It's a key part of conventional IT wisdom to treat USB flash drives as disposable units and never entrust any important data to them. While this line of thinking often revolves around the fact that USB sticks are easy to lose and easy to break, it's generally understood that the NAND flash ensconced is expected to fail in a relatively short time span. Unpowered data retention is particularly concerning. An enterprising tech blogger and Redditor is doing a small-scale test, and the results are quite promising.

Back in the COVID-stricken days of the year 2020, Zachary Vance bought ten Kingston Digital DataTraveler SE9 32 GB USB 2.0 drives from Amazon and filled them to the brim with random data using direct block writes. He stashed them away, and planned to check data integrity on a minimum of one more drive than the year before. The test years follow the pattern of of +1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 11, 15, 20, 27.

It's 2026 so we're now in test #5, and the results are the same as the previous years: zero bit rot so far, and a total of five drives tested. Vance's method is to test one additional drive for bit flips, and fully re-write any good drives. So far, all tested drives came out perfectly fine, adeptly challenging conventional wisdom that the data on a USB stick isn't expected to be readable after six months to a year, depending on who you ask.

As far as we could find, there are no large-scale tests performed specifically about long-term data retention in consumer USB drives, and Vance's effort is close to the only one we could otherwise find. Commenters pointed out some limitations of Vance's methodology, chiefly the fact that all 10 drives are from the same make, model, and almost assuredly the same lot. He's also keeping the drives at "standard conditions", meaning a box in his closet, in presumably with some form of temperature control.

Vance's results are definitely promising, but drive make and temperature may well be the biggest factors in longevity. Redditor Carnildo performed a three-drive, one-year test recently, employing three lightly-used drives, one PNY and two Lexar of different models, all on "extreme discount" at Office Depot. He left one of the drives unpowered inside an attic without climatization, a space that "spent most of the winter in sub-freezing condition[s]." The second drive was unpowered, but in a standard-temperature room. The third drive was periodically read.

After one year, all three units displayed data corruption, and the one with the most failures was actually the unpowered indoor drive, while the "active" drive displayed the least. If anything can be gleaned from this conflicting set of limited results with small data sets, it's that the largest factors are probably the quality of the USB drive and how it's stored.

Although flash memory manufacturers are meant to follow the JEDEC JESD47 standard that requires that flash chips go through a sustained test meant to simulate 10 years at 55°C, the standard is not binding or enforceable in any form, short of business dealings. While vendor contracts, QVLs, and standards of industries where the cells are used (automotive, aeronautical, etc.) can explicitly demand compliance, there are no such checks for standard consumer USB sticks, particularly among off-brand offerings.

The best option, then, seems to always stick to higher-spec drives made by well-known vendors, and keep them at room temperature with controlled humidity... and always keep backups handy.

A computing enthusiast has assembled one of the most bizarre USB drives we have ever seen. Despite being the size of a dinner plate, this drive holds just 128 bytes of data. The incredibly poor data density is largely due to the use of the archaic Magnetic Core Memory technology, which predates integrated circuits. Moreover, data saved to this drive is non-volatile (good), but bits are erased during the read process (bad). Despite the drawbacks and impractical nature of this device, created by space science researcher @dyd_Nao on X (machine translation), we applaud the effort.

The Japanese tech enthusiast has mixed this curiously old memory tech with modern ICs and interfaces to come up with this bizarre USB flash drive. Built around the central non-volatile core are modern components like driver chips, sense amplifiers, LEDs, and the USB functionality is provided by a Raspberry Pi Pico. The Pico also handles the rewrite cycle.

Of course, this project was more ‘can I?’ rather than ‘should I,’ as 128 bytes of kinda-NV-RAM on a very large USB drive is of no practical purpose that we can fathom. Actually, 128 bytes isn’t even enough to store the full text from an old-school Twitter Tweet. One of the original post commenters notes that Magnetic Core Memory has good resistance to radiation. But what of all the supporting components…?

What is Magnetic Core Memory?

Magnetic Core Memory was used as RAM before the semiconductor DRAM breakthrough in the 1970s. You can read more about it at places like Wikipedia, but, in brief, it stored data on tiny ferric rings wrapped in wire. If you look at the example photos from @dyd_Nao, you’d observe the central grid-like structure, which is the core plane.

On the plus side, it was non-volatile RAM technology. However, amongst its many drawbacks were its expense, low density, and lack of scalability due to its sometimes hand-woven construction. Moreover, reading the data was ‘destructive’ – or in other words, reading the data would erase the data, so a system would need to re-write it immediately if it wanted the data to persist post-read.

Magnetic Core Memory was first used by a computer in 1953, in MIT’s Whirlwind computer. It is a memory technology that predates integrated circuits, and was actually a RAM standard from 1955 to the early 70s. Intel actually pioneered semiconductor DRAM with its 1103 DRAM ICs in late 1970, commercially debuting cheaper, faster, and denser computer memory tech.

Finding methods to increase storage capacity, without going to the cloud, is becoming increasingly difficult as device manufacturers remove SD card readers from their devices and replace M.2 or SATA storage with embedded solutions that can't be upgraded. SanDisk has developed a new USB flash drive that is designed to permanently stay in your device. The new drive is available in 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB options starting at $26, with the 1TB flagship model going for $120 (though at the time of writing, the 512GB and 1TB variants are "temporarily" out of stock).

• Check out SanDisk's new thumb drive here

The new drive is part of a handful of "Plug and Stay" thumb drives Sandisk has created. This latest iteration features an L-shaped form factor that keeps the drive as thin as possible when connected to a laptop, tablet, or other USB-compatible device. When connected, the drive almost looks like a mini-display installed on the side of whatever device it's hooked up to. It isn't thin enough to completely blend into, say, a laptop, but it is small enough to completely forget about while you are using your device, which is the whole point.

The drive takes advantage of a USB 3.2 Gen 1 interface, boasting transfer speeds of up to 400MB/s. That might not sound fast in our age of PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSDs capable of speeds well over 10GB/s. But 400MB/s is more than acceptable performance from a thumb drive, approaching SATA 3 speeds. In fact, with 400MB/s, you could game on SanDisk's thumb drive without a problem (for games that don't require speedy PCIe NVMe SSDs).

SanDisk's offering is a great solution if you need an extra 128GB to 1TB of storage in a pinch. It is becoming increasingly difficult to expand storage capacity on laptops, tablets, smartphones, and other devices as manufacturers continue to prioritize embedded solutions and the removal of SD and Micro SD card readers. SanDisk mostly fixes this problem with its thumb drive, and the best part is that it is still a thumb drive at the end of the day, so you can use it as any other thumb drive or just leave it in your device forever as a secondary SSD.

Recently, I built a PC toolkit that had all the tools that I would need to repair a broken computer. Using Ventoy, it even included a USB flash drive with multiple Linux distros, rescue ISOs, and even a copy of Windows 11 ready to install. What it didn’t have were the apps that I typically use to overcome issues and solve problems.

Sure, I can install these every time I move to a new computer. Or I can work smarter and install them on a portable device and run the apps directly from it. That’s where PortableApps comes in. PortableApps is a website that collates portable versions of common open source/freeware applications that can be downloaded and run from your PC without installation. Best of all, there is a portable launcher that we can install on a USB flash drive and use that to manage software that is installed onto the flash drive.

In this how-to to we will go through the steps to set up your own portable apps flash drive, and show how it can be used between multiple devices.

All you will need for this how-to is a USB flash drive. Preferably USB 3 for the best possible performance. I chose a spare 8GB drive, but even an old 1GB drive would be useful if you only need a handful of apps or a collection of smaller applications.

Setting up the PortableApps USB flash drive

1. Insert a blank, formatted USB flash drive.
2. Open a browser window and visit the Portable Apps website, and click on Download from PortableApps.com. This will download a 7MB .paf file containing the PortableApps Platform application.

3. Double-click on the downloaded file to run the installer.
4. Using the dropdown menu, set your language and click OK.

5. Select Next to move on.

6. Click “I Agree” after reading the license agreement.

7. Select New Install and click Next. This will start the installation process on either your PC or a chosen USB storage device/cloud storage service.

8. Select Portable to install to a USB drive. You could also choose a cloud or local installation.

9. Select your USB flash drive and click Next.

10. Click Install to copy the files to the USB flash drive. If the destination is incorrect, click Back and choose the correct destination.

11. Ensure that Run PortableApps.com Platform is checked, and click Finish to close the installer and run the platform from the USB flash drive.

12. After closing the About pop-up and once the application updates itself, two icons will appear in the bottom right corner of the screen. The first icon, a grey circle with a white arrow, is the PortableApps Menu (Start Menu). The second icon, a blue circle with a grey arrow, is an application installer. Click on the second icon to show a list of installable applications.

13. Scroll down the list and check the applications that you wish to install, and then click Install to start the process. I grabbed a few applications that I always need. Notepad++, GIMP, Inkscape, KiCAD, Krita, etc.

14. Wait for the downloads to complete.

15. Click Finish to end the installation process.

16. Click on the PortableApps Menu icon to launch the applications menu.

17. From the categories, select the application that you wish to run, and click on it to start.

The PortableApps Menu

The PortableApps menu is where we launch our portable applications, but it can do much more than that.

1. Installed Applications: All of your installed applications are listed here. They are broken down into categories for ease of use. You can also use the search bar at the top of the menu.
2. Quick Links to USB: Here are quick links to folders on your PortableApps USB flash drive. The Explore option will open a general File Explorer window to view the drive as a whole.
3. App Management: These links can back up and restore applications, check for app updates, and install new apps. The options link configures how the PortableApps menu integrates with your OS.
4. Eject and Close: These buttons are used to eject the PortableApps USB flash drive and to close the menu.
5. Disk Usage: Used to keep a close eye on available disk space on your PortableApps USB flash drive.

Are the applications truly portable?

I wanted to test this, so I fired up my Lenovo X390, running Windows 11.

I inserted the PortableApps USB flash drive and double-clicked on the Start file. The menu appeared, and I was soon able to launch Notepad++ directly from the USB flash drive.

This led me to the crazy question of “How portable are these apps? Could I make them work in Linux?” The short answer was yes, I could. I needed to install Wine in order to run the Start.exe file from the flash drive. It worked though!

But let's temper this success with a caveat. Some apps crashed! I tried the Krita image editor, and it loaded fine, and then crashed. GIMP was a little slow, but it worked.

PortableApps is a powerful tool for those of us who are nomadic and just want to get working as quickly as possible. It's free, easy to use, and very useful. All you need is a spare USB flash drive, something that all of us have in abundance. So there is no excuse not to test it out.

Ideas man David Delahunty is behind a new flash storage device which looks like a classic MacOS folder icon dragged into the real world. This USB-C attached 128GB capacity storage product is called the FolderDrive, and it will be available soon for about $40.

We don’t have a lot of technical details for the FolderDrive, something which may disappoint the most hard-nosed segment of the Tom’s Hardware readership. However, this product is admittedly one that is first and foremost “whimsical, minimal,” yet functional. So, if you are simply after the best performance and capacity, you better check our guide to the best flash drives.

Dalhunty’s “literal folder for your digital folders” comes in just a single 128GB capacity option, connects via USB-C, and measures 3.25 wide x 2.5 tall x 0.5-inches thick. That’s the full spec sheet, but it is vaguely promised to be fast, reliable and lightweight - without any stats to back up these assertions.

We might have also thought it came in one color – the old MacOS default kind of light blue. Except, Delahunty’s Twitter/X feed shares a glance at some FolderDrives in a few other MacOS appropriate shades.

Small-scale producer Super Fantastic is Delahunty’s partner for getting this FolderDrive into consumer hands (linked top). It indicates the product will be “3D printed with care." Such attention to detail is important, as this product leans heavy on its appearance for being a “great conversation starter for designers, developers, and tech lovers.”

In the Twitter/X thread, we note a little controversy over another designer who originated a folder-icon-like flash drive a few months earlier. But that is quite a different design, and not in production, as far as we are aware.

Reverse skeuomorphism

Apple might have been a pioneer in popularizing skeuomorphism for computer UIs, and I remember some very striking iOS features and apps using this design direction several years ago. Reversing this idea thus seems attractively retro-whimsical.

Similar products based on Floppy icons, CD icons, and other memorable icons would also be quite fun to bring into the real world. A quick search surfaced some floppy disk USB drives for sale, but not in a cutesy computer UI style design. Along similar lines, there is also the WinRAR bag, which we mentioned recently.

Popping up on our list of the best flash drives, the SK hynix Tube T31 is one of the fastest USB-A flash drives that we've ever tested and a great choice for people looking for a convenient storage solution that is compact and plugs right into any USB Type-A port while delivering great performance. It's technically fast enough to be called an external SSD with the performance we noted in our testing, but the Tube T31 keeps its USB flash drive form factor.

Appearing on Amazon for its lowest-ever price, SK hynix's Tube T31 1TB flash drive is discounted to just $59. Previously, the Tube T31 had an MSRP of $79, so this is a nice little savings and a pretty decent price for 1TB of storage. Its ultra-compatible USB Type-A connector makes it easy to use with a host of everyday computing devices and is the perfect backup tool for anyone who wants to secure their data or transfer files from one source to another with ease.

We had the chance to review the SK hynix Tube T31 1TB and gave it an Editor's Choice award for its performance. Our tester noted that this flash drive stick was a little bulky and could possibly block neighboring USB ports on some devices, but the build and form of the drive were sturdy and well-constructed. The Tube T31 did however show off class-leading performance compared to its peers and had some of the fastest transfer speeds available for a USB-A device.

The SK hynix's Tube T31 1TB uses its impressive performance to blur the lines between external SSDs and flash drives in terms of both speed and capacity. The Tube T31 uses a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A connector for easy connection to any device with a USB-A port and makes use of the full 10Gbps data bandwidth available to give speeds of up to 1,000MB/s when transferring your data.

The SK hynix Tube T31 is one of the fastest USB-A flash drives we've ever tested, and currently, it's on a holiday sale at Newegg, where you can pick up two of the speedy flash drives for a heavily discounted price. Although you may not need two 1TB flash drives, this is a great opportunity to pick one up for yourself and gift another, or even gift both of them to techy friends and family who would love to find one of these drives in their Christmas stocking or hiding under the tree.

Appearing on Newegg, SK hynix's Tube T31 1TB Lies of P Edition flash drive is discounted to just $109 for two units. This is a good saving when you work out that the drives are $55 each, a pretty decent price for 1TB of storage, and the cheapest I've seen this drive available for. These particular Tube T31 flash drives are limited edition Lies of P decorated sticks with imagery tied to the video game of the same name. So, if you like the steampunk-esque style of the Pinocchio game, then this is a bonus.

We had the chance to review the SK hynix Tube T31 1TB and gave it an Editor's Choice award for its performance, earning it a place on our list of the best flash drives. In testing, we noted that this flash drive was a little bulky and could possibly block neighboring USB ports on some devices where USB ports were located close together, but the build and form of the drive were sturdy and well-constructed.

The Tube T31 did, however, show off class-leading performance compared to its peers and had some of the fastest transfer speeds available for a USB-A device, blurring the lines between external SSDs and flash drives in terms of both speed and capacity. Its ultra-compatible USB Type-A connector makes it easy to use with a host of everyday computing devices and is the perfect backup tool for securing your data or transferring files.

Don't forget to take a look at our Newegg coupon codes for December 2024 and see if you can save on today's deal or other products at Newegg.

A Japanese company is showing off a new USB thumb drive that integrates a fully functioning camera. April Tokyo’s 3-in-1 USB memory & art camera delivers portable storage, still photography, and video camera functionality in a form not much bulkier than a mainstream storage-only device. If you are interested in this product, it is live on Japan’s largest crowdfunding portal, Makuake, for the next 24 hours (at the time of writing).

Before further analysis of ‘why?’ let us consider the specs of the 3-in-1 USB memory & art camera, and weigh its value. The device is a nice example of miniaturization and integration offering its 3-in-1-ness within 70mm x 40mm (including flash) x 20mm (including lens bump).

