USB Company
February 22, 2010

Survey Feedback

Feedback results from our clients:

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Anonymous Feedback from our clients:

Excellent Service. Thank You

My only comment is that I prefer the lovehearts to the polos!

Everything we’ve needed help with, USB Company have come up trumps!

Each dealing we have had with you has been excellent in terms of speed, value for
money and helpful service – thank you!

From the very first point of contact USB Company were very professional and efficient. You were the cheapest and quickest for delivery, and we are very pleased with the product we have received.

Imran was very helpful and quick in answering all my questions.

A friendly, swift and comprehensive service. Thanks very much.

Excellent service and product exceeded my expectations. First rate!

I have been dealing with Imran and Tracy, they have been very proffessional
and helpful during this process. Having a mock up of the USB was very useful. We will recommending USB COMPANY to other companies. Thank you very much for you time and effort.

The product I ordered is first class and I will definitely come back to USB for
other products.

Great stuff.

An extremely fast and efficient service with an excellent end product. Will be looking
to repeat business for the foreseeable future. Many thanks!

Very impressed with the quality and timing of the whole service. Placed an urgent order on the Thursday – delivered on time on the Tuesday! First time using the company but will definitely look to placing more orders.

Thanks very much for your help. The product looks great and was just what we were looking for.

Received wrong order but rectified quite quickly

Our contacts Imran and Tracy were a great help in ordering process and
we will most likely be ordering some more USB’s in the new year.

We are very pleased with your patience regarding the situation with our colour and logo requirements. As UK and new European agents for an American company we needed to have our material “spot on”. Thank you for helping us to deliver.

Excellent very friendly and helpful staff. Thanks

Don’t really know about repeat order because of budget but if we have a requirement – yes

Great service …. did everything promised, easy and friendly to deal with.

Only unlikely to make a repeat order as it’s not something we use a great deal.
It was just a means of getting soft-copy handouts to students after some lessons.

I had a very urgent order and needed a split delivery. My inquiry was dealt with very quickly and my order arrived in time. It was very hassle free and we would definitely recommend your service.

The service at every point was friendly and quick and I was kept informed where the process was at every step of the way. The finished product was excellent and I felt the guidance I received when initially placing the order was fantastic.

Andrew is a legend!!!

The customer service was very good and the delivery was quick.

Speed and quality were fabulous.

We are very pleased with the extremely prompt service and the USB’s

Posted in Company News
February 18, 2010

Smart Buying Tips for USB Memory Sticks

Incenti Pen Pointer

In a very short period of time USB memory sticks and flash drives have virtually replaced CDs as the preferred backup device. The advantages are too hard to ignore – more storage space, smaller size and they’re virtually indestructible.

Memory is key

When we talk about the memory, we’re not talking about the size of the drive. That’s a personal choice and you can get drives up to 64 gigs these days. Instead, we’re talking about the quality of the flash memory chips that make this drive possible.

These chips are graded by the industry. Grade A is the best and they go down from there in grading. The key is to purchase Grade A whenever possible, or at the very least, the highest grade your budget can afford. You’ll probably have to ask the vendor for this information. It’s usually not posted on a website or in a catalogue. Just know that lower grade chips may have issues, including higher failure rates, the inability to access or use all the memory and sluggish read/write speeds.

Which USB?

USB 1.x and USB 2.0 are the workhorses of the flash drive business. If you need to choose between these, always go with USB 2.0, as it is backwards compatible. USB 3.0 will be the new standard, but you’ll pay a premium for them right now and a lot of computers can’t take advantage of their capabilities anyway, except the newest ones on the market. Avoid USB 1.x drives. They are painfully slow, even if they are a great deal.

Is it RoHS compliant?

If you’re in the EU, you need to know this one. RoHS is shorthand for Restriction of Hazardous Substances. The regulations are designed to protect EU citizens from hazardous chemicals and substances. If your vendor is using components that aren’t RoHS compliant, you can be held responsible for this as well as the vendor. So ask if the flash drive components are RoHS compliant and if you need them, ask for copies of the RoHS certificates.

WEEE, it’s recyclable!

At least it should be. WEEE is a directive that encourages products to be 65% recycled. If your organization falls under the WEEE directive, you want to make sure the drives you order comply with it, otherwise you may get into trouble.

When shopping for a reputable supplier to handle your USB flash drive or memory stick order, or any other promotional item for that matter, be sure you pick one that has experience in the product lines you’re interested in. If you’re in the EU, find a trusted supplier that understands the requirements outlined in RoHS and WEEE and don’t be afraid to ask a lot of questions, especially if they aren’t immediately forthcoming with answers. That should be an immediate warning sign that it’s time to move onto someone else.

