| In recent times, there are some words in the English | | | | more delicate that a cheap thumb drive- or any jump |
| language that seem to have experienced a shift in | | | | drive for that matter. Major disadvantage number two |
| meaning. One of those words is the word, "cheap." A | | | | is that CD-Roms are also a lot more cumbersome |
| lot of us would gladly, for example purchase extremely | | | | than a simple flash drive. Sure you can carry around a |
| useful items on the "cheap." Cheap USB drive for | | | | CD-Rom in a book because they are flat, but try |
| example. At the end of the day, we are not | | | | putting one in your pocket like you could a cheap USB |
| necessarily looking to brag about some sort of special | | | | drive. And of course, let's not forget that while not |
| purchase. Cheap USB drive make sense because | | | | advised to test unnecessarily, inexpensive flash drive |
| they are inexpensive, yet functional as portable data | | | | (or any flash drive for that matter, once again) have |
| storage devices. | | | | been known to actually survive a full wash cycle, lest |
| Cheap jump drives are a great way to save money | | | | you accidentally leave it in a pocket on a garment |
| on what used to be a luxury concept. Before the age | | | | being laundered. Let's see a CD-Rom try and survive |
| of flash drives, starting from the very beginning, we | | | | that. We think, not. |
| were confined to floppy disks. Unlike cheap USB drive, | | | | Cheap USB drives certainly have some formidable |
| there was no hope of getting a video file, or even an | | | | competition from DVD-Roms, however. DVD-Roms |
| Mp3 on a floppy disk. Then again, in that day and age, | | | | are great data storage systems for multimedia - and |
| video and music files were at their beginning, so the | | | | effectively replaced the VHS beginning in the 90s a |
| mention of cheap thumb drive is slightly absurd. Internet | | | | and ruled for the first decade of the 21st century. |
| speeds were barely able to play music of video at this | | | | However, DVDs suffer the same fragility issues as |
| point, rendering the need for portable data like a USB | | | | CD-Roms, and now that cheap USB drives are |
| Drive to be non-existent, let alone even addressable. | | | | increasing in storage size continually, it's only a matter |
| Before USB Drives, but after the dawn of floppy disks | | | | of time before flash drives actually end up becoming |
| came CD-Roms. These were the first real forms of | | | | the true portable data storage vector of choice, if |
| portable data storage on a mass level that could | | | | even right now that becomes hard to imagine at this |
| contain multimedia. It's actually kind of interesting to | | | | point. |
| think back to the days of the CD-Rom, when they | | | | So as you can imagine, the word cheap is no longer |
| seemed so... advanced. Before flash drives, the CD, | | | | necessarily negative, or derogatory when describing |
| with its shiny, reflective surface and laser light optic | | | | something at this point. Yes, it's still not cool to be called |
| technology, seemed so futuristic, even intimidating to | | | | cheap in a dating context, however when it comes to |
| the un-initiated. | | | | portable data storage, and the fact we've weathered |
| While CD-Roms remain a viable multimedia portable | | | | some tough economic times as of late, cheap USB |
| data storage vector (averaging around 700MB of | | | | Drive sare something to be celebrated, embraced, and |
| storage space), they do have at least two major | | | | appreciated. Technology is a wonderful thing, these |
| disadvantages compared to memory sticks. Major | | | | days. Three cheers for technological innovation. |
| disadvantage number one is that CD-Roms are much | | | | |