How cool is this....? record your old Led Zeppelin albums onto a flash drive and then transfer to your MP3 Player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhfEONUp5n0
Showing posts with label flashdrivedirect. Show all posts
Showing posts with label flashdrivedirect. Show all posts
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Friday, May 2, 2008
Death of the CD
2008, the death of the CD and the death of the music business as we know it
Advertising, Media Consulting, Marketing Research
Press release from: Flash Drive Direct
(openPR) - 2008, the death of the CD and the death of the music business as we know it.- Flash Drive Direct offers solution to music retail sector blues.
The CD is dead and so is the music industry as it faces the prospect of a download only era. Music industry insiders know that the download business strategy is not suited to the labels.
The labels are 5 years too late to stake a viable claim in the download arena. They cannot successfully compete with LimeWire, MySpace and other free services.
EMI, Warner, Hollywood record labels have been seriously exploring the last potent retail replacement for the CD, the flash drive.
Flash drive designer and manufacturer Flash Drive Direct has penned a treatise that describes a new and viable replacement for the CD that will appeal to the download demographic and offer a richer media intense delivery system.
The CD is dead. Sales have plummeted nearly 50% over the last 4 years and a whole generation of consumers are now no longer even familiar with the CD as a concept or the idea that a record store is the place to find the "next big thing".
Record labels have reacted either by standing by and watching as the retail industry tanks or by litigating to death their very own consumers in a futile effort to put the download genie back in the bottle.
This generation wants to buy its music, what they don't want to buy is a CD," states John Graham, long-time music industry analyst and current director of Flash Drive Direct design and manufacturing house (www.flashdrivedirect.com). "What the labels have failed to recognize is that the download consumer still wants to buy a tangible tactile product. They are the wealthiest youth generation in history with an estimated annual disposable income of over 20 billion dollars. They lay claim to some of the largest discretionary retail spending. Note the sales of Mac's, iPods, cell phones, $200 jeans and more," concludes Graham.
"The retail experience for the download generation is alive and kicking. The difference is that today's downloaders grew up on MP3 files not CD's," Graham goes on to say. "When MP'3's came along they were first played almost exclusively on computers. However, necessity being the Mother of all inventions, retailers then created the MP3 player industry. As a result the CD player and the CD retail business went the way of the Dodo."
A recent Harvard study on retail trends cited an anomaly in the download generation's retail therapy that was not anticipated. It found that consumers 14-29 would buy music from a retail outlet if two things were changed. One being that the retail environment better represented their personal expression of taste and secondly that if the music were loaded onto a digital device such as a flash drive they would buy it.
The study went on to say that on a secondary level of understanding "the consumer had veered away from the CD as it offered little in the way of new media interactivity". The consumer had found that the CD only offered a 1 dimensional experience and had no "bells and whistles".
John Graham of Flash Drive Direct goes on to explain, "the problem with the CD in recent years was not just a lack of a solid CD's worth of material but the high cost the consumer paid for what amounted to nothing more than a $15 expense for 1-2 singles, a bunch of filler and no killer! The labels only have themselves to blame for much of this."
The new delivery device that will recapture the spirit of the vibrant 80's and 90's CD sales boom is the digital flash drive. To date many artists have released limited edition and on-line sales of flash drive albums. However, there were 2 consistent failures in these tentative approaches. Firstly the retail environment had no rack space to best showcase the drives and perhaps more importantly the artist and labels did not grasp the enormous range of expression that the flash drive offered.
The drive would contain the tunes but what has not been fully understood was what else the flash drive offers. The drive not only delivers songs but videos, print files of all of the artist's previous CD covers, tour posters, band bio's and more. It also could easily be formatted to link to outside websites where the consumer could buy tickets, visit the band's website, download coupons and link to a wide variety of on-line and real world experiences. The flash drive is much more impactful as a retail tool when viewed as a web portal, multi- media storage and song delivery device than just a mere replacement for the CD, as the CD was for the LP.
Flash Drive Direct does work for the corporate world along with new media ventures with record labels, film studios, television and more.
Advertising, Media Consulting, Marketing Research
Press release from: Flash Drive Direct
(openPR) - 2008, the death of the CD and the death of the music business as we know it.- Flash Drive Direct offers solution to music retail sector blues.
The CD is dead and so is the music industry as it faces the prospect of a download only era. Music industry insiders know that the download business strategy is not suited to the labels.
The labels are 5 years too late to stake a viable claim in the download arena. They cannot successfully compete with LimeWire, MySpace and other free services.
EMI, Warner, Hollywood record labels have been seriously exploring the last potent retail replacement for the CD, the flash drive.
Flash drive designer and manufacturer Flash Drive Direct has penned a treatise that describes a new and viable replacement for the CD that will appeal to the download demographic and offer a richer media intense delivery system.
The CD is dead. Sales have plummeted nearly 50% over the last 4 years and a whole generation of consumers are now no longer even familiar with the CD as a concept or the idea that a record store is the place to find the "next big thing".
Record labels have reacted either by standing by and watching as the retail industry tanks or by litigating to death their very own consumers in a futile effort to put the download genie back in the bottle.
This generation wants to buy its music, what they don't want to buy is a CD," states John Graham, long-time music industry analyst and current director of Flash Drive Direct design and manufacturing house (www.flashdrivedirect.com). "What the labels have failed to recognize is that the download consumer still wants to buy a tangible tactile product. They are the wealthiest youth generation in history with an estimated annual disposable income of over 20 billion dollars. They lay claim to some of the largest discretionary retail spending. Note the sales of Mac's, iPods, cell phones, $200 jeans and more," concludes Graham.