Posted in USB Buying Guide | Tagged , , ,
December 21, 2009

A Pokket Mouse that goes Everywhere with You

Pokket-Mouse

Computers continue to get smaller. New ideas like netbooks continue to redefine modern computing. Unfortunately, the computer mouse hasn’t always kept up with this revolution, and most full featured mice are too big and bulky to cart around.

Early attempts at creating a portable mouse relied on making an existing design smaller. Unfortunately, these mini mice didn’t fit well into the hand and the buttons felt cramped. Worse, they didn’t always track well, causing the cursor to jerk across the screen.

The new generation of pokket mice are much more ergonomic. More important, they are small enough to fit in your pocket yet deliver a full sized mouse experience.

The secret is the shape. Instead of making a mouse designed to fit in your palm smaller, these new pocket mice are thin and rectangular, providing you with a tremendous amount of precision, and most important, comfort.

The Pokket Mouse from the USB Company is a good example of thoughtful design combined with great features. The mouse uses an optical tracking system so you don’t have to worry about the surface you’re working on. The optical system is extremely accurate. It is also low maintenance since you don’t have to keep it squeaky clean like the old roller mice.

It’s also extremely portable. Measuring just 13 x 50 x 84 mm, the Pokket Mouse fits easily into a shirt or pants pocket. A travel pouch is included to help keep the electronics clean. It’s not really necessary, but it is a nice touch.

For those wanting to make a powerful presence with their promotional and branding efforts, the Pokket Mouse is a perfect choice. The mouse comes in your choice of blue, white, black and red. For added impact, your logo lights up with a simple touch of the mouse so your marketing message is always visible, even in a darkened aircraft cabin.

Don’t be put off by its small size. The Pokket Mouse is full featured and a delight to use. It can go anywhere your laptop or netbook goes and will always offer dependable and precise tracking and clicking, so you can enjoy your computing experience without having to work on a trackpad all the time. As anyone knows, trackpads look like a cool innovation, but if you’re used to working with a mouse day in and day out, a trackpad can feel alien and greatly reduce your productivity.
If you’re looking for a high value, high impact promotional item for your next event or campaign, consider the Pokket Mouse.

Posted in Promotional USB Gifts | Tagged , ,
December 21, 2009

Chromium OS on a USB Flash Drive

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A sneak peek at the next-generation Chromium OS from Google

Chromium OS isn’t supposed to be released by Google to the public until late next year, but the early betas are already showing promise. If Chromium OS lives up to its initial hype you can count on having an open source operating system that is fast, simple and more secure than any existing OS on the market today, including Windows 7, Mac OS X and Linux.

We’ve had the chance to test the new operating system on a netbook. Specifically, this is the Hexxeh USB build, which allows the Chromium OS to be booted from a USB flash drive or stick. Within 7 to 8 seconds after hitting the power button, the fully loaded Google Chrome browser has you ready for work. It’s lightning fast and could become the future of mobile computing.

One reason it shows potential is that the Chromium OS is designed for today’s computers. No matter how much Microsoft or Apple operating systems are updated they are still based on a computer framework that is more than 30 years old; a framework that dictates that the OS is the center of a computing universe.
But these operating systems were developed long before the Internet and web-based computing. As such, they’re akin to using a Betamax VCR with a high definition television – the technologies can’t make the best use of each other.

Access to the Internet is just a small part of a computer’s capabilities even though the Internet has become central to the user’s experience as they increasingly access files, games, multimedia, social networks and online applications.
Of course, Google isn’t ready to tout Chromium OS as the be-all do-all in their formal communications just yet. They still need access to Windows, Mac and Linux code to make their browsers work with existing platforms. But we believe they see the writing is on the wall and that Internet-based applications are the wave of the
future.

If this is the case, then Chromium is spot-on in its objectives. It is open source, promoting innovation and ready access to the development community. It is designed to be fast, simple and secure. And it is designed specifically to give you plug and play access to the Web for true mobile computing, taking advantage of applications that live within the browser, not the computer itself. Since there’s no central collection point of processing, security is simplified because each application has its own security sandbox, which makes it much harder to infect your computer. If there is a virus, it will stay isolated in the application, at least that is the theory.

But the commitment to security runs much deeper than that, according to Google. Every time you start your computer up, it verifies the code. If something is wrong, the operating system is designed to fix itself during a reboot. Even if a malicious code is added, the system will delete it.

