Braided USB Cable

[Heaven or Hell]

I was doing a little research about this. In some articles (that I could only find regarding cables in general) I couldn't tell what they were meaning by "braided", were they talking about the insides of the cable or an exterior sheath? I'm interested to find out about exterior braiding.

Specifically about this item: Amazon.com: USB Cable Single: Video Games

This Sony USB cable is "braided" in that instead of having a smooth, rubber exterior, it has braided shielding, but what is the braid made of? At first I thought it was like a fabric-like braiding (don't laugh lol) but looking at it more closely, it seems to be like a shiny plastic or metal...though can't tell exactly. Generally speaking, when USB cables are "braided" like this, what substance are they braided with? This, to me, is an important factor in my decision to stick with rubber or "braided" cables.

Thanks!

Edit - ...is it weird that in site ads (like here) I'm seeing products I just recently looked up on other sites? Or is that just a big coinkidink?

 

[Trouble]

Generally speaking when a manufacturer talks about braided cable, they actually mean the stranded metal conductor part of the cable has been intricately braided to enhance strength. I took a picture of one of mine so you could see it, but the opaque insulating cover doesn't lend itself too well to a photo, but perhaps you can get an idea of what I'm referring to.
Hope this helps