The things people do with USB flash drives often border on the silly. From slotting it into a pair of shades to decking it in garrulous outfits, there’s little shortage of new ways to make the simple accessory just a little more complicated. The SolidAlliance Mnemosyne 16GB USB Cube takes the concept a little too far, transforming a piece of flash storage into a $10,000 affair.
Not that the price tag is without merit, of course. Created by Italy-based designers Toshi Satoji and Katsuya Masaki, the contraption sets the actual storage panel inside a plush-looking aluminum puzzle cube. Essentially, you’ll have to disassemble the rig before being able to get to the actual USB key.
While the puzzle looks deservedly luxurious, it’s an odd way to store data. As far as I can tell, there’s no magic secret to disassembling the cube – just pull out each component much like you do with a LEGO creation. The real challenge is putting it back together, which you’ll likely end up not wanting to do anyway.
The shiny and complicated-looking Mnemosyne 16GB USB Cube looks like a cool toy, but a really dysfunctional way to keep data. But, hey, don’t let function get in the way of style. That’s not how we roll.