Don't let their size fool you, portable USB drives are no small technological feat. These drives are small enough to carry on a key chain, yet powerful enough to store your digital images, music and multimedia files. These versatile units serve double duty, as both a compact external drive and as a dependable storage medium. And best of all, these drives are designed with the on-the-go PC user in mind; they bring portability to the next level by packing the memory of a PC into a device that's the size of a pack of chewing gum.

Portable USB drives' small size translates into convenience. Never again will you have to worry about storing files on multiple floppy disks or CDs, when one portable USB drive can get the job done. Never again will you pore over how to attach documents to email so you can transfer data from your PC at work to your PC at home. Also, these compact drives are the smart, space-saving alternative to connecting bulky, external drives to your laptop, such as floppy drives.

With the user-friendly plug-and-play compatibility, you simply connect the wireless USB drive to your PC through the self-contained USB interface. No external power source is needed, and you don't have to fret about connecting through a separate USB reader/writer. Also, your PC will automatically recognize these drives when they're plugged into a USB port, and they'll appear as a new, temporary drive on your desktop.

Portable USB drives not only accommodate a number of different file formats, but they also come in several memory sizes, and some units can even be upgraded to offer even more memory. Several companies have developed these units, including Memorex's ThumbDrive, Sony's Micro Vault and SanDisk's Cruzer. So whether you're carrying an entire multimedia presentation to an important business meeting, or you just need to take one file from work home for the night, you'll find the size you're looking for.

Many of these portable USB drives also include safeguards such as password protection, data encryption, and write protection to guard your data, and most are compatible with both PCs and Macs.