Functional, practical and portable: new devices simplify communication and sharing of information.

• Author: Han, Vincent
• Position: Techknowledge

EVEN WITH TECHNOPHILES ever in search for the latest whizbang gizmos, technology companies must focus on more than developing products that cater solely to the novelty you love. Gadgets that combine novelty with the practicality and functionality users demand have the best chance to succeed in the marketplace. Two Utah companies, CyberKey Corporation and ClearOne Communications Inc., are among those working to strike that balance.

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St. George-based CyberKey Corporation created the CYBERKEY, a USB flash memory drive, the latest entrant to vie for the loyalties of consumers of portable storage devices. From floppy disks to zip disks to handheld devices, consumers have always been on the lookout for larger storage capacity, faster data transfer speeds and greater affordability. In today's data-centric world, the ability to easily transport ever-larger amounts data from place to place is becoming an increasingly important requirement.

With data storage capacities ranging from 16MB to 1GB (equivalent to 711 floppy disks), USB flash memory drives are remarkably easy to use--you simply plug one into a USB port and the computer recognizes it as a removable storage drive. Drop and drag your data onto the drive, unplug the device and you can take it to use on any other computer with a USB port. USB flash memory drives are very compact (as small as 1" -by- .5" and often weighing just ounces) and can often be seen dangling from key chains or carried in pockets.

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CyberKey's strategy to differentiate itself in the marketplace is to deliver complete portability by integrating software with the drive to allow for smarter and more absolute data transport. CyberKey boasts an application launcher that enables users to store and launch software applications as well as carry the data with them from computer to computer. This is a particularly convenient feature if you want to take your e-mail with you--you can launch your e-mail client right from your CyberKey, no matter where you might be. Traditional USB flash memory drives typically only act as a storage device. CyberKey also incorporates patent pending Bad Block Memory Management techniques that protect the performance and reliability of its drives. Although flash memory drives start out quite robust and stable, as with all solid state memory drives, they can begin to deteriorate over time and lose blocks of memory. Bad Block Memory Management tracks the health of...