5 Reasons For Owning A USB Flash Drive

There have been a number of wonderful inventions during the 20th and 21st century. Some of these creations have been both massive and minute. Very few of mankinds modern creations have revolutionized working life so much as the USB flash drive though. Ok now that might seem a bit much for some people but the reality remains the same - USB flash drives have made the working lives of millions of office workers, teachers, students, IT and other professionals massively more simpl

If you already one (or a few) USB flash drives then you'll know just how incredibly useful they are. If you don't already own at least one USB memory stick then hopefully this article will help convince you of their absolute usefulness in both your working and personal life.

So what's so great about USB flash drives?

Small

Prior to the creation of USB flash drives all external storage devices for computers were either bulky or awkward (dozens of blank discs for example) or sometimes an annoying combination of being both bulky and awkward. USB flash drives are also called Thumb Drives because they're about the size of your thumb (although some are much smaller now) and you can easily fit several gigabytes of data in your jeans or shirt pocket thus eliminating the bulky and awkward factor straight away.

Portable

USB flash drives are about the single most portable data backup device possible. They don't require an external power source of any kind, nor do you need any cables or tools to set them up and last but not least they don't require any additional software to be installed for them to work on any modern computer (Windows XP, 2000 and Vista and most Macs) so you can quite literally pick them up and use them anywhere you want.

Reliable

Once the data is stored on a USB flash drive you can rest assured that it's going to stay there and be there when you next need it. This is totally unlike the world of floppy disks or rewriteable CD/DVD discs where they can just stop working for no apparent reason. Flash drives were built to provide consistent and reliable performance. Most of these drives come with built-in write protection to prevent you from overwriting your own important data - if you were silly enough to do so.

Tough

For years people fiddled with boxes of floppy disks and CDs/DVDs. These were bulky, easily lost and easily damaged. External hard drives also provided another method of transporting data between systems but the smallest jolt was and is enough to kill an external hard disk stone dead. USB flash drives are based on what's called Solid State Memory - this simply means that it's the same as standard computer memory in that it has no moving parts and is therefore almost impossible to damage (except for jumping up and down on it or maybe hitting it with a hammer for example. Please don't test either of these theories at home!)

Mass Storage

The first USB thumb drives only offered between 16MB and 64MB of storage space. The incredible popularity of these drives has driven the desire for more and more storage space to new heights every few months. Currently 8GB USB drives are becoming pretty common and it won't be long before the 12GB and 24GB models hit the market. To put this in perspective 8GB is enough to hold 2 full DVD quality movies or about 2,700 high quality MP3 files - surely this is enough for you? No?

The portability of the USB flash drive combined with reliability and the more than generous storage provided by such a tiny device make them the smart choice for anyone who needs to move files between PCs or simply just keep a second copy of their most precious data on a secure and reliable storage device.

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Headphone Terminology

To find the right headphones for yourself, it’s best to know the basic features. Listed below are the most important terms you will need to consider before finding the perfect pair of headphones.

Bass
Even at its very best, headphone bass is

never the sort of pants-flapping, sock-it-to-your-gut experience you literally feel from massive speakers or subwoofers. Those systems' bass is as much felt by your body as heard by your ears. Earbuds are tiny and portable, but, except for a couple of high-end models, they can't compete with full-size, over-the-ear headphones for deep bass response or visceral dynamic range. As with speakers, headphones need at least 10 hours of vigorous use before they sound their best.

Sealed or open?

Sealed headphones (the noise-isolating, in-ear models or the full-size ear-cup designs) acoustically isolate your ears from your environment. Of course, the degree of isolation varies from one pair of headphones to another, and the seal limits the leakage of the headphone's sound out to the room. Sealed models are ideal for private listening, where you don't want the sound to be heard by other people. Open headphones, such as foam ear-pad models and many sports designs, are acoustically transparent and allow outside sound to be heard by the headphone wearer, and a good deal of the headphone's sound will be audible to anyone near the listener.

Sealed headphones block outside noise.

Open-backed headphones allow external noise to reach your ears.

Generally speaking, such headphones produce better, more "open" and speakerlike sound than sealed designs. Precisely because they don't block out everything from the outside world, open-backed headphones are recommended for outdoor activities, such as jogging, that require awareness of your environment.

Comfort and weight

Assessing sound quality is always a subjective exercise, but the only way to judge comfort is to put on a set of 'phones and listen for at least 10 minutes. Do the ear pads exert too much pressure on your ears? Headphones that enclose or cover your ears can get uncomfortably hot, but you'll have to wear them for a while to find out. Some of the bigger sealed models with cushy leatherette pads are the worst offenders. Pro-style headphones are comparatively bulky and can feel uncomfortably heavy after hours of use. Lighter headband-style headphones are almost always more comfortable than heavier ones. And even if they're not, they're less of a hassle to carry around.

Durability

There's no reason a headphone should be treated as disposable technology. Unlike almost everything else in the realm of consumer electronics, this year's headphones won't be obsolete six months or a year from now. In fact, there's no reason a good pair of headphones can't last for the better part of a decade. Be sure to assess the build quality of your prospective headphones. Some earbuds and portable headphones are relatively fragile, for instance. If the headphones fold up for easy storage, are the hinges robust, or will they fall apart in a month or two? And consider that the ear pads and earbuds will get extensive wear and tear over the life of the headphones; while some models incorporate replaceable ear pads or ear tips, most do not.

