Searchme visual search engine

With searches, your results usually give you the name of Web sites and a short description. If you don't really know what you are looking for, prepare to click on dozens of links before finding it. Well, Searchme, a relative newcomer to the search business, has an interesting solution. Instead of giving you text results, it provides snapshots of the pages. If you did a search for "CNET Asia", you actually see our home page in its entirety, albeit in lower resolution. You can then scroll through the results like you do when viewing albums in Apple's iPod Cover Flow interface.

When you are typing in the search box, it even gives suggestions about narrowing your search within categories. Not a particularly useful feature because, honestly, even when searching in general with no category restrictions, the results we got weren't that great. To be fair, it does take time to index the Internet, so maybe Searchme's results will get better over time. After all, it's presently only in its public beta stage. As of now, it's just really cool to use and is a refreshing alternative to the regular text searches we have all become so used to.

LaCie releases 500GB rugged harddisk

Ninjas, John Locke, and Bear Grylls take note: your active lifestyle have nothing on the LaCie Rugged Hard Disk. But even if you're not trekking through the trenches and sinister islands, you'll still appreciate LaCie's latest version of their rugged hard disk with an impressive 500GB capacity.

We loved the previous models so much that we gave them our much coveted Editors' Choice back in 2006, and we're happy to see that LaCie stepped it up to an improved Hitachi Travelstar 5K500 2.5 inch internal hard drive. Like previous models, this also connects via USB 2.0, FireWire 400, and FireWire 800. Anyone making good use of the ruggedized body? We want to hear about how your LaCie Rugged Hard Drive withstood beats, stompings, animal attacks, elemental anomalies, and time travel.

The 500 GB LaCie Rugged Hard Disk is available now for US$340 for the USB 2.0 model; US$400 for the FireWire 800, FireWire 400 and USB 2.0 model.

Via Crave CNET

AES 256-bit encryption on Fujitsu hard drives

On Monday, Fujitsu Computer Products of America announced the Fujitsu MHZ2 CJ series for business notebooks that features full disk encryption. The new 2.5" 7,200RPM SATA hard disk drive (HDD) incorporates the AES-256 encryption standard at the hardware level without the need for additional software. Unlike encryption with Windows Vista BitLocker, which requires the operating system to be present, the new Fujitsu drive performs its encryption entirely within the BIOS during power on. Encryption performed within the BIOS prevents the keys from being stored in the clear anywhere on the drive. According to Fujitsu, "the key used to encrypt and decrypt data is cryptographically regenerated at power-on, and is not known even to the HDD when the system is powered off." Also, since all the encryption generation is done as the laptop is being powered up, there is virtually no performance hit whenever the 256-bit password key is generated. Fujitsu plans to ship the MHZ2 CJ series starting this summer. http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9924529-1.html

When USB security hangs by a thread

Not everyone has a USB flash drive outfitted with locks or alarms, but there may be a better deterrant anyway: deception. The aptly named Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories has devised a diabolical way to create a USB key that looks like a hastily severed cable. All that's needed is some epoxy glue, an old cord, and "almost zero technical know-how", according to Uber-Review. A step-by-step guide can be found here.) If that doesn't work, please proceed to the next level of deception.

Via Crave CNET

Shake your bootie with this Disco Ball Mouse and Pad!

Remember Janice Hosenstein in Friends, Chandler's some time ex with that nasal voice and horsey laugh, and a tendency to go "Oh… my… God! Chandler Bing! Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!"? Well, that's exactly how we feel with the kitschy Disco Ball Mouse and Pad (US$19.99)! As if it isn't bad enough there's a BuddhaPad and a Fingerdrum Mousepad out there, now here's one designed apparently to perk up your workplace, complete with flashing lights that somehow bring to mind pink flamingos and Austin Powers' psychedelic pants. The good news? If your colleagues haven't already hysterically thanked you for making their day, we guess everyday's an excuse now to shake your bootie and disco those work worries away! Yeah, baby.

Via New Launches

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