Denis Joseph Nexum Hardware.

Lexar Jumpdrive

Often referred to as a jumpdrive, the pen drive is a portable flash memory solution, designed to transport data files from one computer to another. The product can carry audio, video and data files, and is brilliantly simple; all the user has to do is plug the pen drive into a computer`s USB port, drag and drop the necessary files from the hard drive, remove it and plug it into another machine.

Durable, portable and scratch-resistant, the pen drive is a marked improvement on previous data transportation devices, such as the CD and floppy disk, and a source of constant relief and graduate for millions of people the world over.

The history

At the dawn of the new Millennium, it became clear that traditional storage solutions were no longer up to the job. People now needed to move large files between computers in the blink of eye, using intermediary technology which was quick to set up, easy to carry and hard to damage. A clutch of software companies, including SanDisk (then known as M-Systems), Lexar, Trek and IBM began working on a solution that would meet these needs.

Their solution was the revolutionary USB flash drive, which was gradually developed in the last years of the 20th century. In 2000 Trek rolled out the first-ever flash drive, named Thumb Drive, in Singapore, with IBM introducing a similar model to the North American market. Just a few months later Lexar introduced a Compact Flash (CF) card with a USB connection, and a companion card read/writer and USB cable; this eliminated the need for a USB hub, and allowed the pen/flash drive to enjoy meteoric growth over the next decade.

How it works

Each pen drive comprises a tiny Printed Circuit Board (or PCB) to store data, a USB connector, and a NAND flash memory chip using multicell level technology; this groundbreaking solution was first developed by SanDisk and Toshiba in 2005. The constituent technologies are encased within a tough outer shell, manufactured in metal, rubber or plastic, and the USB connector may be sheathed in an outer cap or protected by a retractable strip, which allows the user to withdraw the connector when not in use.

The name pen drive is actually an anachronism; drives typically rely on mechanical systems, but this little gem does not. The term drive remains as a vestigial nod to the past because computers read and write flash-drive data using the same system commands as for a mechanical disk drive, with the storage appearing to the computer operating system and user interface as just another drive.

Meteoric growth

In less than 10 years the pen drive has evolved from an optional extra for the technologically savvy into an indispensable staple for all computer users. People have found more and more reasons to use a pen drive, and they have been encouraged by rapid increases in storage capacity; the early pen drives had room for just 8MB, but this soon increased as the technology improved - today you can pick up a pen drive with capacity of 128GB, provided you are willing to pay top dollar for the privilege.

The growth of the pen drive has rendered the good-old floppy disk almost obsolete. Until 2005 most PCs were fitted with floppy disk drives as standard. Now, faced with the ubiquity of the pen drive, designers are leaving out the old drives and fitting USB ports instead. The revolution is nearly complete!

Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for Polomercantil

Lexar / 16GB Lexar JumpDrive S50 SB / LJDS50-16GASBNA $27.86 Lexar - 16GB Lexar JumpDrive S50 SB - LJDS50-16GASBNA

Lexar / 8GB LEXAR RETRAX JUMPDRIVE / LJDRX8GBASBNA $28.83 Lexar - 8GB LEXAR RETRAX JUMPDRIVE - LJDRX8GBASBNA

Lexar / 8GB Lexar JumpDrive S50 SB / LJDS50-8GBASBNA $23.48 Lexar - 8GB Lexar JumpDrive S50 SB - LJDS50-8GBASBNA

Lexar / 16GB Lexar JumpDrive S70 SB / LJDS70-16GASBNA $27.86 Lexar - 16GB Lexar JumpDrive S70 SB - LJDS70-16GASBNA

Lexar / 16GB JUMPDRIVE RETRAX / LJDRX16GASBNA $29.08 Lexar - 16GB JUMPDRIVE RETRAX - LJDRX16GASBNA

Lexar / 4GB JUMPDRIVE TWISTTURN / LJDTT4GBASBNA $19.92 Lexar - 4GB JUMPDRIVE TWISTTURN - LJDTT4GBASBNA

Lexar / JumpDrive Retrax 2GB / LJDRX2GBASBNA004 $43.22 Lexar - JumpDrive Retrax 2GB - LJDRX2GBASBNA004

Lexar / 4GB JUMPDRIVE FIREFLY / LJDFF4GBASBNA $19.92 Lexar - 4GB JUMPDRIVE FIREFLY - LJDFF4GBASBNA

Lexar / 8GB JUMPDRIVE FIREFLY / LJDFF8GBASBNA $23.18 Lexar - 8GB JUMPDRIVE FIREFLY - LJDFF8GBASBNA

Lexar / 16GB JUMPDRIVE FIREFLY / LJDFF16GASBNA $27.86 Lexar - 16GB JUMPDRIVE FIREFLY - LJDFF16GASBNA

Lexar / 8GB JUMPDRIVE TWISTTURN / LJDTT8GBASBNA $23.25 Lexar - 8GB JUMPDRIVE TWISTTURN - LJDTT8GBASBNA

Lexar / 32GB JUMPDRIVE TWISTTURN / LJDTT32GASBNA $42.93 Lexar - 32GB JUMPDRIVE TWISTTURN - LJDTT32GASBNA

Lexar / USB DRIVE, 4GB, JUMPDRIVE V10 / LJDV10-4GBASBNA $20.28 Lexar - USB DRIVE, 4GB, JUMPDRIVE V10 - LJDV10-4GBASBNA

Lexar / JumpDrive Retrax 4GB SB / LJDRX4GBASBNA002 $30.48 Lexar - JumpDrive Retrax 4GB SB - LJDRX4GBASBNA002