"The retail experience for the download generation is alive and kicking. The difference is that today's downloaders grew up on MP3 files not CD's," Graham goes on to say. "When MP'3's came along they were first played almost exclusively on computers. However, necessity being the Mother of all inventions, retailers then created the MP3 player industry. As a result the CD player and the CD retail business went the way of the Dodo."
A recent Harvard study on retail trends cited an anomaly in the download generation's retail therapy that was not anticipated. It found that consumers 14-29 would buy music from a retail outlet if two things were changed. One being that the retail environment better represented their personal expression of taste and secondly that if the music were loaded onto a digital device such as a flash drive they would buy it.
The study went on to say that on a secondary level of understanding "the consumer had veered away from the CD as it offered little in the way of new media interactivity". The consumer had found that the CD only offered a 1 dimensional experience and had no "bells and whistles".
John Graham of Flash Drive Direct goes on to explain, "the problem with the CD in recent years was not just a lack of a solid CD's worth of material but the high cost the consumer paid for what amounted to nothing more than a $15 expense for 1-2 singles, a bunch of filler and no killer! The labels only have themselves to blame for much of this."
The new delivery device that will recapture the spirit of the vibrant 80's and 90's CD sales boom is the digital flash drive. To date many artists have released limited edition and on-line sales of flash drive albums. However, there were 2 consistent failures in these tentative approaches. Firstly the retail environment had no rack space to best showcase the drives and perhaps more importantly the artist and labels did not grasp the enormous range of expression that the flash drive offered.
The drive would contain the tunes but what has not been fully understood was what else the flash drive offers. The drive not only delivers songs but videos, print files of all of the artist's previous CD covers, tour posters, band bio's and more. It also could easily be formatted to link to outside websites where the consumer could buy tickets, visit the band's website, download coupons and link to a wide variety of on-line and real world experiences. The flash drive is much more impactful as a retail tool when viewed as a web portal, multi- media storage and song delivery device than just a mere replacement for the CD, as the CD was for the LP.
Flash Drive Direct does work for the corporate world along with new media ventures with record labels, film studios, television and more.
Flash drive news
Flash Drive Direct
News
Sold only to Promotional Professionals
1)�
http://www.pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=71400&Itemid=9
Flash Drive Direct Manufacturer Partners with Pantone to Make ...
PR-USA.net (press release),�Bulgaria�- Feb 16, 2008
John Graham of Flash Drive Direct states “we have had a number of inquiries as to the possibility of coloring the aluminum of the flash drive housing so ...
2)
�
http://www.prweb.com/releases/flash/drive/prweb530039.htm
The CD is Dead - Flash Drive Direct Offers Strong Alternative ...
PR Web (press release),�WA�- Feb 14, 2008
Flash drive designer and manufacturer Flash Drive Direct has penned a treatise that describes a new and viable replacement for the CD that will appeal to ...
�
3)
http://www.usprwire.com/Detailed/Advertising_Marketing/70_000_distributor_members_of_the_promotional_products_industry_offered_free_4_GB_flash_drives_to_te_18505.shtml
70000 distributor members of the promotional products industry ...
USPRwire (press release),�UK�- Feb 10, 2008
Promotional products design and supply firm, Flash Drive Direct is offering a free “test drive” of their new 4 GB digital wrap flash drive “The Ruby”. ...
�
4)
http://billboardpublicitywire.com/releases/flash/drive/prweb530039.htm
The CD is Dead - Flash Drive Direct Offers Strong Alternative ...
14 Feb 2008 ... PR: The CD is dead and the industry is facing the prospect of a download only era. Music industry mavens know that this business strategy is ...
billboardpublicitywire.com/releases/flash/drive/prweb530039.htm - 58k - Cached - Similar pages
�
5)
http://www.pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=71760&Itemid=9
PR-USA.net - The CD is Dead - Flash Drive Direct Offers Strong ...
John Graham of Flash Drive Direct goes on to explain, "the problem with the CD in recent years was not just a lack of a solid CD's worth of material but the ...
www.pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=71760&Itemid=9 - 28k - Cached - Similar pages
�
6)
http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200712/1198605405.html
USB promotional products designer Flash Drive Direct launches new ...
DirectDigitalFrame.com, presents a new paradigm on the promotional products industry; it launches January 7, 2007.
www.free-press-release.com/news/200712/1198605405.html - 24k - Cached - Similar pages
�
7)
http://www.1888pressrelease.com/flash-drive-direct-launches-industry-forum-for-news-views-a-pr-w3p817q4w.html
Flash Drive Direct Launches Industry Forum For News, Views And ...
Flash Drive Direct Launches Industry Forum For News, Views And Reviews On The Flash Drive And Its New Developments, Flash Drive Designer and manufacturer ...
www.1888pressrelease.com/flash-drive-direct-launches-industry-forum-for-news-views-a-pr-w3p817q4w.html - 16k - Cached - Similar pages
�
8)
http://www.prbuzz.com/promotional-designer-flash-drive-direct-acquires-environmental-leader-and-rival-usbadspec-15528.html
PRBUZZ: Press Release Distribution Services - Promotional designer ...
