May 26, 2004
The power of USB
Forbes writes The physical format of the thumb drive--USB connector at one end, plastic case at the other--has suddenly become what Winnie the Pooh called "a Useful Pot to Put Things In." The original thing was memory, in quantities far greater than floppy disks can handle. But now the format encompasses everything from Wi-Fi adapters to cameras that can shoot video.
Memory remains the primary use for the sneakernet set. Plug this data-on-a-stick into a USB port, and a new drive is suddenly available to do your storage bidding--no driver installation required unless you're using an older operating system. You can get 32 megabytes for about $15; a 256-megabyte model with the higher-speed USB 2.0 goes for as little as $50.
As USB memory becomes a commodity, manufacturers are developing new features. If you're willing to pay a steep premium for cuteness (16 megabytes for $50, 256 for $150), you can get a tiny model that slips into a plastic duckling and lights it up from the inside--the iDuck from Dynamism.com. Better idea: an expandable combo drive like the $50 Kanguru 64MB MicroDrive Plus. It comes with its own memory but can also accept SD cards like the ones that fit into many digital cameras. (full story)
Get Small Business Technology Report
Via Email Every Tuesday
What is Smallbiztechnology.com?
Smallbiztechnology.com helps small-medium sized businesses strategically use technology as a tool to grow their businesses and provides news, articles, discussion boards, resources, analysis & events for the owners of small to medium sized busineses.
Subscribe to the Smallbiztechnology feed.
Recent Posts
- Online Marketing: Are Your Campaigns Under Control?
- Making the Move to a New Web Host Provider
- Online Backup So Many Viable Choices. Which One Is For You?
- Windows Home Server - For Home Based Businesses With Small Networks
- LinkedIn: It's Much More Powerful Than You Think
- Is Email Keeping You Down. An IBMer Skips Email for Social Tools
- Keep Your Laptop Bagged At the Airport: NEW TSA Rules
- As Gas Goe$ Up, Use Technology To Communicate
- Why Open Source Works, Tech Partners Are Essential and ERP Is a Must
- Data Ownership, Access and Location. It's A Mystery.
The Third Annual Small Business Summit 2008 was a smashing success. Check out the Summit site for what you missed. See the 2008 Summit presentations, video and photos!
Post a comment