Choosing your USB-Flash-Drive

Get more space than you require

Space is the most essential point to consider in USB-flash-drives. You get these drives containing 32MB of space right up to 64GB of space. The more the space, more expensive is the drive. How much do you need? Once you do this calculation, ensure that you get more space than that. You will find that the price difference between USB-flash-drives is not much – extra space is not proportional to price increase. The larger space you buy, more is the value for money. Hence, get more space than what you need.

Do you need extra security in your USB-flash-drive?

Security is the second point to consider in USB-flash-drives. There are USBs that have extra security built into them. This means that if you want, you can password protect some files. In fact, you can password protect the entire drive so that you and only you can open it to go through the content. USB drives are mostly small in size and you can misplace your drive. For you it may be in the shape of a keychain and the drive may get lost anywhere. This is when password protection will help. Even if someone else accesses it, they will not be able to open it. You may lose data but you may not lose it to someone else.

File transfer speed

Different USB-flash-drives permit different speeds of file transfer. A basic drive will only allow up to 1 MBPS and this is not great speed. However, if you use USB 3.0, you can experience file transfer speed of up to 25 MBPS. The good part about USB 3.0 drives is that they can access the slots meant for USB 2.0 drives. USB 3.0 has been in the market for quite some time now and you may want to switch to it if fast data transfer is one of your priorities.

Don’t use your USB-flash-drive for long-term data storage

A USB-flash-drive is small in size and is also available in the form of various knick-knacks. Because these drives are small in size, they are also vulnerable. Your drive may slip and break into pieces when there is an impact with the hard floor. Keep in mind that you cannot use a USB-flash-drive for long-term data storage. Even if you don’t break your drive you may still end up losing it and this would mean a whole lot of data loss. The best way to use such a drive is to use it as a device for temporary data storage.

Opt for USB-flash-drives in cases

If you still want to use your USB-flash-drive for long term data storage, look at those designs that allow for structural protection. Indeed, there are USB-flash-drives that have casings over the main body. As a result, even if the drive falls to the ground, it wouldn’t break and you will not lose data.

Show off with your USB-flash-drive

And of course, you can show off your personality with your USB-flash-drive. These drives are available in all shapes and colours imaginable and you can use your drive as a personal symbol. You can use one as a pendant or as a keychain or even a pen. And because these drives are highly economical, you can keep changing your drive every now and then.

Which USB-flash-drives for which use?

More people now prefer USB 3.0 than USB 2.0. You have already read that file transfer is faster in USB 3.0. The modern devices are also now USB 3.0 compatible and this would mean you can transfer files easily. The top models in USB 3.0 in Canada include SanDisk Extreme USB 3.0 32GB, Kingston DataTraveler 100 G3 64GB, Sandisk Ultra Dual USB Flash Drive 64GB, ADATA UV128 16GB and PNY 128GB Turbo 3.0 USB Flash Drive.

As also mentioned, there are USB-flash-drives that can be password protected. Most people don’t opt for this choice but some do. If you want to store and protect your data, you should look at models like SanDisk Extreme USB 3.0 64GB, Verbatim Store 'n' Go V3 USB 3.0 32GB, SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.0 32GB, IronKey Workspace W300 32GB and IronKey Workspace W300 64GB.

64GB is the preferred space in a USB-flash-drive that most people tend to purchase, especially those in need of space. But there are USB drives that can accommodate even more. The bestselling models available in such large sizes are SanDisk Extreme USB 3.0 32GB, Kingston DataTraveler 100 G3 64GB, SanDisk Extreme Pro USB 3.0 128GB and PNY 128GB Turbo 3.0 USB Flash.