Flash Drives and Memory Cards

Flash memory has made portability more accessible to personal, student or business use. Utilizing either the popular USB flash drives or SD memory cards, these have replaced the once conventional floppy disks of the past. Due to their popularity, flash memory SD cards and USB drives can be used as storage devices or media for notebook computers, digital cameras, gaming consoles, mobile phones, PDAs, mp3 players and other electronic devices.

The technology began in 1980s in Japan when Dr. Fujio Masuoka invented flash memory while he was working with the electronics company Toshiba. The term “flash” was coined because Masuoka and his colleagues were reminded of camera flashes during the data deletion process of the chip. When it was presented by Masuoka in the IEEE conference in the United States in 1984, it drew the attention of Intel which later developed and released the first flash memory chip four years after/later.

Flash memory is a computer storage chip that stores data or information electronically and can be easily reprogrammed, deleted, or added files to. Since it is a non-volatile device, it does not need power to store up information in the chips. Because it does not require mechanical involvement in data storage, flash memory is less vulnerable to physical shocks that may cause data loss – a perfect companion for businesses and people who are always on the go. It also features fast access to random information stored in the said chip. Flash memory is also the technology behind the proliferation of solid state hard drives as a preferred choice of storage data. Durability, reliability, speed, affordability and capacity are the major advantages of flash memory cards and USB flash drives – effectively making floppy disks obsolete.

As flash memory technology advances, increasing capacity and speed, and declining price to make such device, computer analysts predicted that flash drives would replace the conventional hard drives in the near future.

A perfect storage companion for most electronic devices, PC Mall has a wide array of high quality flash memory devices such as the popular USB flash drive, SD cards, mini SD Cards and others, all for great price that fits your budget. Top brands such as Kingston, Sandisk, and others give you assurance with the best value and reliability.