The real beauty is its speed. So far, Chromium OS is proving to be extremely fast and responsive and the company says this is going to remain a high priority, to the point where developers are receiving specifications to ensure that the system doesn’t become bogged down with extraneous code and bloatware.

In our own tests we’ve been booting up our netbook with Chromium OS, setting the preferences so the computer boots off the USB as priority 1, with the hard drive #2. It has proven to be extremely faithful and consistent in booting up. And best of all, all of our settings, preferences and passwords go right along with us, regardless of the computer we’re using.

That’s true mobile computing and hopefully, Chromium OS will only get better as it undergoes more thorough testing and additional builds, along with the addition of new developer apps to enhance its capabilities.
We’ll have more on Chromium OS as it goes through its beta testing.

Posted in Technology News | Tagged , ,
November 24, 2009

Top Ten Tips On Buying Promotional USB’s

Bulk Packaging

USB flash drives (sticks) are quite simply the most versatile and memorable item in the promotional gifts marketplace today. They allow you to pre-load information, giving the user quick and easy access to your latest catalogue or marketing campaign. I’d like to see a pen or mug do that…

But, what should you be looking for when buying promotional USB flash drive.

1. Quality
Make sure you choose a supplier who specialise in sticks and not a company offering everything. You’re looking to raise your profile, which will not be achieved by branding sub quality goods with your logo.

2. Marketing Message
A branded stick with your brochure or catalogue pre-loaded is a great way of getting your message across. In most cases we discourage the use of auto-run. It does not work on Mac’s and many administrators have blocked it.

3. Sales Vehicle
Using a stick as an incentive is a great way to get clients to buy a premium product. Alternatively it can be used as a bargaining tool for your sales staff. People love free gifts.

4. Speed
A good quality stick will have a minimum of 3MB/s writing speed and 15MB/s reading speed. Based on this a low quality 1GB stick would require approximately four minutes to fill up. A good quality one would take just under two minutes.

5. Packaging
A stylish gift box branded with your logo adds value to the stick. If you don’t have any specific packaging requirements we recommend using trays, which is more environmentally friendly.

6. Model
A professional supplier will be able to suggest a model to suit your requirements. Customising the shape or colour of the stick is a good way of making sure that you stand out from the crowd. A premium model may cost a little extra but will pay ultimately pay dividends.

7. Accessories
Adding a keyring or lanyard to the stick will allow the user to safely attach it to their person. Incorporating password protection is smart practice if sensitive information has been pre-loaded.

8. Branding
There are four types of branding which are commonly used, here are their pros and cons:
Silk Screen
Pros: cheap, quick lead times
Cons: can easily wear off on a keychain
Resin Dome
Pros: photographic quality, long lasting, short lead times
Cons: a bit more pricey
Engraving
Pros: long lasting, subtle and stylish 
Cons: no colours
Tampo
Pros: can print on rounded surfaces
Cons: high volume required

9. Express Service
If you are regularly buying sticks it might be useful to consider a supplier who retains stock in the UK. They should offer an express service and delivery can be as fast as 24 hours nationwide.

10. Price
When you purchase sticks you’ll want to get value for money but a very cheap price often means poor quality. If you have any lingering doubts insist on seeing a sample. Memory prices can vary on a daily basis so make sure you get an updated quote before you place your order.

A note on quality:
A good quality stick should work perfectly for approximately 10,000 write/erase cycles, which is the equivalent of filling and emptying the stick once a day for 25 years. Fake or white chips as they are often referred to can start to suffer from the very first cycle and are more prone to error messages and very slow data transfer speeds.

Posted in USB Buying Guide | Tagged , , , ,
November 11, 2009

Mouse mats offer comfort and protection

Mousemat Wrist Support
In a world filled with laser mice and trackball devices, it may appear that the mouse mat’s days are numbered. But this simply isn’t the case. Mouse mats continue to make sense as a promotional item for two very important reasons: comfort and protection.
One of the great things about a mouse mat is that it provides a nice cushion on an otherwise hard surface – your desk. The padding lets you rest the ball of your hand comfortably as you jockey the mouse’s buttons to move your cursor around the screen. Without it, that hard surface can become very uncomfortable, very quickly.
Promotional mouse mats also serve another important role these days. They can protect the finish on the desk or other surface you’re working on. This is particularly important if you work in a home office, as home furnishings aren’t quite as indestructible as commercial grade furniture. Nothing is more frustrating than getting a small piece of dirt under your mouse and have it etch a permanent memory into your lovely wood desktop. Even the plastic used to make a laser mouse can leave a very lasting impression on your expensive home office furniture or lovely dining room table.

