[HR][/HR]For a great selection of action figures and collectibles, check out BigBadToyStore.com, BriansToys.com, ToyWiz.com, SmallJoes.com, PastGenerationToys.com, Urban-Collector.com, ZoloWorld.com, MonkeyDepot.com, HobbyLinkJapan.com, and Sekaido.com.
For a great selection of pop culture t-shirts and apparel, check out TShirtGurus.com and 80sTees.com.
[HR][/HR]Mimoco reminds me just how radical technological times have changed. The company creates designer USB flash drives featuring a variety of in-house created critters and popular licensed characters. The flash drive itself is a remarkable electronic wonder; a portable storage device that has forever altered how we transfer data. But stylish too? Who'd have thought computer peripherals could be so chic.
Called Mimobots, Mimoco's artistic take on technology started five years ago with a handful of original designs. Those classic designs are now back in a new colorway assortment of Gigabyte hungry characters called the Core Series. I have two of these "new" Mimobots to share with you today: RAYD81 (skeleton) & ISADORE (dragon).
As the name "thumbdrive" indicates, each Mimobot measures a mere 2 1/2 inches tall 1" wide and about a half an inch thick. Depending on your storage needs, the devices come in a variety of sizes, including 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB. Their prices flux accordingly, ranging from $24.95 (2GB) to $79.95 (16GB). That's a lot of storage for your buck, especially for something that fits easily in the palm of your hand.
Each Mimobot also comes preloaded with digital "Mimory," a host of extras including a MimoDesk Personalization Suite filled with character specific icons, avatars, wallpapers and screensavers. Depending on how close you are to your Mimobot, it's either fun filler or a quick erase, but I applaud Mimoco for going the extra mile in adding individuality to each design.
What's also neat is when you insert a Mimobot, the USB drive on your computer reads as the character's name. Kind of cool to see "Isadore" listed as my E: drive as opposed to a generic term like "USB Flash Drive". I should mention here that using these is literally a snap: Simply pop off the Mimobots head (sounds horrible, doesn't it?) and insert the device in a spare USB port. Every computer has one these days and the Mimobots work on both PC and Mac. When inserted, a light on the character's "butt" glows when in use. When not in use, the head pop backs on with a solid "click," insuring it won't be slidding off anytime soon. These are very well made, durable flash drives.
Mimobots are available at select retail stores, but you'll find them easier at Mimoco.com. There are hundreds of designs to choose from, but the irresistible charm of the Core Series characters is hard to resist. Isadore and RayD81 have the distinct honor of being among the first designer USB flash drives Mimoco released. Their fun and whimsy marked the dawn of a new technological era: the day computer electronics stopped being boring.
Review and Photos by Jeff Saylor
Review Samples Courtesy of Mimoco
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