Moving files around had always been a headache ever since the computers were common place. Floppy drives were never a reliable media and remained a problem. But techies were always on their toes to find a trusted and convenient way to replace the fragile floppy discs.
Thankfully along came a 4cm long compact, slim, plug and play small device that carried no lead wire for connectivity or for power and used the USB (Universal Serial Bus) Port to log in and do all the tricks in a flash. Owing to its size and convenience of carrying around, it got a name Flash Drive. This small 35g light device is popularly known as USB flash drive, Pen Drive, Thumb drive, USB Key etc. Earlier the Flash drives were of 16mb to 32mb capacity, that is many times over the capacity of 3.5 inch Floppy drive. But now one can find the Flash Drive that can accommodate upto 2GB data or even more for less than mere GBP 30 a piece, which makes them ultimate in carrying even larger files. Your computer will recognise it as a Removable Drive and assigns the next vacant name, say F: drive. Clicking on this will allow you to see your stored files.
You can simply plug in into a USB port, drag and drop files on to it to save your files on it the drive and carry it to wherever you want to. The prices are crashing and the capacity is increasing. That means hefty memories are now available at lower prices. It is bargains all the way.
There are score of different types and models around, they from basic to innovative features. These drives are rugged, shock-proof, need no power supply, with a glowing indicator when in use, password protected, need no wires, can be used as a key ring and looks great.
You can download and run programs directly from the drive, so you can use your software even on someone else's machine.
If your computer does not have a USB socket, you can buy one for a couple of pounds or simply you can by a PS/2 to USB converter to use your Flash drive and other USB devices.
Selecting a device carefully is a wise decision. Look for device that is plug & play and easy to install and use. Drives should be able to copy/move large files and directories quickly and with ease. Choose the drive that is sleek and do not obstruct the connectors in the adjacent sockets on your computer. Password protected or Biometrics (with fingerprint reader) is good choice to protect your data. Drives should be shock resistant and spill proof & splash proof.
The flash drive was born in 1998 at IBM, as a floppy drive replacement for the ThinkPad line of products. Almost all people know what a floppy drive and a floppy disk is - but a larger percentage isn't quite sure about the flash drive. Technically, it is a "NAND-type flash memory data storage devices integrated with a USB interface". It is fairly new to technology, yet many computer literate people enjoy its small size, lightweight, removable and the fact that it's rewritable. Another huge advantage is its memory capacity, ranging from 8 megabytes to 64 gigabytes - limited only by the densities of its current flash memory. Unfortunately, as its capacity moves up, so does the price. Almost all types of drive use the USB mass storage standard, supported by the modern operating systems, and most flash drives are active only when powdered by a USB computer connection. They require no other external power source or battery source.
There are several advantages of the USB flash drives as compared to the other portable storage devices, such as the floppy disks, Zip disks, and the CD-R/CD-RW discs - with the floppy disc as the most popular. The USB flash drive is much faster, definitely holds more data, and is more reliable due to their lack of moving parts. They ignore the scratches and dust that plagues any earlier forms of portable storage, such as compact discs or floppy disks. Their design means they often survive impacts, dropped, crushed, and washed with a load of clothing. Because of all of this, they are perfectly ideal for transporting personal data or work files from one place to another. The user also wants to use them for carrying around personal data that they can access in different places. Being available in 8MB, 16MB, 32MB, and 64MB, they were marketed as the true floppy killer.
If you are the athletic type, a runner or jogger, who likes to listen to the tunes during your workout you want to look into a flash drive player. Even if you have a hard drive player it is smart to own a flash drive player because you'll want to take it running or jogging with you because the hard drive is bulkier (hence "hard" drive) and weighs more. It will skip and even break, where a flash drive is more comparable to the old school walkman players in its durability.
Next, most flash drive players come with neat little additions like a stopwatch or voice recorder. At first this may sound worthless or pointless to you, but sometimes a stopwatch can be handy while running and who hasn't had a great idea while exercising only to have it escape during the cooling off process? A flash drive player will give you more extras while coming for a reduced price tag.
Another nice extra when buying a flash drive player is you almost always have an FM tuner included, meaning if you are tired of the music you downloaded you can listen to your favorite local station. Flash drive players give you this, along with what was mentioned above, for a reduced price tag. Most flash drive players go for as little as $59 and as much as $149 depending on the brand and the size.
Six percent of the internet usage in year 2000 U.S. will jump to 62% in 2010, due to music downloading and the use of data compression, quickly transferring music over the internet. Also, a corresponding rise of portable digital audio players, and digital cameras became very popular due to their smaller sizes and much reduced cost.
Both Mark Goeder-tarant & Mike Singh are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Mark Goeder-tarant has sinced written about articles on various topics from Tinnitus Treatment, Computers and The Internet and Disease & illness. JBO Solutions offers computer hardware, software and services for businesses. All types of hardware and software are available in online store. Find out how you can benefit by using services, products and solutions by JBO Solutions at. Mark Goeder-tarant's top article generates over 8100 views. to your Favourites.
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