A removable cap on one end exposes a USB Type-A port. On the other end, there is a microSD card slot with 32GB included, and a loop for a lanyard, phone charm, keyring, or whatever you have. The product also includes a top-mounted shutter button, mode and menu buttons on the rear, a status light, and a 0.9-inch circular screen on the back for monitoring the camera view. That’s quite an ergonomic setup, considering the product size. There is also a built-in rechargeable battery of unknown rating or stamina.

The crowdfunding pages include some sample shots from the 3-in-1 USB memory & art camera. Quality will be limited by the tiny lens and cheap sensor equipped. It can record both stills and videos. Recorded JPEG images are a little higher resolution at 1280 x 960 pixels, with AVI videos captured at just 1280 x 720 pixels with 30fps, at best. However, it could be OK for ‘art.’ With artistic scene crafting in mind, the tiny device even includes some “unique filters,” but they turn out to be just a set of four color filters.

They say the best camera is the one that you have with you. April asserts that “USB memory is convenient for storing and carrying data at work, so you always want to carry one with you,” and thus it can fill this role. However, how many people who are inseparable from their flash drive don't also carry a smartphone?

Mediocre image quality could be forgiven if this gadget had a great price, because who doesn’t like X-in-1 devices - with the more X the merrier? The current early bird crowdfunder backing pledge required for a 3-in-1 USB memory & art camera is 7,216 Japanese Yen, which is roughly $50, so it could be an impulse buy for some, if not sat next to simple cheaper alternatives with the same capacity (like this $10.99 pack of three 32GB flash drives from PNY).

April Tokyo seems like a company determined to one day enjoy runaway success for its niche-targeted products. Looking through its existing product library, it is marketing things like: an AI smart pillow with height adjustments available in 1mm increments; a double-barreled hair dryer, and; an electric bed pad that emits “far infrared rays.”

Despite the rise of cloud-based storage, USB flash drives have been the go-to option for those who need local, pocketable access to important files for decades. These tiny drives are still sold nearly everywhere (including at chain drug stores, often at highly inflated prices), despite companies like Microsoft, Google, and Dropbox making online storage a convenient and often free (depending on capacity) alternative.

But because flash drives often work just fine for a decade or more, you could be hanging onto one that’s pitifully slow by today’s standards, and too cramped to hold all the data you need here in 2026. Capacities of up to 2 TB are an option with several recent flash drive models (and 1 TB is common), and the performance of the fastest flash drives approaches that of some of the best external SSDs.

We’ve tested dozens of recent flash drives, from leading brands and lesser-known alternatives, and listed the best USB flash drives below, to help narrow down your pocket-friendly storage search. That said, if fast performance is key to your workflow and you can deal with a device that's just a little bit bigger and requires a cable, one of the best external SSDs is usually a better buy.

Also, if you have a spare M.2 SSD from upgrading a laptop or desktop, you can save some money building your own external SSD by mounting an old drive in an enclosure.

Prime Day Exceptional external storage deal

 Best Flash Drives You Can Buy Today

Best Fast, Affordable Flash Drive

Just like its roomier 1TB variant, the 256GB Kingston DataTraveler Max is a speed demon in the flash drive world. At $30-$35, Kingston’s 256GB drive is a great balance of speed, affordability, and capacity for those who don’t want to spend much more on a roomier, somewhat faster alternative.

Available with either a USB-C or USB-A connector, the 256GB DataTraveler Max performed nearly as well as its more spacious 1TB sibling in our PCMark, DiskBench, and CrystalDiskMark tests, making it one of the fastest flash drives we’ve tested. And it’s also fairly slim, making it easy to slip into a pocket.

Just note that, if you’re a desktop user and you opt for the model with the USB-C port, you will likely have problems plugging the drive into rear USB-C ports on the motherboard. Thanks to the two-piece plastic slide mechanism that protects the drive’s port when not in use, the USB-C connector is slightly too short to plug into most motherboards successfully.

I tried this with three boards I have on hand and had the same issue with each. But, if your PC case has a front USB-C port or you’re using a laptop, this shouldn’t be an issue. I only had this problem with rear motherboard ports and this drive.

Those looking for similar performance and price without the USB-C connector issues should instead consider the 256GB TeamGroup X1 Max. It has a USB-C port on one end (that we didn't have problems connecting to a motherboard) and a USB-A port on the other. Its performance is also excellent, but the caps on either in don't fit that snugly and will be easy to lose.

Fastest Flash Drive

The line between flash drives and external SSDs is increasingly indistinct, and SK hynix's Tube T31 blurs it even more, by putting an actual M.2 drive on a small PCB and shoving it into a somewhat bulky but surprisingly speedy flash drive form factor.

Capacity is limited to just 512GB and 1TB models, but this is the fastest "SSD stick" we've tested yet, surpassing Transcend's ESD310C and Kingston's DataTraveler Max drives on most of our tests. Priced at $85-$90 when we wrote this, it's also slightly more affordable than those drives at the 1TB capacity.

If you're after a simple portable drive and don't need 20 Gbps speeds or a capacity higher than 1TB, it's a great choice. Its bulk might get in the way of nearby ports on a desktop or hub. But on a laptop, the USB-A port (if you still have one) is likely set apart from other USB ports. And on a desktop, you probably have several USB-A ports to choose from, unlike USB-C.

Read: SK hynix Tube T31 Review

Fastest USB-C Flash Drive

Much like the SK hynix Tube T31 drive (which is generally slightly faster in testing but also larger) Adata's SC750 blurs the line between flash drive and SSD, by essentially putting a retractable USB port on a small SSD inside a plastic housing, making for a compact flash drive that beats nearly every competing drive that doesn't require an external cable.

In our testing, the 10Gbps-rated Adata SC750 beat the Tube T31 in PCMark 10, came in second in reads in our 10GB DiskBench read test, and was faster than the hynix drive in writes. Adata's drive didn't look quite as good in our CrystalDiskMark results, but overall it's generally the second-fastest drive we've tested in this category.

And unlike the Tube T31, it uses USB-C rather than the older USB-A port. So if you want to plug your drive into a phone or you have a laptop with only USB-C ports, it should be at the top of your list for convenient and speedy external storage.

In terms of price, the ADATA SC750 may cost slihgtly more or slightly less than SK hynix's drive, depending on whether the latter is on sale. But given the similar performance and what generally seems to be about a $10 price difference between the two drives, if you're considering both drives, you should probably make your choice based on which port (USB-C for Adata, USB-C for SK hynix) is the most convenient for your use cases.

Read: Adata SC750 review

Best Cheap and Tiny Flash Drive

If you're after a drive that's small enough to leave plugged into your laptop most of the time, or you just want something you can clip to your keychain and forget about until you need it, Samsung's FIT Plus stands out. The 128GB model we tested sells for $18, and when we wrote this the top-capacity 256GB model was selling for just $25 direct from Samsung.

At less than an inch long, including its USB-A connector, it will stick out of your port less than an inch when plugged in. And it has a hole for a lanyard, it feels solid – in fact, this sub-$20 drive feels better than the most expensive drives on our list. And Samsung says it's rated to survive in up to 1 meter of water for 72 hours. In case it doesn't, the company covers the drive with a generous five-year warranty.

That being said, our testing shows this tiny drive is in a much lower performance class than the bigger, pricier, roomier models. On our real-world DiskBench 10GB test, the Samsung Fit Plus read our files at a decent 319.7 MB/s, but could only write at 58.4 MB/s.

That's just over half the read speed and less than 15% of the write speed of Kingston's 1TB DataTraveler Max. That said, the Samsung drive's performance was still significantly better than most of the drives we tested with capacities less than 1TB. SanDisk's Extreme Pro 128GB wrote our test files about twice as fast, but it costs nearly 2.5 times as much and is more than six times longer.

Best High Capacity Flash Drive

There are loads of insanely cheap no-name 2TB flash drives available on Amazon and sites like Aliexpress if you like throwing your money at scammy garbage tech – but the 2TB Buffalo SSD-PUT is real and (at $160 when we wrote this) a surprisingly good deal. It's cheaper than most larger 2TB external SSDs (although some of those will definitely be faster), and significantly smaller (although still bulky for a flash drive).

Overall, this drive did slightly better on our benchmarks than its 1TB sibling, meaning it doesn't beat or often quite match the Kingston DataTraveler Max. But for the price -- and especially considering it's one of a very few 2TB drives available from a known brand, this is a very impressive performer.

On the minus side, the drive has the same creaky, cheap-feeling plastic shell as the 1TB model, and it's nearly an inch wide, making it a tight fit on some laptops where the ports are placed close together. But you get a roomy 2TB of pocket-friendly storage at fast speeds (for a flash drive), and a bundled USB-C adapter should your device not have a USB-A port handy.

If Buffalo would just release this drive in solid-feeling metal housing (or even a solid-feeling plastic one), this would arguably be the perfect flash drive for those who need lots of storage in their pocket.

Flash Drive Shopping Considerations

How We Test Flash Drives

Our current testbed consists of an ASRock Z790 Taichi Lite motherboard and a Core i5-12600K CPU. This system gives us native Thunderbolt 4 ports and a USB 3.2 Gen 2 2x2 port via the front header (connected through Corsair's 5000D Airflow case).

All of our benchmark testing was done with drives plugged into the system's rear USB 3.1 Gen 2/ USB 3.2 (10 Gbps) ports. The Aorus board we used has one Type-C and one Type-A port rated for these speeds, so we were able to accommodate drives with both types of connectors.

To get a sense of how these flash drives compare to a larger (though still usually pocketable) external SSD, we also ran our flash drive tests on the Mushkin CarbonX, a 1TB External SSD that's rated to similar speeds as the fastest flash drives, or "Up to 1,000 MBps."

This drive is no longer widely available, but you can expect similar performance from some of the more affordable options on our Best External SSDs list.

Given external SSDs' general ability to perform better on longer-duration workloads (and particularly small file writes, which we'll see shortly in testing), an external SSD is often a better option if you are going to frequently be moving large amounts of files on and off your drive, and especially if you plan to run programs from your portable storage device.

The larger surface area and improved controllers and components of external SSDs tend to make them better at those kinds of tasks, though there are of course noticeable performance differences in that product category as well.

Trace Testing - PCMark 10 Storage Benchmark

PCMark 10 is a trace-based benchmark that uses a wide-ranging set of real-world traces from popular applications and everyday tasks to measure the performance of storage devices.

Transfer Rates – DiskBench

We use the DiskBench storage benchmarking tool to test real-world file transfer performance with a custom 10GB dataset. We copy 1,204 files (images, videos, and software ISO files) to a folder on the test drive (write). Then, after leaving the system idle for five minutes, we run the same test in reverse, moving the test folder to a different location on our PCIe 4.0 testing drive.

Synthetic Testing CrystalDiskMark

CrystalDiskMark (CDM) is a free and easy-to-run storage benchmarking tool that SSD companies commonly use to assign product performance specifications. It gives us insight into how each device handles different file sizes. We run this test at its default settings.

A Note on Temperatures

If you've used a flash drive in the past and written lots of data on it, there's a good chance you've grabbed it to yank it out when you're done and winced at the hot – or at the very least surprisingly warm – exterior. We've certainly dealt with uncomfortably toasty drives before, but perhaps that's becoming an issue of the past.

We initially checked 10 of the drives we tested, and none felt hot to the touch after writing large amounts of data. We used an IR thermometer to check the temperature of several during a long 100GB write test.

After several minutes of sustained writing, the Transcend and PNY drives got the warmest, but were still under 94 degrees Fahrenheit. The solid-feeling metal-clad Orico drive got up to just 83.4 degrees, and the similarly solid OWC Envoy Pro Mini remained the coolest, at just 78.5 degrees Fahrenheit. The tiny Samsung Fit Plus, which barely has any surface area compared to the other drives, topped out at 82.1 degrees in our testing.

For future drives, we will only measure surface temperatures when a drive feels unusually warm during testing.

Other Flash Drives We Tested

Kingston Dual Portable SSD (1TB): This dual-port 10 Gbps drive from Kingston delivers convenience, versatility, and chart-topping synthetic and sequential read performance, outpacing our favorite USB-A-only SK hynix Tube T31 in some of our tests.

But it isn't quite the fastest when it comes to writes, and its small file performance was mixed, marking it as not the best choice for running programs or an operating system directly off the drive.

Still, the Kingston Dual drive makes a strong case as a fast and compact file mover, and is available in capacities up to 2TB, despite its slim metal shell. It's a worthy alternative to the Tube T31 if you're primarily using the drive to back up and carry files (and you need USB-C connectivity).

But it's also currently expensive, selling for north of $150 for the 1TB model we tested, while the SK hynix drive was available at Micro Center for about $50 less.

The Tube T31 is increasingly scarce, however, while Kingston's drive just recently launched. If the Dual Portable SSD goes on sale, it's a great option if, again, you don't care much about small file performance.

SanDisk Extreme Fit (1TB): This tiny USB-C drive is designed to be a semi-permanent attachment to the side of your laptop (or the back of your desktop), as an easy way to add storage space. Available in capacities ranging from 128GB to 1TB (the capacity we tested), it's not aiming to be a speed demon, with advertised read speeds of "up to 400 MB/s."

In our testing, it achieves that in our sequential CrystalDiskMark test (419.34 MB/s, to be exact), while delivering a decent real-world read speed of 318.3 MB/s in our 10GB file transfer test.

But write speeds are much lower (82.52 MB/s in the same 10GB test), and the small SanDisk drive's score of 274 on our PCMark 10 Data Drive test was less than a quarter that of the chart-topping Kingston drive. For its general purpose of semi-permanent storage, it's fast enough for general use without feeling sluggish (particularly when retrieving files).

But as small as it is, it doesn't sit flush with your USB port, making snags or bumps an obvious worry. And it's wide enough that it comes very close to blocking the adjacent USB-C port on my Asus laptop. So unless you're dealing with sensitive files or have spotty Wi-Fi, you may want to opt for cloud storage instead.

Seagate Ultra-Compact SSD (2TB): Despite being one of the best-looking and premium-feeling of the recent spate of so-called "stick SSDs," Seagate's flash drive-style drive just didn't stand out in benchmark testing, often lagging behind the SK hynix Tube T31 and TeamGroup's X1 Max, both of which cost less.

A price drop would make this drive more appealing, but it just wasn't as speedy in our tests as other high-end stick storage options.

PNY Pro Elite V3 (1TB): This third iteration of PNY's high-end flash drive has a solid metal sliding shell that protects its USB-A port when not in use. Its 1,000 MB/s read and 800 MB/s write speed rating, in particular, is a bit more modest than the claims of its high-end competition.

And while it exceeded those speeds in our sequential test, it disappointed elsewhere, like in PCMark, where it scored only half of some of the best alternatives we've tested.

It also couldn't crack the top five in our real-world read test (though its write speed there was nearly the best). So while the Pro Elite V3 is head and shoulders above the V1 and V2 that came before it, it doesn't stand out in terms of overall performance.

And at $105 for the 1TB model we tested, it's also one of the priciest 1TB drives we've tested. When we wrote this, the faster SK hynix Tube T31 was $86 at the same capacity, making it easily the better drive.

Silicon Power MS70 (1TB) and DS72 (1TB): These two drives from Silicon Power perform roughly the same and have similarly solid-feeling shells and flip-up caps. The DS72 has a USB-C connector on one and and USB-A on the other, while the MS70 makes do with just USB-A.

The Silicon Power drives also perform fairly well overall, but were inconsistent on our tests. In Crystal Diskmark's sequential tests, they were the best flash drives we've tested yet, and they were also among the best on our 10GB DiskBench test.

But on the PCMark 10 Data Drive benchmark, they consistently delivered scores that were roughly half of what the Transcend and Kingston drives we tested and they weren't particularly impressive in our 4K test, either.

Pricing for the 1TB models that we tested was also in an awkward middle area, between our favorite mainstream drive from Buffalo and the better-performing options from Transcend and Kingston.

Still, if the price drops by $10-$20, these would be good options, particularly if you mostly want a drive to move files from one place to another rather than to run programs directly. Their physical design and build quality feel better than some of the more expensive options out there.

Orico USSD-X (512GB): Orico's latest flash drive is wrapped completely in metal, and feels surprisingly solid in your hand. And supposedly it will be offered in several colors. Its performance in our testing hovered between middle of the pack and near the top, excelling in our PCMark and Diskbench tests, especially.

