It was bound to happen. Given that you can buy a Victorinox Swiss Army Knive with just about every gadget known to man, from horse-hoof awl to Hubble Space Telescope lens polisher, it's no real surprise that the company - in association with flash memory outfit Swissbit - is now offering cutting tools plus USB flash memory stick. The gadget will be unleashed on an incredulous world at CeBIT next week.

The USB Swiss Army Knife is available with 64 or 128MB memory, plus all the usual extras - knife, corkscrew and tin-opener. The 64MB version will cost €55; the price of the 128MB version is tba.

Swissbit is not just any old company trying to make a buck from ingenious vehicles for memory. It grew out of Siemens and has been producing DRAM and flash memory modules - including Compact Flash and the 1 gigabyte SwissBitKey USB Memory key - for over ten years.

USB flash memory pops up everywhere these days. Indeed, our own Cash'n'Carrion already sells a popular 256MB USB Memory Watch. Whether the USB Swiss Army Knife proves as successful remains to be seen.

For those of you who are attending CeBIT, Swissbit is in Hall 2, Booth B31, and in Hall 4, Booth B58. ®