Skip to main content

StormFly USB bracelet: Finally, an operating system you can wear on your wrist

stormfly01StormFly may sound like an insect species – or to fans of How to Train Your Dragon, a mythical reptile – but it’s actually a new bootable USB device that comes in the form of a bracelet. The makers of StormFly are betting on crowdfunding to raise the $100,000 they need to begin initial production. The device is currently listed on Kickstarter with the tag line “Like a PC On Your Wrist,” and it’s racked up roughly $24,500 as of this writing (with 24 days to go). 

Like other bootable USB devices, StormFly isn’t just used for file storage. It comes installed with its own operating system. You can plug it into any 64-bit Mac or PC, and the computer starts up using the OS on the USB instead of the OS installed on the computer itself. That means you can carry not only your files, but also any program you need. In case of emergency – let’s say you need a document for school but forgot it at home, and you need a specific program to open it – you don’t need to install a program on a computer you don’t own since it’s already up and running on your portable OS.

If you want a StormFly of your own in either orange or black, you need to pledge at least $59 on Kickstarter. That amount will also get you three free months of the developers’ backup service, which means the company will send you a new StormFly with a copy of your files and setup if anything happens to your high-tech bracelet.

When the device is available on the market, the optional backup service will cost $20 for a year. The device’s developers hope to bring StormFly’s price point down and promise to also lower the backup service’s cost if that happens. In the future, StormFly could potentially be used by younger children or parents who share the whole family’s computer, schools that can’t afford to provide one computer per student, broke college students, and everyone else concerned about security – including those who want to be able to safely access sensitive data, like bank accounts, anywhere they want. 

Editors' Recommendations

Mariella Moon
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Mariella loves working on both helpful and awe-inspiring science and technology stories. When she's not at her desk writing…
Microsoft just discovered the next big evolution in displays
Resident Evil 4 running on the LG UltraGear 45 gaming monitor.

Microsoft is working on a new patent that aims to bring unprecedented levels of control to displays. The new tech, dubbed Pixel Luminesce for Digital Display, allows you to micromanage every single pixel of your display, adjusting the brightness as needed. If and when this makes it out of the development stage, it could end up being huge for all sorts of use cases, and could bring major improvements to some of the best gaming monitors.

The patent application describing the tech, first shared by Windows Report, describes the new technology as something that would enable selective dimming. With Microsoft's new tech, you could decide that one part of the display stays brighter while the rest of it remains unaffected, and this would happen dynamically.

Read more
These are the 10 best gaming PCs I’d recommend to anyone
Graphics card in the CLX Hathor PC.

We review dozens of gaming PCs each year. In 2024, there are a ton of great options, but we've narrowed down a list of the 10 best gaming desktops that deserve your hard-earned money.

In 2024, we still recommend the Alienware Aurora R16 due to its fantastic design, solid performance, and decent value. However, there are several other options depending on your needs and budget. If you want a deeper look into how we evaluate gaming PCs, make sure to read our post on how we review desktops.

Read more
I tested the three best 14-inch gaming laptops. There’s a clear winner
Cyberpunk 2077 running on the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14.

Over the past few years, the category of 14-inch gaming laptops has grown tremendously. You'll find multiple models among the best gaming laptops, but there are three key designs that are all begging to be your high-end portable gaming powerhouse.

I'm talking about the Razer Blade 14, Asus ROG Zephyrus G14, and HP Omen Transcend 14. All three are thin and light gaming laptops that pack the latest hardware from Intel, AMD, and Nvidia, and they all deliver an excellent gaming experience. There are a surprising number of differences between the three laptops, however, and one of them has a clear edge.
Specs and pricing

Read more