Innovative USB & flash drives have made it possible to move with data, says Rakshit Malhotra
With the arrival of smartphones, tablets and compact camera in the market, the necessity for data storage has now become more important than ever. Memory cards available in the market these days boast of fast data speed and a host of other features which make it a smart way to save and carry your data when you travel.
“The emergence of smartphones and tablets in India and the usage of these devices as a primary camera and for viewing videos has increased the growth prospect of flash memory products,” Dinesh Bahl, vice-president, retail product marketing and emerging market growth, SanDisk Corporation, tells you.
Memory Card
Keeping this demand in mind, the SanDisk Corporation has introduced extreme microSDHC and microSDXC UHS-I (Ultra High Speed) memory cards. The microSDXC card claims to have the fastest speed, with up to 80MB per second read and up to 50MB per second write speed. The card comes with the UHS class 1 and speed class 10 video recording rating which ensure the users to record and play full HD videos in their devices. It can be an ideal choice for android device users as it’s highly durable, water and shock proof. It also has lifetime warranty and is available in 16GB to 64GB capacities. The price is between Rs2990 to Rs9750.
“The latest SD cards are Wi-Fi enabled which adds wireless capability to a digital camera, allowing users to stream photos and videos to their smartphone or tablet wherever they are using the free Wi-Fi. For iOS and Android users can instantly share pictures to social network websites, including Facebook, Flickr and Twitter,” Gordon Wu, regional head South Asia, Transcend Information Inc, explains.
Transcend has also introduced 6GB microSDXC UHS Class -1 memory cards with high speed transfer rate up to 45MB per second. The cards come with a limited lifetime warranty and are available from 8GB to 64GB capacities. The 64GB Micro SDXC Ultra high class comes at a price of Rs5100.
Sony is also gearing up for competition in the USB card business. The Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX is equipped with HX engine — an intelligent flash memory controller which realises high-speed, stable and reliable data transfer. The card has a reading speed of up to 50MB per second and minimum writing speed of 15MB per second. The cards can be ideal for the Sony cyber-shot cameras, handycams and Sony PSP. It comes with a warranty of 10 years and is available for 32GB capacities.
USB flash drive
An USB flash drive continues to be the convenient way of sharing data. There are over 10 billion units of USB ports in the world for all kind of devices ranging from personal computers, tablets, cars and all other devices. In this category, the latest trend is of the fast USB 3.0 ports.
SanDisk Corporation launched the SanDisk Ultra 3.0 flash drive which permits the users to share and transfer large files with speeds up to 80 MB per second. The Ultra 3.0 flash drive is USB 2.0 compatible and is four times faster than the USB 2.0 drives. This comes with a five year warranty and is available in capacities of 16GB to 64GB at a price of Rs1,250 to Rs4,950.
Transcend in 2012 introduced Jet Flash USB 3.0 Flash drive, which is fully compatible with the USB 2.0. The speed varies for different products. From a reading speed of 100 MB per second and writing speed of 20 MB per second in 8 GB capacity card to a reading speed of 210 MB per second and writing speed of 140 MB per second in 64 GB capacity, there is a lot on offer.
Solid State Drive (SSD)
Solid State Drive (SSD) is another data storage product which is fast gaining acceptance in the market. “Most of the consumers today are aware of the needs and benefits of a SSD over a traditional and conventional hard disk drive. The SSD gives better performance, is highly durable, has increased reliability, lower power and lower total cost of ownership for some business enterprises and markets,” Hon Wai Cheah, director, product marketing management, Asia Pacific, SanDisk Corporation, explains.