That said, its performance didn't stand above the rest in any single test, and at the time of testing, we couldn't find it for sale in the US. Hopefully, the company improves its supply issues, because this USB-A drive feels better to hold and use than arguably any other flash drive we've tested. And its performance is quite solid. We just need to know how much it will cost.

OWC Envoy Pro Mini (1TB): This drive was the second-fastest overall and sports a solid metal shell. But its design is overly complicated, as is its setup process (which forces you to agree to a EULA which, when we wrote this, was still 404ing). Really though, the primary problem with OWC's drive is price. At $149 for the most spacious 1TB model, it's nearly as expensive as the 2TB Buffalo drive. And often the Buffalo drive goes on sale for less.

Patriot Supersonic Rage Prime (1TB): With a name this obnoxiously aggressive (and $90 price to match), we were expecting impressive things from Patriot's top-end flash drive. And it did quite well in some tests, but struggled on our 10GB file transfer test, managing to write at just 91.7 MB/s–behind all but the lower-capacity, much lower-priced drives on this list.

PNY Pro Elite (1TB): We like the solid metal shell of this PNY drive, but its $130 asking price is higher than any other 1TB drive we've tested. And it struggled on our 10GB write test, managing just 96.9 MB/s, which was slower than even Samsung's 256GB Duo Plus drive. There isn't much that's pro or elite about that.

Orico UFSD-C (1TB): This metal-clad USB-C drive looks and feels great and performed quite well overall, though its benchmark results didn't stand out in any real way. Its main issue is availability. The company sent us the 1TB model we asked for, but it doesn't seem to be for sale anywhere in the US.

You can order it on Aliexpress, but even there it's only available at up to 512GB, and its $82 current price is close to what we'd expect the 1TB model to sell for.

Samsung USB-Type-C (‎128GB): One of Samsung's newer drives, this model sports solely a USB-C connector and isn't much bigger than the USB-A Fit Plus drive. But it's slightly more expensive than the Fit drive and had a tendency to land near the bottom of our tested Samsung drives in terms of performance.

If you need USB-C and don't need a lot of speed (and particularly write speed) and capacity (it tops out at 256GB), this isn't a bad drive. It just doesn't stand out in any substantive way. And we wish its write speed were at least twice as fast as the 59-67 MB/s we saw in our sequential tests. Read speeds were, at least, much faster at more than 300 MB/s.

SanDisk Extreme Pro (128GB): While SanDisk's high-end drive performed well compared to other 128GB models, its $43 price at that capacity is about 2.5x that of Samsung's Fit Plus. And while it is available in up to 1TB capacities, the most spacious model sells for between $130 and $200, making it much more expensive than competing drives.

SanDisk Ultra (256GB): SanDisk's plastic-clad Ultra drive is exactly the kind of thing you'll see drastically overpriced at your local pharmacy or big-box store. Online, it seems fairly reasonable at about $20. But Samsung's Fit Plus is much smaller, performed better in most of our tests, and can be found for $5-10 more in the 256GB capacity.

MORE: Best SSDs

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It's always handy to have a thumb drive on you, or at least within easy reach, for important backups, or ease of transportation. Today's deal is on a TeamGroup flash drive with a whopping 256GB of storage capacity, that's marked down to a wonderfully low price, but the catch is that it's a limited-time deal. 

You can find today's deal at Newegg where TeamGroup's 256GB C175 flash drive is only $13 for a limited time. This seems like a great price for a very handy and portable 256GB storage solution. Whether it's backing up your photos or getting ready for a new year at school/college, having the best flash drive at hand can always help you out. 

A flash drive isn't the fastest available way of moving your files about, but it is a very convenient one. Using its USB 3.2 connection for file transfers, the C175 can transfer files at speeds up to 100MB/s, which is more than ample for backup storage or for an emergency Windows ISO.

The C175 comes in a sleek matt and gloss design with no seams on the body of the drive. A dust cap prevents dust or dirt from getting into the inner workings and a hidden latch is located on the rear of the C175 USB drive so that when you're using the USB drive, you can plug the cap into the back of the drive to avoid losing it. 

When you buy a flash drive, you certainly want capacity, performance, and resiliency in that order. However, there is a flash drive that offers exactly opposite features: an 8KB (yes, eight kilobytes, 8192 symbols) capacity, but that capacity can last for 200 years—just in case one needs to preserve it this way. It is priced at €29.95 with taxes and has a blue LED, which is essential, so I tell you.

The Blaustahl USB storage device by Machdyne features 8KB of FRAM and is designed for long-term text storage, potentially lasting over 200 years. It incorporates a Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller, making it suitable for various secure storage applications in case it can fit into a tiny amount of storage space.

The device uses FRAM (Ferroelectric RAM), known for its ultra-low power consumption, rapid write speeds (like if you do care at 8KB), and extremely high write endurance, capable of one million billion read/write cycles. It makes it superior to EEPROM and NOR flash in terms of performance, though it comes at an unbelievably high cost. The Blaustahl includes 4MB of NOR flash for firmware and a USB Type-A male port that requires no additional drivers on most operating systems.

What can you store in an 8KB device? Well, a few pages of text, depending on the formatting. Speaking of text, in a bid not to embarrass yourself among your ancestors, the Blaustahl features a built-in text editor accessible through serial communication programs like PuTTY and Tera Term. On second thought, this makes it ideal for secure storage of passwords, cryptocurrency keys, notes, and geocaching data—if you are brave enough.

But then again, it is FRAM. FRAM stands out for its longevity and endurance compared to other storage solutions. It can retain data for over 200 years at 35°C, outperforming NOR flash, which lasts up to 200 years, according to the manufacturer, and NAND flash, which lasts between 16 to 20 years under similar conditions. EEPROM also offers good data retention but with longer write times and fewer write cycles compared to FRAM, yet at 8KB you do not care anyway.

There is good news, too: future firmware updates are expected to include encryption features, further enhancing the device's security. The firmware, schematics, and enclosure design files are all accessible on GitHub, allowing users to explore and modify the device to suit their needs.

Through GitHub and Crowd Supply, Ryan Walker of Interrupt Labs (via CNX Software) is releasing a security-focused, open-source USB flash drive called Ovrdrive USB, which boasts a self-destruct mechanism that heats the flash chip to over 100 degrees Celsius.

The Ovrdrive USB is unencrypted by default, so it should still be legal in countries where encryption is otherwise illegal while providing an extra degree of (physical) security not matched by our current best flash drives.

First, the Ovrdrive USB design functions pretty simply. It's mostly a run-of-the-mill USB flash drive with a unique activation mechanism. For it to be detected by your machine, you have to rapidly insert the drive three consecutive times actually to turn it on. Failure to do so will hide the drive's partition and give the impression that it's broken. Initially, it was supposed to self-destruct, but it proved too challenging to mass produce, forcing Walker to change the drive.

Nonetheless, Walker left the original destruction mechanism intact in the final product. The mechanism reverses the voltage supplied to the device to around 100 degrees Celsius. However, it may not be hot enough to kill the flash chips, but users can always add a compound for it to self-destruct. Obviously, the creator will not ship any hazardous compound with the Ovrdrive USB.

The first revision of the Ovrdrive USB featured a peculiar activation method where users used wet fingers to activate the pen drive, which meant licking their fingers before plugging in the pen drive.

As a product aimed at journalists, researchers, and others needing an extra storage security layer, the Ovrdrive USB design may be a good choice. This activation mechanism is no substitute for full encryption (particularly in countries where you can encrypt your storage). However, it still serves as an excellent security knowledge check for unwanted third-party drive users.

Fortunately, encrypting a USB drive yourself isn't very hard— specific versions of Windows have the built-in BitLocker drive encryption feature, and VeraCrypt is also available as an open-source, highly recommended alternative. VeraCrypt is generally recommended over BitLocker, particularly if your system has a TPM module external to your CPU (see our list of best gaming CPUs).

In its crowdfunding campaign on Crowd Supply, the flash drive is slated for an August 2024 release and priced at $69 with free US domestic shipping or $12 international shipping for the rest of the world. At the original time of writing, the flash drive has reached 70% of its funding, with two days remaining on the funding deadline.

Data recovery firm CBL reports that memory chips in the most recent microSD cards and USB sticks are perhaps the most unreliable. The company says that in its business, it's finding more and more devices with cut-down memory chips with manufacturer names removed and even USB sticks that utilize a repurposed microSD card soldered onto the board. CBL concludes that portable flash devices are suffering from increasingly poor quality.

“When we opened defective USB sticks last year, we found an alarming number of inferior memory chips with reduced capacity and the manufacturer's logo removed from the chip. Clearly discarded and unrecognizable microSD cards are also soldered onto a USB stick and managed with the external one on the USB stick board instead of the microSD's internal controller," explains Conrad Heinicke, Managing Director of CBL Datenrettung GmbH.

CBL believes these low-quality NAND flash chips were probably manufactured at trustworthy companies like SanDisk and Samsung but failed quality control. Instead of being thrown away, they were saved and made it to the broader market. These chips are not completely broken, but CBL notes they come with reduced storage capacity, implying that reducing capacity was how they were salvaged.

CBL even provided photos of three USB sticks in its data recovery business. The manufacturer's name was covered with text on one of the flash chips, but it can be identified as SanDisk. However, the two other drives shown had no names or labels. One even used a black microSD card soldered to a PCB, an increasingly common tactic to produce USB sticks cost-effectively (and perhaps dubiously).

Most low-quality USB sticks were "promotional gifts," according to CBL, but some were "branded products." Though this should concern us, CBL doesn't elaborate on what it considers a "branded" product. USB sticks can come in many forms: free ones that you might get (such as a promotional gift, as CBL says), regular sticks that come from brands you probably haven't heard of, and models that are from mainstream brands like SanDisk. If CBL claims this kind of flash is found inside even drives from brands with name recognition, that would be a big problem.

CBL also identifies QLC technology as another factor that compounds the reliability problems exhibited by these repurposed chips. Every flash chip comprises cells, and each cell can store several bits. The first NAND chips could only store one bit per cell and were called single-level cell (SLC), which meant excellent performance and reliability but inferior data density.

Eventually, manufacturers began increasing the bits per cell to increase the amount of storage that could be put on a single chip, but more bits meant less reliability. Today, quad-level (QLC) flash chips offer the highest bits per cell and are commonly used for cheap drives. CBL says that combining subpar flash chips with QLC memory exacerbates already existing quality problems, and the company says, "You shouldn't rely too much on the reliability of flash memory."

This report doesn't even touch on the plague of USB sticks that falsely claim to have several hundred gigabytes of capacity but only have perhaps as little as 16GB or even 8GB. These devices are also constructed using techniques similar to the USB sticks that CBL warns of, like sticking microSD cards to a board.

Veteran US software engineer and security researcher Steve Gibson has announced a new drive tool from Gibson Research Corporation (GRC). The underlying purpose of ValiDrive v1.0 is to “spot-check any USB mass storage drive for fraudulently missing storage,” which has become ever more important given the influx of fake drives flooding online retailers. This freeware tool also checks any USB-connected drive for read / write errors.

In case it isn’t clear from your own experience of buying discount USB drives why it will be useful, Gibson reveals that he bought 12 drives from Amazon in the last month, and ValiDrive proved that “every single one of them was a bogus fraudulent drive.” See the image above for the motley collection of deceitful drives that can be picked up from one of the world’s biggest online marketplaces.

Gibson’s Amazon shopping splurge was prompted by testers of SpinRite v6.1 (GRC's premier mass storage maintenance and data recovery system) being perturbed at the “diabolical” proliferation of fake USB drives on the market. These fraudulent drives don’t offer the capacities advertised and will routinely lose data to maintain their deceit.

Above, you can see an example ValiDrive UI screenshot showing a scan result. GRC says that this USB drive was sold as a 2 TB capacity device, but only 62 GB of capacity was present and verified by the tool.

ValiDrive certainly sounds like quite a thorough testing tool. Where Windows and lesser sys-info tools are happy to go along with and misreport fraudulently described drive capacities, ValiDrive is claimed to put the storage through a “576-region spot-check to test the readability, writability, and true storage presence of any [USB connected] drive.”

ValiDrive 1.0 is a pleasingly compact and portable app, as we have grown to expect from GRC, weighing in at just 95KB. Some may criticize the Windows 3.1 aesthetics, but others will find it no-frills and functional, or even retro-cute. In addition to Gibson’s dirty dozen Amazon drive testing, respondents to the developer’s Twitter post seem pretty happy with ValiDrive so far. Several tested drives which users suspected to be fraudulent were found to be so. Meanwhile, others testing big brand drives from reputable sellers have reported success in capacity verification.

We have recently reported on fake SSDs and fake high-performance external SSDs packed with microSD cards.

ValiDrive 1.0 is available to download now and is freeware.

Journalists at Ecuadorian news outlets have received USB thumb drives rigged with military grade explosive charges. According to the Associated Press, at least five booby-trapped USB flash drives were sent to journalists across Ecuador. Thankfully, only one of the devices actually exploded, and it caused no injuries. A suspect has been detained for questioning.

Lenin Artieda, a journalist at the Ecuavisa news organization, was the unfortunate recipient of the USB flash drive that actually exploded. Artieda opened an envelope on Monday morning and fished out a nondescript USB drive. He plugged it into his computer and it exploded, destroying the PC. 

Neither Artieda, nor anyone else in the room, were injured by the blast. Later investigations by the authorities revealed that only half of the explosive charge within the USB flash drive case had ignited — so the journalist and others in the office at the time of the explosion were lucky, in a way.

Artieda is well known for his news coverage of crime and corruption. He has obviously ruffled the feathers of one or more nefarious Ecuadorian individuals to receive this unwelcome attention. Government officials are calling the USB drive mail bombs domestic terrorism.

The explosive packed into the USB drives is thought to have been RDX. RDX is a high explosive that's more powerful than TNT and has no discernible smell or taste, and was widely used in WWII. You've probably heard of RDX's plasticized form — it's the explosive agent found in C-4.

Other news outlets in Ecuador were similarly targeted. According to the AP report, Teleamazonas, Radio Exa, and TC Televisión also received devices but they failed to explode. The report doesn't discuss why these devices failed to explode, but perhaps the USB ports they were plugged into didn't offer a high enough voltage to detonate the RDX. Authorities also intercepted one explosive USB device before it reached its destination. 

Computer users should always beware of unsolicited, found, or left-behind USB drives. Even if they aren't rigged with explosives, plugging in an unknown USB drive is risky — they could house viruses, such as spyware, keyloggers, Trojans etc. There are also USB killer sticks, which are widely and cheaply available and are not very friendly to electronic devices.

One of the easy ways to quickly get malware on a victim's PC is to trick them into thinking that they are getting something for free and make them install everything themselves. It is what criminals from the U.K. do in a bid to steal money from their targets.

Scammers from the U.K. send USB drives with Microsoft's Office suites in seemingly real Microsoft packaging to random addresses trying to make victims think that they received a legitimate Office Professional Plus (worth $439) by mistake. After the victim plugs the USB drive into their PC, it is not an Office launch installation wizard but encourages people to call a fake support line. The latter then persuades the casualty to hand over remote access to the PC and provide them payment information, reports Sky News.

"As soon as they had plugged the USB into the computer, a warning screen appeared saying there was a virus," said Martin Pitman, a cybersecurity consultant for Atheniem. "To get help and fix the issue, they needed to call a toll-free number to get the computer up and running again. As soon as they called the number on screen, the helpdesk installed some sort of [remote access program] and took control of the victim's computer. Here the hackers 'sorted' the problem and then passed the victim over to the Office 365 subscription team to help complete the action."

Baiting attacks are nothing new, but they target specific victims and rarely use postal packages for various reasons. But the fraudsters from the U.K. targeted random people using postal packages, according to the cybersecurity expert. Such targeting may seem inefficient, but if you send out a thousand counterfeit Microsoft Office packages and steal money from a few dozens of people, the act will quickly pay for itself. Moreover, it could be more efficient than sending out millions of fraudulent emails, as people these days are aware of email scammers.

