Students Using Flash Drives As "Digital Backpacks" |
| Students are now getting this year's class materials in a new way: on USB Flash Drives. These "digital backpacks" can hold textbooks, novels, homework assignments, a dictionary, graphing-calculator software and many more educational resources. Exciting new software and technologies such as Migo and U3 now allow for removable storage devices, such as USB drives, to essentially function as portable computers. |
Flash Drives Become A Popular Method Of Promotion |
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. |
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