Tag Archives: USB Flash Drive

USB News, USB Technology

Interesting USB Facts for the Beginner

USB drives are storage devices that plug into the USB port, on your computer. For a very minimal investment, you can back up your important data or carry your family photos around with you wherever you go. USB drives have been in use for quite a few years now, but to the newcomer it may seem strange, that so much data can be kept on such a tiny device. The portability and price point of USB drives make them a real asset to even the casual computer user.

The Advent of USB

USB drives use the Universal Serial Bus port on computers. Computers have been equipped with USB ports since around 2000. Prior to that input devices or peripherals, such as printers and external hard drives, often used the SCSI port. SCSI ports were functiona,l but required some technical expertise to use, since they were not plug and play. USB connections changed that dynamic and now many printers and other peripherals are connected via USB ports. Another advantage of USB ports over the old SCSI posts is that they supply low voltage power to devices. This is why you are able to charge your cell phone via your USB port.

Reliable Storage

USB drives are often called thumb drives, jump drives, USB sticks or flash drives; the earliest USB drive, sold by IBM was known as a memory key. All of these are the same thing and there is no officially correct term for these data storage devices. USB drives are compact and easy to carry around. Most are between two and four inches in length. USB drives replaced floppy disks as the choice, for portable storage and it was a much-needed upgrade. Another benefit is the speed of data retrieval. If you ever spent several minutes waiting for those old floppies to load a file, then you should really appreciate how fast flash drives are able to complete the same task. Additionally the old floppy disks only held a small amount of data, 1.44mb to be exact. Even the earliest USB drives which held only 8 Mbytes topped that storage capacity by far. Today’s USB drives are large capacity devices and can hold infinitely more data than early drives once did. 64 Gbytes drives are common and you can purchase 128 GB drives.

How it Works

Floppy disks tended to fail users quite often. They were also quite fragile. USB drives are much studier storage devices and are designed to have no moving internal parts, therefore the risk of failure is significantly diminished. Internally a USB drive consists of a wafer thin board, which has the USB connector attached. The USB connector is what you plug into your USB port. The board moves data and supplies power. The board also has an attached memory chip. The memory or storage chip is where all of the data is actually stored on your USB drive. The chip is known as the NAND flash memory. The third component is the controller chip, which retrieves data and determines when to read or write date to the memory storage chip.
The price point on USB drives has also come down since they debuted back in 2001, when even the smallest drive was quite expensive. Today a 10 GB drive has a price point of around 10 bucks or even less if you shop wisely.

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USB News, USB Technology

Lipstick? No, it’s a USB Drive

There are several ways to conceal data these days, but how about concealing it as a concealer? No, I mean literally as a lipstick concealer case? Even James Bond’s head of research and development “Q”, would find that clever. Truthfully, there are several companies that design USB drives with a bit of a twist. Beyond being a unique way to store your data, a lipstick shaped flash drive can come in handy if you want your USB drive to be a little less conspicuous. Suppose you leave your data in your desk, not many nosey co-workers or even amateur hackers would think to unscrew your lipstick case, to find your data. Now, admittedly, this is not a textbook answer to securing your sensitive documents, but it does add a simplistic level of security.

Marketing With USB Drives

All of this top-secret spy stuff may be a little a little far-fetched. A real benefit of all of the weird and wonderful USB cases that are available is their use as a marketing tool. Giving out freebies is a great way to promote your product. A lipstick shaped USB drive is a great marketing tool for a cosmetic business or even a beauty salon. The outer case can be branded with a company logo. Additionally, a video presentation can be loaded onto the drive to really promote your business to potential customers. Buying low capacity bulk USB drives for marketing is fairly inexpensive and a great way to bring your business to the attention of prospective customers.

Standing Out From the Pack

It is no surprise that in many industries specialty USB drives have become commonplace. The auto industry for example often sends out promotional materials on USB drives that are not only functional but also eye-catching. Ferrari for instance had a high end leather enclosed flash drive it sent out for promo purposes, while Audi once used a key-shaped flash drive for distributing marketing materials. Use of USB marketing is everywhere. In fact, if you visit any industry trade show these days, you are likely to collect a plethora of USB drives.

