A SWISS ARMY KNIFE WITH MEMORY

$75-$270 • www.victorinox.com

The Victorinox Swiss Army Brands people, taking a page from the "Mission: Impossible" archives, introduced a new thumb drive last week in London that fits into some models of its multitool knife. The memory chip in the drive, called the Secure Pro and available in sizes up to 32 gigabytes, self-destructs if any attempt is made to tamper with it.

It is the most drastic security measure on the device, but there are others, including a fingerprint identity function that's aligned with a thermal sensor. In other words, the thing won't work if the finger is detached from the finger-owner's body.

The security problems posed by portable flash drives -- devices that are easily lost or stolen -- are very real concerns to consumers and corporations.

The Secure Pro drive is available in the company's Presentation knife model in three sizes from 8 gigabytes to 32 gigabytes. The knife also includes a screwdriver, mini LED light, retractable ballpoint pen, blade, scissors and nail file.

A HEAD START ON AN IPAD 3G

$30-$50 • www.palm.com

If you are in the market for a phone and an iPad 3G that connects to the Internet over the AT&T cell phone network, there is a nifty way you can save some money.

Buy the regular Wi-Fi-connected iPad, which costs $130 less than the 3G version. Then buy any one of a number of cell devices that work as Wi-Fi hot spots so you have the same nearly ubiquitous connection you'd have with the iPad 3G. One of those devices, the Palm Pre Plus, is now $50, down from $150, at Verizon stores.

The Palm Pixi Plus is $30, down from $80. You'd have to get a two-year contract, of course, including a $30 data plan on top of voice and text services. But during this promotion, Verizon has also made the $40-a-month hot spot service with 5 gigabytes a month free.

The AT&T plans offered with the iPad 3G cost $15 a month for 250 megabytes and $30 a month for unlimited. And you don't have to wait until later this month when Apple begins selling the 3G-equipped model.

NEW YORK TIMES