Flash Drives are Taking Over
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When I talk to customers at my work, one of the things they often tell me is that they have to use a few different computers during the run of their day, normally one at home and one at work. And some of them even have multiple computers in their household. One of the common questions they ask me is "What is the best way for me to carry around all my data?" As soon as I hear that question, I whip out my handy little flash drive.
Introduction
Flash drives have been around for several years now. They all for the most part have the same primary function: to be small, portable storage drives. Users can simply plug a flash drive into an available USB port and have a new drive show up in My Computer. From that point, they're able to access data on the drive, or to write data onto the drive for transport to another computer. That's not the only things they are able to do; the data can be transferred fast enough to run files and programs directly off of the drive itself, and much more.
This is my PNY Mini Attaché 512MB Flash Drive. It is ultra compact, with an integrated cap which swings and covers up the USB end, protecting it from dust and other contaminants. It provides quick and easy transportation for important files.
A lot of people ask how much better are flash drives than recordable media, which is really a debate because they both have their advantages and disadvantages. Which one is better is really a hard question to answer; it all depends on how you plan on using one, and how often. So today we're going to take a look at flash drives to see how these small devices can be used to replace more standard recordable media, and what makes them such a threat to recordable media.
Next: Dissecting a flash drive >>
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