I was just checking out 4GB USB Flash prices. They are quite reasonable: under $300.
I have a couple smaller USB sticks that I use all the time, but the 4GB drive will make more sense for how I work. I don’t like deleting things until I’m really, really sure I don’t need them. I’m paranoid when it comes to losing files.
Actually, I don’t use the USB sticks as much for storing files as I do for transfering files between machines.
These Flash drives, however, are turning into more than just sneakernets. Windows Vista has this hands-down-clever feature where you can use external USB drives to extend Vista’s application cache size. The feature is called SuperFetch:
“SuperFetch is the utility in Windows Vista that proactively loads all or part of the customer
Or use it to save a couple of movies to watch while on a trip.
I am looking forward to replacing the HDD in my HP TC1000 Tablet with a solid state storage someday. It will make the batteries last longer, the filesystem faster and the Tablet more bump-proof.
The only problem is that the solid state HDDs are still really expensive even though the Flash memory itself is getting quite cheap. I don’t really understand the reason why…
I seem to remember that Vista is also going to support a new kind of HDD: a mixed platters and flash solution. The advantage is that the platters can spin down and the HDD can still be accessed (using the flash memory as a buffer and cache). Seems like a good solution to improve Tablets and laptops in general.
Julien, I heard something similar at PDC. It sounds like the HDD/Flash combo as you described would have a lot of advantages. Hopefully, some day the solid state drives will be inexpensive enough to justify using them.
In terms of a Flash drive for a computer, one solution I’d like to see is manufacturers provide a recessed bay that I can slip/snap the Flash drive into. I’m thinking of something similar to a bay in which you’d put a battery.