• Data can now be stored in numerous electronic forms, reducing the usage of written information.Data image by Oleksiy Ilyashenko from Fotolia.com
  
  You can use data storage devices to store your personal data, back up important work and transfer data between computers. Much research goes into producing more efficient ways to store data. Progress has been made in the capability of data storage devices since the first formats were originally produced.
  
  

Memory Card

• Memory cards are compact, portable data storage devices.sd - karte front image by Otmar Smit from Fotolia.com
  
  A memory card is an electronically rewritable data storage device. The most common form of memory card is an SD Card. Other popular types include MiniSD Card, CompactFlash and MultiMediaCard. Most of these memory card formats were invented in the 1990s. As of 2010, memory cards come in different sizes, ranging from 1MB to 128GB. Memory cards are primarily used for personal data storage in a variety of electronic devices such as digital cameras, cell phones, MP3 players and games consoles.
  
  

Tape

• Tapes have been widely replaced by other data storage devices.cassette image by Shawn Stallard from Fotolia.com
  
  A tape drive uses a magnetic tape to store data. The first tape system was the Magnetophon created in the 1930s by AEG. The two main types of tape drive are the older reel-to-reel drives and, more recently, cassettes. Tape drives have storage capabilities ranging from a couple of megabytes to hundreds of megabytes. Tapes are no longer often used as a primary storage drives, but cassettes are still widely used in offline archives for security camera and radio records.
  
  

ROM Cartridge

• Nintendo is the only gaming company that still widely produces ROM cartridges.Super Mario Bros - Copyright David Stott 2008 image by David Stott from Fotolia.com
  
  A ROM Cartridge is an electronic data storage device that consists mainly of read-only data storage but includes a small amount of rewritable capability. ROM cartridges were widely used by video game companies before the production of CDs. Many switched to CDs as they were more economical. The only large game company still using ROM cartridges is Nintendo. Cartridges are a robust storage system, but due to the wide variance in production specifications between companies, users often had compatibility issues between consoles and cartridges.
  
  

Floppy Disk

• Floppy disks were given their name due to the flexibility of the plastic housing.floppy disk image by Randy McKown from Fotolia.com
  
  The floppy disk was first released in 1971 by IBM. Floppy disks were manufactured in three standardized sizes: 8 inches, 5.25 inches and 3.25 inches. Floppy disks were widely used until the late 1990s by home users to transfer, store and back up their data. Floppy disk drives are now rarely included in new computers, but accessing floppy disks is still possible using an external floppy disk drive. The main disadvantages of floppy drives are that they are physically fragile and their storage capacities have been outgrown by modern software requirements.
  
  

CD

• CDs are the standard format for audio storage.cd's image by Dianne Burridge from Fotolia.com
  
  A compact dic is a circular polycarbonate plastic data storage device. CDs are used as the standard format for storing audio but can store a wide range of formats. The standard capacity of a CD is 700MB. They are accessed using an optical drive with a laser that reads the data on the disk.
  
  

DVD/Blu-Ray DVD

• DVDs are used widely to store movies. HD movies are stored on Blu-Ray DVDs.dvd image by dinostock from Fotolia.com
  
  A DVD is a circular polycarbonate plastic data storage device. DVDs are used as the standard format for storing video and software, but also can store a wide range of formats. DVD capacity ranges from 4.7GB to 50GB on a Blu-Ray double-layered disk. Blu-Ray DVDs were invented in 2008 and are used to store high-definition video and games. Standard DVDs use a red laser; Blu-Ray discs use a blue laser to read the disk.
  
  

USB Flash Drive

• USB flash disks are getting physically smaller but are increasing in capacity.usb flash drive image by Bosko Martinovic from Fotolia.com
  
  A USB flash drive is a rewritable data storage device. It can be accessed via a USB port, a feature found on almost all new computers and laptops. The size of a USB flash drive can range from a couple of megabytes to 256GB in late 2010, however this figure is rising rapidly as USB technology advances. USB drives are used for a variety of purposes, such as transferring personal data, backing up data and in music players. They are very portable as they are small and lightweight and can be transported safely due to their robust internal design.
  
  

Hard Disk

• Hard disk drives are used in almost all computers to store data.hard disk in funzione image by Michele Campini from Fotolia.com
  
  Hard disk drives were invented by IBM in 1956. Hard drives are the primary storage device used in almost all computers for the past 50 years. The largest hard drive commercially available in late 2010 holds more than 2TB. Hard drives can be internal or external (portable). There is much research into hard drive improvement from computer manufacturers looking to improve data transfer rates, power consumption and noise levels while reducing physical size.