The real challenge is to stand out from the competition. So if a lipstick shaped USB drive helps, then it may be the right choice. Some USB promo drives have dual uses. There are several of these dual use drives, a couple of the more interesting ones are a USB drive, which is also an ink pen and a bracelet, which operates as a USB drive. I have yet to see one that contains actual lipstick just yet, but who knows?

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USB News, USB Technology

USB Drive Pens Available In Colors

If you are shopping for a new USB drive pen, you are going to have plenty of choices. Memory size, style, and color can vary from pen to pen. Chances are that you want to make a statement with the drive, be it fashion or otherwise, and one of the best ways to make that impression is by making sure that you get a color that is sure to express what you are about.

Making Your Statement

When you are choosing any accessory that you are making a statement with, it is important that it be exactly the statement that you choose to make. If, for instance, you want to project an image of power and professionalism, perhaps a day glow pink USB drive pen isn’t the best way to go. If you are trying to project an image of lightheartedness and fun, a severe pen inlaid with gold isn’t going to do it. So, it is very important that you don’t just choose the pen that is sporting your favorite color.

Finding the Right Pen Drive

No matter what your price range or tastes, you can find exactly what you are looking for online. There are plenty of distributers out there that would be pleased to take your money to give you exactly what you are looking for. You can have the pen drive completely custom made, adding in your own colors and designs, or even have the pen engraved or stamped with whatever you would like on it. As a matter of fact, having your favorite quote or even your name engraved on the pen drive is a great way to make sure your statement is truly being made. If you would rather see some options in person, your local office supply store is sure to have quite a selection for you. If you head to the office supply store to make your choice, you can even see how it will look with your wardrobe.

If there is a specific color you are looking for in a pen drive, you are likely to find it if you do a bit of digging. If you can’t find exactly what you are looking for, create what you want. You can even have distributers get you pen drives in animal print! The sky is the limit and since your statement is a personal one, you have plenty of options to make your mark.

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USB News, USB Technology

Who Knew Files Were Sitting In Your Purse?

We have made advancements in technology in every aspect of our society. One of the most convenient of these advancements is the invention of the USB drive. These great devices take the place of those bulky files that you have been carrying around from place to place for years. The idea is simple – USB drives are portable storage devices where you can save electronic files from a computer source, enabling you to transport, store and share files safely and conveniently. As a matter of fact, you could have your company’s entire financial records, for the past twenty years sitting in your purse and no one would even know!

Variety Is The Spice of Life

Every year, the manufacturers of these great drives find new ways to make their drives appealing. While the functionality of the drive itself is more than enough to make a consumer want to run out and buy a few, by providing consumers with a wide range of colors and designs, manufacturers have made turned these drives into expressions of their owners, and consumers are eating it up. It doesn’t matter if you simply want to let people know that your favorite color is red or if you want to advertise your favorite summer blockbuster, with a USB drive shaped as your favorite character, you are sure to find exactly what you are looking for.

Smaller, Faster, Less Expensive

Every year these USB drives get smaller and more convenient, more reliable, and less expensive. You can even find smaller USB drives at your local dollar store. Because technology advances so quickly, manufacturers can continue to make the drives at a lower cost, without sacrificing any of the reliability that comes along with the drives. No matter how much memory you are looking for, you are likely to find a USB drive that is perfect for your needs. You can even find USB drives about the size of a credit card, that hold more memory than you could ever need.

There will always be those professions that keep to the old ways and prefer to open a physical file up in front of them, instead of opening the file on a computer. However, most people truly do see the benefit of these great inventions, and will use them in every aspect of their life, and no one will ever know just how many files you have in your purse.

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USB News, USB Technology

Flash Drives Make Life Easier

Flash drives can make everyday easier in a number of different ways. Many people use USB flash drives to get more organized at home and at the office as well. Staying equipped with a flash drive at all times will prove to be advantageous and can create a number of unforeseen positive possibilities. Many people also use flash drives to store and backup data as well as transfer or distribute data between parties.