Since they continue to be so useful, both at home or the office, mouse mats make a really good gift item. If you’re looking for a smart choice for a promotional item, what’s better than having your logo or message constantly in view at the recipient’s place of work? For 8 or more hours a day, your message is constantly working for you, reminding prospects, customers and clients that you’re here to meet their needs.

If you’re looking for a promotional mouse mat for today’s input devices, you want to think about the thickness and the skid-resistant qualities of the item. These qualities are important. First, a mouse mat that is too thick won’t allow the ball of your hand to move with the mouse or to lift and stretch to reach a button on a trackball. Like the proverbial story of The Three Bears, a mouse mat that is too thin may save you a few pennies, but it won’t provide support and comfort for the recipient. When shopping for a mouse mat to give away as a promotional item, you want one that is “just right.”

If you want to help the recipient avoid repetitive strain, you may want to opt for a soft mat with a built-in wrist support. The end of the mouse mat is thicker than the section where the mouse goes. This thicker padding helps prevent repetitive strain injuries, which will be greatly appreciated by the recipient.
While we’re talking about quality of the mouse mat, here’s one more helpful hint. Don’t get one that has a textured top surface. These were great in the days of rolling mice, but the newest generation of laser mice don’t perform as well on them. The mouse should roll smoothly across and not bind. The tracking with a laser mouse is much more precise on a smooth surface.
The reverse is true for the underside of the mouse mat. You want the bottom to stay where it’s put on the desk or table. Nothing’s worse than having a mouse mat that moves around as easily as the mouse that’s on top of it. A good non-skid backing will do just fine.

If you’re looking for a fun mouse mat, consider one of the aqua mouse mats out on the market. These mouse mats have liquids inside of them that change the look of the mouse mat constantly. You can even add glitter or small metallic shapes if you’d like.

One thing you can count on. Mouse mats are here to stay. They are a great promotional item that your prospects, customers and clients will use in the most innovative ways while your branding message stays in front of them throughout the workday.

Posted in Promotional USB Gifts | Tagged
November 11, 2009

Great Christmas Gifts That Leave a Lasting Impression

christmas
The holidays are just around the corner and for many companies that means some last minute shopping for employees who have really gone the extra mile in this challenging world economy.

If your company likes to put a little something extra in their stockings, there are plenty of great new promotional items out this year that any stocking-stuffing Santa would be proud to give out.

One of the most practical but stylish gifts this year is USB sticks that double as wristbands. This allows the user to always have some extra memory with them to swap out files, share images or make quick backups before leaving the home or office. Since they snap right onto your wrist, they are always handy.
If you’re looking for an extra stocking stuffer, USB sticks in a wrap around wristband are a good choice that everyone will love. Plus, you can get them in an array of colours, which adds to their perceived value as a holiday gift.

As anyone knows, holiday memories are made to last and a digital photo frame is a great way to display them. These photo frames let you thank an employee for a job well done while keeping your message front and centre as the recipient shows others their cherished holiday photos.

Of course, the holidays don’t have to be all about practical gifts. If you want to show your fun side, USB massagers are all the rage right now. These massagers plug right into the USB port of any computer and give the recipient a little refreshing mid-day buzz to keep their hands from cramping from a long day of crunching numbers or finishing reports.

Another popular item this holiday season are branded USB powered speakers. These little marvels sound great and are the perfect gift for employees who are travelling on business regularly. You can choose from a wide range of powered speakers, including the new USB Vase Speakers that are perfect for laptops. They even light up, adding beauty and function to the recipient’s workday, whether they are in the office, at home or on the road.

Another thoughtful gift that’s sure to get lots of use is a 4-port USB Hub. Even with a desktop system there never seems to be enough USB ports these days, and it’s even truer with notebooks and laptops. One of the nice things about the newest USB hubs is that they are backwards compatible, so you can enjoy the speed of USB 2.0 while still using the hub with a USB 1.1 compliant computer.
Some of the newer hubs are really small, which makes them the perfect accessory for those that love their portable, anywhere lifestyle. These hubs also do a few new tricks. For example, some of the newest promotional item USB hubs have a time and date function. It can even tell you the temperature. Printed with your logo, this 4-port USB Hub is sure to be a hit with those lucky enough to receive one.

Whether you’re looking to add a little fun to your employee’s stockings or simply saying thank you for all their hard work in the past year, there are plenty of great USB promotional items out there to choose from. No matter what you choose, your employees will almost certainly be thrilled to be on Santa’s list this year.

Posted in Promotional USB Gifts, USBs for Marketing | Tagged , , ,
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