Microsoft is aware of the issue but says it is a rare occurrence. However, it is not so rare for Microsoft to be mindful of it and launch an internal investigation. Nowadays, the company prefers to distribute its software via the Internet and advises its customers to visit an appropriate support page to find out how to avoid fraud and scams.

China-based Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC) has announced the latest iteration of its Xtacking NAND technology (now in its third generation), ushering in a new era of speed, density, and improved power efficiency. According to the company, its latest NAND chips (X3-9070) improve performance by 50% over previous designs (based on its 128-layer Xtacking 2.0 tech), while doubling density to 1TB per chip. Paired with a 25% reduction in power consumption despite the improved speed, it seems that Apple might find even more reasons to adopt the company's tech.

"The advent of YMTC's self-developed Silicon Stack 3.0 architecture is an important breakthrough in the 3D NAND track," said Gregory Wong, founder and chief analyst of Forward Insights. "It has been proven that the hybrid bonding of storage arrays and peripheral logic circuits is essential to drive the development and innovation of 3D NAND technology."

YMTC's Xtacking 3.0 tech brings about a claimed 50% performance improvement over the previous generation, achieving 2,400 MT/s over the previous gen's maximum of 1,600 MT/s. The company pins both the performance and power efficiency improvements on its adoption of a 6-plane NAND design, instead of the more traditional 4-plane of the previous generation. The doubling in density is nothing to scoff at either, and is a required development in a world with ever-increasing data storage needs. 

Interestingly, YMTC doesn't yet seem to have deployed its 196-layer NAND design with the announcement of the X3-9070 NAND chips. The company's next-generation NAND tech was slated to enter production sometime in the second half of this year, but any references to it in volume production are still absent. It may be that the company encountered difficulties in the transition, or perhaps it's just a case of it adopting a tick-tock like manufacturing and research process — first figuring out the new 6-plane design, improving yields, with a later introduction of their new layer density.

Despite its technological advancements, YMTC is still trailing Micron and other NAND manufacturers around the world. Micron has announced volume production of its 232-layer NAND tech for later this year, with some impressive density and performance characteristics, while SK Hynix is hot off our own presses with its 238-layer designs. YMTC's battle continues to be an uphill one, but it's impressive what the company has achieved while fielding only two 300mm wafer fabs for its actual production runs. The company will have to scale further in order to capture any sizable market share, but it seems its R&D investments have been paying off - despite continuing US pressure — the latest of which specifically addresses NAND technologies.

China specifically possesses one of the biggest addressable markets across the globe, and companies worldwide look at it — and the potential earnings — with a certain twinkle in their eyes. The increasing pressure on China's technology imports imposed by the United States has led the country's leadership — and its companies — to focus on developing domestic technology that is able to not only serve its market, but the various billion-dollar tech markets. NAND is but a slice of it — but a significant one, valued at $66.52 billion in 2021 (expected to reach $94.24 billion in value by 2027).

Private and corporate data is crticial to its owner, so protecting it is extremely important. But those who want to steal the data are quite resourceful, which makes physical protection of things like laptops tricky. Corporate desktops and laptops can be disabled remotely, but not all consumer laptops are equipped with this capability. To secure these machines, a group of enthusiasts designed the BusKill USB kill switch cord that disables the system if it gets disconnected.

The BusKill USB kill cord for a laptop is a relatively simple device with a USB connector on one side, a USB drive on another and a carabiner to attach it to a belt loop. The kill cable pairs with appropriate software (compatible with Windows 10, Mac OS 10.05, and Ubuntu 20.04/18.04) that continuously checks the connection to the USB drive with keys.

Once the PC is physically separated from its owner (e.g., when a laptop is taken away or stolen), a special Python script either locks the screen or shuts the machine down. It can even wipe out the drive (Linux only, deletes the LUKS header) or encryption keys of an FED drive (which will render data unusable). In fact, 'everything scriptable' can be triggered, according to the manufacturer. 

The BusKill software can be armed when using a PC outside or in places with certain risks. It can also be disarmed when the PC is at home or in a secure location. Furthermore, the breakaway connector uses strong magnets to avoid accidental disconnections.  

While BusKill adds a level of protection to laptops, the best thing it can do (at least in Windows and macOS) is to log out from the system. This forces the perpetrator to authenticate, which will still be possible with weak passwords or even copied fingerprints. 

The BusKill USB kill switch cord is completely open source in terms of software, so one could download the program and build it at home. Unfortunately, though, the cable will not have the safety magnets in this case. Those who want a prebuilt BusKill USB cord can buy it from its developer for $99 or grab a custom magnetic breakaway cable for $49.

Rostec, a Russian high-tech conglomerate, has introduced a USB flash drive with a built-in detonator that can destroy the NAND memory chips inside. The detonator can be activated manually, and the resulting destruction is completely safe for the user, the manufacturer says. 

Technodynamika, a Rostec company, has developed a USB drive that looks like a standard flash stick, but unlike regular drives, it not only contains a NAND memory chip and a USB-to-NAND bridge/controller, but also a battery and an electric detonator. When activated by a press of a button on the end of the device, the detonator 'burns down printed circuit board with a cumulative charge,' according to Rostec. 

"This message will self-destruct in five seconds," is probably the most familiar phrase from the Mission Impossible franchise. The phrase is usually accompanied by a cinematic sequence of self-destruction, which includes burning, dissolution in acid, or something else. But in the case of Rostec's drives, the case of the device remains intact, which guarantees the owners' safety. Meanwhile, it remains to be seen how Technodynamika intends to protect the destruction button from accidental activation.

Modern drives that can quickly erase their contents usually encrypt the stored data with an AES-256 key, and they just destroy the key when it is time to retire the data. Unless you have a quantum computer with formidable performance, it is impossible to break a 256-bit key in any reasonable amount of time. Yet, for true paranoids who do not want to take any chances, Rostec's method is certainly the preferable one.

"We have created a new device that is able to reliably protect information from unauthorized access: the impossibility of data recovery has been proven by the expertise," said Igor Nasenkov, chief executive of Technodynamika. "In the future, the device will be tested for safety during long-term storage, resistance to mechanical impact, and climatic factors. We are also going to work on various design options for the case."

At present Rostec only has prototype drives, but it says that it can configure both the performance and capacity for custom orders. 

Future AMD processors could be coming with USB4 support and DisplayPort tunneling sometime soon. According to Phoronix, AMD Linux driver engineers are working on a new AMDGPU kernel graphics driver featuring initial support for USB4 DisplayPort tunneling technology.

We don't know exactly what architecture will come with USB4, however, rumors are floating around that AMD's Ryzen 6000 series APUs codenamed "Yellow Carp" and "Rembrandt" could feature USB4 connectivity. If so, then AMD will likely be targeting laptops for USB4 adoption first before bringing it over to desktop Ryzen-based CPUs and Radeon RDNA-based graphics cards.

Tunneling is a new feature introduced to USB4 that comes from the port's Thunderbolt 3 integration. Tunneling allows multiple protocols, including USB, DisplayPort and PCIe, to all operate at the same time (albeit with reduced bandwidth per protocol). This is different from USB alt mode, which allows only a single protocol to be active at a time.

Alt mode can still be useful if you need all of your USB bandwidth targeted towards one protocol, however, tunneling could prove to be more advantageous when you don't need all bandwidth targeted towards one connection (like a USB dock with multiple ports).

The new AMDGPU kernel graphics driver is almost ready to be delivered to the public, and according to Phoronix, could be ready in time for Linux 5.16. This could very well mean that AMD is preparing USB 4 support for its next generation of CPUs or GPUs.

There are many 512GB USB flash drives on the market, but very few come in a small presentation like PNY's Elite-X Fit offerings. As per a ComputerBase report, the Elite-X Fit is now available with a 512GB capacity.

The Elite-X Fit measures 2.16 x 1.52 x 1.55 cm, so it isn't a lot longer than the typical USB Type-A connector itself. The drive adheres to the USB 3.1 Gen 1 specification and, according to PNY, the Elite-X Fit 512GB (P-FDI512EXFIT-GE) delivers read speeds up to 200 MBps. PNY rates write performance as 30 times faster than USB 2.0 (3 MBps), which works out to 90 MBps.

Given the Elite-X Fit's dimensions, the SanDisk Ultra Fit is the only competitor within the same size class. The Ultra Fit, however, comes with a 2.97 x 1.42 x 0.51cm footprint, so the Elite-X Fit is a tad shorter. 

SanDisk advertises the Ultra Fit 512GB with a read speed up to 130 MBps. However, the manufacturer doesn't commit to a write speed, instead just touting performance up to 15 times faster than a normal USB 2.0 flash drive. By SanDisk's standards, USB 2.0 flash drives write up to 4 MBps, which would put the Ultra Fit's write performance to around 60 MBps. In summary, PNY's drive reads 53.8% and writes 50% faster than SanDisk's drive.

PNY sells the Elite-X Fit 512GB for $99.99 on the brand's online store. The Ultra Fit 512GB typically costs $10 less unless it's on sale. The Elite-X Fit 512GB is backed by a limited one-year warranty, which is a bit short considering that SanDisk offers a five-year warranty on the Ultra Fit.

Western Digital has announced its new embedded flash drive, which uses 96-layer 3D NAND memory. The iNAND MC EU321 can be embedded in all sorts of computing devices, from smartphones to PCs.

Western Digital’s iNAND MC EU321 will be available with capacities between 32GB and 256GB, supports a a UFS 2.1 Gear3 2-lane interface and comes with an in-house controller. The drive features a performance of 800MB/s sequential read speed, 550MB/s sequential write speed, as well as up to 50/52K random read/write IOPS.

The BGA package of the iNAND MC EU321 measures 11.5×13×1mm, which makes it small enough to fit in slim laptops, but also in tablets, smartphones and even VR headsets.

Western Digital says its SmartSLC 5.1 caching technology ensures that the device maintains high performance, even when the drive is almost full. The single-level cell (SLC) buffer can clean up fragmented data when the device is idle. The SmartSLC 5.1, which brings a 10 percent improvement in performance over the previous generation, is optimized for high-resolution photography, fast file transfer and content download.

Going Higher-Density

Western Digital has been using the industry-leading 96-layer 3D NAND memory technology since at least April. The company also introduced its first 96-layer SSD in June. Many SSD makers, including Western Digital, have been using 96-layer SSD technology in conjunction with quad-level cell (QLC) technology to increase densities and lower cost, offering customers more GBs for a lower price.

However, the QLC SSDs should normally last less than MLC, TLC or SLC drives, which is why most companies also take advantage of SLC caches so that the QLC portion on the drive is less utilized and can last longer.

Western Digital didn't say when its embedded storage flash drive will start shipping, but it's expected to arrive soon on the market.

Elie Bursztein of Google’s anti-abuse research team tested how effective spreading malware would be through “lost” USB sticks on a university’s campus. He found that 98 percent of the 297 dropped usb sticks were picked up by people, and of those who found them almost half (45 percent) of them clicked on the stored files inside the USB sticks.

Most operating systems, with the exception of Qubes OS, don’t isolate the USB drives from the rest of the system by default. Therefore, if there is malware on them, it could infect the systems either through user action (by clicking on the files) or even through inaction through various firmware vulnerabilities.

Testing People’s Behavior Around “Lost” USB Drives

Bursztein, the researcher behind this project, also tested to see if giving the sticks various labels, such as “Confidential,” or “Exams,” would influence the behavior of those who found them. He discovered that when they were labeled, the people finding them were more likely to open the sticks on their PCs compared to when the sticks had no label at all. However, he also found that those drives that had a return address on them, were much less likely to be opened.

To further test the behavior of those who found the sticks, Bursztein also labeled the files as “private” on sticks that came with physical keys attached, were labelled with a return address, or were unlabelled. The files on the “confidential” sticks were labeled with “business.” None of the files had the expected content on them, though. They were all HTML files with embedded images that were connecting to the researcher’s server, from where he could see which files were opened.

Upon opening the files on the drives, the users were asked if they wanted to participate in a survey, with the possibility of earning a gift card. About 20 percent of them agreed. Over two thirds of those who agreed said that they intended to return the sticks to their owners, 18 percent said they were “curious” about what was in them, and 14 percent gave other explanations.

Potential Attack Vectors

There are multiple ways in which the users could have been infected. The HTML files on which they clicked could have activated malicious code when they were opened, or the users could’ve been redirected to a phishing site that would then try to steal their credentials. There’s also the possibility that an attacker could put malicious executable files on the USB drives. Then, if users clicked on them and allowed the files to run, their systems would’ve become infected.

Alternatively, attackers could use devices that physically look like USB sticks but would be recognized by a computer as keyboards. This is a more sophisticated attack done through HID (Human Interface Device) spoofing. It allows attackers to “inject” some keystrokes as a set of commands into the systems, which would then give the attackers remote access to those systems.

The most sophisticated type of attack done by seeding USB sticks is one that takes advantage of zero-day vulnerabilities in a computer’s USB drivers. This is a method that’s used more often by state-sponsored attackers. One example of such an attack is the infamous Stuxnet malware, which infected Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Because of the complexity and cost, attacks that take advantage of USB firmware zero-days should be more rare. However, large organizations should still be on the lookout for those, as that’s one way large data breaches could happen. Most regular users would be targeted more often with keyboard-spoofing devices that look like USB sticks, or real USB sticks that contain malicious files, which the users may access out of curiosity.

Security researchers recommend that you don't insert random USB sticks into your computer. If you have to open them, at least have your system’s patches up to date. Ideally, one would only open them in a virtual machine, specifically set up for such risky scenarios, or on a system that doesn’t allow writing on its own drive.

Patriot opened up its treasure trove of flash-powered goodies at CES 2016, including a new PCIe SSD, 2.5" SSD, thumb drives and an external SATA enclosure. Let's take a closer look at its USB arsenal.

Supersonic Mega USB

The Supersonic Mega USB is perhaps one of Patriot's most compelling new USB offerings due to its hefty capacity options, USB 3.1 (Gen 1) connection and relatively low price. The Supersonic Mega comes in 128, 256 and 512 GB capacities for a reasonable price of $49.99, $89.99 and $229.99, respectively. The copious amount of storage allows users to lug around an incredible amount of data in a small package, and with 380/70 MBps of read/write performance (brought to you courtesy of its USB 3.1 goodness) the Mega will provide enough speed to get data on and off the drive relatively quickly.

The $229.99 sticker price may seem shocking for a USB drive, but there are very few options that offers as much high capacity, and many of the competing offerings from reputable companies command a higher price point. For instance, the 512 GB Corsair Flash Voyager weighs in at $304.13 (295/170 read/write MBps) and the Kingston HyperX Predator 512 GB drive retails for $385.91 (240/160 read/write MBps). Both of these USB challengers feature the USB 3.0 interface and offer faster write speeds, but slower read performance. However, it is hard to beat Patriot's $0.44-per-GB price point. 

Gauntlet 4 USB Type-C SSD Enclosure

The Patriot Gauntlet 4 storage enclosure accepts any 2.5" form factor SATA storage device. The enclosure is bus-powered, so users will not need to bother with the hassles of searching for an external power connection. The enclosure supports USB 3.1 (Gen 2) to provide the maximum throughput, which is particularly well suited for SSDs.

The Gauntlet 4 comes with both microB to Type-A and MicroB to Type-C cables, which will allow broad compatibility with other devices. The simple aluminum enclosure (with an ABS drive tray) is plug-and-play and offers up to a 16 percent increase in read performance and a 22 percent increase in write performance in comparison to the previous-generation Gauntlet 3 product. Speed will naturally vary according to the type of storage device in the enclosure, and the Gauntlet 4 will be available at the end of Q1 for a mere $39.99. The increased speed of the USB 3.1 Gen 2 and the Type-C connection is a great addition to the portable enclosure market.

Viper USB

Patriot's Viper USB thumb drive packs the USB 3.1 punch, albeit at Gen 1 speeds. The Viper comes in 64, 128 and 256 GB capacities for $34.99, $54.99 and $94.99, respectively. Patriot positions the rubber-clad Viper series for both the professional and casual gamer, which is a somewhat odd distinction that is presumably derived from the fact that the Viper color scheme matches Patriot's new gaming PC products.

Patriot did not list the actual features that qualify it as more gaming-capable than other products, and there is no performance information, but the company included the statement that the USB stick offers "the perfect trifecta of speed, mass storage and value for all gamers."

