Lexar tries to make USB thumb drives fashionable

For those who like to make a fashion statement with their solid-state memory -- as well as for those who keep losing the caps on the darn things -- Lexar has announced two new families of USB drives that don't have removable caps.

JumpDrive TwistTurn has a rotating case (really, "JumpDrive SwitchBlade" would probably describe it better, but that name probably didn't test well), while JumpDrive Retrax clicks in and out like a ballpoint pen. Each model comes in multiple sizes, with colors mapped to the size: 2 GB in white, 4 GB in red, 8 GB in blue, 16 GB in gray, and 32 GB in black.

They each have a two-year warranty and come with a free 30-day trial of Dmailer software, which lets users back up and carry files, photos, and videos, as well as Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express e-mail.

They will be available in March for undisclosed prices.