Prices are 99$ for the 4 GB version and 149$ for the 8 GB one, the product will be available in November while the producer already accepts preorders.

Credit Card Size USB Card by LaCie

As technology becomes progressively more ergonomic and compact from the Mac Book Air to the latest iPhone and razor-thin LCD screens, now the USB drive has taken a turn in that direction. A company by the name of LaCie has introduced a USB key called the LaCie Carte Orange. The last part of the name refers to the color of the card (you can’t really call it a key) and there are two models; one with 4GB storage capacity and one with 8GB. This wonderful little device literally fits in a wallet. At 6mm in length it weighs in at a whopping 60 grams. That is less than an optical mouse and about the same weight as the average MP3 player (that tiny new iPod excluded).

This is definitely the most convenient USB memory device ever developed. Sure, the key design is convenient, but this fits in your wallet! It is the kind of thing that gets geeks very excited. The integrated USB connector fits into all USB ports and it is a flexible connector rather than a hard one. Hard connectors are easily broken, especially on laptops. The connector is also retractable, like Batman’s grappling hooks. If all of this isn’t good enough, it is also plug-and-play requiring no software or drivers. That is the true definition of quick data transfer.

Just pull it out of the package and plug in the high speed USB 2.0 connector and start transferring data. Since it requires no software or drivers, it can be used on any operating system across multiple platforms. The LaCie Carte Orange connectivity has an interface transfer rate up to 480MB per second. You can also get an optional extension cable, which is practical for desktop computers. Re-formatting is easy to fit customized purposes.

One has to expect that this design will spread all over the place and it has to a certain degree. Many companies have attempted to design credit card sized USB devices and they have succeeded, but most of them feature hard connectors with a flip design or they are merely cases for small USB or CF cards, Like LaCie’s White card model. We all know what will happen next. Just as it has been with SD cards and SD/MMC cards, the memory capacities will increase in a relatively short period of time. Probably in a matter of 2 years we will be seeing these with 64GB capacities or higher.

Considering that it is a wallet fitting design, it might not be the best thing for walking through airport security, but otherwise there is no flaw. Okay, so perhaps orange wasn’t the best choice of color except for Halloween. It is also available in black to keep in fashion with the secret-agent style to match Armani Suites and classy briefcases, not to mention the fact that most computers are black except for Macs.

This was just released this month and you will be seeing them all over the place soon. The 4GB version is $99 and the 8GB is $149. Christmas presents are going to be tiny this year.