Now that the floppy disk is officially dead, the media of choice to transport data is optical, and has been for some time now.

Since almost every computer these days has at least a CD-ROM drive, burning data to a CD insures that you will be able to at least load or view anything on any other personal computer. Since the CD, newer optical formats such as rewriteable CD and DVD have also become fairly commonplace.

But there is still a chance that some computer onto which you want to access your data still may not have one of these later-generation drives installed. If not and you chose to store your data onto one of these newer optical disks, you are basically out of luck unless you can find another computer that has something compatible.

I’d like to suggest a more compatible solution. The USB flash drive is a transportable media solution that is really coming into its own given improvements in the technology combined with faster access speeds, bigger sizes and dropping costs. A USB flash drive is so small that most of them fit on a keychain. They retain stored data without any power and only require a USB port. And unless the computer you need to use is from the PC dark ages, chances are it has at least one USB port.

One of the coolest new additions to the USB flash drive arena is the JumpDrive TouchGuard from Lexar (www.lexar.com). A little over two inches in length, the 256-megabyte flash memory drive opens by removing the attached cap from the USB plug. The JumpDrive supports the faster USB 2.0 as well as the slower 1.1 standard.

But what makes this particular Flash Drive something that would make James Bond sit up and take notice is its tiny built-in fingerprint reader. That’s right, to access the contents of the JumpDrive, you first have to drag your fingertip across the unit’s Sweep Sensor fingerprint scanner. If it matches, you are immediately given access to the drive’s contents. If it’s not your authorized fingertip, then the data within remains inaccessible.

The JumpDrive uses advanced biometric technology that can store and recognize up to 10 unique fingerprints per each drive. That flexibility makes it ideal for scenarios such as family-only access or project-personnel-only access. Built-in 256-bit data encryption keeps the contents of the JumpDrive safe from prying eyes. The included software makes it easy to set up and operate.

When you first run the installation program, you choose which finger or thumb on either hand to use. The program prompts you to scan the finger until it can accurately identify your digit. After the initial authentication process is done, you enter in an additional password so you can still access your data in case you happen to lose a finger before the next time you need access.

In addition to storing data on the flash drive, another really interesting security feature lets you carry all your Web site login passwords and bookmarks on the JumpDrive. When you log onto a Web site, the JumpDrive will prompt you for the name and password. Just enter it once and you’re all set. The next time you use any browser on some other machine, by simply plugging in the JumpDrive to that computer’s USB port the JumpDrive will automatically fill in the name and password in the Web site’s appropriate field.

In addition, all your bookmarked favorites will be transferred to the machine’s browser too. When you are finished, removing the JumpDrive removes all favorites as well as your passwords. You can also encrypt and decrypt any file on the computer into which it is plugged. So unless the JumpDrive is inserted into the computer, no one will be able to see the content of any files you have encrypted on that machine.

The JumpDrive TouchGuard requires Windows 2000 or Windows XP and sells for $69.95. if you’re looking for a really cool way to securely transport your information, then the JumpDrive TouchGuard is a USB flash drive you’ll definitely want to keep your finger on.