Definition[]
The Universal Serial Bus (USB) is
| “ | [a] computer hardware interface connection that facilitates the use of many peripheral devices including keyboards, mice, joysticks, scanners, printers, external storage devices, mobile phones, smart phones, PDAs, and software dongles.[1] | ” |
Overview[]
USB drives, sometimes referred to as thumb drives, are chewing-gum-pack size hardware components with a USB connector at one end, and built as a printed circuit board within a plastic housing that encases a processor and memory.
There are two versions of USB. USB 1.0, the older version, transfers data at speeds up to 12 mbps. USB 2.0 can achieve data transfer rates up to 480 mbps.