Introduction

USB stands for Universal Serial Bus and the latest version is USB 3.0 from Intel. USB is a kind of storage device which can be easily carried around, due to its small size and handy design. It is also referred to as pen drive, thumb drive or key drive. The tool is used by practically everyone working with computers these days. The main criteria to look for while buying a USB device is size, speed, durability/longevity and price.
Size/Speed of the USB

Initially we need to determine how much data we are likely to store in the USB. In case you are making a selection from USB sticks, the standard options you will get are 4 GB to 8 GB, 16 GB and 32 GB. The 4-8 GB option is useful for storing documents and normal JPEG images. The 16 GB USBs are good for images having large sizes and better quality. Basically in case you are working with documents which have graphics in them such as tables and charts and some songs in MP3 format the 16 GB USB should be good enough. However, if you need to store video or audio files that are very large, you will need the 32 GB USB. In terms of speed, the slowest is USB 1.1 and the quickest is eSATA which can run files at 6 Gigabytes per second.

Longevity

In case you are using your flash drive in a place for example for transferring files to and from several computers at your office or at home, durability will not be a big or critical issue. However, the problem starts when you are carrying a disk in your pocket from time to time. Always check the reviews of the USBs online. There are several websites that specialize in publishing reviews from customers who have purchased their USBs. These sites are especially useful in countries like Japan, US or China where technology is developing quickly. Flash drives having moving parts are likely to crack, while some USB sticks are just made badly and they split on the sides thereby causing the inner parts of the USB to become exposed.

Price

Prices of different USB sticks will vary depending on their storage capacity, model and manufacturer. Similar to anything you buy, cheapest isn’t always the best. It is important to note that the cheaper USBs many times are products of low quality, so don’t focus too much on price alone. Consider other criteria such as compatibility with your existing machines and its physical design. For example, in case you get a USB with a detachable cap, you might lose the cap and expose the plug-in area to dust.

Conclusion

Therefore it is always better to look for USB in a store that specializes in technology products and offers a large range of devices including CD duplicators, laptops and of course the USBs.