The Universal Serial Bus, or USB for short, was introduced in 1996 as a solution by technology giants like Microsoft and IBM. The idea was to make connecting hardware to computers less of a hassle and ...

This story has been updated. When Don Stovicek set out to buy a fast USB 3.0 flash drive, he discovered that the advertised speeds fell well below even USB 2.0’s official capabilities. The now-aging ...

Matt Elliott is a senior editor at CNET with a focus on laptops and streaming services. Matt has more than 20 years of experience testing and reviewing laptops. He has worked for CNET in New York and ...

Editor's note: An updated version of this article has been published. For 25 years, the USB port has been a faithful old friend, connecting and powering our everyday gadgets and peripherals. All we've ...

USB has been around for decades, and the sheer number of USB and Thunderbolt versions in 2025 can be bewildering. Here's what you need to know about USB 3, USB 4, Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, and ...

It's possible to speed up old USB devices that utilize USB 2.0 ports, which operate at lower speeds than USB 3.0 and newer standards. You can do this through overclocking, which, if you don't know, ...

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USB 3.0 was launched back in 2008. This new edition has more functions and better features included in the port. Although it looks just like a simple data cable port, it actually makes a lot more ...

The best USB flash drives should offer the perfect marriage of compact form, high build quality, expansive space and zippy data transfer rates. You would ideally have ...