Patriot also announced its new Supersonic Magnum 2 series, which sports speeds up to 400/300 MBps read/write, but little other information, including capacity and cost, is included.

The Supersonic Mega USB will be available on January 18 and the Viper USB will bring its gaming prowess to the market at the end of Q1.

USB-C brings the promise of faster speed and more flexibility, and the storage industry is embracing the interface with a spate of new USB Type-C enabled storage devices. The latest storage releases from LaCie, the premium brand in the Seagate arsenal, continue the trend. USB 3.1 and Type-C comes in several somewhat confusing flavors, which we distilled down for our readers in this handy guide.

LaCie Chrome

Both of the new LaCie offerings leverage the USB Type-C connection with the USB 3.1 interface, but the Chrome employs the faster Gen 2 10 Gbps interface to provide enough speed for the two 500 GB M.2 SATA SSDs in RAID 0 that populate the stylish Neil Poulton design.

Together, the two SSDs provide up to 940 MBps of throughput, but LaCie is not sharing much information on the brand of SSDs employed, nor detailed performance and endurance specifications. LaCie has utilized Samsung SSDs for its external enclosures in the past.

The Chrome enclosure docks to the stand with powerful neodymium magnets that allow removal of the base for easy transport. The rectangular case is tilted on its edge, but the sturdy base and internally secured cables ensure that it remains upright and solid. The aluminum enclosure, which features a chrome finish, draws external power and can charge other USB Type-C connected devices.

The Chrome employs a fan and heatsink arrangement to cool the SSDs and will be available in a single 1 TB capacity point for $1,100. The Chrome comes with a two-year warranty and will be available in the March timeframe.

LaCie Porsche Design Drives

LaCie also introduced its new Porsche Design Drives, which it developed in collaboration with the Porsche Design Group. The aluminum enclosures come in five different capacity points of 1, 2, 4, 5 and 8 TB, and capacity dictates the size of each respective offering.

All of the Porsche models employ the USB Type-C connector, but LaCie chose to utilize the USB 3.1 Gen 1 interface because the HDDs are the limiting factor in terms of speed -- not the 5 Gbps interface.

The Porsche Design Mobile drive features a small form factor for the 1 and 2 TB models, which employ Seagate's new 5,400-RPM SMR HDDs with a 7mm Z-height. The 1 and 2 TB models are bus-powered so users will not have to use an external power source.

The 4 TB model comes in an incrementally larger housing and also features an internal SMR HDD, which requires an external power source. The enclosure can also charge connected devices during use.

The 5 and 8 TB models come in the largest enclosure and also require an external power source. The 8 TB model employs a standard PMR-based HDD. LaCie is not releasing detailed performance specifications at this time, but the company indicated that the performance should be sufficient for the majority of external data storage use cases.

All of the drives come with a two-year warranty. The 1, 2 and 4 TB Porsche Design Mobile Drives will start at $109.99. The 4, 5 and 8 TB LaCie Porsche Design Desktop Drives will start at $209.95, and availability begins in the March timeframe. 

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SanDisk's new Ultra Fit 128 GB flash drive can store up to 16 hours of Full HD video but is about the size of a dime. Last year the company launched a 64 GB model to meet customer demand for large capacity, but the new model doubles existing density in the same award winning small package.

The new Ultra Fit follows the previous 64 GB model with USB 3.0 connectivity. SanDisk claimed performance is 130 MB/s, up to 10x faster than USB 2.0 competitors. A full length HD movie can transfer in as little as 40 seconds.

The Ultra Fit product line includes SanDisk's SecureAccess software to keep private files safe with password protection and 128-bit encryption. A one-year subscription to RescuePRO software is also included.

SanDisk's Ultra Fit products have gained popularity in VMWare ESXi servers as boot devices. This leaves more drive bays available for VM storage while still providing high performance to host the low drive write operating system files. 

The new Ultra Fit 128 GB retails for $119.99 with availability starting today. SanDisk covers the drive with a five-year warranty.

Chris Ramseyer is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware, covering Storage. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

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SanDisk has leveraged next generation NAND flash lithography to produce a number of new products for Computex 2015. The new SanDisk Ultra USB 3.0 Flash Drive packs 256 GB of data into a small package that is capable of delivering up to 100 MB/s.

The new Ultra USB 3.0 Flash Drive is SanDisk's first 256 GB thumb drive and sets a high mark for this product category. To differentiate from a crowded field, SanDisk offers the drive with a five-year warranty and includes encryption software that takes advantage of the built-in 128-bit encryption. SanDisk's SecureAccess software keeps private files safe with password protection. RescuePRO software also ships with the drive.

iNAND type package implementations where the controller and NAND die are packaged together allow for smaller designs that don't overheat or pull power at the upper limits of USB 3.0. Many of the large capacity designs we've tested over the years run very hot and either throttle to reduce heat (and transfer performance) or become unreliable over extended use periods. NAND flash endurance decreases when written to at higher than normal temperature. SanDisk's commitment to a full five-year warranty tells us this product was built for general consumers and is not a specialty product that needs to be looked after with special usage conditions.

The SanDisk Ultra USB 3.0 Flash Drive goes on sale today worldwide with an MSRP of $199.99.

Chris Ramseyer is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware, covering Storage. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

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Transcend, a maker of flash memory and SSD drives, announced several new USB flash drives in 128 GB and 256 GB capacities. They include the 256 GB JetFlash 780, the rugged 128 GB JetFlash 810, the classic JetFlash 700/730 and the capless JetFlash 790K/790W.

Along with one of the highest capacities on the market, the JetFlash 780 flash drive supports read speeds of up to 210 MB/s and write speeds of up to 140 MB/s, which should make transferring files blazing fast.

At 256 GB, in terms of storage capacity it's almost like you'd be carrying a whole computer drive with you, but in a much smaller package. Transcend said its 256 GB flash drive can store up to 120,000 images, 64,000 mp3s or 64 hours of Full HD video. There are also JetFlash 780 variants that range from 8 GB up to 128 GB.

The JetFlash 810 is a "rugged" flash drive that is splash, dust and shock resistant. It has a rubber housing that meets U.S. MIL-STD-810G 516.6 standards for drop-tests. The drive is available in five colors for each storage capacity.

The JetFlash 700/730 flash drives come in white and black, with a classic design and a LED indicator that turns on when the drives are in operation. The USB 3.0 drives offer speeds of up to 90 MB/s read and up to 40 MB/s write. The 700/730 flash drives are available in storage options from 4 GB to 128 GB.

The JetFlash 790K/790W offers a choice of capless and retractable designs that protect the drives and their contents. They also offer USB 3.0 speeds of 90 MB/s read and 40 MB/s write and can be found in capacities from 8 GB to 128 GB.

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Patriot announced a new dual-sided USB flash drive. The flash drive features a USB Type-C connector on one side, while the opposing side features a USB Type-A connector utilizing the USB 3.0 standard. The flash drive will be available in 32 GB and 64 GB capacities when it is released this June.

Although this is just a flash drive, it is important to see that Type-C devices are starting to come to the market. In recent months, we have seen several companies working to adopt the new USB 3.1 standard and the new USB Type-C connector into their products.

For desktop users, motherboards from Asus, ASRock, Biostar, and MSI have already been announced that will make use of this connector.

In addition to the new motherboards, Apple has added a USB Type-C connector to its latest MacBook, Google outfitted its new Chromebook Pixel with a pair of them, and Microsoft has added support for the new USB standard into Windows 10. Although we have not seen any phones or tablets yet featuring the USB Type-C connector, the MHL Consortium has declared that the latest MHL standard supports the Type-C connector as well.

These new products show the support for the new Type-C connector, but having a Type-C connection is of little use without compatible accessories. This flash drive is important because it's another sign that the new USB Type-C connector is getting greater traction and is increasingly spreading throughout the market.

Follow Michael Justin Allen Sexton @LordLao74. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.

USB flash drives are generally not interesting enough to write news posts about, but today we were persuaded by PNY's new adorable device. The company has partnered with the Lego group to build a USB 2.0 flash drive in the shape of a Lego brick. (Okay, we've seen these before, but c'mon, it's Lego.)

The USB drives will be available in various distinct Lego colors in both 8 GB and 16 GB capacities. They will have a capless sliding design and come with a key fob so you can attach it to your keychain. But let's not forget the most important specification: The USB drive is compatible with regular Lego bricks. 

That last specification is both what makes this product as cool as it is worrisome. It will be a perfect way of hiding your USB drive, but it's also the perfect way of losing track of it, only to find it again 10 years later in some forgotten bin of Legos.

Pricing is set at $7.99 for the 8 GB model and $12.99 for the 16 GB unit. Included in the packaging is the USB drive itself, along with a single 2 by 4 Lego brick.

Follow Niels Broekhuijsen @NBroekhuijsen. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.

Flash And Removable Storage

Upgrading And Repairing PCs 21st Edition

• Chapter 3: Processor Specifications
• Chapter 3: Processor Features
• Chapter 10: Flash And Removable Storage
• Chapter 20: PC Diagnostics, Testing, and Maintenance

Alternative Storage Devices

Since the mid-1980s, the primary storage device used by computers has been the hard disk drive. More recently, however, flash-based storage including SSDs (solid-state drives) are increasingly being used as hard drive replacements. Although SSDs can physically replace a hard disk drive (HDD), they operate using a completely different set of principles that may require a treatment unlike that used for conventional HDDs. For data backup, data transport between computers, and temporary storage, secondary removable storage devices such as flash memory devices/drives, optical drives, magnetic tape drives, removable media hard drives, and even floppy drives have been useful supplements to primary storage. Cloud storage, too, now plays a major role in data transfer, storage, and backup.

Flash Memory Devices

Flash memory is a special type of solid-state memory chip that requires no power to maintain its contents. Flash memory cards can easily be moved from digital cameras to laptop or desktop computers and can even be inserted into photo printers or self-contained photo display devices. Flash memory can store any type of computer data, but its original primary application was digital photography. However, more and more digital music players have removable flash memory cards, and so-called thumb or keychain flash memory devices that plug directly into a USB port have helped make flash memory a mainstream storage medium and a popular replacement for some types of magnetic removable-media storage, particularly floppy disks, Zip drives, and SuperDisk drives. Flash memory in the form of SSDs is rapidly increasing in market share as a high-speed alternative to conventional magnetic hard disk storage.

Flash memory was invented by Fujio Masuoka at Toshiba in the early 1980s, with the original patents filed in late 1981. At the time Toshiba unfortunately didn't know how important this invention was, and by 1988 Intel had introduced competitive versions and quickly took the lead in flash memory development and production.

Flash Memory Devices, Continued

Flash memory is a type of nonvolatile memory that can be electrically programmed and erased. It was originally used in PC motherboards as EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory) chips for storing the motherboard basic input/output system (BIOS). Flash ROMs replaced the EEPROM, which could only be programmed or erased by special equipment outside of the motherboard.

Flash memory can be considered sort of a cross between random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). Just like RAM, flash memory can be written directly in the system, yet just like ROM it is completely nonvolatile, meaning that it retains data after the power has been turned off (and without a battery like the Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor [CMOS] RAM). Besides being nonvolatile, there is one other big difference between flash memory and conventional RAM: The system cannot rewrite Flash memory; it must always erase it first.

When erased, flash memory cells are in a low-voltage state that carries a logical 1 value. The act of writing to (or programming) flash places a charge in the transistor’s floating gate, which changes the 1 to a 0. Once a flash cell is programmed (that is, changed to a 0), the only way it can be changed back to a 1 is by erasing it. The problem with this is that, although you can program individual cells or pages, you can only erase cells or pages on a block basis, and a block usually consists of thousands of cells (512 KB in most cases). The actual programming and erasing process coaxes electrons into and out of the transistor’s floating gate by a process known as Fowler-Nordheim tunneling.

The two major types of flash memory technology are called NOR (Not OR) and NAND (Not AND). Both use the same basic transistor (cell) design, but they differ in how the cells are interconnected. NOR flash works more like dynamic RAM (DRAM), providing high-speed random-access capabilities with the ability to read or write data in single-byte quantities. NOR flash is the type of memory used for flash ROMs, such as those found in motherboards, cell phones, and most devices that have updatable firmware.

On the other hand, NAND flash works more like a storage device, reading and writing data in pages or blocks instead of individual bytes. NAND flash is used in devices that store file-oriented data, such as SSDs, USB key or thumb drives, digital cameras and digital film media, music players, and more. NAND flash is denser than NOR flash, storing more data in a given amount of die space and costing less overall for a given amount of storage.

The speed, low power requirements, and compact size of recent flash memory and SSD devices have made flash memory a perfect counterpart for portable devices such as laptop computers and digital cameras, which often refer to flash memory devices as so-called “digital film.” Unlike real film, digital film can be erased and reshot. Ultra-compact, USB flash memory drives have all but replaced traditional floppy drives, Zip/SuperDisk drives, and even optical discs for transporting data between systems.

Several types of flash memory devices have been popular, including the following:

• CompactFlash (CF)
• SmartMedia (SM)
• MultiMediaCard (MMC)
• SecureDigital (SD)
• Memory Stick
• ATA Flash
• xD-Picture Card
• Solid-state drive (SSD)
• USB flash devices

Some of these are available in different sizes (Type I/Type II). The table below shows the various types of solid-state storage used in digital cameras and other devices, listed in order of introduction.

SSDs and USB flash drives are not listed because they do not have a single standardized form factor. SSDs, normally used as hard disk drive (HDD) replacements, come in different form factors, including the same form factor as 1.8-inch, 2.5-inch, and 3.5-inch HDDs as well as adapter card–based versions that plug into a slot in the motherboard.

CompactFlash, SmartMedia, And MultiMediaCard

CompactFlash

CompactFlash was developed by SanDisk Corporation in 1994 and uses the ATA (AT Attachment) architecture to emulate a disk drive; a CompactFlash device attached to a computer has a disk drive letter just like your other drives. When CompactFlash was first being standardized, even full-sized hard disks were rarely larger than 4 GB, so the limitations of the ATA standard were considered acceptable. However, CF cards manufactured after the original Revision 1.0 specification are available in capacities up to 128 GiB. While the current revision 6.0 works in [P]ATA mode, future revisions are expected to implement SATA mode.

The original size was Type I (3.3 mm-thick); a newer Type II size (5 mm-thick) accommodates higher-capacity devices. Both CompactFlash cards are 1.433-inch wide by 1.685-inch long, and adapters allow them to be inserted into laptop computer PC Card slots. The CompactFlash Association oversees development of the standard.

SmartMedia

Ironically, SmartMedia (originally known as SSFDC for solid state floppy disk card) is the simplest of any flash memory device; SmartMedia cards contain only flash memory on a card without control circuits. This simplicity means that compatibility with different generations of SmartMedia cards can require manufacturer upgrades of SmartMedia-using devices. Now defunct, the Solid State Floppy Disk Forum originally oversaw development of the SmartMedia standard.

MultiMediaCard

The MultiMediaCard (MMC) was codeveloped by SanDisk and Infineon Technologies AG (formerly Siemens AG) in November 1997 for use with smart phones, MP3 players, digital cameras, and camcorders. The MMC uses a simple 7-pin serial interface to devices and contains low-voltage flash memory. The MultiMediaCard Association was founded in 1998 to promote the MMC standard and aid development of new products. In November 2002, MMCA announced the development of the Reduced Size MultiMediaCard (RS-MMC), which reduces the size of the standard MMC by about 40% and can be adapted for use with standard MMC devices. The first flash memory cards in this form factor were introduced in early 2004 to support compact smartphones. In 2008, the MMCA merged with JEDEC, which is the global leader in developing open standards for the microelectronics industry.

SecureDigital

A SecureDigital (SD) storage device is about the same size as an MMC (many devices can use both types of flash memory), but it’s a more sophisticated product. SD, which was codeveloped by Toshiba, Matsushita Electric (Panasonic), and SanDisk in 1999, gets its name from two special features. The first is encrypted storage of data for additional security, meeting current and future Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI) standards for portable devices. The second is a mechanical write-protection switch. The SD slot can also be used for adding memory to Palm PDAs. The SDIO standard was created in January 2002 to enable SD slots to be used for small digital cameras and other types of expansion with various brands of PDAs and other devices. The SD Card Association was established in 2000 to promote the SD standard and aid the development of new products. Note that some laptop computers have built-in SD slots.

