Tech Guy: USB Explained
At first glance, a USB drive may not seem all that different from a CD or DVD disc. Okay, I know they are completely different shapes, but they both perform very similar functions like storing and distributing music, video, pictures and data. When you get down to the details though, custom USB drives offer many advantages over their optical counterparts.
What is it about USB flash drives that make them so unique? First, USB drives are a lot smaller than optical discs, which makes them easy to carry in a pocket, purse, or on a keychain. You will definitely feel a disc stuffed in your pocket all day long! USBs are also much more durable, so you will never have to worry about losing your data because of scratches and sun damage. USB ports are also found on nearly every modern desktop and laptop computer. In fact, you’d have to travel back in time to 1995 to find a brand new computer without a USB port. Better warm up that time machine!
Of course, the best feature about USB drives is that unlike CD and DVD discs, they were designed to be erasable, rewritable, and reusable from the beginning. Yes, I am aware that rewritable CD and DVD discs have been around for a while now. While they were a great idea in theory, they did not work very smoothly in practice. In addition to their higher cost, rewritable discs were cumbersome for editing and re-saving data. You would first need to copy the file on to your computer, make the changes, and then erase the original disc or add another burn session to it using third-party CD authoring software. Whew!
With a USB drive, it couldn’t be any easier to open, edit, and save data. This is because USB drives perform the same the read and write functions as a computer’s hard drive, but with the stable and high-speed performance of NAND memory chips. They are supported by the “big three” operating systems (Windows, Mac, and Linux) without the need for any additional software. I love when compatibility is a benefit rather than a roadblock.
The flexible nature of USB drives makes them ideal for personal use, such as shuttling important documents between the home and office computers, sharing pictures and music between friends, and creating system backups. You can also use them for personal documents, like an archive of Tech Guy articles or the entire Klingon dictionary. In addition to personal use, USB drives have proven themselves to be extremely valuable in the professional environment.
One should be careful not to underestimate the power of the USB drive as a marketing and promotional tool. If you’ve ever been stampeded by people fighting for free schwag at trade shows, you know exactly what I am talking about. What separates a USB drive from the free notepads and tote bags is its much greater perceived value. By now, you probably have enough notepads and tote bags to last a lifetime. Not everyone has a USB drive already, and who would ever throw one away?
Let’s imagine for a minute that you work for a widget company and it’s time to distribute your annual product catalog. Instead of paying the printing and shipping fees to send out a phone book sized catalog to thousands of customers, you could distribute the new catalog on a USB drive instead! You can get them custom-printed or laser engraved with your company’s name and logo on the drive. Not only is it cheaper and easier to mail a USB drive in an envelope or gift box, but you will also make your letter carrier’s job a whole lot easier.
The question is: how do you keep the customer from erasing the information on your promotional USB drive? This was never a problem with CD and DVD discs, because they were read-only formats that simply could not be erased. Fortunately for content distributors, USB drives can be secured with write-protected content. This technology allows you to “lock” or protect certain files on the drive so they cannot be deleted by the end user.
You can also customize a USB drive with other features, like displaying your logo on screen when the drive is connected. A custom icon is also a great way to increase the brand recognition of your organization. The most requested feature is for a USB drive to automatically run a program or file when connected to a computer. Because most computers running Windows automatically intercept removable devices, you can also create a customized auto menu for launching a specific program or file.
All things considered, USB flash drives are the next big step in data storage and distribution. They are a huge improvement over optical discs, which were a huge improvement over the floppy disk. Now that you are familiar with the benefits and features of USB drives, you can begin exploring ways to put them to work for you. Trust me, the Tech Guy, when I say that the move from discs to USBs is not nearly as frightening as it may seem.
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