4 Jan 2008 ... Promotional designer Flash Drive Direct acquires environmental leader and rival ... Flash Drive designer and manufacturer Flash Drive Direct ...
www.prbuzz.com/promotional-designer-flash-drive-direct-acquires-environmental-leader-and-rival-usbadspec-... - 29k - Cached - Similar pages
�
�
9)
http://texas-press-release.com/46/USB%20Golf%20Bag%20Flash%20Drive%20Direct%20design%20early%20nominee%20for%20Wallpaper%20Design%20Awards.php
USB Golf Bag Flash Drive Direct design early nominee for Wallpaper ...
designs was the golf bag design usb flash drive put forth by flash drive designer Flash Drive Direct. However, in the shade of such a great design as Yves ...
texas-press-release.com/46/USB%20Golf%20Bag%20Flash%20Drive%20Direct%20design%20early%20nominee%20for%20W... - 53k - Cached - Similar pages
�
10)
�
http://www.prwebpodcast.com/releases/pod399996.htm
PRWeb™ Podcast :: Press Release Podcasts Flash Drive Direct saves over 500% energy consumption compared to conventional CD use. USB Flash Drive manufacturer and designer Flash Drive Direct has put ...
www.prwebpodcast.com/releases/pod399996.htm - 26k - Cached - Similar pages
�
http://www.pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=71400&Itemid=9
USB Digital Frames Achieve RoHS Compliancy - A Promotional ...
The Open Press (press release) - 11 hours ago
States digital designer John Graham of Flash Drive Direct. USB Digital Frames is certified ROHS compliant. A major step forward for the promotional products ...-
Flash Drive Direct ramps up promotional products industry to 16GB
Flash Drive Direct launches line of 16GB hand held flash drives for the promotional products market. The $16 Billion dollar (annual sales) US promotional ...
www.prleap.com/pr/96516/ - 13k -
PRBUZZ: Press Release Distribution Services - HOME
Flash Drive designer and manufacturer Flash Drive Direct increased its stake in the ad specialty business by 45% by acquiring rival USBAdspec. ...
www.prbuzz.com/ -
USB promotional products designer Flash Drive Direct launches new ...
DirectDigitalFrame.com, presents a new paradigm on the promotional products industry; it launches January 7, 2007.
www.free-press-release.com/news/200712/1198605405.html - 24k -
Newswire / Press Release: Flash Drive Direct Announces USB Flash ...
Free PR press release & newswire news distribution network to companies, business journalists, public relation agencies, Corporate newswire, market research ...
www.newswiretoday.com/news/27841/ - 37k
USB Flash Drives, their uses and their future to be explained in a ...
Flash Drive Direct; along with other electronics specialists will take part in the ... Flash Drive Direct Horseshoe Way Vancouver Canada 604-272-8809 ...
www.i-newswire.com/pr141433.html - 20k -
RedTram News Search Engine | Flash Drive Direct Announces USB ...
Flash Drive Direct Announces USB Flash Drives - 'Their Uses And Their Future' to be Explained in A 1-day Online Event. 02.01.2008 09:15 ...
en.redtram.com/go/69996274/ - 63k -
PROMOTIONAL FLASH DRIVES - promotional flash drives news
USBAdspec Flash Drives save over 500% in energy consumption, ... Flash Drive Direct hires long-time promotional products expert, John Graham, to head their. ...
promotionalflashdrives.72906.free-press-release.com/ - 17k -
USB Digital Frames and Flash Drive Direct to be the first ...
standard for both their Flash Drive line ( Flash Drive Direct) and their digital frame division (USB Digital Frames). USB Digital Frames and Flash Drive ...
virginia-press-release.com/44/USB%20Digital%20Frames%20and%20Flash%20Drive%20Direct%20to%20be%20the%20fir... - 42k -
USB Digital Frames Achieve RoHS Compliancy - A Promotional ...
States digital designer John Graham of Flash Drive Direct. ... In the promotional products field where Flash Drive Direct and USB Digital Frames and ...
www.theopenpress.com/index.php?a=press&id=26988
Artikel drucken - USBAdspec Flash Drives save over 500% in energy ...
USBAdspec Flash Drives save over 500 in energy consumption cites Consumer Reports study USB Flash Drive manufacturer USBadspec usbadspec dot com has put ...
www.openpr.com/print/23195/USBAdspec-Flash-Drives-save-over-500-in-energy-consumption-cites-Consumer-Repo... - 5k -
Google News Alert for: usbadspec
Designer Flash Drive Direct acquires environmental leader and ad ...
openPR (press release) - Hamburg,Germany
USB Flash Drive manufacturer USBAdspec came to prominence last summer when it had put forth a Green Paper on the positive impact that the use of computer ...
See all stories on this topic
News
Sold only to Promotional Professionals
1)�
http://www.pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=71400&Itemid=9
Flash Drive Direct Manufacturer Partners with Pantone to Make ...
PR-USA.net (press release),�Bulgaria�- Feb 16, 2008
John Graham of Flash Drive Direct states “we have had a number of inquiries as to the possibility of coloring the aluminum of the flash drive housing so ...
2)
�
http://www.prweb.com/releases/flash/drive/prweb530039.htm
The CD is Dead - Flash Drive Direct Offers Strong Alternative ...
PR Web (press release),�WA�- Feb 14, 2008
Flash drive designer and manufacturer Flash Drive Direct has penned a treatise that describes a new and viable replacement for the CD that will appeal to ...
