc. The device is powered by AA batteries which supposedly last for 3 months. The USB receiver is about the size of a pen drive and it’s compatible with Mac and Windows. Currently it’s available in Japan only for about $ 125.

It takes a special kind of nerd to have a glowing radioactive USB sheep on his desk. One who wears goggles even. It’s based on the Seamour Sheep comic series, which follows the misadventures of Seamour and presumably his…sheep. Just plug this little guy into your USB port, dim the lights, and enjoy the smooth soft hues of a glowing electric sheep. Much like these animals, the placing of his USB cord seems unfortunate, but at least no farmer is backing him to the edge of a cliff. You can own one of these limited edition of 500 radioactive sheep for $69. Seems expensive for a glowing sheep, but what do I know?