When Toyota recently promoted its 2006 Lexus RX 350 sports utility vehicle in a U.S. mass mailing, it didn't print up glossy brochures and cram them into bulky envelopes. Instead, it sent out 21,000 digital devices smaller than cigarette lighters.
While some recipients may have been confused at first, they surely caught on when they pulled off a plastic cap and found a familiar Universal Serial Bus plug. Sticking the plug into a computer USB port, they gained access to the device and its contents: RX 350 pictures, video clips, interactive demos and more. Lexus isn't the only company that is handing out such gizmos — which go by such names as thumb drive, pen drive, pocket hard drive and USB flash drive — like candy.
The storage devices, which keep digital data in non-mechanical “flash” memory, have displaced the venerable floppy diskette as a convenient means for transporting and distributing computer files. As a result, the flash drives have become popular among companies that distribute promotional materials by mail, at industry gatherings or in meetings to clinch deals.
Flash drives are becoming the new darlings of conventions and trade shows, largely because of their increasing ubiquity and affordability. About 30 million were sold worldwide last year, including about 5 million in the United States.
When Frank Beeck of Brooklyn Park, Minn.-based Siemens Transportation Systems prepares for one of his industry's exhibits, he no longer needs to weigh himself down with printed materials.
Increasingly, he puts his information on 64-megabyte flash drives because these can be quickly reloaded with updated info if necessary. An alternative he considered, the CD-ROM, can't be updated once recorded and must be replaced with a newly burned disc. This takes too long, Beeck said.
Beeck's flash drives proved so popular at one recent transportation show that he ran out even though he had tried dipping into his stash of several dozen devices selectively. No matter: He dashed to a local Radio Shack store and bought a fresh batch.
Marlene Nelson of St. Paul, Minn.-based Sight Creative and Interactive multimedia-design company creates a variety of promotional materials for corporate customers such as Medtronic. She is increasingly putting the materials on flash drives.
Their key advantage, said Nelson, is that they can be reused. Once recipients have perused the devices' contents, they're free to use the drives for their own files. The “killer application” for such drives remains portable storage, said Steffen Hellmold, the group's president, but he said they have other uses—as authentication devices for locked rooms, cars or computers, for instance.
Jul 4, 2007
U3 saves a ton of time and effort
Melvin just wrote me from the United Arab Emirates telling me about his recent gift…
“When I received this U3 smart drive gift from my aunt, I was pleased that I got a 1 GB kit so that I could load important installer for office use. I could not believe the trouble the applications in U3 have saved me. I move from one different workstation to another in the office and it can get so bothersome when I have to login to Yahoo Mail for each access. Aside from this, my favorite web browser isn’t installed in my manager’s PC. Having U3 by my side, I need not worry about missing my mail from home and work since I carry both with me. I can also bring Mozilla Firefox to any PC and surf my favorite website since they are stored there. Better yet, I also have all the passwords from my Mozilla with me so I can simply login to Amazon and buy stuff without worrying for leaving a trace. I have also been able to keep in touch with my friends without installing any messenger programs on the said PC. My U3 flash disk has it and it is such a relief that I can do a lot of things without compromising installation of applications which my superiors may find uncomfortable. Thanks U3.”
You are most welcome Melvin. We truly appreciate you taking the time to write.
Nathan Gold
U3 Ambassador
“When I received this U3 smart drive gift from my aunt, I was pleased that I got a 1 GB kit so that I could load important installer for office use. I could not believe the trouble the applications in U3 have saved me. I move from one different workstation to another in the office and it can get so bothersome when I have to login to Yahoo Mail for each access. Aside from this, my favorite web browser isn’t installed in my manager’s PC. Having U3 by my side, I need not worry about missing my mail from home and work since I carry both with me. I can also bring Mozilla Firefox to any PC and surf my favorite website since they are stored there. Better yet, I also have all the passwords from my Mozilla with me so I can simply login to Amazon and buy stuff without worrying for leaving a trace. I have also been able to keep in touch with my friends without installing any messenger programs on the said PC. My U3 flash disk has it and it is such a relief that I can do a lot of things without compromising installation of applications which my superiors may find uncomfortable. Thanks U3.”
You are most welcome Melvin. We truly appreciate you taking the time to write.
Nathan Gold
U3 Ambassador
White Stripes, Nine Inch Nails push use of USB drives
Gramophone records, LPs, tape cassettes, CDs and downloads all revolutionized music delivery.
Are USB flash drives the next hot medium?
