Lenovo's Olympic USB drive is well short of a 10

(Credit: Engadget)

In trying to milk its Olympics marketing campaign for all it's worth, Lenovo has proven that successful designs can't just be slapped on any product of any size or shape. And that's a shame because the "Cloud of Promise" theme was nothing short of stunning when unveiled for the Beijing Olympics torch, but it quickly loses its dramatic visual effect when applied elsewhere.

The distinctive swirls may have made an acceptable accent on Lenovo's limited-edition laptops, but its latest appearance--on a USB flash drive--is downright cheesy. In an unforgiving close-up image first seen on Engadget, it looks like a cheap stamp on a tin toy. But hey, this is the Olympics, and that means anything goes where souvenirs are concerned--and the first place they'll go is eBay, of course.