Optical storage devices
Optical storage devices are devices that use light to store and retrieve data. They are a type of non-volatile storage, which means that the data is not lost when the power is turned off. Optical storage devices are commonly used for storing music, movies, and data files.
Here are some of the most common types of optical storage devices:
Compact Disc (CD): CDs are the most common type of optical storage device. They were first introduced in 1982 and are used to store music, movies, and data files. CDs have a storage capacity of up to 700MB.
Digital Versatile Disc (DVD): DVDs were introduced in 1996 and are high-capacity optical storage devices. They can store up to 4.7GB of data, which is enough to store a full-length movie.
Blu-ray Disc (BD): BDs were introduced in 2006 and are high-definition optical storage devices. They can store up to 128GB of data, which is enough to store multiple full-length movies.
Holographic Versatile Disc (HVD): HVDs are a new type of optical storage device that is still under development. They have the potential to store up to 1TB of data, which is enough to store thousands of full-length movies.
Flash Memory Devices
Flash memory devices are a type of non-volatile memory that can store data even when the power is turned off. Flash memory devices use electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) technology, which allows them to write and erase data by applying electrical signals.
Flash memory devices are widely used in various electronic devices, such as mobile phones, PCs, laptops, digital cameras, smart TVs, USB drives, memory cards, memory sticks and SD cards. Flash memory devices have several advantages, such as fast access speed, low power consumption, high durability and portability. However, they also have some disadvantages, such as limited write cycles, data corruption and high cost per bit.
USB Drive
Also referred to as a USB flash drive, pen drive, keychain drive, memory unit, thumb drive, or a jump drive is a transportable storage device. A USB drive is generally small in size and can be connected to a computer via a USB port. It has a storage range between 2 GB to 1 TB. It comprises an integrated circuit that enables the USB drive to store and replace data.
USB flash drives: USB flash drives are small, portable devices that can be used to store data. They are often used to transfer files between computers or to back up data.
SD cards: SD cards are small, removable memory cards that are often used in digital cameras, smartphones, and other portable devices.
CompactFlash cards: CompactFlash cards are larger and more durable than SD cards. They are often used in professional digital cameras and other devices that require high-capacity storage.
Memory sticks: Memory sticks are a type of flash memory that is used in laptops and other devices. They are similar to USB flash drives, but they are typically larger and have a higher capacity.
Solid-state drives (SSDs): SSDs are a type of flash memory that is used in computers instead of traditional hard drives. SSDs are faster and more durable than hard drives, but they are also more expensive.
Apart from the above-mentioned list, several other flash memory drives are also easily available and accessible.
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Online and Cloud Storage
Cloud storage: The term Cloud computing is related to the data centres available for users over the Internet where they can collect their databases and files. It offers users reliability, durability, confidentiality, and access to data or information from anywhere and anytime. The requirement to store data online and in cloud storage is growing rapidly.
This has become a popular model to store data. Schools, businesses, and individuals can benefit from cloud computing due to its ease of uploading and downloading data, making it easily manageable to share information locally and globally. This option nowadays is also available in mobile phones where a backup of files and data is being handled.
Some common examples of cloud computing are Amazon Web Services(AWS), Adobe Creative Cloud, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Windows Azure, etc.
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