M-Systems, an Israeli company, were granted a US patent on November 14, 2000, titled "Architecture for a [USB]-based Flash Disk", and crediting the invention to Amir Ban, Dov Moran and Oron Ogdan, all M-Systems employees at the time. The patent application was filed by M-Systems in April 1999.[6][1][7] Later in 1999, IBM filed an invention disclosure by one of its employees.[1] Flash drives were sold initially by Trek 2000 International, a company in Singapore, which began selling in early 2000. IBM became the first to sell USB flash drives in the United States in 2000.[1] The initial storage capacity of a flash drive was 8 MB.[7] Another version of the flash drive, described as a pen drive, was also developed. Pua Khein-Seng from Malaysia has been credited with this invention.[8] Patent disputes have arisen over the years, with competing companies including Singaporean company Trek Technology and Chinese company Netac Technology, attempting to enforce their patents.[9] Trek won a suit in Singapore,[10][11] but has lost battles in other countries.[12] Netac Technology has brought lawsuits against PNY Technologies,[13] Lenovo,[14] aigo,[15] Sony,[16][17][18] and Taiwan's Acer and Tai Guen Enterprise Co.[18]
Apple smart products don’t come with USB ports, so you will need a backwards compatible drive that can also plug into lightning devices. This thumbdrive from SanDisk is designed for ease of use with iPhones and iPads, thanks to a curbed plastic connector that fits behind the back of the screen. It has high-speed USB 3.0 transfer speeds and can hold over 7,200 photos or 8,000 songs. It has automatic photo backup and contact transfer to help free up space on your devices without having to deal with the slow upload speeds.
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a standard that defines both communication protocols and physical connections for data transfer. Using thumb drives based on this standard ensures they work with a broad range of devices, making it simple to show digital pictures on a USB-enabled television, transfer files between Apple and Microsoft computers or use your saved game on a friend's gaming console. These devices also offer plug-and-play compatibility with most operating systems and require no additional software to access the storage they provide.

Logotech has one of the largest inventories of customizable USB drives online. With hundreds of models to choose from, you're sure to find a style that fits your business. If you're looking for a truly unique item that will set you apart from the competition, Logotech can create a USB to look like any shape. Do you run a logistics firm? We'll create USBs that look like semi-trucks. Are you a children's sports non-profit? We can make a basketball USB drive. Whatever you can imagine, we can bring to life. Contact us today to learn more about our customizable usb drives!

Buoyed by its rocket-like speeds, the Extreme Go lives up to its name by transferring a 4K movie in less than 40 seconds — that's nearly 35 times the speed of a USB 2.0 drive and thanks to USB 3.1 hardware. Beyond its fast operation, the Sandisk looks as good as it performs with a sleek and slim package that's 2.79 x 0.84 x 0.45 inches in size and weighs only 4.8 ounces. The retractable connector makes it easy to store when not in use and it is backward compatible with any USB 3.0 or USB 2.0 port. Tucked inside its diminutive profile is a choice of 64GB or 128GB of storage capacity and it comes complete with data storage recovery in the event of an accidental file deletion. 
^{We offer the largest selection and variety of no minimum custom USB flash drives in the industry. Our sub-surface laser engraved Crystal Flash Drive with 25+ cap colors is elegant and classy. If wood flash drives are more your style, we have over 40 different colors and finishes to choose from. Customize and personalize with options to laser engrave or full color print–no extra charge, ever.}  
_{Not everyone wants every file they've ever created available in the cloud. It can put data at risk - not just from hackers or spammers or nosey bosses, but with some providers offering shady terms, you could lose the intellectual rights to anything uploaded. Having a portable memory drive means you don't have to sacrifice mobility for security, though, making flash drives an ideal solution for business people on the go.}
The development of high-speed serial data interfaces such as USB made semiconductor memory systems with serially accessed storage viable, and the simultaneous development of small, high-speed, low-power microprocessor systems allowed this to be incorporated into extremely compact systems. Serial access requires far fewer electrical connections for the memory chips than does parallel access, which has simplified the manufacture of multi-gigabyte drives.
Specially manufactured flash drives are available that have a tough rubber or metal casing designed to be waterproof and virtually "unbreakable". These flash drives retain their memory after being submerged in water, and even through a machine wash. Leaving such a flash drive out to dry completely before allowing current to run through it has been known to result in a working drive with no future problems. Channel Five's Gadget Show cooked one of these flash drives with propane, froze it with dry ice, submerged it in various acidic liquids, ran over it with a jeep and fired it against a wall with a mortar. A company specializing in recovering lost data from computer drives managed to recover all the data on the drive.[64] All data on the other removable storage devices tested, using optical or magnetic technologies, were destroyed.
Custom flash drives are practical giveaway items you can personalize with a logo or company name to help promote your brand. In the age of information and data storage, thumb drives are a hands-on approach to transferring data when a “cloud” isn’t readily available. Browse our catalog and select form a variety of styles that include plastic, leather, metal and novelty designs to truly impress your audience. Compact and easy to transport, our wholesale USB flash drives can be custom printed, or laser engraved to fit your portable storage needs. Combine a with a custom lanyards for the perfect trade show giveaway - enjoy Guaranteed Low Prices and Free Shipping!
USB flash drives use the USB mass storage device class standard, supported natively by modern operating systems such as Windows, Linux, macOS and other Unix-like systems, as well as many BIOS boot ROMs. USB drives with USB 2.0 support can store more data and transfer faster than much larger optical disc drives like CD-RW or DVD-RW drives and can be read by many other systems such as the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, DVD players, automobile entertainment systems, and in a number of handheld devices such as smartphones and tablet computers, though the electronically similar SD card is better suited for those devices.

Apple smart products don’t come with USB ports, so you will need a backwards compatible drive that can also plug into lightning devices. This thumbdrive from SanDisk is designed for ease of use with iPhones and iPads, thanks to a curbed plastic connector that fits behind the back of the screen. It has high-speed USB 3.0 transfer speeds and can hold over 7,200 photos or 8,000 songs. It has automatic photo backup and contact transfer to help free up space on your devices without having to deal with the slow upload speeds.

We offer the largest selection and variety of no minimum custom USB flash drives in the industry. Our sub-surface laser engraved Crystal Flash Drive with 25+ cap colors is elegant and classy. If wood flash drives are more your style, we have over 40 different colors and finishes to choose from. Customize and personalize with options to laser engrave or full color print–no extra charge, ever.  

For computers set up to be bootable from a USB drive, it is possible to use a flash drive containing a bootable portable operating system to access the files of the computer, even if the computer is password protected. The password can then be changed, or it may be possible to crack the password with a password cracking program and gain full control over the computer. Encrypting files provides considerable protection against this type of attack.
^{Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a standard that defines both communication protocols and physical connections for data transfer. Using thumb drives based on this standard ensures they work with a broad range of devices, making it simple to show digital pictures on a USB-enabled television, transfer files between Apple and Microsoft computers or use your saved game on a friend's gaming console. These devices also offer plug-and-play compatibility with most operating systems and require no additional software to access the storage they provide.}