Put a PC desktop in your pocket
USB drives are evolving beyond their small-format storage beginnings.
Industry supported, U3 announced new flash drives on Thursday that host a "personal workspace." As previously reported, the device saves not only data and files but also software programs, user preferences and the means for managing them.
According to U3, a smart drive means that Aunt Ida, whose computer is back in Boise, can make photo-editing a family affair as she gathers everyone around Grandma's PC in Tucson. And Grandma doesn't have to worry about having unfamiliar software left on her pristine machine because once Aunt Ida removes the U3 smart drive, Ida's photo-editing software and photos will vanish.
U3's Launchpad interface allows you to store all of your favorite browsers and office software as well as downloaded versions of the Nullsoft Winamp player, uber IM client Trillian, and voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) software Skype.
USB makers Kingston Technology, Memorex, SanDisk and Verbatim are offering the U3-enabled drives with prices between $35 and $99 with storage capacities ranging from 256MB to 2GB.
Smart drives appear to have a strong future. Gartner predicts smart USB drives will represent 70 percent of all USB drives shipped in 2008.
Still, it seems creepy that you can leech off of someone else's system and not leave a trace of some sort.
