USB tell me it plugs in to a computer so it must belong in the hardware section.

It appears to be some form of external device for storing and transfering info. Sort of an external hd. Or a really big floppy.

Googling turned up umpteen references saying how great they are but not what they are. And the term is not defined in the compupedia here.

Do they "do" anything or simply hold info?

Does flash relate to speed or the "Flash Player" needed to run some things?

Do I "need" one, "want" one or simply "wish" I had one?

USB Memory devices are just small devices that have a certain amount of flash memory storage that connects to your computer via a USB port.

As for whether or not you need one is up to you. If you are a computer consultant who uses a lot of applications when they work on computers then having one of these devices can be a great helps as it is small and can hold alot of applications that easily accessible by just plugging it into a usb port.

If you need to bring documents to work on to and from work, then once again this may be useful to you.

I have zero use for one, but for others its a great tool
They are just a portable storage device. They can be a key chain, credit card, whatever and they have flash memory t

It's a really big external floppy hd (that fits in your pocket)
I use mine constantly. I have a virus scanner,rescue tools,password recovery,my resume, desktop wallpaper, a jabber client and other stuff.




It's a toy that serves a purpose.

So it might be a "want" for use to carry a current copy of the inventory to the storage computer (no phone in the storage unit) and for a backup that can be kept off location.

Are they more or less reliable/fast as the regular external hard drives?

It sure is neat to be able to ask people who have experience but do not have a vested interest in selling or installing the product.

Thanks again

They are slower than a normal hard drive and they are probably not as durable either.

They are reliable, probably more reliable than hard drives as they contain no moving parts. Devices with moving parts tend to fail over time more quickly.

There are portable versions of Firefox and the Firefox email program (I forget the name of it) which can be loaded into a flash memory stick. These can be handy if you want to use the www or check your email from an internet cafe or from someone elses computer. No traces of where you surfed remain on the computer you use.