�
3)
http://www.usprwire.com/Detailed/Advertising_Marketing/70_000_distributor_members_of_the_promotional_products_industry_offered_free_4_GB_flash_drives_to_te_18505.shtml
70000 distributor members of the promotional products industry ...
USPRwire (press release),�UK�- Feb 10, 2008
Promotional products design and supply firm, Flash Drive Direct is offering a free “test drive” of their new 4 GB digital wrap flash drive “The Ruby”. ...
�
4)
http://billboardpublicitywire.com/releases/flash/drive/prweb530039.htm
The CD is Dead - Flash Drive Direct Offers Strong Alternative ...
14 Feb 2008 ... PR: The CD is dead and the industry is facing the prospect of a download only era. Music industry mavens know that this business strategy is ...
billboardpublicitywire.com/releases/flash/drive/prweb530039.htm - 58k - Cached - Similar pages
�
5)
http://www.pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=71760&Itemid=9
PR-USA.net - The CD is Dead - Flash Drive Direct Offers Strong ...
John Graham of Flash Drive Direct goes on to explain, "the problem with the CD in recent years was not just a lack of a solid CD's worth of material but the ...
www.pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=71760&Itemid=9 - 28k - Cached - Similar pages
�
6)
http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200712/1198605405.html
USB promotional products designer Flash Drive Direct launches new ...
DirectDigitalFrame.com, presents a new paradigm on the promotional products industry; it launches January 7, 2007.
www.free-press-release.com/news/200712/1198605405.html - 24k - Cached - Similar pages
�
7)
http://www.1888pressrelease.com/flash-drive-direct-launches-industry-forum-for-news-views-a-pr-w3p817q4w.html
Flash Drive Direct Launches Industry Forum For News, Views And ...
Flash Drive Direct Launches Industry Forum For News, Views And Reviews On The Flash Drive And Its New Developments, Flash Drive Designer and manufacturer ...
www.1888pressrelease.com/flash-drive-direct-launches-industry-forum-for-news-views-a-pr-w3p817q4w.html - 16k - Cached - Similar pages
�
8)
http://www.prbuzz.com/promotional-designer-flash-drive-direct-acquires-environmental-leader-and-rival-usbadspec-15528.html
PRBUZZ: Press Release Distribution Services - Promotional designer ...
4 Jan 2008 ... Promotional designer Flash Drive Direct acquires environmental leader and rival ... Flash Drive designer and manufacturer Flash Drive Direct ...
www.prbuzz.com/promotional-designer-flash-drive-direct-acquires-environmental-leader-and-rival-usbadspec-... - 29k - Cached - Similar pages
�
�
9)
http://texas-press-release.com/46/USB%20Golf%20Bag%20Flash%20Drive%20Direct%20design%20early%20nominee%20for%20Wallpaper%20Design%20Awards.php
USB Golf Bag Flash Drive Direct design early nominee for Wallpaper ...
designs was the golf bag design usb flash drive put forth by flash drive designer Flash Drive Direct. However, in the shade of such a great design as Yves ...
texas-press-release.com/46/USB%20Golf%20Bag%20Flash%20Drive%20Direct%20design%20early%20nominee%20for%20W... - 53k - Cached - Similar pages
�
10)
�
http://www.prwebpodcast.com/releases/pod399996.htm
PRWeb™ Podcast :: Press Release Podcasts Flash Drive Direct saves over 500% energy consumption compared to conventional CD use. USB Flash Drive manufacturer and designer Flash Drive Direct has put ...
www.prwebpodcast.com/releases/pod399996.htm - 26k - Cached - Similar pages
�
http://www.pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=71400&Itemid=9
USB Digital Frames Achieve RoHS Compliancy - A Promotional ...
The Open Press (press release) - 11 hours ago
States digital designer John Graham of Flash Drive Direct. USB Digital Frames is certified ROHS compliant. A major step forward for the promotional products ...-
Flash Drive Direct ramps up promotional products industry to 16GB
Flash Drive Direct launches line of 16GB hand held flash drives for the promotional products market. The $16 Billion dollar (annual sales) US promotional ...
www.prleap.com/pr/96516/ - 13k -
PRBUZZ: Press Release Distribution Services - HOME
Flash Drive designer and manufacturer Flash Drive Direct increased its stake in the ad specialty business by 45% by acquiring rival USBAdspec. ...
www.prbuzz.com/ -
USB promotional products designer Flash Drive Direct launches new ...
DirectDigitalFrame.com, presents a new paradigm on the promotional products industry; it launches January 7, 2007.
www.free-press-release.com/news/200712/1198605405.html - 24k -
Newswire / Press Release: Flash Drive Direct Announces USB Flash ...
Free PR press release & newswire news distribution network to companies, business journalists, public relation agencies, Corporate newswire, market research ...
www.newswiretoday.com/news/27841/ - 37k
USB Flash Drives, their uses and their future to be explained in a ...
Flash Drive Direct; along with other electronics specialists will take part in the ... Flash Drive Direct Horseshoe Way Vancouver Canada 604-272-8809 ...
www.i-newswire.com/pr141433.html - 20k -
RedTram News Search Engine | Flash Drive Direct Announces USB ...