Stay Organized with USB

Using flash drives is a great way to become more organized if you find yourself feeling overwhelmed or disorganized. Flash drives have the capability to store thousands of files of various sizes. Many people use folders effectively to organize files and documents for personal life and for business as well. Many people allot different flash drives for specific purposes and uses. Flash drives are a great way to organize movies, music, tax documents and business documents as well.

Stay Equipped with USB

Keeping a flash drive available at all times will pay dividends in the long-term. A USB flash drive is a very useful tool to have around that accomplishes a few different essential functions when dealing with technology and data. Having a flash drive around makes transferring and saving data a possibility while on the move or away from the computer. Using flash drives also makes sharing and distributing data easier to do amongst a team, friends or group of employees.

Using flash drives can be the difference between being prepared for life and going through each day feeling disorganized. USB flash drives can help organize business and personal documents as well. Having flash drives available at all times will increase the options and possibilities when working with data in a mobile environment. Flash drives and USB technology are advancing and creating more possibilities for consumers in multiple markets.

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USB News

USB Technologies Shaping America

USB drives are shaping the future of America and around the world as well. There are many popular uses for USB drives in several different industries. There is a high potential for the possibilities that USB drives and flash drives can create. USB drives can help drive different industries in a few different ways; it can create different avenues of income in a variety of ways.

Popular Uses for USB Drives

Many individuals and businesses use USB drives in a variety of ways. USB drives are often used for storage and transferring important information. Many businesses use USB flash drives to give employees remote access to information on servers or networks for working with company software and databanks. USB drives make transferring boundless sets of data and information possible within mere minutes. Scientists can use USB drives to process tissue and explore DNA in record a pace.

The USB Potential

The potential for flash drives and USB drives in our society seem limitless. USB flash drives can be thought of as the engines driving the information age. These drives make the information readily available and transferable in almost any circumstance. This device makes sharing and storing large sets of data equally is easy. It is hard to imagine how far these small devices can take humankind as we assimilate them more and more into our daily lives and existence. Flash drives can store hundreds of gigabytes and has transfer speeds up to five gigabytes per second. This technology creates infinite possibilities when combined with other basics technological applications.

USB drives and flash drives are quickly shaping the world that we live in. These small devices may very well be the driving force into the future and new era of humankind and technology. There are a number of uses and seemingly limitless potential contained in these tiny flash drive devices.

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USB Technology

Why USB Flash Drives Are A Necessary and Universal Tool

USB Flash drives are everywhere these days from home office desktops, kitchen computers to computers at work, in the field or on vacation.

Why are USB drives everywhere?

  1. They offer computer users the freedom and flexibility to save as many files and pictures as they want without bogging down their computers.
  2. USB drives are affordable and cost as little as $5 for a 2 GB flash drive.
  3. Unlike other ineffective forms of advertising and promotion, USB drives are a great form of promotion because, any logo or branding information that’s printed on them will be seen every single day.

1980’s USB Flash Drives

One of the most popular and cool uses for USB drives in this day and age is to have them printed up in shapes and styles that mimic things that were popular in the 1980’s.

For example: Quicksilver is now issuing USB drives in the shapes and styles of their 1980’s skateboards and surf boards. These flash drives are hot sellers especially for anyone who skated or surfed in the 80’s and is searching for a bit of nostalgia.

Other popular flash drives from the 1980’s are Transformer and Voltron flash drives, these flash drives are also hot sellers right now thanks to the popularity of the recent Transformer big screen movies.

USB Drives for Company Promotion

If you own your own business or you’re in the sales field and want to make a name for yourself, there’s no better way to promote yourself than by giving away free USB flash drives.

Before giving them away, make sure that you have USB drive printed with your name, logo, phone number and website address because, if a potential customer has more ways to contact you they will be more likely to contact you when they need your service than looking in the phone book to call a competitor.

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USB Technology

Think All Flashdrives are Created Equal?

USB flash drive technology is currently the most common method for the storage and transfer of digital information. When you’re buying a flash drive, it may seem like they’re all the same—aside from their exterior design. You can get flash drives that are shaped like legos or colored with neon patterns, but in all likelihood, you expect the technology inside the case to work the same way. Strangely enough, however, picking out a flash drive is not all about choosing the best or most attractive design. Not all flash drives are actually created equal and if you intend to buy one, it would behoove you to do a little thought and research before you make a decision.

