Twenty-five dollars was my set price point for that size of USB flash drive. So needless to say, I was eager to see what I could find.
First, I checked several of my favorite online stores to see where they were pricewise for a 16GB USB flash drive. Their lowest price was about $30 for a lesser-known name brand drive.
Next, I visited my online home away from home - eBay. It didn't take long before I was able to locate a sweet deal on that coveted 16GB USB flash drive. I managed to locate a 16GB USB flash drive for under $23!
Insert happy dance!
The seller shipped the drive with lightning speed, and although it is also a no-name brand, it's a real beauty. It's blue - my favorite color - with a touch of shiny silver. And best of all, it's 16GB of storage space that I can carry around in my pocket.
It's funny remembering that not many years ago, most computers had less hard drive space than this tiny little flash drive. But isn't it grand to see how technology has evolved?
Picture this: This tiny little flash drive could be paired with a netbook with a small 2-8GB SSD. It would then enable that netbook to provide plenty of storage to rival storage available on a desktop or laptop computer.
This combo would create an affordable, extremely portable Internet device with loads of storage. Now that's a technology cha-ching!
I've had my 16GB USB flash drive for over a week now and it still lies unused in its original package.
But not for long, I hope! Because I've got a sapphire blue Acer Aspire One at the top of my wish list this holiday season. The two would make such a lovely pair of tech toys to have and play with.
Windows security update
* Microsoft has released one critical and one important patch for its November security updates. Both patches address flaws in Windows. Software affected by the flaws includes Windows 2000/XP/Vista/Server 2003/2008 and Office 2003 SP3 and Office 2007. Learn more at www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms08-nov.mspx.
Browser security updates
* Mozilla has released a new version of its Firefox Web browser to fix 11 vulnerabilities. Four of the 11 are listed as critical.
Users can use the built-in updater if they are currently running Firefox. On Windows, to update your Firefox 3.0.x browser, launch the browser, go under Help, then click on Check for Updates.
Download Firefox 3.0.4 at www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox.
* A new version of Google's Chrome Web browser fixes a pair of flaws that could potentially expose its users to data theft. The flaws are rated moderate. Read more about the flaws here and here. Download the latest version of Chrome at www.google.com/chrome/.
E-mail me at sheila@amnews.com; fax me at (859) 236-9566; or write me snail-mail at The Advocate-Messenger, P.O. Box 149, Danville, KY 40423-0149.