Reduced-size versions of SD include MiniSD (introduced in 2003) and MicroSD (introduced in 2005). MiniSD and MicroSD are popular choices for smartphones and can be adapted to a standard SD slot. MicroSD is compatible with the TransFlash standard for mobile phones.

The original SD standard allowed for memory card capacities of up to 2 GB. To support higher capacities the SDHC (High Capacity) standard was created in 2006. SDHC supports cards from 4 GB to 32 GB in capacity. To increase capacity beyond 32GB, the SDXC (eXtended Capacity) format was released in 2009. SDXC supports capacities of up to 2 TB. Note that devices are backward compatible, meaning that a device that supports SDXC also supports SDHC and standard SD cards. A device that supports SDHC also accepts standard SD cards, but such a device does not support SDXC cards. Devices that support only standard SD do not support either SDHC or SDXC cards.

Sony Memory Stick, ATA Flash PC Card, And xD-Picture Card

Sony Memory Stick

Sony, which is heavily involved in both laptop computers and a variety of digital cameras and camcorder products, has its own proprietary version of flash memory known as the Sony Memory Stick. This device features an erase-protection switch, which prevents accidental erasure of your photographs. Sony has also licensed Memory Stick technology to other companies, such as Lexar Media and SanDisk.

Lexar introduced the enhanced Memory Stick Pro in 2003. Memory Stick Pro includes MagicGate encryption technology, which enables digital rights management, and Lexar’s proprietary high-speed memory controller. Memory Stick Pro is sometimes referred to as MagicGate Memory Stick.

The Memory Stick Pro Duo is a reduced-size, reduced-weight version of the standard Memory Stick Pro. It can be adapted to devices designed for the Memory Stick Pro.

Sony later released “Mark 2” certified versions of the Memory Stick Pro in 2008. This certification indicated that the cards were suitable for use with AVCHD (Advanced Video Coding High Definition) recording devices. Sony also released a smaller Memory Stick Micro (also called M2) format in 2006, which was designed to compete with microSD. In 2009 Sony announced the Memory Stick XC (eXtended Capacity) format in order to compete with SDXC.

Because the Memory Stick formats are proprietary and only used in Sony devices, I recommend avoiding them wherever possible. In order to avoid using expensive and hard to find proprietary memory, make sure any device you purchase accepts industry standard memory such as SD. Fortunately, Sony’s newer devices are including support for industry standard SD memory formats in response to the negative backlash against its proprietary Memory Stick.

ATA Flash PC Card

Although the PC Card (PCMCIA) form factor has been used for everything from game adapters to modems, SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface) cards, network cards, and more, its original use was computer memory, as the old PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) acronym indicated.

Unlike normal RAM modules, PC Card memory acts like a disk drive, using the PCMCIA ATA (AT Attachment) standard. PC Cards come in three thicknesses (Type I is 3.3 mm, Type II is 5 mm, and Type III is 10.5 mm), but all are 3.3-inch long by 2.13-inch wide. Type I and Type II cards are used for ATA-compliant flash memory and the newest ATA-compliant hard disks. Type III cards are used for older ATA-compliant hard disks; a Type III slot also can be used as two Type II slots.

xD-Picture Card

In July 2002, Olympus and Fujifilm, the major supporters of the SmartMedia flash memory standard for digital cameras, announced the xD-Picture Card as a much smaller, more durable replacement for SmartMedia. In addition to being about one-third the size of SmartMedia—making it the smallest flash memory format yet—xD-Picture Card media has a faster controller to enable faster image capture.

Both 16 MB and 32 MB cards (commonly packaged with cameras) record data at speeds of 1.3 MB/s, whereas 64 MB and larger cards record data at 3 MB/s. The read speed for all sizes is 5 MB/s. The media is manufactured for Olympus and Fujifilm by Toshiba, and because xD-Picture media is optimized for the differences in the cameras (Olympus’s media supports the panorama mode found in some Olympus xD-Picture cameras, for example), you should buy media that’s the same brand as your digital camera.

Just as with the proprietary Sony Memory Stick formats, I also recommend avoiding the proprietary xD-Picture card format wherever possible. Instead, I only recommend purchasing devices that use industry standard memory card formats such as SD. Because of the backlash against proprietary formats, Olympus and Fujifilm abandoned xD-Picture card in 2010.

SSD (Solid-State Drive)

In general, a solid-state drive (SSD) is any drive using solid-state electronics (that is, no mechanical parts or vacuum tubes). Many people believe that SSDs are a recent advancement in computer technology, but in actuality they have been around in one form or another since the 1950s, well before PCs even existed.

Today, solid-state drives are used for many of the tasks magnetic and optical drives have traditionally performed, including system drives, primary and secondary data storage, and removable-media storage.

Virtual SSD (RAMdisk)

Although most people think of a physical drive when they discuss SSDs, these drives are available in both physical and virtual form. A virtual SSD is traditionally called a RAMdisk because it uses a portion of system RAM to act as a disk drive. The benefits are incredible read/write performance (it is RAM, after all), whereas the drawbacks are the fact that all data is lost when the system powers down or reboots, and that the RAM used for the RAMdisk is unavailable for the operating system (OS) and applications.

RAMdisk software has been available for PCs since right after the PC debuted in late 1981. IBM included the source code to a RAMdisk program (later called VDISK.SYS) in the March 1983 PC DOS 2.0 manual, as part of a tutorial for writing device drivers. (Device driver support was first implemented in DOS 2.0.) IBM later released VDISK.SYS as part of PC DOS 3.0 in August 1984. Microsoft first included a RAMdisk program (called RAMDRIVE.SYS) with MS-DOS 3.2 (released in 1986). Versions of RAMDRIVE.SYS were included in DOS and Windows versions up to Windows 3.1, and a renamed version called RAMDISK.SYS has been included with Windows XP and Windows 7/Vista. However, they are not automatically installed, and they are not well documented. These DOS- or Windows-based RAMdisk programs are useful for creating high-speed SSDs using existing RAM. As an alternative to using RAMDRIVE.SYS, you can use a variety of commercial and freeware utilities available for Windows and for Linux on Wikipedia.

Flash-Based SSDs

Shortly after the release of the IBM PC in 1981, several companies developed and released physical solid-state drives that could function as direct hard drive replacements. Many of these used conventional dynamic or static RAM, with an optional battery for backup power, whereas others used more exotic forms of nonvolatile memory, thus requiring no power to retain data. For example, Intel had released “bubble” memory in the late 1970s, which was used in several SSD products. Bubble memory was even included in the Grid Compass in 1982, one of the first laptops ever released. Although SSDs can use any type of memory technology, when people think of modern SSDs, they think of those using flash memory. Flash-based SSDs more recently started appearing in commercially available laptop PCs from Dell, Asus, Lenovo, and others in 2007–2008. Since then, many other laptop and desktop PC manufacturers have introduced systems with flash-based SSDs.

Ever since SSDs first became available for PCs in the early 1980s, many have thought that they would universally replace hard drives. Well, it has been nearly 30 years since I first heard that prediction, and it is just now becoming partially true. Until recently, the principle barriers preventing SSDs from overtaking hard disks has been cost per GB and performance. Early SSDs were slower than HDDs, especially when writing data, and performance would often fall dramatically as the drive filled up. The development of controller hardware and operating systems optimized for SSDs have enabled recent SSDs to surpass conventional hard disk drives in performance. Although SSDs are still more expensive per GB than traditional hard disk drives, SSDs are now widely used for applications where cost is not as important as performance and durability: Tablets, smartphones, netbooks, and Ultrabooks use SSDs.

Many systems now strike a balance between the higher performance of SSDs and the greater capacity of conventional hard disk drives by using both technologies. Many Ultrabooks use a small SSD (32 GB is a typical size) for the operating system and a conventional or hybrid SATA hard disk for applications and system storage. Many high-performance desktop systems also use an SSD from 128 GB to 512 GB as a system drive, and a traditional hard disk for additional storage.

Note: A hybrid SATA hard disk includes a small amount of flash memory used to cache most-frequently-used information.Virtually all modern SSDs use the SATA (Serial ATA) interface to connect to the PC and appear just like a standard hard disk to the system. Both 2.5-inch and 1.8-inch SSDs are shown in the image below. Some high-performance SSDs come in a card-based form factor, usually designed for PCI Express slots.2.5-inch and 1.8-inch solid-state drives (SSDs).

SSDs: SLC Versus MLC And TRIM Command

SLC Versus MLC

As previously mentioned, SSDs use NAND flash technology. Two subtypes of this technology are used in commercially available SSDs: SLC (single-level cell) and MLC (multilevel cell). SLC flash stores one bit in a single cell, whereas MLC stores two or more bits in a single cell. MLC doubles (or more) the density, and consequently lowers the cost, but this comes at a penalty in performance and usable life. SSDs are available using either technology, with SLC versions offering higher performance, lower capacity, and higher cost. Most mainstream SSDs use MLC technology, whereas more specialized high-end products (mostly for server or workstation systems) use SLC.

One major problem with flash memory is that it wears out. SLC flash cells are normally rated for 100,000 Write/Erase (W/E) cycles, whereas MLC flash cells are rated for 10,000 or fewer W/E cycles. When used to replace a standard hard drive, this becomes a problem because certain areas of a hard drive are written to frequently, whereas other areas may be written to only a few times over the life of the drive. To mitigate this wear, SSDs incorporate sophisticated wear-leveling algorithms that essentially vary or rotate the usage of cells so that no single cell or group of cells is used more than another. In addition, spare cells are provided to replace those that do wear out, thus extending the life of the drive. Considering the usage patterns of various types of users, SSD drives are generally designed to last at least 10 years under the most demanding use, and most last much longer than that. As SSD capacity increases, so does the ability of the wear-leveling algorithm to spread out data among available cells.

Note that, because of the way SSDs work internally, the concept of file fragmentation is immaterial, and running a defragmenting program on an SSD does nothing except cause it to wear out sooner. Unlike magnetic drives, which must move the heads to access data written to different physical areas of the disk, an SSD can read data from different areas of memory without delay. The concept of the location of a file becomes moot with wear leveling, in that even files that are presented as contiguous to the file system are actually scattered randomly among the memory chips and cells in the SSD. Because of this, SSDs should not be defragmented like traditional magnetic drives.

Note: Windows 7 and 8 are SSD-aware, which means they can tell an SSD from a standard magnetic drive. These versions of Windows determine this information by querying the drive’s rotational speed via the ATA IDENTIFY DEVICE command. (SSDs are designed to report 1 RPM.) When Windows detects that an SSD is attached, it automatically turns off the background Disk Defragmenter function, thus preserving drive endurance. When using SSDs with Windows Vista and earlier versions, you should manually disable or otherwise prevent any form of defragmentation program or operation from running on SSDs.TRIM CommandAnother technique to improve SSD endurance and performance is an extension to the ATA interface called the TRIM command. This allows an SSD-aware OS (such as Windows 7 or later) to intelligently inform the SSD which data blocks are no longer in use, thus allowing the drive’s internal wear leveling and garbage collection routines much more space to work with, which allows the drive to maintain a high level of performance especially after all blocks have been written to at least once. For this to work, both the drive and the OS must support the TRIM command. Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 and later are SSD aware and support the TRIM command, whereas earlier versions of Windows do not. SSDs released in 2009 or later generally support the TRIM command, whereas those that do not may be able to add support via a firmware upgrade. When you are upgrading the firmware on an SSD, it is highly recommended to have a full backup because in some cases a firmware upgrade reinitializes the drive, wiping all data in an instant.When an OS deletes a file or otherwise erases data from a drive, it doesn’t actually erase data. Instead, the OS simply marks the file allocation or master file tables to indicate that those blocks are available, while leaving the data in them untouched. This works fine on a normal HDD because overwriting is the same as writing, but it greatly hinders a flash drive since a flash drive cannot overwrite data directly. On a flash drive, any overwriting causes the drive to first write any previously existing data to a new block, then erase the block, and finally write the new data. Over time, this results in the SSD filling up and slowing down, even though from the OS point of view there is a lot of empty space.When TRIM is used, whenever a file is deleted, copied, or moved or the drive is reformatted, the drive is immediately informed of all the blocks that are no longer in use. This allows the drive controller to erase the unused blocks in the background, ensuring that there is always a sufficient supply of erased blocks available to keep write performance at near like-new levels.To further improve SSD performance, Windows 7 and later disable features such as Superfetch and ReadyBoost as well as prefetching on SSDs with random read, write, and flush performance above a certain threshold.When running a non-TRIM aware OS (Vista, XP, and earlier), you may still be able to take advantage of TRIM by installing a TRIM-aware application. For example, Intel provides a program called the Intel SSD Optimizer (part of the Intel SSD Toolbox) that you can periodically run to report to the drive which files have been deleted. Other SSD manufacturers provide similar tools (often called wiper.exe) as well. If you are running a non-TRIM aware OS with an SSD, check with the SSD manufacturer to see if it has an optimization tool available.

SSDs: Partition Alignment And SSD Applications

Partition Alignment

Another issue with SSDs is that they are normally designed to read and write 4 KB pages and to erase data in 512 KB blocks. Windows XP and earlier OSs normally start partitions 63 sectors into a disk, which means that the OS file system components and clusters overlap pages and blocks, resulting in more pages being read or written, and more blocks being erased than necessary, which can cause a noticeable performance hit.

SSDs perform at their best when partitions are created with the SSD’s alignment needs in mind. All the partition-creating tools in Windows 8/7/Vista place newly created partitions with the appropriate alignment, with the first partition starting an even 2048 sectors into the disk. Because this is evenly divisible by both 4 KB (eight sectors) and 512 KB (1024 sectors), there is no overlap between OS file system cluster and SSD page/block operations.

Even if you are using Windows 8/7/Vista or another OS that normally creates aligned partitions, you may still have misaligned partitions if the OS was installed into an existing partition or as an upgrade. Many of the drive manufacturers have free partition alignment tools available that can check and even correct the alignment of partitions on the fly. When creating new partitions on an SSD, you can optionally use the DISKPART command to manually set the offset to the start of the first partition such that all partitions on the drive will be properly aligned. With manual intervention, you can ensure that even Windows XP and earlier will create partitions that are properly aligned for maximum-performance.

SSD Applications

SSDs are ideal for laptops because they are more rugged (no moving parts), weigh less, and consume less power. The weight savings is fairly minor because the difference between an SSD and a conventional drive of the same (or even greater) capacity is generally only a few grams. The power savings is more real—SSDs only draw about a tenth of a watt compared to about 1 watt for an HDD (average). But even that may be overstated. Although drawing one-tenth the power sounds like a considerable savings, compared to other components such as the CPU, GPU, and display, each of which draw 30 watts or more, the overall power savings in going from a standard HDD to an SSD is relatively low in comparison to the total power consumed.

SSDs are ideal as the boot drive for desktop systems because of their performance. Using an SSD can drop boot or resume from hibernation times dramatically. SSDs are less ideal for storing large amounts of data because capacities are less than what is available for conventional HDDs.

Will your next computer contain an SSD? If you buy a tablet, a netbook, or an Ultrabook, the answer is “very likely.” SSDs are big enough to contain the operating system and applications and are rapidly dropping in price per GB compared to magnetic storage. Netbooks, Ultrabooks, and other PCs can use external hard disk drives or cloud-based storage for data storage, and some Ultrabooks include both a small SSD for use by Windows and a larger hybrid hard disk (magnetic storage with a small amount of flash memory) for application and data storage. Tablets can use flash memory slots, cloud-based storage, or both to supplement the capacity of an SSD.

USB Flash Drives

As an alternative to floppy and Zip/SuperDisk-class removable-media drives, USB-based flash memory devices have rapidly become the preferred way to move data between non-networked systems. The first successful drive of this type—Trek’s ThumbDrive—was introduced in 2000, and since then hundreds of others have been introduced.

Note: Some USB flash memory drives are even built into watches, pens, bottle openers, and knives (such as the Victorinox SwissMemory Swiss Army Knife).

