Jon L. Jacobi

The AK-Player 7 software media player is an interesting experience. When launching, it seems to fly into to view from a distance. Possibly from another solar system, given its default skin--UFO doesn't even begin to cover that. It's an impressive display. AK-Player 7 plays video and audio, as well as images, but aside from its animated interface, doesn't stand out from the crowd.

You might not even guess that sci-fi rendered AK-Player 7 was a media player if it weren't for the name.Generally speaking, the AK-Player 7 performed well for me, with excellent picture and audio quality. But there were some bumps. When I dragged and dropped a file whose type the program didn't recognize, it played the previous video rather than warn me that the file type was unsupported. Also, the play button is skinned the reverse of normal--when a video is playing, the play bitmap is displayed, and when the video is paused, the pause bitmap is shown. Normally, the action to be performed by the button is shown--not its state.

If you're physically transporting data you don't want other people to see, you should be doing it on secure media. And what better than something that hides easily within a pocket? Secure flash drives that are only about the size of a small cigarette lighter feature robust hardware security to make them super secure. You'll pay a premium for the integrated security, but you can't put a price on the peace of mind you get by knowing that your data is locked down.

To get the skinny on the state-of-the-art in secure flash drives, we took five hardware-encrypted drives for test spins. The results? As far as security is concerned, it's all systems go. Three of the units--the Kingston DataTraveler 4000 Managed, the Kanguru Defender 2000, and the CMS CE-Secure Vault FIPS--are certified to Level 2 of the government's FIPS 140-2 security standard. The Imation Defender F200 ratchets that up to Level 3. The Apricorn Aegis Secure Key is being processed for Level 3 certification, though it is not yet certified.

CMS's latest CE-Secure Vault drive offers good USB 2.0 performance, 256-bit AES hardware encryption, and manageability--that is, it will interface with BlockMaster's SafeConsole management software so that businesses can configure a fleet of the units and manage them remotely.

As with many secure flash drives, the pricing for more capacious units skews unnaturally high. While the 4GB version costs $70, the 32GB version is a hefty $230. Still, that's cheaper than Kingston's 32GB DataTraveler 4000 Managed, which is $294. The DT4000-M is slightly cheaper in lower capacities.

Even physically, the Kanguru Defender 2000 secure flash drive more than lives up to its name. It's solid and heavy enough that you could easily pull a David to an attacker's Goliath as a self-defense tactic. Toss in a tactilely pleasing alloy body, and not since Lexar's now-discontinued JumpDrive SAFE S3000 FIPS has there been a drive that can rival worry beads for an in-hand experience.

The Defender 2000 has 256-bit AES hardware encryption and is both tamperproof and waterproof. It’s also FIPS 140-2 Level 2 validated, and is being evaluated for Level 3 as well as Common Criteria EAL2+. The security software client for entering passwords and configuring the drive launches from a CD-emulating partition, offers antimalware capabilities, and also supports Linux. Most drives that rely upon software for password entry support only Windows and OS X.

Everyone wants to feel a little James or Jane Bond-ish once in a while. And nothing beats the Imation Defender F200 biometric flash drive when it comes to spylike sex appeal. Pull your flash drive out, slap it in your notebook, swipe your finger across its biometric fingerprint reader it to enable it, and voilà, you're in.

The Defender F200 is not only stylish, it's highly capable. The drive has been validated to Level 3 of the FIPS 140-2 government security guideline--a lengthy and expensive process. The device uses hardware AES 256-bit encryption and may be configured to use the biometric scanner, a password, or both for a double layer of security. You may also specify two separate fingers to be used for validation. Excuse the morbidity, but it's recommended that you use a finger from each hand in case you lose the use of an arm. The F200 Biometric, you see, is designed for with the military in mind.

The Apricorn Aegis Secure Key is the first PIN-secured flash drive we've tested that manages to maintain a svelte profile. It's a tad longer than a standard USB flash drive, but no larger in any other aspect. Despite its relatively diminutive size, the Secure Key's keypad is still relatively easy to enter numbers with, and the unit's aluminum case feels nice in your hand. We tested the 16GB Aegis Secure Key, priced at $125. The company offers 4GB and 8GB models for $65 and $95 respectively.

