Comments on: How useful are thumbdrives?

By: .derek

.derek — Sat, 28 Jan 2006 02:30:31 +0000

i just picked up a sandisk cruzer micro (512mb) and realized how much time i wasted waiting for files to upload to my gmail account. this thing is so small i had to attach the front part of the clip to the thing so i could quickly get my hands on it whenever it is in my pocket.

microsoft synctoys is something that i’ve started using on a daily basis. it will keep any number of folders on your thumbdrive and computer sync’d. the downside is that you have to initiate the sync yourself.

anyone know of a utility that will sync a thumbdrive with specified folders whenever it is plugged in? how come i haven’t found something yet?

oh…. and to answer your question, thumbdrives are very useful. just remember to unplug them from whatever public terminal you are using. portableapps.com is also a good site worth checking.

By: Sterling Camden

Sterling Camden — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 21:44:23 +0000

I hadn’t heard of Yousendit before. Looks interesting. I’ve always used a private FTP site for large transfers, but this looks a bit easier. I see they offer secure transfers as well.

By: Matt Wardlaw

Matt Wardlaw — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 21:35:45 +0000

Jeremy,

I hear ya - I don’t have enough of those situations…..so for me, a DVD works fine:-) I can definitely see the use, don’t get me wrong, just don’t have enough use for one, personally.

When it comes to sending stuff to others, often I will just use Yousendit, or for smaller attachments, Gmail.

By: Sterling Camden

Sterling Camden — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 21:01:14 +0000

Handy, Will. Next time I am forced on-site I will have to pick one up. Fortunately for me, my clients are generally happy with only my e-presence. I haven’t had to go on-site for work for over a year now.

By: Will

Will — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 20:56:20 +0000

I use it when visiting a client site. It’s the quickest and easiest way to get a file from my computer to a client’s computer. Connecting to a client’s network (when you only visit occasionally) is pretty difficult. When I want to print a doc I throw it on my thumbdrive, open Word on the desktop computer and print.

By: Sterling Camden

Sterling Camden — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 20:08:39 +0000

This ZDNet article has an interesting pictorial history of drive storage technology: http://news.zdnet.com/2300-9584_22-6031405-1.html

By: Jeremy Wright

Jeremy Wright — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 20:02:57 +0000

Matt: Because then you’re reliant on someone else having a DVD burner, if you need anything from them. A thumbdrive is the new floppy: put it in any computer, and nab what you want and walk away.

By: Matt Wardlaw

Matt Wardlaw — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 19:58:55 +0000

I’ve wanted one, but just don’t see the point when I could just burn a DVD of stuff instead.

By: Paul Benjamin

Paul Benjamin — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 18:07:09 +0000

I have taken some time off to take some classes at the local college and jump drives are used fairly often. There are some software packages that I don’t have at home but I can move the data on the USB drive.

I just throw it in the book bag with the calculator and whatever else is needed for the day. The other common thing is to email the file to yourself or use the iPod for portable storage.

By: TDavid

TDavid — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 17:51:14 +0000

Echoing Jeremy’s sentiments: Liz, excellent link! Thank you for sharing