Do you know what you need? Do you know how much storage you want it to supply for you? Do you know what brand to go with? All USB Flash Drives are not created equal.
Start off by assessing what exactly you need this mini storage device for. Do you only transport text documents on it, and maybe a few pictures of friends and family? Or do you need to move movies around with it, lots of music, or large animation projects where the file sizes are ridiculous?
As far as quality items go, it’s pretty decent no matter what you go with. There are obviously superior technologies out there, but in general you’re going to be pretty happy with what you get. You will be more concerned with size. Yes, size matters.
So, if you’re say a college student, and you need to keep your research papers with you at all time in digital form, then you’ll be pretty happy with a 1GB to 2GB storage. Keep in mind you will only be storing smaller files. If you’ve just got text files on it, then it’s going to take you a long time to fill the thing. If you’re uploading all of your music to it, you’ll still be able to put quite a few songs on it, but it’ll run out a bit quicker that way. Remember that Flash Drives aren’t permanent storage devices and you can always delete files off of them to free up some space.
There are several 2GB sized Flash Drives on Newegg.com. Here are a few you might want to look into:
- $7.99 Kingston 2GB Flash Drive – Model DT101Y
- $7.99 Transcend JetFlash V30 2GB Flash Drive – Model TS2GJFV30
- $8.99 Crucial Gizmo! 2GB Flash Drive – Model JDOD2GB-730
Now, of course if you have some larger files you need to be moving around, or a lot of them, you’re going to want a larger drive. Start with at least a 4GB, maybe 8GB minimum (I have an 8GB and I move around media files and raw image files quite frequently, it works well for me). If you are moving around maybe several movies or you’re an editor of some sort, you’ll probably want to graduate to a larger size, like a 16GB, 32GB or 64GB.
And here’s a few more you might want to check out:
- $14.99 Patriot Xporter XT Boost 4GB Flash Drive – Model PEF4GUSB
- $15.99 OCZ Diesel 8GB Single Channel Flash Drive – Model OCZUSBDSL8G
- $39.99 CORSAIR Flash Voyager 16GB Flash Drive – Model CMFUSB2.0-16GB
- $69.99 PNY 32GB Flash Drive – Model P-FD32GATT2-FS
- $149.99 SUPER TALENT Luxio 64GB Flash Drive 256bit AES Encryption – Model STP64GLXBU
The ones I listed are not necessarily the best ones available, but are reasonably priced for what you’re getting, and had decent ratings. It’s import that you do your research before you buy one. Like with any other electronics you purchase, it’s an investment, and no matter how small in stature or price, you want it to last and work well for you.
Customer ratings are an important resource when it comes to doing research. The people writing these reviews and giving these ratings are likely not being paid by the company to tell you good things about it. Something with a lot of positive ratings might be a better buy than something with just three or five, but that’s not always the case – this is where your research comes in. The most important part of all of this is that it works, and fits your needs.
Good luck and may the force be with you.