Flash Drive Direct Announces USB Flash Drives - 'Their Uses And Their Future' to be Explained in A 1-day Online Event. 02.01.2008 09:15 ...
en.redtram.com/go/69996274/ - 63k -
PROMOTIONAL FLASH DRIVES - promotional flash drives news
USBAdspec Flash Drives save over 500% in energy consumption, ... Flash Drive Direct hires long-time promotional products expert, John Graham, to head their. ...
promotionalflashdrives.72906.free-press-release.com/ - 17k -
USB Digital Frames and Flash Drive Direct to be the first ...
standard for both their Flash Drive line ( Flash Drive Direct) and their digital frame division (USB Digital Frames). USB Digital Frames and Flash Drive ...
virginia-press-release.com/44/USB%20Digital%20Frames%20and%20Flash%20Drive%20Direct%20to%20be%20the%20fir... - 42k -
USB Digital Frames Achieve RoHS Compliancy - A Promotional ...
States digital designer John Graham of Flash Drive Direct. ... In the promotional products field where Flash Drive Direct and USB Digital Frames and ...
www.theopenpress.com/index.php?a=press&id=26988
Artikel drucken - USBAdspec Flash Drives save over 500% in energy ...
USBAdspec Flash Drives save over 500 in energy consumption cites Consumer Reports study USB Flash Drive manufacturer USBadspec usbadspec dot com has put ...
www.openpr.com/print/23195/USBAdspec-Flash-Drives-save-over-500-in-energy-consumption-cites-Consumer-Repo... - 5k -
Google News Alert for: usbadspec
Designer Flash Drive Direct acquires environmental leader and ad ...
openPR (press release) - Hamburg,Germany
USB Flash Drive manufacturer USBAdspec came to prominence last summer when it had put forth a Green Paper on the positive impact that the use of computer ...
See all stories on this topic
Monday, April 28, 2008
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Stop asking me if I can match your ridiculously cheap prices for Flash Drives
Stop asking me if I can match your ridiculously cheap prices for Flash Drives.......Pass this along to customers and co-workers.
Every day......I mean every day I get the same phone call from a distributor saying “my customer/competitor found a 1 GB for $5.95 ea. on a 100 piece order. Stop calling and wasting my time or get educated as to why this is not possible! I DO NOT CARE if you buy your flash drives from us (FlashDriveDirect.com), go ahead and buy them from ANYONE......BUT if you are going to buy flash drives.....READ THIS and figure out how to pass this info along to your customer or to your fellow distributors. Here are some Facts: 1) The cost for a 1 GB (or any size) chip is the same if you buy 100 or 20,000. There are about 5 major chip manufactures (Samsung, Intel, Hynix etc) and they CANNOT produce enough chips to meet demand. THEREFORE....they will sell all the chips they can make at a set price...they DO NOT VOLUME DISCOUNT!
2) The cost of housings (the outsides) DO VARY......However when you add the cost of memory of Grade A Tier 1 USB 2.0 chips to any housing (even the cheapest), logo it and get it to North America it COSTS us more than $6 bucks!!! 3) Can Tier 1 USB 2.0 get lower in price.....YES.....but only on orders of 5000 plus...Why? Because we can beat up the manufacturer of the housings to sell them for a lot less.........ALSO we take a far smaller profit and look at making a reasonable amount of money for the WHOLE order vs. a margin of 20% on small orders. 4) SO WHAT ARE THESE CHEAP FLASH DRIVE (i.e. $6 for a 1GB for 100 units)..? 5) This is where it gets a little techy and I don’t want to confuse anyone. I will try and explain this simply plus add information from the chip manufacturers themselves to make it easy to understand.
6) ALL wafer/chip manufacturers have a FAILURE RATE around 25%. These wafer “cast-offs” contain some usable memory plus recoverable electronics. ALL OF THIS FAILED memory is sold on a “grey market”. It is bought by the pound and used in cheap toys, cheap watches etc, where a failure is really not a big deal. HOWEVER...a large number of these are making it into the Flash Drive marketplace. WHY IS THIS A PROBLEM? It is a problem because you are not buying 1 of them, your are buying 100, 200 or more of them. If 25% fail you will have a VERY PEAVED customer. Do you really want to return 25% of your order and your money?
INTEL internal memo Oct 2007. “Since the cost of wafers and wafer processing is mostly fixed, fewer larger chips means each must be priced higher than when many small chips can be cut from a wafer. Those defective chips lead to even higher prices. Worse, and the more subtle aspect of the dilemma, is that the occurrence of defects is often random (frequently caused by dust particles). That 25% I mentioned might be true for one chip size, but wildly low for some other chip size. The way to think of it is in terms of "defects per wafer" and not defects per chip. If that number of defects can be held constant, then when there are a lot of chips cut from a wafer, the percentage of bad chips is low, while when few chips are cut from a wafer, the percentage of bad chips is high. It often takes only one defect to ruin a chip”.
So......How is it that you can get 100 units of 1 GB Flash Drives for $5.95...? You can get them, but a large % WILL FAIL..........If that’s what you want.....then that’s what you will get! DO NOT LET THE TERMS TIER 1 AND USB 2.0 FOOL YOU INTO A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY! 1) USB 2.0 refers to the most recent SPEED of transfer of data (we will soon be at USB 3.0 btw). It also refers to the fact that REAL USB 2.0 will run on Windows Vista and Mac Leopard Operating systems. Just because it says USB 2.0 does not mean it WILL NOT FAIL......it just means that if it works it will work at a faster speed. 2) YOU WILL NOT know if you have USB 2.0 until you get the flash drives. If you trust every web site you are being a fool. If you cannot speak with someone who can explain this and offer a lifetime warranty then you are not sure until you get them......simple. 3) Tier 1. Tier 1 means top quality, best of show, the crème de la crème......these are the best chips from the wafer. THERE IS TIER 1 scrap memory as seen above....but it fails 25% of the time.