Unlike other types of flash memory, USB flash drives don’t require a separate card reader; they can be plugged into any USB port or hub. Any system running Windows XP or later can immediately recognize, read from, and write to a USB flash drive. As with other types of flash memory, USB flash drives are assigned a drive letter when connected to the computer. Most have capacities ranging from 2 GB to 64 GB, but can be as large as 256 GB with even larger capacities planned for the near future. Typical read/write performance of USB 1.1-compatible drives is about 1 MB/s. Hi-Speed USB 2.0 flash drives are much faster, providing read speeds ranging from 5 MB/s to 15 MB/s and write speeds ranging from 5 MB/s to 13 MB/s. SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) flash memory drives are now available for USB 3.0 ports common on most modern desktops and laptops. Although some USB 3.0 flash memory drives support read/write performance up to 150 MB/s, the actual interface is designed to support up to 625 MB/s (5 Gb/s). As controllers improve, future USB 3.0 flash memory drives are likely to provide performance closer to the maximum speed of the interface (Ed.: Minus encoding overhead). Because Hi-Speed and SuperSpeed USB USB flash drives vary in performance, be sure to check the specific read/write speeds for the drives you are considering before you purchase one.

USB 3.0 FAQQ. Does my computer support USB 3.0? How can I tell?A. USB 3.0 ports use blue connectors and are typically marked with an SS next to the USB fork icon. In Windows Device Manager, look for an eXtensible Host Controller Interface (XHCI) controller entry in the Universal Serial Bus category.Q. Will my new 32 GB SupersSpeed USB thumbdrive run at SuperSpeed or HighSpeed if I use 2.0 ports?A. A USB 3.0 drive must be connected to a USB 3.0 port to run at SuperSpeed (5 Gb/s). If a USB 3.0 drive is connected to a USB 2.0 port, it runs at USB 2.0 speeds (Hi-Speed 480 Mb/s).

For additional protection of your data, some USB flash drives have a mechanical write-protect switch. Others include or support password-protected data encryption as an option, and most are capable of being a bootable device (if supported in the BIOS). Some drives feature biometric security—your fingerprint is the key to using the contents of the drive—whereas others include more traditional security software.

Some companies have produced bare USB flash drives that act as readers for MMC, SD, xD-Picture Card, Compact Flash, and Memory Stick flash memory cards. These USB flash readers are essentially USB flash drives without flash memory storage on-board. You can use them as a card reader or as a USB drive with removable storage.

Comparing Flash Memory Devices

As with any storage issue, you must compare each product’s features to your needs. You should check the following issues before purchasing flash memory-based devices:

• Which flash memory products does your camera or other device support? Although adapters allow some interchange of the various types of flash memory devices, for best results, you should stick with the flash memory type your device was designed to use.
• Which capacities does your device support? Flash memory devices are available in ever-increasing capacities, but not every device can handle the higher-capacity devices. Check the device and flash memory card’s websites for compatibility information. In some cases, firmware updates can improve a device’s compatibility with larger or faster flash memory card standards.
• Are some flash memory devices better than others? Some manufacturers have added improvements to the basic requirements for the flash memory device, such as faster write speeds and embedded security. Note that these features usually are designed for use with particular digital cameras only. Don’t spend the additional money on enhanced features if your camera or other device can’t use those features.

Only ATA Flash cards can be attached directly to an older laptop computer’s PC Card slot. All other devices need their own socket or some type of adapter to transfer data. Figure 10.2 shows how the most common types of flash memory cards compare in size to each other and to a penny.

The table below provides an overview of the major types of flash memory devices and their currently available maximum capacities.

I normally recommend only devices (cameras, PDAs, and so on) that use Secure Digital (SD, including SD variants like MiniSD or MicroSD), CompactFlash (CF), or USB flash memory. Any of the others I generally do not recommend due to proprietary designs and higher costs as well as limitations in capacity and performance.

Secure Digital has become the most popular format in modern devices. It is reasonably fast and is available in capacities approaching those of CF, and in smaller MiniSD and MicroSD formats, which are physically compatible with the full-sized SD using adapters. SD sockets also take MMC cards, which are basically thinner versions of SD. Note that the opposite is not true—MMC sockets do not accept SD cards.

CF is the most widely used format in professional devices. It offers the highest capacity, in a wide range of speeds in a reasonably small size.

SD Cards And Flash Memory, Continued

SD Cards Speed Class and UHS Speed Class Markings

SDHC cards, and some SD and most SDXC cards, are marked with a stylized C icon containing a number (see the image below). This is the speed-class marking. Speed class markings include 2, 4, 6, and 10, with 2, 4, and 10 being the most common. Class 2 cards provide sustained read/write speeds of 2 MB/s or faster, class 4 cards provide sustained read/write speeds of 4 MB/s or faster, and so on.

The higher the speed class number, the faster the card can transfer data.

The table below lists the speed-class recommendations for different types of still photo and video recording tasks.

*Requires high-speed bus interface in supported devices; also supports HD still consecutive recording.

As you can see from the table above, speed-class ratings are a useful guide to selecting suitable cards for use with video recording. However, continuous shooting in still photography is more heavily influenced by maximum card and bus speed. Thus, many vendors of SDHC cards also provide their own maximum speed ratings.

Note: For more information about vendor speed ratings, such as 133X, and how they correspond to speed-class ratings, see this Lexar white paper (PDF format) on “Understanding SD Association Speed Ratings”. SDHC and SDXC cards might also be labeled with a different marking, the Ultra High Speed (UHS) Class marking. This mark resembles a stylized U with a number inside. U1 indicates a card has a maximum speed of 104 MB/s. All cards with a UHS class 1 marking are also Class 10-compliant.File Systems Used by Flash MemoryUSB flash memory drives typically use the FAT32 file system, which supports up to 2 TB of capacity.Flash memory cards up to 2 GB in size use the FAT16 file system, while SDHC and Compact Flash memory cards with capacities above 2 GB use FAT32. SDXC cards have capacities larger than 32 GB and use the Microsoft-developed exFAT file system.SDXC cards typically use the exFAT (FAT64) file system. exFAT uses a 64-bit address table to support capacities of up to 512 TB (recommended) and 64 ZB (maximum size). FAT64 is designed specifically for use with flash memory, is optimized for movie recording, and supports universal time coordinate (UTC) time stamps.Windows Vista SP1, Windows 7 SP1, and newer include built-in support for SDXC. To add support for SDXC to older versions of Windows, see the service pack requirements.Note, however, that Windows Vista and 7 may have problems determining the correct size of an SDXC card with a capacity over 32 GB. To correct this, downloadable updates for Windows 7 and Windows Vista are available.

Card Readers And ReadyBoost Support

Flash Card Readers

You can purchase several types of devices to enable the data on flash memory cards to be read in a PC. Although it is possible to connect most digital cameras to a PC via USB, in many cases, you must use custom cables.

Card Readers

The major companies that produce flash card products sell card readers that can be used to transfer data from flash memory cards to PCs. These card readers typically plug in to the computer’s USB ports for fast access to the data on the card.

In addition to providing fast data transfer, card readers save camera battery power because the camera is not needed to transfer information. Because computer and electronics device users might have devices that use two or more types of flash memory, many vendors now offer multiformat flash memory card readers, such as the SanDisk 12-in-1 Card Reader/Writer shown in the figure below.

Card readers are also available as internal bay-mounted devices that plug in to the internal front panel USB port connectors found on most modern motherboards. Other than the mounting location, internal bay mounted card readers are functionally identical to external readers. One problem with internally mounted readers is that you usually have to open the PC to disconnect them. Disconnection is normally required when installing an OS to prevent issues with improper drive letter assignments.

Before you purchase an external card reader, check your PC and your photo printer, either of which may already have a built-in reader. The built-in readers in photo printers are especially convenient because you can often print photos directly from the flash card without having to transfer the files to your PC. Many laptops include a single-slot card reader that supports SD, Memory Stick, and xD-Picture Card media. If you use CompactFlash, you still need to use an external card reader.

Note: USB 3.0 card readers are now available and provide transfer rates that are much faster than USB 2.0 card readers. If you use systems with USB 3.0 ports, consider upgrading to a USB 3.0 card reader for faster file copying performance.ReadyBoost SupportMicrosoft Windows Vista and newer all include support for using high-speed flash memory cards and USB drives as a disk cache known as ReadyBoost.When you configure flash memory as ReadyBoost, it is used to hold information about application files and libraries that has been loaded into memory by SuperFetch. SuperFetch helps improve system performance by providing information from RAM rather than directly from disk.Using ReadyBoost to hold SuperFetch information can help improve your computer’s performance if it has a slow hard disk (4.0 or lower score on the Windows Experience Index [WEI]) or if you have limited system RAM (4 GB or less).A flash memory device must have at least 256 MB of free space to be usable with ReadyBoost. Maximum size of the ReadyBoost cache varies by the file system used by the device:4 GB on a device using FAT3232 GB on a device using NTFSWindows automatically tests an eligible flash memory device for ReadyBoost-compatibility when you plug it in. When a device is tested by Windows to determine if it is ReadyBoost-compatible, the random read/write speed of the media must meet the following minimums:2.5 MB/s throughput for random 4 KB reads1.75 MB/s throughput for random 1 MB writesReadyBoost is used only for non-sequential disk reads. To help determine the performance improvement that ReadyBoost provides on a specific system, use the Performance Monitor tool in the Computer Management console and enable the ReadyBoost Cache counters (cache read bytes/sec, cache reads/sec, skipped read bytes/sec, and skipped reads/sec). Note that Windows 7 supports multiple ReadyBoost cache devices.Note: Conventional USB 2.0-based card readers are usually not fast enough for use with ReadyBoost, but laptop internal card readers or USB card readers designed for use by high-performance Compact Flash (CF) media are typically fast enough.Note: For the purposes of data storage, USB flash memory drives that are too slow to support ReadyBoost are still compatible with Windows. To enable ReadyBoost on a USB flash drive or flash memory card, open the card’s properties sheet and click the ReadyBoost tab. Windows will test the device’s performance and advise you whether the drive or card is fast enough to support ReadyBoost. Click Use this device (Windows will select the recommended size of the ReadyBoost cache on the drive). Click Apply, and then OK to begin using the drive or card for ReadyBoost.To disable ReadyBoost, select Do not use this device.

Cloud-Based Storage, Floppy Disk Drives, And Tape Drives

Cloud-Based Storage

Cloud-based storage (remote storage that is accessed by the Internet) has become a popular alternative to flash-based or optical storage for data storage, exchange, and backup.

Although some earlier cloud-based storage services used proprietary interfaces, the trend is increasingly in the direction of making cloud-based storage, sync, or backup look and act like another drive folder.

Although cloud-based storage services mimic a local folder, they use powerful encryption technologies to protect data from unauthorized users. The performance of cloud-based storage depends primarily upon the speed of your Internet connection and the priority level of the service running on your computer. Typically, automatic cloud-based backup services run at a low priority to avoid slowing down users’ normal experience of using their devices. However, the trade-off is that restoration of lost data can take several days or longer.

Before choosing a cloud-based storage, sync, or backup service, look at capacity, prices, and performance. Typically, lower-cost or free services have limits on capacity and run more slowly than paid versions. If you are looking at cloud-based storage for a group of workers or family members, be sure to compare the costs and features of a shared plan over multiple individual plans.

Floppy Disk Drives

Alan Shugart is generally credited with inventing the floppy disk drive in 1967 while working for IBM. One of Shugart’s senior engineers, David Noble, actually proposed the flexible medium (then 8 inches in diameter) and the protective jacket with the fabric lining. Shugart left IBM in 1969, and in 1976 his company, Shugart Associates, introduced the minifloppy (5.25-inch) disk drive. It, of course, became the standard eventually used by personal computers, rapidly replacing the eight-inch drives. Shugart also helped create the Shugart Associates System Interface (SASI), which was later renamed small computer system interface (SCSI) when approved as an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard.

Sony introduced the first 3.5-inch microfloppy drives and disks in 1981. The first significant company to adopt the 3.5-inch floppy for general use was Hewlett-Packard in 1984 with its partially PC-compatible HP-150 system. The adoption of the 3.5-inch drive in the PC was solidified when IBM started using the drive in 1986 in some systems and finally switched its entire PC product line to 3.5-inch drives in 1987.

In 2002, many companies started selling systems without floppy drives. This started with laptop computers, where internal floppy drives were first eliminated and replaced with external (normally USB) drives. By 2003, virtually all systems sold, be it desktop or laptop, no longer included a floppy drive, although sometimes you can purchase an external USB model as an option. An optional USB floppy drive can be used as a bootable drive if the BIOS permits it, as is the case with most recent systems.

Tape Drives

Tape drives and media were once a somewhat popular form of magnetic storage for backup use. Although the drives were expensive, the tape media was cheap, allowing multiple backup sets to be inexpensively created. As hard drive capacities increased, however, the capacity of tape media could not keep pace, and using multiple tapes to back up a single drive meant time-consuming and error-prone media swaps. The performance of tape drives also suffered in relation to hard disks, greatly increasing the time it took for a backup to complete. Hard drives also become much less expensive, such that it was cheaper and easier to simply purchase more hard drives for backups. Over time, all these factors have caused tape backup drives and media to no longer be suitable for standard desktop or laptop PC backups. Currently, tape drives and media are only used for high-end server backups.

The most common types of tape backups in use today include LTO Ultrium 5 (with a native/compressed capacity of 1.5/3.0 TB), LTO Ultrium 4 (800 GB/1.6 TB), LTO Ultrium 3 (400/800 GB), and SDLT (160/320 GB).

PQI just released the Gmobi iStick, an Apple MFi-certified Lightning Duo USB portable storage drive. This OTG storage device is designed for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch and is available in multiple storage capacities.

Although there are Lightning-to-USB converters readily available in the market, PQI’s Gmobi iStick is the first Apple-certified USB device to have the Apple Lightning and USB interface in one portable storage device, according to PQI. The benefit of this product is the versatility to backup your iOS mobile device and expand storage capacity without direct access to a computer.

PQI also includes the Gmobi iStick App which allows for direct multimedia streaming, file management, and easy backup.  

Tom’s Hardware got a firsthand look at the product last month at Computex. It is wider, but shorter than the average USB thumb drive, and has a sliding mechanism. Slide the mechanism one way, and you have the Lightning connector.  Slide it the other way, and you have the USB interface. As you can see from the picture to the right, it is sleek when plugged into an iPad Mini. The Gmobi iStick app user interface fits well with the simplicity of iOS devices.

The Gmobi iStick is available in multiple capacities and colors. U.S. pricing is not available yet, but pricing in Taiwan has been released as follows: 8GB (NT 2990, or about $100); 16GB (NT 3890, or about $130); 32GB (NT 4990, or about $166). The Gmobi iStick comes at a premium but fills a need for Apple mobile users looking for storage on the go.

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Toshiba has announced a new flash drive: the TransMemory Pro USB 3.0. This USB drive is built to be a high-speed and compatible USB drive.

The drive features write speeds of up to 205 MB/s, and can read at a respectable 222 MB/s. Toshiba has also packed the drive with encryption capabilities.

"Featuring the best performance, highest speed, and largest capacity of any Toshiba USB flash drive to date, this storage device offers blazing fast data transfers while ensuring that all digital information is securely protected," said Maciek Brzeski, vice president of product marketing and development, Branded Storage Products, Toshiba Digital Products Division. "We wanted to create a better on-the-go storage solution."

The drives should have already hit shelves at select locations, with MSRP pricing set at $129.99 and $199.99 for the 64 GB and 128 GB models, respectively.

SanDisk has two new products to share, one of which is the launch of the company's very first dual USB "Ultra" drive. This device provides a microUSB connector on one end and a regular USB 2.0 connector on the other.

This design should make transferring pictures, movies and whatnot from a smartphone to a PC really easy… if the phone or tablet supports USB On the Go (OTG), that is. The OTG tech allows device owners to connect local storage by way of the microUSB port, as well as a mouse and keyboard. A special adapter can be purchased from the likes of Amazon for very little money, which you won't need if you purchase SanDisk's new dual-head drive.

