SanDisk ships new USB drives without promised tech

SanDisk withheld the U3 "smart drive" technology from its new line of Crossfire USB drives that shipped last week, despite announcing support for the technology at the Consumer Electronics Show.

The new Cruzer Crossfire drives do not come with U3 support, a SanDisk representative confirmed Monday. The U3 standard allows USB flash drives to launch applications and carry settings and passwords between different PCs.

SanDisk had been planning to include software based on the U3 standard that could allow gamers to move their saved games from one PC to another, according to its press release from CES in January.

"The decision was made to hold up the U3 functionality for a little while to work on a unique gaming Launchpad," the representative said. The Launchpad is a menu of applications that appears when a U3 drive starts working.

Although SanDisk announced this capability for both the Crossfire and Cruzer Micro drives in January, the Crossfire devices will not get U3 support until the third quarter, the representative said.

A limited number of Cruzer Micro drives shipped with U3 technology around the holidays last year, and new U3 Micro drives are expected to ship this spring. Potential customers should check the package for the U3 logo before making a purchase.

[bsn]

No U3 Support is a plus not a minus.

I have a U3 drive and U3 STINKS! In the future, I will avoid this <br />buggy software at all costs.

[fred999]

U3 is a great tool

The previous comment by Brian N is exactly the kind of comment that is completely useless. What's worng with U3. Why did you find it not useful? Let's be constructive.<br /><br />Personally, I find U3 very useful. I'm not a computer geek and need programs that make my life easier. U3 does that. I use it for keeping a copy of my Mozilla browser and all it's Bookmarks. I also use it to store all my passwords in a great program called RoboForm. I recently downloaded a free version of OpenOffice (note the word FREE) and can access all my MS docs on any computer. <br /><br />U3 is simple. Plug it in and it works! <br /><br />I heard some folks talk about building their own U3-like platforms with Linux software (or others. If you have the time and the expertise, well more power to ya! I use a computer as a tool to make money and I'm not interested (nor talented) in programming. U3-Smart - Plug it in and it works.<br /><br />Kevin <br /><br /><br /><br />Reader post by: Brian N (bsn - What's this?) <br />Posted on: March 27, 2006, 6:28 PM PST<br />Story: SanDisk ships Crossfire without U3<br /><br />I have a U3 drive and U3 STINKS! In the future, I will avoid this<br />buggy software at all costs.

[alek_nedic]

go sandisk!

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