portable

System information utilities usually don't "do" anything, other than display information about your system, but it's hard to overestimate how useful and important they can be when you need one, which is typically once trouble has struck. SIW Portable is a portable version of System Information for Windows. This free tool extracts huge amounts of information about your hardware, software, and networks and displays it in a familiar, easy-to-manage view. It also includes a variety of tools that do useful things. Since it's portable, it runs without installation and leaves no traces behind in the … Read more

LastPass is a free password manager and automated form filler in the guise of a browser add-on. It lets you create one strong (and memorable) master password that you use to securely store and access passwords and log-on data for other sites and services such as Facebook or Google accounts. It's been around a while in several forms, including freeware and premium versions, some of which we've reviewed previously. We recently tried LastPass Portable for Chrome. It's an add-on optimized for the portable version of Google Chrome, though it works just as well in the browser's … Read more

Glary Utilities is one of the most consistently recommended freeware system maintenance suites, and our experience with it suggests such confidence isn't misplaced. It combines a Registry Cleaner, Shortcuts Fixer, Startup Manager, Temporary Files Cleaner, Tracks Eraser, Spyware Remover, and much more in one compact interface. Glary Utilities Portable is a full-featured portable freeware version of Glary Utilities. It can run for portable drives on any compatible Windows PC, making it a great addition to portable PC toolkits.

We extracted Glary Utilities Portable and clicked the executable file, which ran the program without requiring an installation process. A simple … Read more

As a traveling journalist who stays on the move with a MacBook Pro, iPhone, digital camera, and iPad 2, I was eager to get ahold of the Aviiq Portable Charging Station to see if it might offer a compact mobile power source capable of dismissing my worries about whether my devices are juiced and ready to roll.

The idea behind the Charging Station is simple: Give buyers a place to tuck away all of their USB-charged devices and cords while they charge. You can keep all of your high-tech eggs in one basket while they juice up, if you like to mix your food and drink metaphors.

The resulting kit is about the size of a hardcover book. The tri-fold design includes multiple pockets inside for everything from MP3 players to cell phones. An internal four-port USB power station plugs into a wall outlet and charges up the devices tucked into the Charging Station. … Read more

Nintendo has inked a content-partnership deal with DreamWorks Animation SKG and a couple other companies to bring more 3D video content to its 3DS.

According to the game company, DreamWorks will be offering two Halloween-themed animated shorts to the 3DS handheld game player. The first video, which is available for download to the portable starting today, features characters in the company's "Monsters vs. Aliens." The second short will feature the three little pigs from the "Shrek" franchise. That video, Nintendo says, will launch later this month.

Video has become a key ingredient in Nintendo's … Read more

Western Digital announced today its latest in the My Passport family of portable drives, the My Passport Studio and My Passport for Mac portable hard drives. Both drives are designed to work with a Mac out of the box and feature compact, elegant designs.

The new My Passport Studio, which is the update to the version released in 2010, now boasts an all-metal, scratch-resistant design and provides multiple connectivity options, including two FireWire 800 ports and a USB 2.0 port. The reason it doesn't feature USB 3.0 is simply because Mac computers don't offer this option. … Read more

In the early days of the iPhone, Bose was one of the first major companies to make a big push into the iPhone/iPod speaker dock market with its SoundDock. Now the company is hoping to reach an even larger, platform-agnostic audience with a new portable Bluetooth speaker, the SoundLink Wireless Mobile.

As with all of Bose's significant launches, the company takes great care in introducing its product to the media, with a carefully orchestrated presentation followed by hands-on demos using iOS and Android Bluetooth-enabled devices. The top of the Trump Soho was the stage for the SoundLink Wireless … Read more

Altec Lansing has added another new portable iPhone/iPod speaker to its growing lineup with the $149.99 inMotion iMT630 Classic and Sport.

Continuing with Altec's trend of creating more distinctive-looking speaker docks, the iMT630 has a slim yet curvy design, a built-in rechargeable battery, and comes in multiple trim colors (the Sport version is available in red and teal, and the Classic is black).

Like other Altec speaker docks, this one becomes "app-enhanced" by adding Altec's free iOS apps, which include its Music Mood and Alarm Rock apps. The Music Mood app incorporates an ambient … Read more

Nintendo is looking to November to be a big month for its 3DS portable.

The game company announced yesterday that it plans to launch a 3DS update in November that will allow users to capture 3D video with the device. According to Nintendo, after capturing the video, users will be able to "create their own original 3D productions," and then view them on the portable.

In addition, Nintendo is waiting until November to offer up its most anticipated titles. On November 13, Nintendo will launch Super Mario 3D Land, the first-ever "true" 3D Mario game. Just … Read more