Cram Giant Amounts of Data Onto These Tiny Storage Drives and Cards

Holds: 1.5TB
Uses: USB 3.0
Dimensions: 4.7 inches by 3.5 inches by 0.87 inch

Probably the most practical of the drives discussed here, the Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex is also the largest, with a colossal 1.5TB crammed into a 2.5–inch portable enclosure. The drive is a little thicker than less capacious portable hard drives, but we’ll cut it some slack in view of its vast capacity. Another consideration: This unit is a classic hard drive with spinning platters.

$150 | Seagate.com

Holds: 320GB
Uses: USB 3.0
Dimensions: 4.91 inches by 3.07 inches by 0.354 inch

This model recently debuted as the slimmest portable hard drive available, and its thin profile is indeed remarkable. The GoFlex Slim has roughly the thickness of a pencil. Achieving such extreme portability took a toll on storage capacity, however; the drive maxes out at a (relatively) meager 320GB.

$100 | Seagate.com

Holds: 256GB
Uses: USB 2.0
Dimensions: 2.9 inches by 0.87 inch by 0.63 inch

One of the highest-capacity flash drives on the market, the Kingston DataTraveler 310 packs a whopping 256GB into a tiny stick that you can attach to your keychain. The keychain connection is a good idea, too, since losing the drive would set you back about $750 smackers. But at that price, where is the fast-transfer USB 3.0?

$750 | Newegg.com

Holds: 256GB
Uses: USB 3.0
Dimensions: 3.7 inches by 1.3 inches by 0.6 inch

Also sporting an amazing 256GB of storage space in a USB stick, the Super Talent SuperCrypt Drive is, as described by its maker, “a solid state disk performing over a USB 3.0 bus”--though elsewhere on its site, MaLabs refers to it simply as a flash drive. Well that’s all fine and dandy, but if the DataTraveler came in at $750, I can’t imagine how much this item would cost. In any event, it appears that you have to special-order this drive.

Special Order | MaLabs.com

Holds: 256GB
Uses: USB 3.0
Dimensions: 4.3 inches by 2.7 inches by 0.35 inch

External solid-state drives remain an expensive alternative to the traditional magnetic hard-disk drive with spinning platters--which is why so few companies now offer external SSD models. Iomega is one company that does so, with the External SSD Flash Drive. For well-heeled consumers, SSDs offer low power and light weight, and provide speedy read speeds. With no moving parts, SSDs are far less likely than HDDs to malfunction or corrupt your data while you’re on the move.

$720 | iomega.com

Holds: 128GB
Speed: To 20MB/s (rated at Class 10)
Dimensions: 1.3 inches by 0.9 inch by 0.08 inch

Lexar maxes out its SDXC card lineup with its 128GB Professional 133x SDXC Card. An SDXC card is the same size as an SD Card--only slightly larger than a postage stamp. But the high-capacity SDXC designation means that you need to use hardware that can specifically support the format. The card is designed for rapid-fire picture taking and HD video recording. It can to record 48 hours of 1080p HD video all on a single card.

$330 | Lexar.com

Holds: 32GB
Speed: Rated at Class 4
Dimensions: 0.6 inch by 0.4 inch by 0.03 inch

While a 32GB micro SDHC card is hardly unique--lots of companies sell them--it neatly demonstrates how much storage can be packed into a tiny space--in this case, a wafer the size of your fingernail.

$70 | Newegg.com

Holds: 512GB
Uses: USB 3.0
Dimensions: 3.9 inches by 5.7 inches by 1.0 inch

If you need a gargantuan solid-state drive that can withstand virtually any natural disaster or physical impact, look no further than the ioSafe Rugged Portable Drive. Available in sizes up to a spectacular 512GB, this drive will set you back about $2800. Bump your investment up to $3500, and you'll get the titanium enclosure instead of the aluminum one.

$2800-$3500 | iosafe.com

If you enjoyed this slideshow, check out the following one, which showcases how storage has progressed from floppy disks that were actually floppy, to the kind of storage we use today.

From Paper Tape to Data Sticks: The Evolution of Removable Storage