U3 Software: ZACK U3 Game

Rich Gates April 18, 2007 Gaming, Software, U3 Related

So the makers who brought you Drops just released another fun and adictive game called ZACK.

Simple. Place the colored squares in the grid without getting stuck. The color of your stone must match the color to the left, right, top or bottom. You do have gray stones as jokers whereby you can place them anywhere there is a free slot. When you fill a complete row or column it’s removed from the grid. I guess one guy got so into this game, he emailed in and said:

I lost my wife because of this game. Thank you Derbrill

Not sure who to feel sorry for… Continue Reading

U3 Software: XnView a Free Graphics Editor and Viewer

Rich Gates April 13, 2007 Software, U3 Related

XnView is now available for U3 enabled flash drives. XnView is a powerful graphics tool for viewing and converting files from one format to another.

I would recommend this software if you’re a blogger, but have a job where there is no graphic editor software like Photoshop. Load up your U3 flash drive and edit anywhere, on any PC. I particularly like the slide show feature XnView offers. The list of features is insane long so here’s the cut-n-paste: Continue Reading

Kingston Charging Ahead Despite their Break Up with U3

Rich Gates April 12, 2007 Kingston, U3 Related, USB News

Kingston DataTraveler Mini Migo Software

As I reported back in March about Kingston giving U3 the axe, they continue to charge forward with UFD platform software. Migo Software now comes bundled with Kingston flash drives and most recent entry is the Kingston Data Traveler Mini. The following summary of Migo software will sound very familiar: Continue Reading

U3 Software: Beef Up Your Kids IQ with USB Math Software

Rich Gates April 9, 2007 Software, U3 Related

The latest addition to U3 is the Junior edition of MathOwns software. Yep, now it’s possible to drill your kids via USB in their math abilities. For the competitive parent this is an ideal tool to sharpen skills based off pre-reselected criteria and math levels. Forget flash cards as the MathOwns software auto-generates exercises and provides email or PDF notification options upon completion of drills.

Sarcasm set aside, anything to make kids learn more and make it more interactive and fun is definitely a plus. I have first hand seen the interest kids have when working on computers and to have math lessons and exercises loaded on their Spongebob flash drive is a nice benefit. Continue Reading

Poll Results: How Much is Stored On Your Flash Drive?

Rich Gates April 2, 2007 Poll Results, U3 Related

So what is the average amount of data someone stores on a flash drive? Well, I asked that question of GetUSB.info visitors and 60% said over 1GB of data and 40% said less then 1GB. The interesting thing about this poll is the spread always stayed about the same. So although just under 100 people voted, it’s probably a good indicator about usage. I’ll get another poll going in the coming weeks to find out how close or how far away the usage number is from the 1GB mark. Continue Reading

U3 Software: Backup Software, BackUp4All

Rich Gates March 22, 2007 Software, U3 Related, USB News

Softland jumps onto the U3 momentum and offers a portable backup solution, Back Up 4 All. One feature which caught my eye, is the ability to preconfigure a UFD to auto-backup upon plugin to a host computer.

BackUp4All can also back up locked files and perform full, partial or mirror backups. Softland mentions you can also set filters and review which files changed between the current back and the previous. If you are like the other 90% of computer users, backing up once a month will do the trick, but if you’re a U3 junkie or simply want to be better prepaired, grab Back Up 4 All. Source: U3, Download BackUp4All Continue Reading

Poll Results: Do You Own a Flash Drive with U3 Software?

Rich Gates March 15, 2007 Kingston, Poll Results, U3 Related

We wrapped up another poll this week and it appears 64% of the GetUSB.info readers have U3 software loaded on their flash drives. Interestingly enough, today Kingston made the announcement they will drop the U3 platform do to high royalty costs and low demand for the product. I for one, think the platform and idea are a nice addition and if you haven’t tried U3 flash drives, you should – you may never go back. Continue Reading

How Popular Is U3 Software

Rich Gates March 15, 2007 Kingston, SanDisk, Software, U3 Related, USB News

Yesterday GetUSB.info reported on Kingston giving U3 the axe and their decision to stop selling the portable application bundled into Kingston UFDs. Interestingly enough, part of that announcement indicated sales for U3 devices are lack-luster and demand for U3 drives aren’t high enough to offset the royalty fee associated with platform.

However, as the story broke, GetUSB.info just finished their latest USB Poll on “Do You Own a Flash Drive With U3 Software?” The results concluded that 64% of GetUSB.info readers have U3 drives, where as the balance do not. Seems to us, there are some mixed numbers. Continue Reading

U3 Gets The Axe From Kingston

Rich Gates March 14, 2007 Kingston, SanDisk, U3 Related, USB News

Kingston Technology released a statement yesterday giving U3 the axe for pre-installation on USB flash drives. Kingston will stop selling the U3 product because the royalty fees are too great for the price sensitive flash memory market.

Kingston explained its decision in saying that extra bundled software means additional costs for consumers. The company already has its own similar platform to substitute for U3, according to company sources.

According to some IC controller design houses, SanDisk – the big player advocating U3 – charges about a 5% royalty fee for adopting the U3 platform. Continue Reading

U3 Software: Opera 9.1 for Flash Drives

Rich Gates March 12, 2007 Software, U3 Related, USB News

By default, most use IE for their web browser and those wanting a little more switch to Firefox. You’ve also got a portion of that browser pie who love Opera. Recently Opera-USB become available for U3 flash drives. Opera is a portable browser, email system, contacts database and download client.

As with Mac/PC Opera there are a host of internet surfing tools available for this portable application. If you’re on the fence here are a couple safe harbor statements:

U3 Software: Atlantis Portable Word Processing for U3

Rich Gates March 9, 2007 Flash Storage, Software, U3 Related, USB News

Atlantis is carving out a name for themselves with non-Microsoft word processing software. I’ve used the software and I like it. Atlantis is taking a more social approach to their software. You’ve got plugins to download and easy integration of audio and video.

Recently Atlantis made their Word Processing portable for U3 flash drives. I think most of us can agree there is a love-hate relationship between Microsoft applications and having to use them. Don’t get me wrong, I’m impressed with Microsoft, I couldn’t have done what Bill did. But the fact is, most of us get trapped into using their software because it’s at home, at work and everywhere else. Continue Reading

U3 Software: e-Capsule Zero Footprint Encrypted Web Browser

Rich Gates February 26, 2007 Security, Software, U3 Related, USB Hacks, USB News

EISST or Enterprise Information Security Systems & Technologies introduced their 100 percent encrypted web browser, the e-Capsule, the first of it’s kind. We’ve seen countless warnings of Internet Explorer being hacked and e-Capsule could be your answer. E-Capsule is a zero footprint internet browser because the application launches from a U3 USB or UFD drive. The elegance of e-Capsule lies within the code as security and confidentiality of online sessions and transaction are embedded in the application design.

Here’s a great example of a normal browser: Continue Reading