So, you want to learn about USB drives? Great, because they make a ton of everyday tasks way easier. Let’s get started by going over the lingo. Small capacity USB drives are also called “jump drives”, “flash drives”, “thumb drives”, “key chain drives”, actually, they’re called almost anything besides USB. It’s no wonder, really. These little things are so cute, they’re just begging to be renamed. In a nutshell, jump drives are a flash memory devices that allow you to store, carry, and transfer files, such as pictures, video, music, and documents. These drives are small and light. Usually less than 2 ounces. They’re also affordable, making them an almost unbeatable storage option for the general user. Jump drives are often used in place of zip drives, CD’s, or DVD’s. And they generally don’t scratch, collect dust, or break easily. All good things when it comes to portable media storage. The drives have what’s called “plug and play” capability. Which means that when you plug them in a USB slot, the operating system recognizes the drive automatically, and places a new icon on the desktop. Excellent. Just recently, I updated my resume, and saved it in my Documents folder. Now I’ll go ahead and save it on to my jump drive. By doing this, I’m creating a backup copy. Always a good idea. And now that my resume is on the drive, I can print it wherever I want, at school, at work, almost anywhere. I don’t even have to be online, I can even meet someone at the airport, and give it to them right there. I can do the same thing with those digital photos I took at the barbeque last weekend. The jpegs show up right here. I’ll make a new folder just for those. As you can see, these drives can make everyday chores that much easier. Now let’s talk about your options when choosing a drive. There are quite a few. The first thing you’ll notice is price. Drives that store more information generally cost more as well. On the low end, you may be able to find a drive with as little as 64 megs. But they’re very uncommon these days, as prices have come down so dramatically. One to two gigabytes is a more common size, and should be fine for most of your needs. On the high end, you’ll find drives that can store 16 gigabytes or more. These drives are appropriate for the large multi-media files that a design profession might encounter. Certain models also include advance security features. Something to keep in mind. Although jump drives are offered in a myriad of shapes and sizes, you should generally look for ones that are slim and trim. This style will ensure that the device will plug in easily, without blocking any other ports. And fit in any pocket. The last thing we’ll cover are the disadvantages, and that won’t take long, because there aren’t too many. Like any flash memory device, jump drives can only endure so many use cycles. But then again, since you can get nearly a million cycles from a top level device, this should be near the bottom of your list of concerns. Just always make sure you have a back-up of your USB device. Another drawback to flash drives if you want to count it, is that they are small size. Something you’re well aware of. That means they’re easy to lose or misplace. So if you’re forgetful, just make sure your drive gets stored on a necklace or on a key chain. Knowing this, you’ll also want to refrain from putting any information you don’t want anyone else to see, on the drives. The last disadvantage relates to storage space. By using a hard disk device for external storage, as opposed to flash memory, you can easily get many times more capacity. Dollar for dollar, a flash drive will be more expensive than its older sibling, in terms of price per units of storage. What you’re getting is convenience, not unlimited size. That’s it for today’s lesson. If you’ve been paying attention, you’re now an expert on jump drives.