Portable USB memory modules or devices and methods for using such devices are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a portable memory module can include a housing having a CompactFlash card form factor and one or more flash memory devices carried by the housing. The portable memory module can also include a USB controller carried by the housing and coupled to the one or more flash memory devices. The portable memory module can further include a connector including a first portion coupled to the controller and a second portion configured to mate with a host device. In several embodiments, the connector includes a plurality of pins to transfer signals to and from the memory module. The pins are configured to mate with a fifty pin socket on the host device.