14 DAY TRIAL // Striving to keep up with an ever-diversifying market, Swiss Army knife manufacturer Victorinox featured at its CES 2009 stand a new and innovative piece of technology, the Presentation Pro knife, which can be used to direct slide shows, and incorporates a USB flash that can hold up as much as 32 GB of memory, as well as Bluetooth functions. It also features a fingerprint reader, which grants access to the data only to recognized users. The case is still red, and the famous cross is still on it, but the knife is now transparent, exposing the intricate works inside it.
The Swiss company is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, and the management said that Victorinox was constantly striving to "provide products that are relevant to the consumers of their era." The traditional blade, scissors and screwdriver remained though, as they are the trademark of one of the best-sold items of the last century. Their device was copied – but never duplicated – by countless manufacturers in dozens of countries, but their patented design has remained the best through time.
At CES, the company also displayed a version of the Presentation Pro that can be taken to a plane, removing the blade. Presentation Pro Flight should pass all airport security checkpoints, company officials say, as all other built-in features pose no danger to passengers and flight crew. Victorinox dedicated itself to innovation and keeping up with the times since 2004, when high-tech features were first incorporated into its products.
Now, biometric sensors are a standard part of the company's offers, providing extra security for the data stored on the internal flash drive. According to initial company estimates, which say that the knife will be available for clients starting May 2009, the product will cost between $169.95 and $329.95, depending entirely on the size of the flash drive. Despite the price, large sales are expected, both in Europe and the United States, representatives for Victorinox say.