The web is changing and so is the computer technology. The files we’re working with are getting bigger and we need more and more space. Sounds like something familiar?

As the demands are growing, so do the hard drives are getting bigger to accomodate all the files we want to store. I’m a photographer and when I go for a photo shoot, whether it is in a park or on a trip to the mountains, I quickly fill 2 or even 4GB of files (I shoot Raw, so the files are quite large), and I don’t even use a full frame camera. If I were to use a full frame camera, the files would be even bigger than that!

I’ve been using traditional hard drives for storing all my images and files I use on my training courses, but recently I started rethinking some stuff… The hard drives are getting bigger (in terms of capacity), but they also have their disadvantages – they’re big (I have 2 external hard drives and even though they’re portable hard drives, they’re still quite big and heavy) and they have movable parts so they may easily break (and it has happened in the past to many of us…).

So, what I’m considering now are flash memory drives or usb memory sticks as they’re usually called (at least here in the UK). They’re small (and I love that) and the capacities are getting bigger and bigger – you can now get 256GB(!) usb memory stick. Yes, it is more expensive than the hard drive, but it’s still affordable. And because there are no movable parts, you don’t have to worry about it being damaged. I have heard stories from people who had their flash drives found in washing machines and they were working just fine after being dried… Interesting, isn’t it?

Let me give you a quick overview of the usb memory sticks:

USB memory sticks are removable and rewritable. Some of them offer 1,000,000 write or erase cycles and 10 year shelf storage time. They are very reliable and durable as they have no moving parts. They’re also widely supported by all operating systems: Windows, Linux, and Mac as well as many devices including dvd players, consoles, Tvs etc. And they have very low power consumption so they don’t require any additional power cables.

I will be giving you more information on the subject next week, I will also keep you updated on my purchases of these devices. I’m definitely getting one of these little things! 🙂