Geeks are known to be socially awkward, especially when it comes to talking to members of the opposite sex. So, what is a geek to do once he or she is ready to pop the question? Well, if both sides of the couple happen to be geeks, things might be a little easier to manage.

Just take a look at these USB engagement rings by designer Jennifer Flume. The idea is that a couple can exchange lovey-dovey data with these flash drives. And yes, those are Swarovski Crystals. The rings also come with necklace chains, in case you're not particularly fond of wearing your thumb drive on your finger.

I love all the flash drive mods that have been appearing over the past year or so. The more creative, the better! I can't get too excited though, because this is just a design concept and isn't on the market. Until then, stay pasty, indoors and painfully anti-social, geeks.

[via Neatorama]

How many times have you been using an electronic device only to have the battery die on you? It happens to the best of us, and usually during something really important, like that conference call with your boss and the board or when you're getting the high score on Tetris. It is frustrating, and aside from the example of the conference call, rarely appreciated.

Enter the FreeLoader Solar Charger ($49.95) and with it the solution to your troubles. Hum along with me on this one, here comes the sun, and I say, it's all right. Yes, it is all right. The FreeLoader is a portable, solar-powered battery charger for any number of electronic devices.

From Firebox:

Super sleek and barely bigger than a cell phone, the lightweight aluminium FreeLoader pulls open to reveal two solar panels. Simply charge it by allowing it to soak up some rays. Its internal battery will then power an iPod for up to 18 hours, a mobile phone for up to 44 hours, a PSP for up to 2.5 hours and a PDA for up to 22 hours. That's a lot of juice for such a tiny gizmo. Once the FreeLoader has emptied its charge just power it up again via the sun. You can also charge it via USB if you're near a computer.

Will require access to the Sun (widely available throughout the world).

Gallery: FreeLoader Solar Charger

It's available in silver or pink and even works with the iPhone and iTouch. That's cool, right?

There's a fine line between a cute novelty gift and an expensive Valentine's blunder. It's up to each clueless guy to choose an appropriate gift for his special lady friend. So, when it comes to items like Swarovski's USB jewelry, I'd say that about 99.9% of us should steer clear of weird Valentine's gifts like this. A go-to like chocolate or flowers would go over way better.

But for that geeky girlfriend who loves cute computer accessories, this might just hit the nail on the head. For $180, you can get her a 1GB flash drive 'disguised' as a heart pendant. This little bundle of polished stainless steel and silver shaded crystal will let her store her data in style.

I don't know: are there really any women out there who would want one of these things?

Buy
[via GearCrave]

It's not always easy to find things that are both functional and fashionable. Sure, there are lots of things functional things out there that try to be fashionable, but in the end, they end up looking stupid.

Not so with the USB flash drives from Active Crystals, a line of crystal products from the partnership between Swarvoski (the fashion) and Philips (the function). The USB flash drives come in four different models, two of which look like locks that can be attached to a keychain, and two of which, my favorites, are shaped like hearts and are worn around the neck on a silver cord. All of them feature 1 gig of storage and built-in password protection.

The one shown is called Heart Beat, with half the pendant in silver and the other half encrusted with Swarovski crystals. The other heart pendant is similar, except that the crystal half looks like a giant crystal rather than studded with small ones.

I am all for cyclist Lance Armstrong's original yellow "LIVESTRONG" bracelet that supports his cause, but for some reason, all of the different colored bracelets that came after that, some for legitimate causes, other purely for vanity, are giving me freakish flashbacks to my teenage wrists weighted down with a rainbow gummy bracelets. Ew.

All childhood nightmares aside, these colorful rubber wristband/bracelets from Imation are functional - they pull apart to reveal a tiny USB drive. Thankfully, the storage capacity is 1 gig, so you don't need to wear more than one (unless you'd really like to go back to the '80s).

I'll take one in pink.