Flash+Drives

A common mistake that people often make is that they call a **flash drive** a USB. A USB is just a port that connects any periferal devices i.e. the mouse, a flash drive etc. A flash drive uses [|flash memory]to store information. In short, the flash drive does not need continuous power to save the data.
 * What is a Flash Drive?**

Flash drives have different capacities of storage ranging 64 [|megabytes] to 2 [|gigabytes] Flash drives also come in different styles. Similar to the flash drive on the right, most flash drives come in that form, being compact. There are other flash drives similar to this one but they may have humorous covers on them. Others, like the Apple iPod, have enormous amounts of storage space that it can actually store videos as well. There are also flash memory cards which are often in digital cameras.
 * [[image:flash-memory-smart-photo.jpg align="left" caption="a flash memory card"]]What types are there?**

Flash memory provides random access high speed read and write capabilities. The flash drive is similar to RAM (random access memory) but flash memory still keeps information even when there is no power available. In other words, a flash drive is like having a portable RAM on you at alll times.
 * How the Flash memory works**

Flash drives have different prices depending on how big the memory is. Below are just examples of how much the flash drive may [|cost].
 * Cost**
 * 128 MB- $10.00+ (depending on the brand)
 * 256 MB- $11.00+ (depending on the brand)
 * 512 MB- $15.00+ (depending on the brand)
 * 1 GB $19.90+ (depending on the brand)
 * For flash drives which have more than 2 GB- $100.00+ (depending on brand and size of memory)

Amazingly for the flash drive the [|future] is already here. Samsung has released a 16 GB flash memory chip but another company BitMicro has made a flash drive that has 155GB of memory.
 * What does the future hold for flash drives?**

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 * External Links**
 * http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/f/flashmem.htm
 * http://www.officeworks.com.au/owbd/b2c/init.do
 * http://www.cooltechzone.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1794
 * http://www.dailymotion.com