Friday, December 17, 2010

No gift yet? Get a USB flash drive

MANILA, Philippines - The universal serial bus (USB) flash drive is a common Christmas gift request, particularly from co-workers and schoolmates.

Not only is it useful, it's also easy on the pocket. A USB flash drive can cost as low as P200, making it a great gift for friends or a minor prize in party games and activities.

The bite-size gadget, which has replaced the decades-old floppy disk, is a must-have for people on the go especially with the emergence of high-resolution files which take up a lot of a computer's storage space.

Transcend Information Inc.'s new USB flash drive, for one, has 64 gigabytes (gb) of memory, enabling users to store over 16,000 high-quality pictures or songs, 640 minutes of full high-definition (HD) videos and seemingly limitless amounts of documents.

The JetFlash 600 and 620 are also offered in 4 gb, 8 gb, 16 gb and 32 gb capacities.

USB flash drives come in different colors, types and sizes, too -- from Swarovski-encrusted robots to those shaped like sushi -- adding a dash of fun to those who will receive them this holiday season.

For those who like it simple, there's still the classic USB flash drive such as the Kingmax PD-33, which is set to be available in the Philippines sometime this month.

Kingmax PD-33 is inspired by a sports car's streamlined design.

For those who own music players, cameras, video camcorders, smartphones and car navigation systems, there's the secure digital (SD) memory card which can be used in a variety of digital products.

It comes in capacities as high as 64 gb, or a maximum of 26,208 pictures (based on 5-megapixel compression format), 352 hours of standard quality video (MPEG-4 video at 384 kbps), or 640 minutes of full HD videos.

Transcend's Class 10 SDXC memory card promises transfer rates of up to 25 mb/second.

These devices will prove to be helpful for gadget fans in documenting special moments this Christmas. Indeed for some, the best gifts come in small packages.

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