You unlock the Aegis Secure Key by pressing a key button, entering the PIN via the number keys, and then pressing the key button once more. The green status light blinks steadily, and you have 30 seconds to insert the drive into a USB port. Easy as pie, and removing the drive from the USB port locks it again. Other management actions, such as changing the PIN, are also performed using the keypad, so the unit is truly software-free. Software-free means that you can use the Aegis Secure Key with any operating system or device: Windows, OS X, Linux, tablets, printers, digital media adapters, TVs, and the like.

The Kingston DataTraveler 4000 Managed (DT4000-M) secure flash drive is not for the average user--it must be employed in conjunction with BlockMaster's SafeConsole management software, which you have to purchase separately, or in a package deal from Kingston.

However, for companies looking for complete control and tracking of sensitive data, it's a boon. At the time of writing, pricing started at $57 for the 4GB version ($8 less than next-cheapest model we tested at that capacity); Kingston also has an 8GB model for $75, a 16GB model for $130, and a 32GB model for $294.

MP3 Toolkit is simple and it works, letting you convert audio files to a number of different types, merge multiple files into one, clip files for ringtones or the like, edit tags, rip files from CD, and record using a microphone. There's nothing spectacular about it, unless you're impressed that it's free.

The main launcher for MP3 Toolkit is colorful and easy to use. So are the modules, though selecting multiple items doesn't follow Windows conventions.The suite (MP3 Toolkit is a collection of modules) is easy to use--for the most part. There are small oddities, such as not being able to select multiple items with the shift key. Instead you select folders from within the folder. Not unheard of, but against the normal Windows convention. My only major complaint is the lack of batch editing in the tag editor. It can be extremely handy to grab a bunch of files to specify their genre all at once. MP3 Toolkit doesn't allow this.

Every once in a while, I run across a program that seems too good to be free--but truly is. Wise Registry Cleaner 7 (WRC 7 from here on in) is such a program. Actually, it's a bit more than a registry cleaner. It also defrags the registry and offers quite a few system tweaks under its System Tuneup tab.

Simple, clean, and easy to use, Wise Registry Cleaner 7's interface would be top-notch if it were easier to see what it's going to clean.As a registry cleaner, WRC 7 has performed well for me. It always seems to find more stuff than CCleaner, another effective freebie that also removes other types of file detritus. The program checks ActiveX/Com components, software paths, application paths, shared DLLS, the Start Menu, etc. and removes any invalid entries.

It's a DVD burner! It's a Wi-Fi hotspot! It's a media streamer! Wrapping your mind around the Samsung Optical Smart Hub--a unique storage and streaming product with a singularly unintuitive name, a perplexing appearance, and several very specific uses--is rather challenging. Ultimately the Optical Smart Hub ($130 as of May 4, 2012) presents an intriguing concept for making use of optical discs in a mobile world, but it stumbles in its design and presentation.

The appearance of the Optical Smart Hub is confusing because it looks for all the world like a portable DVD burner. In fact, it is one. You can attach the Optical Smart Hub to a PC or laptop via its Mini-USB 2.0 port and the supplied cable, and it will function in precisely that manner. Samsung even includes Nero's OEM disc-burning suite.

If your printing and scanning needs are light, the $100 Canon Pixma MX432 color inkjet multifunction printer will likely fill your needs. Though the unit lacks an automatic duplexer, it provides a single-sided automatic document feeder, and the price is certainly attractive. On the other hand, black ink costs are quite high and Canon omits no manual duplexing support for OS X. So if you use a lot of black ink or will be printing from a Mac, you should look elsewhere.

Setting up the Pixma MX432 is easy, though if your Wi-Fi router doesn't support Wi-Fi Protected Setup you'll have to use a USB cable (which, of course, is an option even if you do have a WPS-capable router).

The elegantly simple Samsung ML-2165W monochrome laser printer gives you laser-sharp text for only $150. It's also quite compact, measuring a mere 13 inches wide by 8.5 inches deep by 7 inches high, so it's suitable for small work areas. Extra features are scant, and toner is pricey at about 4 cents per page; but for low-volume, basic printing, it's worth a look.

Setting up the ML-2165W is simplicity itself. Plug in the power cord, attach the small swiveling output tray to the top of the unit, and press the WPS button (for Wi-Fi Protected Setup). That's all there is to it--assuming you have a WPS-capable router. If you don't, you'll have to attach the printer to your computer via USB to set up the Wi-Fi--or use it as a USB-attached unit.