More storage options for the Pandora

[relliker]

Hiya folks,


For those who have not yet invested in large capacity SD cards for their Pandy or who want even more extra "permanent" storage, check out this new Verbatim USB flash drive


It is basically a usb flash drive from 8GB to 32GB capacity that is so small that you could stick it into the back of your Pandora and barely notice it. Since it doesn't stick out like normal pen drives you won't be breaking it even (probably) if you put the Pandora in your pocket!


Now I wish they made a 3G stick like that

 

[Prometheus]

Good find! I remember seeing a similar product released by Elecom (a Japanese computer accessory manufacturer) a year or two ago that was in the same form factor, but was only available with a 4GB capacity. This looks a lot more practical due to the range of sizes offered.

 

[alastor]

Looks promising. ( And it is so small ... If I am correct there are similar devices such as IR, Bluetooth, FM Radio, etc small usb drives. Need to look more into shops, hehe )


But wouldn't an external usb flash drive eat more energy then say internal SD card ?

 

[Prometheus]

But wouldn't an external usb flash drive eat more energy then say internal SD card ?

As I understand it, yes, but I think that this one would probably be very handy to use as a bit of extra space which one could then move files from to one of their SD Cards.

 

[relliker]

Looks promising. ( And it is so small ... If I am correct there are similar devices such as IR, Bluetooth, FM Radio, etc small usb flash drives. Need to look more into shops, hehe )


But wouldn't an external usb flash drive eat more energy then say internal SD card ?

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I think if you unmount the file system/s on the drive when not actively used it is practically the same as having ejected it (i.e. like being in an "off" state) so I suppose Linux won't be continuously using cycles checking the state of the drive and thus wasting power. Also, with the Pandora giving around max 14 hours battery power after a full charge, the power required for such a small device would probably be quite negligible. All this, of course, is theoretical. I don't even have my Pandora yet


EDIT: and oh, an SD card is just another removable drive and thus requires power. It is just the slot holding it that is internal. In practice it can be thought of as like any other external removable storage, just hidden from view

 

[alastor]

EDIT: and oh, an SD card is just another removable drive and thus requires power. It is just the slot holding it that is internal. In practice it can be thought of as like any other external removable storage, just hidden from view

Ye, but USB connection ( external ) is different to direct one ( internal ). An external HDD connected through USB will be ( supposed to be ) slower then internal connected through SATA/SCSI port.


@Prometheus


Exactly. I wouldn't even think about running system from it for e.g :lol:

 

[levi]

Also, SD cards run at a lower voltage than USB supplies (3.6V vs 5V) so all things being equal (which they almost certainly aren't, but never mind that) they will use less juice. However, I'd assume this juice in either case is likely to be so small, compared to what the screen and chips are consuming, to be largely irrelevant.

 

[3jane]

I'm no hardware guy, but I would have said that due to USB polling there is zero difference between a mounted and unmounted stick in terms of power drain (this is changing with USB3, but we are not there yet).


SD was designed for battery-powered devices, so only draws power during actual read/writes.


Just plugging in an unmounted thumb-drive can half your laptop battery charge time, the pandora is not likely to be any different.


Given the fairly massive charge time of the panda this may or may not concern you. But you WILL be cycling your battery more often using USB, so you will need to replace it sooner for the same amount of playtime.


I think I'll stick with SD...

 

[NoeleyC]

This week in the Waterford branch of PC world here in Ireland, I picked up a Lecar 32GB netbook backup USB key for 70euro,( http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/lexar-echo-se-usb-key-flash-drive-32gb-grey-06935851-pdt.html ), which has pretty much the same form factor as the one shown above. There's Windows/Mac software on it for backup, but it seems to work happily enough on my Pandora straight away. I didn't buy it to be continuously plugged into my machine, but for things like videos and suchlike, it'll be a handy resource, and fits neatly into one of the SD card spaces in the carrying case!

 

[tsh]

An external HDD connected through USB will be ( supposed to be ) slower then internal connected through SATA/SCSI port.

Well, actually, we can benchmark this sort of stuff now. The USB option is attractive because I now have several 16GB SDHCs, and I could add another 32GB without having to keep swapping stuff. Also my netbook is currently using it's only SDHC slot as a boot drive.

 

[may88]

Pro! I don't like your new avatar. It's scary! Make it go away.


What's wrong with Mega Man anyway? (not that I know who Mega Man is)

 

[Prometheus]

Pardon the off-topicness, please.


@may88 - It was Halloween! Mega Man X (that's X in my avatar - technically the younger brother of Mega Man) is back now.


[/off-topic]


More on-topic, does anyone know whether the new Verbatim flash-drives are at retail just yet? I'm curious about seeing their pricing.

 

[DaMummy]

http://www.aprmedia.co.uk/product.php?pid=8554&r=googlebase out of stock though....

 

[Prometheus]

^ That's not bad. It's not too far off of the pricing for a standard, non-miniscule equivalent. Thanks muchly.

 

[DaMummy]

dont get used to it.....!

 

[tsh]

Well, that is a surprise. My 8GB USB flash drive seems to suck 50-100 ma, when idle. Enough to change runtime @ 34% from 3:30 to 2:48. In contrast, a 16GB seems to have no effect on power drain. Maybe newer flash drives might be better - this one is a few years old.


Confirmed with a 2nd 8GB flash drive of similar vintage.

 

[DJKoma]

I use a couple of flash drives that size from etrememory (snippy usb flash drive). As far as i know Delock and Intenso also produce devices with the same form factor. Would be nice if someone could actually test all of them on a Pandora and report about his/her experience.

 

[tsh]

I use a couple of flash drives that size from etrememory (snippy usb flash drive). As far as i know Delock and Intenso also produce devices with the same form factor. Would be nice if someone could actually test all of them on a Pandora and report about his/her experience.

Can't find a UK vendor. Send me one, and I can test it

 

[second exodous]

Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a few 32GB SD cards before getting one of these? If you haven't maxed out your SD slots why bother? I just don't see the point in spending money on these over SD cards, they use more power and still add bulk to the Pandora. I guess if I already have a couple of 16GB SDs and don't want to replace those I might see getting one, but still.