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USB flash drives are NAND-type flash memory data storage devices integrated with a USB interface. They are typically small, lightweight, removable and rewritable. As of November 2006, memory capacities for USB Flash Drives currently are sold from 32 megabytes up to 64 gigabytes . more...

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Capacity is limited only by current flash memory densities, although cost per megabyte may increase rapidly at higher capacities due to the expensive components. (USB Memory card readers are also available, that use plug-in rather than built-in memory.)

USB flash drives offer potential advantages over other portable storage devices, particularly the floppy disk. They are more compact, generally faster, hold more data, and may be more reliable (due to their lack of moving parts) than floppy disks. These types of drives use the USB mass storage standard, supported natively by modern operating systems such as Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows.

A flash drive consists of a small printed circuit board encased in a plastic or metal casing, making the drive sturdy enough to be carried about in a pocket, as a key fob, or on a lanyard. Only the USB connector protrudes from this protection, and is usually covered by a removable cap. Most flash drives use a standard type-A USB connection allowing them to be connected directly to a port on a personal computer.

Most flash drives are active only when powered by a USB computer connection, and require no other external power source or battery power source; they are powered using the limited supply afforded by the USB connection. To access the data stored in a flash drive, the flash drive must be connected to a computer, either by direct connection to the computer's USB port or via a USB hub.

However, even though the USB ports on a computer can power the flash drive, some flash drives can be attached to the USB port on a keyboard, as with a Mac computer. Other flash drives may not receive sufficient power from a USB port on a keyboard, and need to be plugged into a USB port on the computer itself.

History

The flash drive was first invented in 1998 by Dov Moran, President and CEO of M-Systems Flash Pioneers (Israel). Dan Harkabi, who is now a Vice President at SanDisk, led the development and marketing team at M-Systems. His most significant contribution was his insistence that the product be self-reliant and free of the need to install drivers. Nearly simultaneous development of similar products was undertaken at Netac and at Trek 2000, Ltd. All three companies have similar and disputed patents. IBM was the first North American seller of a USB flash drive, and marketed an 8 MB version of the product in 2001 under the "Memory Key" moniker. IBM later introduced a 16 MB version manufactured by Trek 2000, and returned to M-Systems for the 64 MB version in 2003. Lexar can also lay claim to a pioneering USB flash drive product. In 2000 they introduced a Compact Flash (CF) card having an internal USB function. Lexar offered a companion card reader and USB cable that eliminated the need for a USB hub.

Read more at Wikipedia.org