debcook

2008-08-26 21:28:09 I just read that HP has new laptops sporting either a 80GB or 160GB SSD. WOW! I bet you think that the prices for these laptops will be prohibitive for most of us. WRONG! Prices ranging from $1000 to $1700 are expected.

Maybe there are things that I don’t understand or maybe I just missed it - but wasn’t it just a month or so ago that a large capacity (64GB) SSD drive added nearly this much to the price of a laptop?

After reading about this phenomenon I did a little research on the prices of large capacity flash drives. I realize that the SSD found in laptops are not the same as a USB flash drive. However, a large capacity flash drive could extend the need to buy a new laptop. Some were priced reasonably (in my opinion) and some were priced extremely high (also in my opinion).

Surely there are other 64GB flash drives out there but I like these two companies.

• 64GB FlashBlu Max flash drive (Kanguru) for under $330.00
• 64GB USB 2.0 Pro (Buslink Media) for over $4000

So far I cannot find a reason for the difference in price between these two flash drives. In fact, the FlashBlu seems to have the most impressive features such as 128-bit encryption, 10-year data retention and a 3-year warranty. 

I am looking forward to the day that I can load all of my software titles onto a flash drive. CDs are great but they are difficult to travel with and they are easily scratched. I would really love to have a copy of my entire hard drive on a flash drive. An actual copy of my hard drive (software and data) would make me feel secure in the unfortunate event of a hardware failure.

I’ll keep my eye on any new developments concerning high capacity flash drives. I may just have to buy one. Have you already bought one? I’d love to hear what you think.