With the launch comes a free SanDisk Memory Zone app to view, copy and backup files stored on a tablet or smartphone's internal storage. Users can also do the same with external storage such as the new Ultra Dual USB drive.

"The SanDisk Ultra Dual USB Drive provides a simple, convenient way to offload and backup files from smartphones and tablets – with the peace of mind that comes with the trusted SanDisk brand," said Dinesh Bahal, vice president, product marketing, SanDisk. "This new drive integrates with SanDisk's Memory Zone app to make freeing up space on mobile devices simpler than ever, improving the user experience."

The SanDisk Ultra Dual USB Drive is available worldwide and on www.sandisk.com in 16 GB to 64 GB capacities carrying price tags of $19.99 to $49.99.

In addition to the dual-port USB drive, SanDisk also introduced the SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.0 flash drive. The company reports that this drive provides write speeds up to 240 MB/s and read speeds up to 260 MB/s. This drive would be ideal for storing tons of photos and high-resolution video.

The new USB 3.0 drive features a "sophisticated" and durable aluminum metal casing, protecting the delicate flash-based innards. The stick also comes packed with SecureAccess software that provides 128-bit AES file encryption and password protection.

"The SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.0 drive offers world-class performance for technology aficionados who demand high-speed, durability and peace of mind that their files will be safe," said Philippe Willams, director of product marketing, SanDisk.

The SanDisk Extreme PRO USB 3.0 flash drive is available worldwide now and on www.sandisk.com in a 128 GB capacity. The drive's price is $199.99.

Lunar New Year is almost upon us, and Kingston is injecting a little festive cheer into its product line to celebrate the occasion. The company is releasing a USB stick just for the holiday and, given 2014 is the year of the Horse, Kingston thinks it's an interesting one.

Dubbed 'Flying Horse,' this little guy is the latest addition to Kingston's DataTraveler Chinese Zodiac USB drive line and is secured in a little Kingston display case. The drive features a capacity of 16 GB. Unfortunately, there's no option for larger capacities if 16 GB doesn't cut it for you.

"Our DataTraveler Chinese Zodiac USB drive lineup has been praised by collectors worldwide," Nathan Su, Flash Memory Sales Director, APAC Region, Kingston, said, "As the Year of the Horse approaches, Kingston is proud to present [a] Flying Horse Limited Edition USB drive that comes with a vivid red color and robust design. It is sold in a firecracker package, aiming to fire up people's spirit throughout the year. This exclusive limited edition USB drive also represents our good wish of a flying success in the coming year."

Unfortunately, Kingston hasn't specified as to whether or not this cute thumb drive will be available outside of its Asia Pacific region. Previous years, the company has kept its Chinese Zodiac USB as APAC-only. However, last year's Year of the Snake USB key is available on Amazon.com for anyone to purchase and was available at retailers around the country when it was announced last year.
We've reached out for clarification on availability as well as information on price so we'll update when those details come through.

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Last year at CES, Kingston unveiled the Data Traveler HyperX Predator 3.0. For that trip to CES, the Data Traveler HyperX Predator didn’t even have a price (though it’s smaller brother, the 512 GB, did). By now, the 1 TB USB is widely available.

Currently priced at $1310 on Amazon, this little thumb drive isn’t cheap, and that price has gone down since it launched (the 512 model debuted for around $1700, so that should give you some idea of how much the 1 TB cost). However, for CES 2014, Kingston is celebrating the little drive’s birthday with a heft price cut on Amazon.

A company rep tipped us off to a $300 price cut that is in effect for CES. The deal is only good while supplies last and it doesn’t sound as though anyone but Amazon is cutting the price. Though it’s still crazy expensive, this is the first time that the drive has been available for under a grand, an occasion in and of itself.

The Kingston Data Traveler HyperX Predator 3.0 is backwards compatible with USB 2.0 and boasts read/write speeds of up to 240 MB/s and 160 MB/s, respectively.

Check out all of our CES 2014 coverage!

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When Lacie announced its Culbuto USB key, we knew we had to see it for ourselves. A USB key that was also one of those wobble bobble ornaments and a picture clip to boot? To say there was nothing else like it at Pepcom's pre-CES showcase last night would be wholly accurate. In fact, we'd wager Lacie is the only company with this kind of USB key at CES. Impressive, given CES is lousy with "me too" products. 

The Culbuto is weighty and smooth to the touch. The contrast between the smooth metal and rubberized black is really elegant and it feels solid in your hand. There's no arguing that it's a well made product. Unfortunately, we kind of don't see where it fits in the market. Are there people who really want a USB key photo clip? If so, how much are they willing to pay? Lacie is asking $49.99 for the 16 GB or $79.99 for the 32 GB.

Check out all of our CES 2014 coverage!

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It was day zero, or press day, which always plays host to Digital Experience, Pepcom's pre-CES showcase for some of the hottest products at the convention. Right in our line of vision, as soon as we walked in the door, was Kingston.

Kingston announced a few new products for CES this year. First up is the DT Micro Duo, which is a USB stick with support for both MicroUSB and regular USB. Available in 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB capacities, we saw this little guy in action with a Samsung Galaxy Note 2. The Kingston rep played back The Avengers movie right from the 'stick' (it's more of a nub), and there was no lag or latency issues. The movie played back smoothly.

Though the DT Micro Duo was on show at CES, it's not actually available yet, and Kingston didn't have any details for us on pricing. We do know that it will be out before the end of Q1 so we won't be waiting long for more news on this one.

Check out all of our CES 2014 coverage!

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CES brings all kinds of whacky gadgets; Lacie has a couple of choice pieces at its booth this year. The company on Wednesday launched the Culbuto USB key, which is a thumb drive that doubles as a picture holder. It also has a weighted, rounded base, so it doesn't tip over. Not an unusual feature for a picture clip, but definitely unusual in a USB drive.

"The search for movement and balance is essential in my work," said  product designer Constance Guisset. "Repeated and infinite oscillation fascinates me. For my first project with LaCie, I proposed a slightly roly–poly key that eventually became LaCie Xtremkey. When LaCie asked me to develop this idea, Culbuto was the result. It's an irresistibly fun USB key."

This USB 3.0 memory stick comes in 16 GB and 32 GB capacities. The former is priced at $49.99 while the latter is priced at $79.99.

Check out all of our CES 2014 coverage!

Available in 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB capacities, the Flash Voyager Go boasts both USB and MicroUSB connectors, which means you can use it as external storage for compatible Android phones and tablets, too. 

The Voyager GO supports both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 for transfer speeds of up to 135 MB/s on computers running Windows, OS X, and Linux. 

Availability is set for this month, though no word on a specific release date. Pricing is set at $19.99 for 16 GB, $29.99 for 32 GB, and $49.99 for 64 GB.

Check out all of our CES 2014 coverage!

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While it may look like a typical flash drive, the Connect Wireless Flash Drive can do so much more. As a drive, the Connect offers 64 GB of storage via a removable micro SD card. It connects to both Macs and PCs across USB 2.0.  But, as the name implies, this product is focused on connectivity. Suggested pricing is set at $99.99.

The Connect creates a local Wi-Fi Network that other devices, such as phones and tablets, can connect to. Up to eight devices can be connected while simultaneously streaming media to three of them. These connected devices communicate with the Connect via apps that are available through iTunes, Google Play and the Amazon AppStore.  The app is simple to use, giving the user basic functions. You can browse the local files on your phone or tablet along with those stored on the Connect. From there you can transfer files to/from either device.

On a full charge, the Connect can last upwards of four hours, which is impressive for such a small device. Weighing in at nearly 30 grams, the Connect is heavier than you might expect, but that extra heft makes the unit feel more robust. The USB plug is protected by a sliding plastic cap.

Using the Connect is incredibly simple. Once the app is installed and running on your device, simply press the wireless button in the center of the Connect. In our experience, it only took a few seconds to make that connection. While you are connected, you cannot use your Wi-Fi for Internet access. We started by transferring a 1 GB movie from our phone to the Connect. While the app doesn't report transfer rate, our very inexact measurement showed about 1 MB/s. Once the movie was transferred, we were able to stream it back to the phone with ease. The Connect has a 150 foot range, but as with all Wi-Fi devices, your mileage may vary. With direct line-of-sight, our movie kept playing at over 100 feet!

Finally, SanDisk was awarded the Visionary Mobile Consumer Storage award for the Connect Wireless Flash Drive at Storage Visions 2014, which runs the two days prior to CES.

SanDisk has a really interesting product that businesses and families alike can put to good use. Whether it is sharing sales documents at a remote location or streaming movies for the kids in the back of a minivan, the Connect can fulfill many needs. 

Check out all of our CES 2014 coverage!

Mushkin this week announced a brand new addition to its line of storage products. This one is a USB 3.0 thumb drive smaller than the size of a quarter. Dubbed 'Atom,' this little guy measures 19.8 x 16.5 x 7.5 mm and is available in 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB capacities. 

The 8 GB model boasts 80 MB/s and 5.5 MB/s read and write speeds while consuming 0.65 W idle or 0.9.5 W at load. The 16 GB model offers 155 MB/s and 11.5 MB/s read and write while consuming 0.25 W idle and 0.67 W load. Lastly, the 32 GB model reads and writes at 155 MB/s and 21.5 MB/s, respectively. It comes 0.2475 W while idle and 0.75 W under load.

"The Atom USB flash drive is designed with ultimate portability and convenience in mind.  Having such a small and accommodating size eliminates the need to eject the flash drive and risk losing it when mobile," said Brian Flood, the Director of Product Management at Mushkin, Inc. "For our users who regularly use slimmer, portable devices such as tablets, the Atom is a definite solution when you need extra storage on a daily basis."

The 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB models are already available on Newegg and are priced at $9.99, $15.99, and $24.99.

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Sony introduced on Wednesday a flash drive that would make a great gift for gadget lovers this holiday season. That's because this SA Series device seemingly "cuts the cord" by providing a normal USB 2.0 connector on one end and a microUSB connector on the other end.

"Consumers want to let a friend see the photo they just took or share a video easily with as few steps as possible," said Viviano Cantu, director of consumer media marketing, Sony Electronics. "These new drives combine convenience, peace of mind and performance and are perfect for mobile multi-tasking."

Available this January in 8 GB, 16 GB and 32 GB capacities, this new drive would be ideal for moving video, music and pictures off a smartphone and onto a computer's hard drive. To help with this, Sony will provide a File Manager app on Google Play, allowing users to move, delete, sort and playback files.

"Consumers can also use the drives as additional or temporary storage for their smartphones and tablets, a storage option that's ideal for enjoying large data files like feature-length movies or personal music libraries," reads the press release.

The File Manager is compatible with Android 4.0.3 to 4.3 "Jelly Bean" only. Supporting operating systems include Windows 7 and Windows 8, Windows Vista, Mac OS 10.4 or later, and the same Android builds as previously mentioned. A locking cap protects the connectors from dust, debris and damage, and the devices' metal body is durable enough to withstand everyday mobile use.

Android devices will need to support USB On-the-Go (OTG) in order to support file transfers via the 2-in-1 drive. For those who already store their smartphone data onto USB storage sticks, this solution looks to eliminate the special dongle in the process.

Arriving next month, the 8 GB model will retail for $19.99, the 16 GB model for $29.99, and the 32 GB model for $62.99. For more information about this new 2-in-1 USB "stick," head here.

Back in August, Dell announced that it was shipping its Android-based PC-on-aStick to beta testers. Now it looks like the device, codenamed Ophelia, could soon be headed for general release. 

Engadget reports that Ophelia has hit the FCC. This time, the device is being referred to as the Wyse Cloud Connect. That makes sense, considering the device is built on Dell's Wyse software technology. 

Under the hood, you're looking at the same 8 GB of storage and microSD card support that we heard about earlier this year. The FCC documents also list support for an MHL-capable HDMI connector, Bluetooth, 802.11n WiFi,  and two USB ports. No word on the Cortex-A9 CPU we heard about back in May nor do we have confirmation on the version of Android the Wyse Cloud Connect will use. Last we heard, it was 4.1.2, though that may have changed.

Ophelia was developed to be an inexpensive alternative to tablets and PCs. It has built-in support for Wyse's PocketCloud, which allows users to access files stored on PCs, servers or mobile devices. First launched at CES 2013 as Project Ophelia, the device is about the size standard USB stick and plugs into the HDMI port of any HDTV or monitor, turning it into a makeshift Android-based PC that also provides access to locally-stored files, desktop remote access, and all the apps and media served up on Google Play. Bluetooth support allows users to connect a mouse and a keyboard.

No word on pricing or a specific release date just yet, but we'll keep you posted!

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Adata has just announced its first USB On-The-Go flash drives. This allows newer Android devices running spec 4.1 and up to act as a host – allowing them to transfer files without needing additional hardware. Additionally, the drive can be connected to a computer as usual via old-fashioned USB.

There will be two models in the new UD320 line one 16 GB and one 32GB that seem reasonably priced at $17 and $26 respectively.

“Even with the increasing prevalence of wireless networks and cloud storage, many consumers need, and sometimes just want, physical drives that are portable and dependable,” said Karl Smith, project manager at Adata. “We are entering an era where mobile devices will be ubiquitous, and the DashDrive Durable UD320 is just one of the many ways Adata is moving to meet the storage needs in this new mobile world.” 

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It's a match made in heaven -- superfast USB 3.0 and the Porsche brand -- so we're not at all surprised to hear Lacie has teamed up with the German car maker to produce a Porsche banded USB 3.0 flash drive, especially since this isn't even the first time the two have collaborated (you might remember back in 2011, when Porsche and Lacie introduced mobile and desktop USB 3.0 hard drives, but these two have actually been working together for a decade). The two companies today announced a new USB flash drive that falls under the Porsche Design brand.

Dubbed simply 'Porsche Design USB Key,' the flash drive is available in only 16 GB and 32 GB capacities and features the USB 3.0 data transfer standard. Lacie and Porsche claim this is one of the smallest USB 3.0 keys available and performs at 95 MB/s. Files stored on the driver are protected with AES 256-bit encryption and password protection; the Lacie Porsche Design USB Key comes with Wuala Secure Cloud Storage for one year (one-to-one capacity).

Pricing starts at $29.99 with a two-year limited warranty.

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Corsair this week announced the launch of three new USB 3.0 flash drives: the Flash Voyager GS, the Flash Voyager Mini, and the Flash Voyager LS. The Flash Voyager GS are large capacity, high performance USB 3.0 drives, while the Flash Voyager Mini USB 3.0 are USB flash drives. The Flash Voyager LS are high-performance USB 3.0 flash drives with a retracting design that eliminates the need for a cap.

The Flash Voyager GS is available in 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB capacities with read and write speeds of up to 285 MB/s and 180 MB/s. They're USB 3.0 with backwards compatibility for USB 2.0 and feature scratch-resistant, brushed metal enclosures. Compatible with Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, the Flash Voyager costs $89.99 for the 64 GB model, $125.99 for the 128 GB model, and $249.99 for the 256 GB model.

The Flash Voyager Mini is available in 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB capacities. They measure just 32 mm long (just over one and a quarter inches) and come with a detachable key ring loop. Pricing is $15.99, $29.99, and $49.99 for the 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB models, respectively.

The Flash Voyager LS comes in 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB, and 128 GB capacities and features a retractable design that protects the USB connector without adding a separate cap into the mix. Pricing is set at $16.99, $26.99, $46.99, and $89.99 for the 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB, and 128 GB capacities, respectively.

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Mushkin has announced a very, very interesting USB 3.0 flash drive. This flash drive, while still being called a 'flash drive' may be seemingly ordinary, the unit is actually powered by a SandForce chip and can manage SSD-esque read and write speeds. The flash drives go by the name "Ventura Ultra."

The SandForce controller that is aboard the unit is one that is also commonly found in SSDs: the SF-2281. This controller, wired up to MLC flash, allows for sustained sequential read speeds of up to 455 MB/s, write speeds of up to 445 MB/s, and 23,500 random read IOPS.

The units feature an aluminum housing, have built-in wear-leveling, and the firmware can be upgraded through the USB connector. It is also backwards compatible with older USB standards, though obviously it won't be running nearly as fast.

There was no word on when the units would be available, nor was there any information on pricing.