USB flash drives are data storage devices that essentially do the same thing as old-fashioned floppy disks,but are smaller, faster and hold much more data. Sales of these compact, portable and rewritable drives are expected to grow from 149 million units sold in 2006 to 242 million units in 2008. But that number could be much bigger if more musicians follow the example of the White Stripes and Nine Inch Nails, who have released their new recordings on these portable storage devices
Are USB flash drives the next hot medium?
USB flash drives are data storage devices that essentially do the same thing as old-fashioned floppy disks,but are smaller, faster and hold much more data. Sales of these compact, portable and rewritable drives are expected to grow from 149 million units sold in 2006 to 242 million units in 2008. But that number could be much bigger if more musicians follow the example of the White Stripes and Nine Inch Nails, who have released their new recordings on these portable storage devices
Jul 2, 2007
Access Your Desktop With Smart USB
When you leave the house in the morning, what do you take? Your wallet, keys, cell phone... what about your laptop? Many Bay Area consumers find their laptops essential for business, especially while traveling. Now there's a way to access your computer's desktop even if you don't have your laptop with you.
Related Links
ABC7 Video On Demand
Get Alerts In Your E-Mail
Get Alerts On Your Desktop
Talk About This Story
Would you believe that entire computer programs can fit on a device that fits in the palm of your hand? Not just documents or files, but actual programs. It's the latest kind of USB flash drive, which basically lets you store programs, so you can run them on other computers.
Saleswoman Nancy Glover is always on the go, and hates to lug her laptop around. "I'm constantly needing to take this laptop with me, and it's a little bit cumbersome," says Glover. The solution: a little gadget known as a Universal Serial Bus.
It's one of several new USB smart drives equipped with a cutting edge technology called U3.
CNET's Tom Merritt says it's for people on the move. "You can store the programs you use most often, and you can store your settings on them, so it's like having your whole PC right there," Merritt explains.
Merritt says older USB drives made it difficult to store anything other than documents or data files. But with U3, users can easily store software -- like your web browser, email program, instant messenger, personal preferences and games.
"If I can have everything that I need on this small device, then I can use literally anyone's computer to access what I need," says Glover.
Once you've installed all the programs you want, just plug in the USB, click on the icon that pops up and you'll see all your programs. "It automatically will synch with whatever computer you've started it on and you can kind of just go from there."
Merritt says the only real concern is if you lose the device -- along with your private information. "If you're storing your settings on here like your email or passwords, if you lose this device, it's possible anyone else could get a hold of that information," he warns.
Nancy says her drive is password protected, and at this point, she can't imagine life without it. "To not have to carry your laptop and to consolidate everything into one really small, lightweight device is really key," she says.
Most U3s do come with password protection or other security, and some also have pre-loaded programs.
Prices range from about $15 to more than $100, depending on storage space.
Related link:
www.cnet.com
Related Links
ABC7 Video On Demand
Get Alerts In Your E-Mail
Get Alerts On Your Desktop
Talk About This Story
Would you believe that entire computer programs can fit on a device that fits in the palm of your hand? Not just documents or files, but actual programs. It's the latest kind of USB flash drive, which basically lets you store programs, so you can run them on other computers.
Saleswoman Nancy Glover is always on the go, and hates to lug her laptop around. "I'm constantly needing to take this laptop with me, and it's a little bit cumbersome," says Glover. The solution: a little gadget known as a Universal Serial Bus.
It's one of several new USB smart drives equipped with a cutting edge technology called U3.
CNET's Tom Merritt says it's for people on the move. "You can store the programs you use most often, and you can store your settings on them, so it's like having your whole PC right there," Merritt explains.
Merritt says older USB drives made it difficult to store anything other than documents or data files. But with U3, users can easily store software -- like your web browser, email program, instant messenger, personal preferences and games.
"If I can have everything that I need on this small device, then I can use literally anyone's computer to access what I need," says Glover.
Once you've installed all the programs you want, just plug in the USB, click on the icon that pops up and you'll see all your programs. "It automatically will synch with whatever computer you've started it on and you can kind of just go from there."
Merritt says the only real concern is if you lose the device -- along with your private information. "If you're storing your settings on here like your email or passwords, if you lose this device, it's possible anyone else could get a hold of that information," he warns.
Nancy says her drive is password protected, and at this point, she can't imagine life without it. "To not have to carry your laptop and to consolidate everything into one really small, lightweight device is really key," she says.
Most U3s do come with password protection or other security, and some also have pre-loaded programs.
Prices range from about $15 to more than $100, depending on storage space.
Related link:
www.cnet.com
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