briefcase

Yahoo plans to discontinue its Briefcase service, which allows people to store files online for free.

The service will be shut down on March 30, the company said Wednesday. Yahoo is warning users to retrieve or delete their documents before that date.

Briefcase, which offered 30MB of online storage, was launched almost 10 years ago. However, "usage has been significantly declining over the years, as users outgrew the need for Yahoo Briefcase and turned to offerings with much more storage and enhanced sharing capabilities," the company said in a statement.

There are now many alternative online storage services … Read more

Let's say you're a road warrior who's always running out of batteries but doesn't have the biceps to keep your gadgets juiced and ready at all times. Here's a way to take care of those needs with a power supply that looks just like a briefcase so no one will be the wiser.

Inside the "Solar Briefcase" are two solar panels that produce 13 watts of power, OhGizmo says. That's enough to recharge a mobile phone in an hour or so, when the sun's at its peak. If you're a … Read more

Yahoo's Briefcase service is a far cry from the arms race of free and low-cost storage providers on the Web, but it's wonderfully simple. Yahoo gives you 30MB of file storage you can keep and store at no cost. Users can create as many folders as they'd like and dump their files in one at a time, or en masse via a Web uploader.

What makes the service particularly useful is that you set the access of each file and folder with different levels of privacy, meaning if it's time to send that 25MB folder of … Read more

Whether it's OG ornate or something more discreet, Heckler and Koch has an MP5K maschinenpistole for the dad or grad in your life. Legend has it that the K--which stands for kurz, or "short," in German--was conceived by an HK South American sales rep who saw a market for it as protection for businessmen on the hard streets of Rio.

Marketed as the ultimate close-quarters weapon at 4.4 pounds and less than 13 inches long, the MP5K is easily concealed and can be fitted with an optional folding Choate butt-stock or a sound suppressor.

It's … Read more

Ever since we saw From Russia With Love and, more specifically, James Bond's super-tricked-out attache case, we've always wanted one of our own. Even without the AR-7 and pop-out blade, it seemed the like ultimate accessory for that age when men were men and neckties were skinny.

That was the first thing that came to mind upon seeing Mezzi's superslim aluminum briefcase on Gear Patrol, which is meant to stow smart phones and GPS receivers instead of tear gas canisters. And with gadgets getting slimmer all the time, you'd be surprised how much you can fit … Read more

At this rate, we'll all be doing our own CSI-style investigations as technology becomes increasingly mainstream. The latest example is a "briefcase DNA analysis system" that can reportedly do a complete test at crime scenes in 25 minutes, as opposed to typical lab time of one day to a week.

The system, developed by Japan's NEC and Aida Engineering, combines several functions in one device and dramatically speeds the heating and cooling processes required for DNA testing. "The compact unit can be used to: (1) take cell samples, (2) extract the DNA, (3) perform polymerase … Read more

(Before I get started with this review, a note of caution about one of my other gizmos. My Sony PRS-500 eBook reader has developed some kind of display problem; the leftmost inch of the screen no longer updates. I checked around online and the going price for this repair appears to be about $250. That's on a gizmo that sells for $279 on Amazon right now. Not a good deal. I'll check with Sony and update this information if I get a better price.)

I've been carrying around a cheap nylon briefcase I bought at the Apple Company Store about ten years ago. I bought it because it had a front pocket the perfect size for my… Read more

Before the Segway, one of the more popular inventions in eco-friendly personal transportation was the folding bicycle. But some people (read: designers) are just never satisfied. So designer Gosha Galitsky developed a concept for a "briefcase bike," according to Treehugger. The bike, when folded, can be toted along like a pullman suitcase. We can't wait to hear what airport security will think of this.

(Photo: Gosha Galitsky)