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Do more with your USB flash drive
Do more with your USB flash drive
Dong Ngo SF Labs Manager, Editor / Reviews
CNET editor Dong Ngo has been involved with technology since 2000, starting with testing gadgets and writing code for CNET Labs' benchmarks. He now manages CNET San Francisco Labs, reviews 3D printers, networking/storage devices, and also writes about other topics from online security to new gadgets and how technology impacts the life of people around the world.
I was impressed with Lexar's demonstration at WinHEC's Expo Hall of its new line of USB flash drives using Ceedo's PowerToGo work environment software. The software allows your USB drive to carry more than just data; you can bring part of your Windows profile, your application preferences, your e-mails, and even your non-hardware-binding software with you wherever you go. Just stick your thumbdrive into a USB port of a Windows computer, and that computer will turn into your workstation or your familiar home computer.
PowerToGo works with Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP, and also the upcoming Windows Vista. Lexar's demonstration was done on a Vista machine, and it worked very well. Performance, of course, depends on the connection (preferably USB 2.0) and the speed of the drive itself. This is where Lexar comes into play. Its new premium JumpDrive product offers reading speed of up to 160X (24MB per second) and writing at 120X (18MB per second). At these speeds, there's no noticeable latency when you run software directly from the external drive.