Swiss army knives are displayed in a shop in Montreux
LAS VEGAS (AFP) — The Swiss Army knife, one of the hottest buys of
the last century, is keeping pace with the new millennium and moving
from campground to boardroom.
Manufacturer Victorinox,
celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, unveiled the latest
version of the ubiquitous multi-purpose tool this week at the annual
Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
The company has
been adding high-tech features to its knives since 2004 but the latest
model, the Presentation Pro, takes the trend even further by
incorporating Bluetooth and fingerprint recognition technology.
Instead
of a saw and a corkscrew, the Presentation Pro comes with a laser
pointer and an integrated Bluetooth remote control that can be used to
direct a slide show or a Powerpoint presentation.
It also has a
USB flashdrive with up to 32GB of storage and a biometric sensor that
grants access through fingerprint recognition.
The case remains
red and the small white cross is still there but the plastic is now
transparent, putting the innards of the device on display.
The
Presentation Pro is not just high-tech and gives in to tradition by
keeping a knife, a pair of scissors and a nail file with a screwdriver
head.
But the company does offer a "plane-friendly" version of
the model, the blade-free Presentation Pro Flight, which should cause
no problems with airport security.
Explaining the high-tech
upgrade, Victorinox North America operations president Rick Taggart
said the company is "striving to provide products that are relevant to
the consumers of their era."
The Presentation Pro is available
from May and priced from 169.95 dollars to 329.95 dollars, depending on
the memory capacity of the USB drive.
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