So.....how do you protect your customer and yourself from buying crap? 1) Buy from a reputable dealer. Shop and compare. If a reputable company like Flash Drive Direct, USB Custom, I-Click, USB Source and others prices are all about the same than you are getting the “REAL McCOY!” 2) Price does mean safety! If it seems too good to be true, it is! Unless you are buying 2000, 5000 or more drives the prices will all be the same....as I said earlier in this article ...if we can make a profit on a large order then we do not worry about per unit margins, however on smaller orders (100-500) pieces we make a small margin that allows for some profit and covering the costs of providing you the best.
In conclusion…….if you want to buy safely and with dignity……buy flash drives using common sense……..If you want to get stung, go with the cheapest.
If you want to call me about this…….I will talk and help walk you through it………I want you to buy the right thing…..Why? Because it reflects on all of us……….
John Graham
Monday, March 31, 2008
This weeks flash drive news
Monday, March 31, 2008
USB docking station for 2.5” and 3.5” SATA hard disks from DIGITUS - Open PR
Digital Photo To DVD Converter - Coolest Gadgets
Portable measurement performance - SA I&C
Transcend Launches 16GB JetFlash V85 - EFY Times
Beamz Laser Harp - Coolest Gadgets
Step-down converter suits systems with USB - Eetasia
3rd Space FPS gaming vest - Reg Hardware
USB 2.0 OTG controller saves space, power - Eetasia
Weekend March 28-30, 2008
USB Security System for $100 - G4 TV
TI Launches High-Speed USB 2.0 On-The-Go Solution - TMC Net
Wacom Cintiq 12WX Pen Display Review - Digital Camera Reviews
USB DAQ Delivers Increase Accuracy - ECN Mag
Card Reader Doubles as USB Hub - Film Crunch
MS Notebook Mouse Multitasks - TV Envy
Ultra Accurate Temperature & Humidity Systems - MeasurementDevices
Thursday, March 27, 2008
LG releases Flatron LX206WU, 20-inch LCD that connects via USB - Gadgetell
Synchronized, portable USB module analyzes sound and vibration - Audio Design Line
Walletex USB MediCard is thin, contains medical records - Dvice
ATEN's new Multimedia-aware KVMs introduce USB ports and more - IT Pro Portal
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Western Digital rolls out colorful new My Passport Elite USB hard drives - Engadget
USB drive crackdown by US agency - TechWorld
Switch-mode USB Power Manager maximizes battery run time - Thomas Net
CAST Expands System IP Offerings with Embedded Internet and USB Subsystems - PR Newswire
USB docking station for 2.5” and 3.5” SATA hard disks from DIGITUS - Open PR
Digital Photo To DVD Converter - Coolest Gadgets
Portable measurement performance - SA I&C
Transcend Launches 16GB JetFlash V85 - EFY Times
Beamz Laser Harp - Coolest Gadgets
Step-down converter suits systems with USB - Eetasia
3rd Space FPS gaming vest - Reg Hardware
USB 2.0 OTG controller saves space, power - Eetasia
Weekend March 28-30, 2008
USB Security System for $100 - G4 TV
TI Launches High-Speed USB 2.0 On-The-Go Solution - TMC Net
Wacom Cintiq 12WX Pen Display Review - Digital Camera Reviews
USB DAQ Delivers Increase Accuracy - ECN Mag
Card Reader Doubles as USB Hub - Film Crunch
MS Notebook Mouse Multitasks - TV Envy
Ultra Accurate Temperature & Humidity Systems - MeasurementDevices
Thursday, March 27, 2008
LG releases Flatron LX206WU, 20-inch LCD that connects via USB - Gadgetell
Synchronized, portable USB module analyzes sound and vibration - Audio Design Line
Walletex USB MediCard is thin, contains medical records - Dvice
ATEN's new Multimedia-aware KVMs introduce USB ports and more - IT Pro Portal
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Western Digital rolls out colorful new My Passport Elite USB hard drives - Engadget
USB drive crackdown by US agency - TechWorld
Switch-mode USB Power Manager maximizes battery run time - Thomas Net
CAST Expands System IP Offerings with Embedded Internet and USB Subsystems - PR Newswire
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Weirdest flash drive contest
What is the weirdest flash drive in the world? Worldwide contest “15 Minutes of Flash Drive Fame” aims to find the worlds weirdest USB flash drive. Contest sponsored by promotional products company, Flash Drive Direct.
Designer and manufacturer Flash Drive Direct launches a worldwide search and contest for the world’s weirdest flash drive. The competition starts April 15th 2008 and runs through to May 30th 2008. The winning submission of the weirdest, funniest flash drive will be announced June 15th on the flash drive direct web site with an accompanying email blast to 60,000 promotional products distributors featuring the winner and the winning submission.
“Over the past 5 years flash drives of all sizes, shapes and colors have begun to pop-up everywhere” states Flash Drive Directs spokesperson John Graham. “This explosion in design has paralleled the unprecedented growth of flash drive sales to the promotional products industry. Currently, the 16 billion dollar promotional products industry is experiencing triple digit growth in sales volume by dollars and unit sales of promotional logo flash drives. In fact sales of flash drives sold through the promotional distributor sales channel exceed sales of flash drives sold through traditional office supply channels such as Staples and Office Depot”.
