There is a wide variety of media storage devices on which data can be stored.
Data that is currently stored in a computer can be copied or moved to a media storage device, which can be used to store the material until needed or transferred to another computer. Media storage devices come in a variety of different sizes, shapes and styles, and have become an increasingly popular form of storing a wide range of data, ranging from text documents to photos.
Types of Storage
Within the consumer market, there are three types of computer storage: internal, external and network-attached. Internal storage is another term for a computer's hard drive, but can also apply to an external hard drive -- although some computers have multiple hard drives to expand their storage capabilities. Network-attached storage devices are connected directly to a router or hub, allowing all computers within that network to access the material stored on that device. External drives connect to a computer via one of its ports or drives, and come in a wide range of varieties.
Types of External Media Storage Devices
There are numerous types of external storage devices, such as CDs, CD-ROMs, DVDs, DVD-ROMs, USB drives (sometimes called "memory sticks"), flash memory devices, magnetic tape, floppy disks, mini disks, pen drives and optical storage devices. Some of these, such as floppy disks, are no longer in widespread use, with USB drives now serving the same function while offering significantly more storage capacity.
PC World
Through its print magazine and associated website, "PC World" offers reviews of a wide range of computers and associated products. In 2009, "PC World" listed its picks for the best media-friendly storage devices. As of March 2011, this was its most recent list. Top picks were the Iogear Portable Media Server Player, the Iomega ScreenPlay Pro HD, the Synology Disk Station DS209+, the Western Digital My Book World Edition 1TB, the ZyXel Central Digital Media Library NSA-220 Plus, the Linksys by Cisco Media Hub NMH410, the HP MediaSmart Server ex487 and the Iomega Home Media Network Hard Drive.
CNET
Like "PC World," the website CNET offers unbiased product reviews of computers and computer-related products. In 2010, CNET compiled a list of its picks for the five best storage devices spanning all categories. The five were selected using such criteria as ease of use, smart design, useful features, cost per gigabyte and fast throughput speeds. CNET 's five best storage devices are: The Seagate Momentus XT (500G), the Western Digital My Book 3 (2B), the Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Pro (500G), the Synology DiskStation DS410 -- NAS server and the Synology Disk Station DS710+.
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