THUMBDRIVE STORAGE DEVICE TREKSTOR www.thumbdrive.com $99

Two trends speak to the appeal of compact storage devices--growing amounts of desktop data and on-the-move professionals. These key-chain-size tools solve the problem by making it easy to take large data files along wherever you go.

Trekstor USA's ThumbDrive Touch caught our eye because of its biometric security feature. The device uses fingerprint recognition to authenticate the identity of the user, making it difficult for unintended parties to access secure files if it's ever lost or stolen. Like other products in this category, models range in the amount of memory that's available. We chose the 32-Mbyte model--enough for most users, yet under $100.

The owner registers as the master user by placing a digit on the sensor. The device recognizes up to four prints so others can access secure files, too. And there's a public storage area, so some files can be made available to nonregistered users. The ThumbDrive plugs into a PC's USB port and, because of the biometric sensor, needs no password. A discreet black case disguises its top-secret contents.--John Foley