Choose the Right Size

Most people will tell you that you should begin your considerations with an honest look at your budget and your memory needs. Flash drives are becoming capable of handling more and more storage in smaller and smaller packages almost daily, but more is not necessarily better. Consider the type of use you will be making of your drive and calculate whether you really need 250 GB to move your word documents around. Ideally, you should shoot for a size just a bit over what you really think you’ll need during the lifetime of the device. You can always upgrade if you need to, but you’ll feel like you wasted money if you spring for a super expensive device with a capacity you never even begin to tap.

Choose the Best Drive

Picking a storage capacity will help to narrow the field. Your next considerations should be the manufacturer and brand as well as any useful features you might want. Picking a well-known and established brand will help you to feel that you are getting a quality product. You may also want to look for a drive with a good warranty. Most flash drives take a lot of abuse after all, you will want to know that your device is protected. When it comes to features, look for write protection switches that will keep a computer from wiping or overwriting the drive without your permission. Another feature to look into is password protection.

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USB Technology

What You Should Know About Backing Your Files Up On USB Devices

One of the most common uses for USB technology is data storage. It makes sense really, the whole purpose of the technology is to facilitate data transfer from one device to another. We use USB flash drives and hard drives all the time when we need a place to store our information—whether it’s for a temporary transfer or long term storage. In the case of long term storage, however, the details of what and how you store your information become much more important. The stakes rise again when you are storing data for the back up of a machine. No one wants to take the trouble to make a back up, only to find its been corrupted or destroyed when you really need it. If you’re planning to make a back up using a USB drive, then here’s what you should know.

Pick the Right Device

The first thing that you will need to do is pick a device to store your data. Though there are many USB devices available for this sort of use it is best to consider an external hard drive. These drives are essentially the same as the ones in your computer. What makes them a better choice for long-term data storage is their stability over the long term and their large storage capacity. Something like a USB flash drive will tend to be less stable after multiple uses and though their memory capacity continues to grow, an external hard drive still has it beat.

Protect Your Data

Once you’ve made your back up, you will want to take steps to protect your data. This also means protecting the drive you used to hold that data. An external hard drive, for example should be stored level and protected from vibration and sudden movement. A flash drive will need to be put in a safe place where it cannot get lost or damaged. If you are truly concerned about your data, you may want to consider taking some extra steps to protect it. These could include making multiple back ups or arranging for data encryption on your drive. If you take the necessary steps to protect your data, then it will be waiting for you when you need it.

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USB Technology

What Are YOU Looking For In A USB Drive?

Choosing a USB drive might seem easy in this day and age. Technologically speaking, there has never been a better time to get a hold of the best technology on the market. Drives are smaller, faster, and more stable than they have ever been before, after all. Still, all this advancement has come at a cost. There are also more brands than ever to choose from, as well as more silly bells and whistles. It can be difficult to make an educated decision between all the options on the market. You can’t just buy any drive on the market either though, as this is the device you will be using to store your information. You need to take the time to pick the best USB drive for your intended purpose.

The USB Flash Drive

This is by far the most common type of drive used to transfer information these days. A flash drive is removable and rewritable, it generally weighs less than an ounce and can store up to 256 GB. These drives can have a 10-year data retention cycle and may allow as many as a million write or erase cycles. These drives are great for temporary storage and portability, but there are some drawbacks to them as well. For one thing, though you can get a flash drive in nearly any design you like, they are small and easy to lose. They’re also easy to forget and send through the wash with your favorite jeans. In addition, you will find that after a certain number of write or erase cycles, the drives become unstable and are no longer useful. This type of drive is best used with information that you are interested in moving between machines rather than information you plan to store forever.

The External Hard Drive

External hard drives are set up much like the drives that run your computer. This means that they do have some fragilities, but they are different than those of the flash drive. An external hard drive is a much better choice for your critical system back up than your flash drive, but don’t expect to use it to carry music or projects from the home computer to a computer at work or school.

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