Disk Drive Definition A disk drive is a device that reads and/or writes data to a disk. The most common type of disk drive is a hard drive (or "hard disk drive"), but several other types of disk drives exist as well. Some examples include removable storage devices, floppy drives, and optical drives, which read optical media, such as CDs and DVDs. While there are multiple types of disk drives, they all work in a similar fashion. Each drive operates by spinning a disk and reading data from it ...

Smartphone Definition A smartphone is a mobile phone that includes advanced functionality beyond making phone calls and sending text messages. Most smartphones have the capability to display photos, play videos, check and send e-mail, and surf the Web. Modern smartphones, such as the iPhone and Android based phones can run third-party applications, which provides limitless functionality. While smartphones were initially used mostly by business users, they have become a common choice for co...

CD-R Definition CD-R Stands for "Compact Disc Recordable." CD-R discs are blank CDs that can record data written by a CD burner. The word "recordable" is used because CD-Rs are often used to record audio, which can be played back by most CD players. However, many other kinds of data can also be written to a CD-R, so the discs are also referred to as "writable CDs." The data burned onto a CD-R disc is permanent, meaning it can not be altered or erased like the data on a hard drive. Typically...

Flash Drive Definition Flash drives have many names — jump drives, thumb drives, pen drives, and USB keychain drives. Regardless of what you call them, they all refer to the same thing, which is a small data storage device that uses flash memory and has a built-in USB connection. Flash drives are typically no more than two to three inches in length and less than an inch in width. Their size and shape may resemble a thumb or a small pen (which is where the names "thumb drive" and "pen drive...

SmartMedia card Definition A SmartMedia card (originally called a solid-state floppy disk card, or SSFDC) is a memory card developed by Toshiba that uses flash memory to store data and to make it portable among devices, such as digital cameras, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and other handheld devices. At 45 X 37 mm and less than 1 mm thick (about as big as a matchbook), SmartMedia is similar in size to the CompactFlash card (although significantly thinner), but larger than the newer...

Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) Definition Personal digital assistant is a term for a small, mobile, handheld device that provides computing and information storage and retrieval capabilities for personal or business use, often for keeping schedules, calendars and address book information handy. Popular in the 1990s and early 2000s, personal digital assistants (PDAs) were the precursors to smartphones. Most PDAs had a small physical keyboard, and some had an electronically sensitive pad on ...

Camcorder (camera recorder) Definition A camcorder (camera recorder) is a portable electronic recording device capable of recording live-motion video and audio for later playback. Camcorders have three major components -- a lens that gathers and focuses light, an imager that converts light into an electrical signal and a recorder that converts electrical signals into digital video and encodes them for storage. Camcorders, which became popular in the early 1980s, are also known as video r...