It looks like something from a science fiction movie. In fact it played a role in the latest Ben Affleck sci-fi flick “Paycheck.” It’s so futuristic that it would be crazy to think that this powerful chip the size of a thumb could be easily accessible at the local electronics store. But it is. And people are going crazy for them.

It is known as a flash drive, a computer chip about three inches long that plugs into the USB port of virtually any computer, PC or Mac, as an easily accessible storage device that will transport almost anything. “We carry 64MB, 128MB and 256MB models,” said Jason Hacker of Office Max. “To put it in comparison, most floppy disks are only 1.4MB, so our smallest flash drive holds the equivalent of more than 45 floppy disks.” Office Max carries several different brands including MicroAdvantage, Kingston and Lexar. Prices start at $29.99 for the 64MB models through $89.99 for the models with a 256MB capacity. “We sell quite a few,” Hacker said. “Sales have been increasing lately, especially with our regular specials on the 64MB drives.” No software is needed to use flash drives. The latest versions will plug into any USB 1.1 or 2.0 port and are compatible with operating systems that are Windows 98 or higher and Mac OS 8.6/9.1/9.2 and above. No setup or software is needed leading many companies market the product as “plug and play.” Only Windows 98 requires a driver installation, which takes about one minute on most computers. There are hundreds of versions of the drives on the market. They are usually known as flash drives but they may also be sold as “jump drives,” “pocket drives,” “thumb drives” and “pen drives” (models such as the SpyPen(tm) and the Samsung 007 actually come hidden in a working ball-point pen so users can feel like James Bond). While most local stores such as Office Max, Best Buy and Office Depot currently sell the versions ranging from 64 MB-256 MB, the latest range for drives starts at 16 MB (already considered “outdated”) all the way up to one GB (the future standard). The price for the drives tends to range from $5-$10 between the brands but stays within the same ballpark fee by size capacity. Most drives come with a lanyard or key chain adapter so users can keep it accessible on their key ring. Technology junkies have used what computer magazines are calling “essential” drives since about a year ago, when the first brands started to hit the computer market. Now the toys are becoming mainstream and UNCW students have started to shift from floppy to flash. Kristen Pelick works in the Randal Library computer lab and has definitely noticed an increase in recent flash drive use among students. “I didn’t really see them until the end of last semester,” Pelick said. “This semester I’ve seen a ton of students using them, especially since this lab doesn’t use floppy drives anymore.”