Portability

Earbuds and lithe portables travel well, but those styles and ergonomics aren't for everyone. Despite their relative bulk, many airline travelers prefer large, full-size headphones that fully cover the ears. But some larger headphones travel more easily than others. Frequent flyers will want to look for collapsible headbands and folding ear cups when seeking out larger headphone models. Similarly, many headphones include customized carrying cases, which travel better than, say, wrapping your headphone cables around your iPod.

Cable dressing and length

Most stereo headphones have just one cable, usually attached to the left earpiece. Some models, and all earbuds, use a Y-cable that connects to both earpieces (double-sided). The actual cable plug, meanwhile, is usually one of two designs: a straight I-plug or an angled L-plug; the latter may be useful if your portable player has a side- or bottom-mounted headphone jack.

Single-sided headphone cables cut wire clutter in half.

Double-sided headphone cables can be tangle-prone.

Preferences for the length of headphone cables vary for portable users, especially depending on where you prefer to wear your device: a backpack or a pants pocket necessitates a longer cable, while you'll opt for a short one when wearing a player on a neck lavalier or an armband. But a cable length at either extreme need not be a fatal flaw: extension cables can lengthen those that are too short, and cable wraps can tighten up ones that are too long.

Frequency response

Frequency-response specifications in full-size loudspeakers are generally pretty useless in predicting sound quality, but headphone frequency-response numbers are even worse. Manufacturers have routinely exaggerated frequency-response figures to the point that they're irrelevant. Even the flimsiest, cheap headphones routinely boast extremely low bass-response performance, 15Hz or 20Hz, but almost always sound lightweight and bright. Generally, bass buffs will be happier sticking with larger headphones.

Total harmonic distortion

True, headphones with lower actual total harmonic distortion (THD) will sound better than 'phones with higher THD. But the quoted THD numbers, "less than 1 percent", aren't helpful in predicting sound quality. Listen to recordings of simply recorded acoustic guitar to assess the distortion of one set of headphones vs. another. Some will sound appreciably cleaner than others.

Impedance

Generally speaking, the lower the headphones' electrical impedance (aka resistance), the easier it is to get higher volume. But here again, the low impedance is no guarantee of high volume capability; other factors can still limit loudness potential. Since many MP3 players have feeble power output, the iPod is a notable exception, smart shoppers should check the loudness before purchasing any pair of headphones. To be sure, listen with your player.

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q2612a cartridge buyer's guide

Q2612a cartridge sellers often provide both original HP branded cartridges as well as the cheaper compatible or remanufactured alternatives. This is often a source of some difficulty for buyers when they are looking for the best deal on a replacement for their q2612a cartridge as it is often hard to tell a good and reliable supplier from a bad one. There are a few different considerations and trade offs, ranging from paying over the odds for an original HP branded cartridge to buying a cheap refill with half the amount of toner that should be contained within the cartridge. I’ll try and run through some of the main points and considerations that you’ll encounter and hopefully this will make your shopping

experience a lot easier, safer and it should, most importantly, save you money on your q2612a cartridge. So, your printer cartridge has run out (usually at the moment inconvenient moment, when you’ve got to get an essay in or have to file your tax return) – you need a new cartridge ASAP and there are five main considerations when buying a new cartridge, the main ones are:
# Do I buy an original q2612a cartridge or a compatible?
# What about a refilled or remanufactured cartridge, and while we are on the subject, what’s the difference?
# Who are the cheapest companies?
# Does low price mean poor service?
# Does the price include vat and delivery?

Ok, we’ll take these questions one by one and see if we can shed some light on them.So, you need a new q2612a cartridge and the first question is whether to go for an original or OEM (this stands for original equipment manufacturer) or a compatible/remanufactured refilled cartridge. First things first, what’s the difference? Well, OEM are made by HP themselves, HP manufacture the cartridge shell from scratch – they are the only ones that are legally allowed to do this as they own the patent for the q2612a cartridge shape or shell. Compatible cartridges are usually made in the Far East and are unlicensed copies which have been made from scratch. Remanufactured cartridges are made by third parties but reuse only the outer shell of the q2612a cartridge (which they cannot make themselves due to the patent as discussed above). These are usually quite reliable but it depends on the company that is making them. If they are done by a big company they should be ok, but if they are done in someone’s garden shed then they MAY not be as good. It’s like anything else, it just depends and it pays to try a few brands until you find a good one. Finally there are refills, which means that someone has either drilled a hole (in the worst case scenario) or removed the plugs (best case) and simply added more toner. These are generally the ones that give the non original q2612a cartridge a bad name as they have not had the parts such as wiper, roller etc replaced as a remanufactured cartridge would have.
So really, it’s a choice between the original and compatible/remanufactured q2612a cartridge – I wouldn’t touch a refill with a barge pole to be honest. If you want to go for an original, then shop around: There can be a massive difference in price, ranging from under £50 with free delivery from q2612a cartridge right up to £80.45 at nine-nine-nine ink website. That’s thirty quid difference for the same product, that’s not one compatible and one original, they are both original cartridges!!! So if you can get good service and a good price like that then you’ve saved money and bought a quality guaranteed original branded q2612a cartridge....and all with good service as well.

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