At the time of invention, flash drives did not have large storage capacities. Therefore, the consumer seldom felt that they are receiving their money's worth. However, a flash drive has matured significantly since its inception and flash drives now come with huge data storage capacities that are challenging even the hard disks.

Flash drives are lightweight and highly durable as they are able to handle rough handling and storage conditions. The typical lifespan of a flash drive is ten years. Flash drives can be very conveniently used in miniature sized memory cards that are used in digital cameras, PDAs, notebooks and desktops, printers, mp3 players, portable GPS mapping devices, and plasma and LCD TVs.

What are DVDs?

DVDs are Digital Versatile Discs or Digital Video Discs and are a widely used optical disc storage media format for storing the data. DVDs come in various formats such as re-writable DVDs, recordable DVDs, and DVD RAM. DVDs can store up to six times more data than CDs and therefore are being more widely used by the people.

With the Advent of USB Flash drives, Will DVDs be Rendered Obsolete?

Industry experts believe that while USB flash drives do give apparent benefits to the user in comparison with DVDs, the DVDs are here to stay. The main reason for this conclusion is that DVD recordable and re-writable media offers a lower data storage cost per MB. Most users still cannot afford the USB flash drives as a data storage option.

However, the users who can afford to make a shift will do so because USB flash drives are far easier to use and store than DVDs. There are no special precautions required when it comes to storing the USB flash drives. They are strong enough to withstand a drop or fall, are not prone to scratches. Therefore, the chances of your data getting corrupted due to mishandling or inappropriate storage are greatly reduced. In addition, the DVDs require the host system to have a DVD drive to write or read from it and many small portable computers do not have this feature anymore.

Benefits of a Flash Drive As Compared to a DVD

Flash drives have major advantages as compared to DVDs. Flash drives can be much more user friendly than DVDs. If you want to make ongoing changes to a large collection of information. For example, if you want to maintain a database, you will be able to store the entire database on one flash drive whereas you may have to use several DVDs to store the database. In addition, if you want to keep updating portion of this database on a continuous basis, it can be cumbersome to do so with DVDs. If you want to just move your file from one computer to another, USB drives can be more convenient because moving these files using a non-rewritable DVD would mean wasting the entire DVD just to move the file.

USB flash drives are not only continuously offering increased data storage capacity, but they are also shrinking in size! USB drives now come with additional security features to protect your data. The new USB designs offer sliding or retractable covers so that you do not loose the cap while using, storing, or carrying a USB drive. Combined with the low handling and storage precautions, this feature makes the USB flash drives far more attractive than DVDs. DVDs require special storage and handling because they are very prone to scratches.

Users can avail far more easy features with the use of USB flash drives. One such feature that has just been introduced recently is an integrated display. An integrated display of a USB flash drive enables the user to see how much data storage space is available on the USB flash drive. The USB flash drives use an inert display that is automatically updated when the drive is plugged into a computer. The DVDs, as we all know, have no such user-friendly features.

The technological advancements in the USB flash drive industry are enabling the drive to become much more than a data storage device. USB drives can now create copies of your desktop applications along with your preferences. Therefore, whenever you plug the drive on any other computer, you can immediately run the programs with your preferred browsers, software applications, utilities, and editors.