Portable apps are all the rage these days! For about the same price as a regular USB key, you can get a smart drive that support U3 or Ceedo application technologies. You can download pre-packaged all-inclusive programs to your smart memory stick, and run them on any modern PC: without the need to install the application.
Verbatim offers several different portable application devices, the latest being their Store’n’Go U3 flash memory drive. Verbatim claims that their pre-installed applications run eight times faster. Upon first look, it’s not clear if this is in comparison to other U3 drives, or in comparison to applications you install yourself.
A portable app is a computer program that you can carry around with you on a portable device and use on any Windows computer. When your USB flash drive, portable hard drive, iPod or other portable device is plugged in, you have access to your software and personal data just as you would on your own PC. And when you unplug the device, none of your personal data is left behind.
The device is based on the U3 smart drive computing platform which transforms USB flash drives from simple storage devices into USB smart drives. Verbatim’s Store’n’Go U3 Smart Drive let you work and play smarter using U3 smart applications from www.U3.com. It includes an easy to use U3 Launchpad which provides access to programs and allows you to browse contents, change personal settings, obtain device status or install new U3 smart applications from the online library. Best of all, U3 smart applications leave no trace of your visit on a host PC, providing an unprecedented level of security and mobility. With Verbatim’s Store’n’Go U3 Smart Drive, your personal workspace, applications and data are as mobile as you are, and can be accessed on any available Windows XP or 2000 PC.
Specifications
- U3 Launchpad promotes easy access and management of device contents, applications, personalized settings as well as installing programs from the U3 software library.
- Includes 8 preloaded U3 applications: acdsee™ – Photo Manager, PASS2GO – Portable Automated Password Manager, PowerBackup™ – Powerful Data Archiving, Zinio™ – Digital Magazine Reader, Migo™ – Data Synchronization, Mozilla Thunderbird™ – Email Client, U Safe – Advanced Security, U3 Welcome
The emergence of Microsoft’s anticipated Vista operating system will only increase the demand for fast, high-capacity USB drives. Vista supports flash drives natively, allowing you to even boot from these devices.
Verbatim’s Smart Drive scomes with U3 Launchpad, an intuitive interface that makes accessing U3 smart software and device features fast and easy. It also includes advanced password security system to prevent unauthorized access to the device. Additional smart software applications are available free to Verbatim smart drive owners. An extensive library of U3 smart applications ranging from backup, email and photo organizers, to music players and graphics applications can be downloaded from www.u3.com as well as directly from the Store’n’Go U3 Launchpad.
When you first plug in the unit, Windows immediately recognizes it, assigns drive letters, and runs the U3 launchpad. Unfortunately, TWO drive letters are assigned to the device, one for the pre-launched applications, and another for the writable portion of the drive. The U3 lanchpad places an icon on the bottom right of the desktop, next to other running application icons.
Clicking the small U3 icon brings up a panel similar to Window’s Start button. This interface implementation is not as intrusive as Ceedo’s interface, which takes up precious desktop space and sits right in the middle of your screen like a sore thumb. Applications can be run from this launch panel, or you can browse it like any other drive. Installed U3 applications are hidden and not directly viewable when browseing. If you turn on “show hidden files” within explorer, then you will see a hidden System directory, in which all the installed U3 apps are kept. The apps’ directories are named with a GUID, so you cannot easily tell which application is in a particular directory.
There is support for Linux and Mac OS, but the U3 Launchpad does not work on them. On a non-Windows OS, the Store’n’Go looks like any other flash media device.
When finished, it is advisable to “eject” U3 from the LaunchPad before physically removing the unit. Those failing to do so may find their USB ports or the running apps to lock up, which may require a reboot to fix.
The pre-installed apps
- ACDSee
- Pass2Go
- PowerBackup
- Mozilla Thunderbird
- Migo
- U Safe
- U3 Welcome
Verbatim has factory installed several applications on the U3 smartdrive, but the only ones that are even remotely useful are ACDSee and Mozilla Thunderbird. Migo and some of the other applications are trial versions. Verbatim has recently added a U3 version of McAfee’s virus scanner, which you can download from the U3 launchpad. There are many other useful (and free) portable U3 applications available for download, which adds to the drive’s functionality. One of the most robust is OpenOffice.org, a complete Office suite that easily rivals Microsoft Office and has good compatibility.
If you’re not concerned about your boss snooping on you, then you should be. 9 out of 10 employers snoop on their employee’s electronic activity. Many have used a computer’s cookies, history, and browsing cache to justify employee termination. In today’s society of expendable employees, it is wise to always contain your worktime browsing’s evidence to your own personal property. This will not stop a determined employer if they really want to fire you, but weeding through traffic logs takes a lot of time and research. When looking to can somebody, the easiest first place to look is the files stored on the employee’s PC first.
Because of this, it is helpful to keep all of your browsing cache, history, favorites, and other browsing collateral off of your work PC, but this device offers no IE support. Internet Explorer is heavily integrated into Windows, and thus there is not a standalone U3 version of it. Ceedo would allow you to store all your IE settings, cache, history, and files to the drive, but U3 apparently does not support this. You can download a U3 version of Mozilla Firefox, which stores all temporary files on the U3 drive. Browsing on the drive is a little slower, but if you’re using Firefox then you’re already used to a degraded browsing experience… ;)
Verbatim Store’n’Go 4GB HDD |
Typical laptop HDD |
Verbatim’s U3 2GB |
SanDisk Cruzer 1GB |
External 120GB USB HDD |
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Testing
We ran tests on a Dell Inspiron 8500 laptop and on a modern desktop PC.
The contenders
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Dell Inspiron
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Desktop rig
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The flash memory version of the Store’n’Go is much speedier than its cousin (the Store’n’Go 4GB USB HDD): more than twice the read and write speed. There are also a lot more U3 applications currently available, and there are rumors of a program that will let you package up nearly any program for U3. I can’t wait for the U3 version of Photoshop: but untill then, ACDSee U3 will have to do. Verbatim’s U3 Store’n’Go flash memory is faster than any other portable flash device tested (around 13MB / second). It easily beats the microDrive solution (5 MB/sec), and has a 3MB/sec lead on SanDisk’s Cruzer. Of course, we compared the drive’s performance with an external USB HDD, which achieved around 25MB/second. Curiously, when we plugged the U3 device into our desktop unit, it achieved 16MB / second. Clearly the USB interface is also a factor in the device’s performance, not just raw flash memory speed.
Surprisingly, the drive performed better on a faster computer. The limiting factor of the drive’s speed is not the memory itself, but the USB interface. We gained an additional 4MB/sec just from switching platforms. Verbatim’s U3 drive beat all the other flash devices, even on our dated laptop.
The Verbatim Store’n’Go 2GB U3 smart drive has excellent performance. There wasn’t any noticeable lag when running applications from the drive. There aren’t many useful pre-installed applications, so you’ll spend some time installing them and setting up your device. If you’re a paranoid privacy freak, then you’ll probably want to use the U3 drive to store all your internet cache, email, and other dirty little secrets.
Now when the boss wants to know what you’ve been up to, you can tell him where to Stick It!
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1 Comment
How do you erase data on flash drive to
upload new data please.