The contest, entitled “15 minutes of flash drive fame!” has the following conditions. All submissions to the contest should enter through the email contact at flash drive direct and should include a picture of their weirdest flash drive entry, the submitters name and contact information. The winning submission will be chosen by the staff of Flash Drive Direct and announced on line June 15th. The winning submission and a profile of the winning promotional products distributor will be featured on the Flash Drive Direct web site and on a email blast to over 60, 000 promotional distributors throughout North America and Europe.
In previous years contests some of the whimsical flash drives that have been submitted have included the headless Barbie doll flash drive and the Sushi California Roll flash drive.
This years contest promises to raise the bar for fun and innovation in the ever-expanding flash drive field. For further information visit the Flash Drive Direct website.
Flash Drive Direct is a North American based design and manufacturing company that has operated since 2002. They produce and supply a wide range of logo promotional flash drives for the North American and European promotional products industry.
Designer and manufacturer Flash Drive Direct launches a worldwide search and contest for the world’s weirdest flash drive. The competition starts April 15th 2008 and runs through to May 30th 2008. The winning submission of the weirdest, funniest flash drive will be announced June 15th on the flash drive direct web site with an accompanying email blast to 60,000 promotional products distributors featuring the winner and the winning submission.
“Over the past 5 years flash drives of all sizes, shapes and colors have begun to pop-up everywhere” states Flash Drive Directs spokesperson John Graham. “This explosion in design has paralleled the unprecedented growth of flash drive sales to the promotional products industry. Currently, the 16 billion dollar promotional products industry is experiencing triple digit growth in sales volume by dollars and unit sales of promotional logo flash drives. In fact sales of flash drives sold through the promotional distributor sales channel exceed sales of flash drives sold through traditional office supply channels such as Staples and Office Depot”.
The contest, entitled “15 minutes of flash drive fame!” has the following conditions. All submissions to the contest should enter through the email contact at flash drive direct and should include a picture of their weirdest flash drive entry, the submitters name and contact information. The winning submission will be chosen by the staff of Flash Drive Direct and announced on line June 15th. The winning submission and a profile of the winning promotional products distributor will be featured on the Flash Drive Direct web site and on a email blast to over 60, 000 promotional distributors throughout North America and Europe.
In previous years contests some of the whimsical flash drives that have been submitted have included the headless Barbie doll flash drive and the Sushi California Roll flash drive.
This years contest promises to raise the bar for fun and innovation in the ever-expanding flash drive field. For further information visit the Flash Drive Direct website.
Flash Drive Direct is a North American based design and manufacturing company that has operated since 2002. They produce and supply a wide range of logo promotional flash drives for the North American and European promotional products industry.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
16 GB mega-memory flash drives now a reality.
16 GB mega-memory flash drives now a reality. Flash Drive Direct first to launch them into the promotional logo marketplace.The $16 Billion dollar US promotional logo products industry is getting a 16GB boost. Flash Drive Direct is now offering 16 GB hand held flash drive memory designs.“We only expect this upward memory trend to continue,” states John Graham, North American director of Flash Drive Direct. “ This business was mostly 32 MB promotional give-aways 2 years ago, now the sale of the flash drives into the US business economy is trending towards much larger memory drives. A year ago, 1GB was the upper end, 6 months ago we hit 8GB and now we are at 16GB. We can expect to see 32GB within the next 6 months”
This technical breakthrough is made possible by a marriage of new high memory chip sets from Samsung and a unique PVC molding process for the housing.
Instead of stacking a series of 2Gb chips in sequence to create larger memory there is now a single 16GB Samsung Chip. This allows the design of the housing to be flexible and innovative.Flash Drive Direct is now Windows ReadyBoost deliverable.Adding system memory (typically referred to as RAM) is often the best way to improve a PC’s performance, since more memory means more applications are ready to run without accessing the hard drive. However, upgrading memory can be difficult and costly, and some machines have limited memory expansion capabilities, making it impossible to add RAM.Windows Vista introduced Windows ReadyBoost, a new concept in adding memory to a system this past year. It means the user can use flash memory, such as that on a (USB) flash drive, to improve performance without having to add additional hard-wired memory.The flash memory device serves as an additional memory cache—that is, memory that the computer can access much more quickly than it can access data on the hard drive. Windows ReadyBoost relies on the intelligent memory management of Windows Super Fetch and can significantly improve system responsiveness.Windows ReadyBoost is simple to use. When a removable Flash Drive memory device is first inserted into a port, Windows Vista checks to see if its performance is fast enough to work with Windows ReadyBoost. If so, the user is asked if they want to use this device to speed up system performance. The user can choose to allocate part of a USB drive’s memory to speed up performance and use the remainder to store files.
Flash Drive Direct is one of the first suppliers to offer this to the ad specialty marketplace.
This technical breakthrough is made possible by a marriage of new high memory chip sets from Samsung and a unique PVC molding process for the housing.