Lexar / JUMPDRIVE, 16GB, FIREFLY, BLSTER PCK / LJDFF16GASBNA650 $28.69 Lexar - JUMPDRIVE, 16GB, FIREFLY, BLSTER PCK - LJDFF16GASBNA650

Lexar / USB DRIVE, 64GB, JUMPDRIVE S50 / LJDS50-64GASBNA $70.54 Lexar - USB DRIVE, 64GB, JUMPDRIVE S50 - LJDS50-64GASBNA

Lexar / USB DRIVE, 32GB, JUMPDRIVE S50 / LJDS50-32GASBNA $42.93 Lexar - USB DRIVE, 32GB, JUMPDRIVE S50 - LJDS50-32GASBNA

Lexar / USB DRIVE, 4GB, JUMPDRIVE S50 / LJDS50-4GBASBNA $20.28 Lexar - USB DRIVE, 4GB, JUMPDRIVE S50 - LJDS50-4GBASBNA

Lexar / JUMPDRIVE, 16GB, TWIST TURN, ROTATE / LJDTT16GASBNA $27.86 Lexar - JUMPDRIVE, 16GB, TWIST TURN, ROTATE - LJDTT16GASBNA

Lexar / USB DRIVE, 32GB, JUMPDRIVE V10 / LJDV10-32GASBNA $43.37 Lexar - USB DRIVE, 32GB, JUMPDRIVE V10 - LJDV10-32GASBNA

Lexar / USB DRIVE, 8GB, JUMPDRIVE V10 / LJDV10-8GBASBNA $23.48 Lexar - USB DRIVE, 8GB, JUMPDRIVE V10 - LJDV10-8GBASBNA

Lexar / JumpDrive Retrax 4GB SB / LJDRX4GBASBNA004 $46.3 Lexar - JumpDrive Retrax 4GB SB - LJDRX4GBASBNA004

Lexar / USB DRIVE, 16GB, JUMPDRIVE V10 / LJDV10-16GASBNA $28.69 Lexar - USB DRIVE, 16GB, JUMPDRIVE V10 - LJDV10-16GASBNA

Lexar JumpDrive S50 32 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive - White $75.86 32GB Lexar JumpDrive S50 SB

Lexar JumpDrive S50 64 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive - Purple $127.83 64GB Lexar JumpDrive S50 SB

Lexar / Lexar Media 64GB JumpDrive TwistTurn USB2.0 Flash Drive / LJDTT64GASBNA $70.54 Lexar - Lexar Media 64GB JumpDrive TwistTurn USB2.0 Flash Drive - LJDTT64GASBNA

Lexar Media LJDS508GBASBNA JumpDrive S50 USB Flash Drive 8 GB $26.55 Lexar JumpDrive S50 8GB SB NA

Lexar JumpDrive Retrax 2GB. Each $33.78 Manufacturer: Lexar. Each. Lexar JumpDrive Retrax is a high-capacity USB flash drive that provides a convenient solution for storing, transferring, and sharing multimedia and more. Packaged Quantity: 4 (specifications are for single item) Product Type: U

Lexar Media 2GB JumpDrive Retrax USB 2.0 Flash Drive LJDRX2GBASBNA $18.17 Lexar Media 2GB JumpDrive Retrax USB 2.0 Flash Drive LJDRX2GBASBNA

Lexar Media 8GB JumpDrive TwistTurn USB 2.0 Flash Drive LJDTT8GBASBNA $17.11 Lexar Media 8GB JumpDrive TwistTurn USB 2.0 Flash Drive LJDTT8GBASBNA

Lexar Media 8GB JumpDrive Retrax USB 2.0 Flash Drive LJDRX8GBASBNA $18.92 Lexar Media 8GB JumpDrive Retrax USB 2.0 Flash Drive LJDRX8GBASBNA

Lexar Media 16GB JumpDrive TwistTurn USB 2.0 Flash Drive LJDTT16GASBNA $22.4 Lexar Media 16GB JumpDrive TwistTurn USB 2.0 Flash Drive LJDTT16GASBNA

Lexar Media 4GB JumpDrive TwistTurn USB 2.0 Flash Drive LJDTT4GBASBNA $13.85 Lexar Media 4GB JumpDrive TwistTurn USB 2.0 Flash Drive LJDTT4GBASBNA

8 GB Lexar JumpDrive Firefly USB Flash Drive JDFF8GB431 $8.7 8 GB Lexar JumpDrive Firefly USB Flash Drive JDFF8GB431

Lexar Media 2GB JumpDrive TwistTurn USB 2.0 Flash Drive LJDTT2GBASBNA $18.17 Lexar Media 2GB JumpDrive TwistTurn USB 2.0 Flash Drive LJDTT2GBASBNA

4GB Lexar JumpDrive Firefly USB Flash Drive JDFF4GB431 $8.79 4GB Lexar JumpDrive Firefly USB Flash Drive JDFF4GB431