I'd heard about portable software programs, such as the Firefox web browser and Thunderbird email program, but I'd never really looked into it. A Christmas gift from Bernicky however prompted a bit more research.
My Christmas gift from Bernicky was a Sandisk U3 Smart Drive. This drive came with some U3 software already installed, and with the U3 Launchpad (start menu). The programs on my U3 Smart Drive are portable -they are stored on and run directly from the little drive. You can install new programs very easily by following the directions in the Launchpad and from the U3 website. There are a wide variety of programs available, and the U3 is completely user friendly - you don't actually have to do anything if you don't want to, and there is a Launchpad Tour offered when you insert the drive which walks you through how to use the device.
I've been using my U3 drive compulsively - as we have two apartments and multiple computers, this drive has been a boon. I now check my email only from my U3 drive using Thunderbird, so wherever I am, I have the email I've received and sent in one place. I only use my portable Firefox browser, so I always have my bookmarks and my browsing history and passwords are remembered only in this portable browser. My browser at the office is totally clean of any personal information (whew! Never again will I have to answer uncomfortable questions, like, 'What does the Hot Male Model website have to do with work?'":-)
Seeing how cool it was to be portable, I did some more research into portable applications, and found the Portable Apps website. These programs are not compatible with the U3 system, but they have more flexibility in that they can be run directly from any portable data device (a flash drive, an iPod, etc), and they are very very cool. If you go to the Portable Apps homepage here, you can see the wide range of software (all totally free, by the way) that can be run from your portable device.
Yesterday while we were out shopping I saw a good deal on a 1GB USB flash drive, so I picked it up to give Portable Apps a try. The verdict? Very easy to do and smooth to run. Just go to the Portable Apps page, and download the Suite - both the Lite and the Standard comes with a lot of cool software (word processor, Firefox browser, anti-virus, etc), and best of all it includes a start menu, so when you open your portable device you see a little menu of programs and actions.
The verdict? I highly recommend either buying a U3 Smart Drive or simply installing a Portable Apps suite on any other usb drive and giving it a try!
2 comments:
Oh, I wish you two were nearby, so I could at least have a chance of keeping up with the new technology. I love your explanations -- at least I feel a little smarter after I read your Blog -- but I am really getting left behind.
Keep the good stuff coming!
Well it's good to hear that the jump drive is getting some use. Odd gifts can sometimes be good gifts.
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