USB Flash Drive Showdown
Criteria
Here's what we want in a portable storage device:
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High performance.
LivePCs need to transfer a lot of data - moreso than many other uses of portable storage - so the transfer rate is the single most important factor in LivePC performance. Unfortunately, most manufacturers don't tell you the effective transfer rate, or when they do tell you they exaggerate or simply lie. Luckily, we've tried a bunch of them and give you all the information so you can make an informed decision. -
Capacity.
LivePCs can be big - hundreds of megabytes in size - so you want something that can hold enough of them plus your data. The LivePC Engine will automatically demand-page data so you can run LivePCs that are larger than your device, but it will be slower. Better to have the space for a smoother LivePC experience. -
Convenient form factor.
You want the device to be small enough to carry around with you everywhere, yet not so small that it gets lost easily. Having an integrated cable and a good place to put the cap so it doesn't get lost are also important features. -
Durable.
When you carry something around with you everywhere, it will definitely get bent, smashed, banged, dropped, or even run through the wash. (Don't ask.) Although the moka5 LivePC Engine does automatic backups, it's still a drag to have your device flake out. -
Cheap.
Being able to carry around your computing state with you is great. Of course, you don't want to have to lay out a ton of dough to do so - after all, you have lots of other more important things to spend your money on. Luckily, prices on flash memory have been falling like a rock. You can now get 4GB of flash memory for $70. One year ago, the same thing was over $200. If this trend continues, we'll all be carrying around cheap 16GB USB flash drives next year!
