Sony Micro Vault USM-F

Keeping files stored on a USB key secure has become an important issue now that so many of us these days use such devices instead of floppy disks and CDs.

Sony's answer is a USB drive with a built-in fingerprint reader; this secures any files put onto the drive and also acts as a fingerprint reader for the PC. You can, of course, opt not to install the software, in which case the drive will be recognised as normal by Windows XP (or a Mac) and can be used as an ordinary 256Mb USB drive.

Once the fingerprint software is installed, it's fairly impressive. Once fingerprints are stored, it is simple to encrypt and decrypt files. You can also use it to log in to the computer or a website if the drive is plugged in - if the drive is unplugged, it will revert to using typed passwords. You can also save Internet Explorer favourites to the drive, and fingerprint-protect them.

It's more expensive than a standard 256Mb drive, but the extra features certainly add value.