Get an 8GB Kingston flash drive for $7.95
While supplies last! And at this price, they won't last long. The DataTraveler 108 features a five-year warranty and decent preloaded software.
The weekend before last, I happened to spy an 8GB SanDisk Cruzer Edge flash drive on sale for just $4.99 at Best Buy. It was sold out online, but the inventory checker showed it to be in stock at my local store. I called first, and, sure enough, they had some. I asked them to hold three, and a couple hours later walked out with three 8GB flash drives for 15 bucks (plus tax). That was a really, really good day.
This deal isn't quite that spectacular, but it's close--and there's no sales tax involved (unless you live in California). It's also equally likely to sell out quickly. (As of 8 a.m. PT, it's in stock!)
While supplies last, Buy.com has the 8GB Kingston DataTraveler 108 flash drive for $7.95 shipped.
This drive, which sold for a buck more when I featured it a couple months ago, is a lovely shade of fire-engine red, and its capless design relies on a hinged cover that protects the USB connector.
That cover is made of aluminum, meaning the drive should hold up a lot longer than the aforementioned SanDisk Cruzer, which is all plastic and feels really cheap.
Another nice perk is Kingston's preloaded UrDrive software, which features things like a file browser, a portable Web browser, games, and online backup (with 6GB of free storage). I found the interface a little wonky, but it's a nice value-add overall.
Kingston backs the drive (which is tinier than you might think based on the photo) with a five-year warranty. Great, great stocking stuffer.
Bonus deal: Remember yesterday's 8GB laptop-RAM kit for $24.99? Here's the desktop equivalent: while supplies last, Newegg has the G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB Desktop RAM Kit for $24.99 shipped. Same rules apply: make sure you're running a 64-bit version of Windows, and that your motherboard can accommodate this kit's specs (namely, 1,333MHz DDR3 RAM).