Instead of stacking a series of 2Gb chips in sequence to create larger memory there is now a single 16GB Samsung Chip. This allows the design of the housing to be flexible and innovative.Flash Drive Direct is now Windows ReadyBoost deliverable.Adding system memory (typically referred to as RAM) is often the best way to improve a PC’s performance, since more memory means more applications are ready to run without accessing the hard drive. However, upgrading memory can be difficult and costly, and some machines have limited memory expansion capabilities, making it impossible to add RAM.Windows Vista introduced Windows ReadyBoost, a new concept in adding memory to a system this past year. It means the user can use flash memory, such as that on a (USB) flash drive, to improve performance without having to add additional hard-wired memory.The flash memory device serves as an additional memory cache—that is, memory that the computer can access much more quickly than it can access data on the hard drive. Windows ReadyBoost relies on the intelligent memory management of Windows Super Fetch and can significantly improve system responsiveness.Windows ReadyBoost is simple to use. When a removable Flash Drive memory device is first inserted into a port, Windows Vista checks to see if its performance is fast enough to work with Windows ReadyBoost. If so, the user is asked if they want to use this device to speed up system performance. The user can choose to allocate part of a USB drive’s memory to speed up performance and use the remainder to store files.
Flash Drive Direct is one of the first suppliers to offer this to the ad specialty marketplace.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Flash drive price drop spurring design innovation.
Flash price drop spurring innovation. Flash Drive Direct uses price decline to expand design innovation.
A massive decline in the price of NAND flash memory, the chips that store photos in digital cameras and music in iPods, is prompting design innovation among companies trying to increase sales. At the forefront of this movement for the corporate logo market is design house Flash Drive Direct.
The price of mainstream 2GB SLC (single-level cell) NAND flash memory chips has fallen 73 percent since mid-August to $7.96 late Thursday. The chips hit a high of $18.50 on Aug. 14. The price of 2GB MLC (multi-level cell) NAND flash chips have taken a slightly worse dive, 75 percent down to $2.23 on Thursday, compared to its summer high of $8.85 per chip.
A few of the items likely to see more widespread design specialization in gadgets this year include SD (secure digital) cards, USB flash sticks, and internal storage, as well as new, lower-cost SSDs (solid-state disks) in notebook computers.
With the dramatic decrease in flash drive pricing it has allowed corporate and promotional designers Flash Drive Direct to spend more money on unique housing designs and yet still keep within the current price confines of the marketplace.
At the upcoming April 2008 electronics tradeshow in Hong Kong, Flash Drive Direct will be releasing several new designs including a golf bag shaped flash drive, a manila folder shaped drive and a biometric drive in the shape of a well-know secret agents logo.
On the notebook front, Toshiba and Samsung have both developed new 128GB SSDs based in MLC NAND to expand their use in notebook PCs. The new SSDs are less expensive, giving notebook PC designers more choices in storage.
"At 128GB, you're giving consumers the kind of storage space they expect in a notebook," said Jim Elliott, director of flash marketing at Samsung, in an interview.
The new MLC-based drives are an important step forward for SSDs in the battle against hard disk drives (HDD). At 128GB, an SSD stands a far better chance of replacing an HDD in laptop computers because it removes some of the high-capacity advantage HDDs hold.
SSDs have several advantages over HDDs; they're lighter, more rugged, consume less power, make no noise, and enable a computer to start up and load software faster than HDDs. But SSDs are a lot more expensive than HDDs, which is why they're mainly used in the business laptop market, where users are willing to pay more for performance and reliability.
Elliot believes that not only will the marketplace see significant increases in memory at a lower price but an increase in design innovation that will redefine our notion of what a flash drive, notebook or computer will look like.
A massive decline in the price of NAND flash memory, the chips that store photos in digital cameras and music in iPods, is prompting design innovation among companies trying to increase sales. At the forefront of this movement for the corporate logo market is design house Flash Drive Direct.
The price of mainstream 2GB SLC (single-level cell) NAND flash memory chips has fallen 73 percent since mid-August to $7.96 late Thursday. The chips hit a high of $18.50 on Aug. 14. The price of 2GB MLC (multi-level cell) NAND flash chips have taken a slightly worse dive, 75 percent down to $2.23 on Thursday, compared to its summer high of $8.85 per chip.
A few of the items likely to see more widespread design specialization in gadgets this year include SD (secure digital) cards, USB flash sticks, and internal storage, as well as new, lower-cost SSDs (solid-state disks) in notebook computers.
With the dramatic decrease in flash drive pricing it has allowed corporate and promotional designers Flash Drive Direct to spend more money on unique housing designs and yet still keep within the current price confines of the marketplace.
At the upcoming April 2008 electronics tradeshow in Hong Kong, Flash Drive Direct will be releasing several new designs including a golf bag shaped flash drive, a manila folder shaped drive and a biometric drive in the shape of a well-know secret agents logo.
On the notebook front, Toshiba and Samsung have both developed new 128GB SSDs based in MLC NAND to expand their use in notebook PCs. The new SSDs are less expensive, giving notebook PC designers more choices in storage.
"At 128GB, you're giving consumers the kind of storage space they expect in a notebook," said Jim Elliott, director of flash marketing at Samsung, in an interview.
The new MLC-based drives are an important step forward for SSDs in the battle against hard disk drives (HDD). At 128GB, an SSD stands a far better chance of replacing an HDD in laptop computers because it removes some of the high-capacity advantage HDDs hold.
SSDs have several advantages over HDDs; they're lighter, more rugged, consume less power, make no noise, and enable a computer to start up and load software faster than HDDs. But SSDs are a lot more expensive than HDDs, which is why they're mainly used in the business laptop market, where users are willing to pay more for performance and reliability.
Elliot believes that not only will the marketplace see significant increases in memory at a lower price but an increase in design innovation that will redefine our notion of what a flash drive, notebook or computer will look like.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
