Before you start on making a decision to buy a pen drive you must consider the following questions
- How often do you use your pen drive?
- How much data do you keep on it?
- Are most of your files big or small?
- How confidential are your files?
- Are your files backed up in other locations?
Capacity
This is the most important point to be considered while buying a pen drive. Today you get pen drives with a capacity of 1 GB onwards. The price of the pen drive obviously increases with the increase in capacity. You can choose the capacity depending on what purpose you are going to use it. If you store a few documents, pictures and very few videos or transfer large amount of data from one computer to another, choose a capacity accordingly.
However, if you think will need a pen drive with a large capacity in the future, it is beneficial you buy a bigger capacity pen drive at one ago instead of buying another one later. As a 16 GB pen drive is less expensive than two 8 GB ones.
So first decide what you are going to use the pen drive for and then make a decision on the size.
Durability
One of the biggest complaints pen drive users have is they tend to accidently break it. Look for pen drives with anodized aluminum outer casing or similar hard material. Not just consider the physical durability of the case and the connector, but also the quality of the NAND memory chip(s) inside.
Many a times you tend to break a pen drive when your knee brushes against the tip of the pen drive connected to the USB port cracking your pen drive right into two. Today, many pen drives are compact that they go right into the USB slot leaving very little tail outside.
If you are someone who tends to keep things and forget about it later you must opt for one with a swivel design rather than a cap one.
Even waterproof pen drives are available which is very useful especially if you are constantly outdoors. When buying a pen drive always ask for a tether attached to it only so they can be easily found in your handbag or pockets or can be conveniently hung around the neck when not in use.
Security
If you transfer confidential files or large size files, it is safer to choose a pen drive that provides security. Today many have password protection or even fingerprint scanning. A pen drive may be convenient to carry around due to its small size but this also makes them notoriously easy to lose and security needs to be considered while you make a decision.
Back up
If you plan to use the pen drive to store important confidential files, it is utmost important that you store regular back up files. There are a few apps available online that take regular backup files; however these apps are not free.
Compatibility
Latest pen drive come with USB 3.0 technology. Though these may be expensive compared to the USB 2.0 version they transfer data at a very high speed. The exact speed however, depends on the brand you are choosing.
It is also very important to first confirm if the computer or laptop you use has a USB 3.0 port to enjoy the fast speed otherwise even if your pen drive is USB 3.0 but port is 2.0, it will still work at a slower speed.
Carry your files with you in your new pen drive. We hope we were of assistance and helped you make a decision in choosing a pen drive that best suit your needs.
