Linux Computer is One P.H.A.T. USB Stick
A start-up firm in the French Alps put together one Pretty Hot And Tempting USB stick. This one only has 256MB of memory, but IS a full working computer. Based off an Atmel processor this SoC (System-On-Chip) design has a 190MHz processor, 64MB RAM, 256MB of memory, USB connectivity and a 10/100 Ethernet port. The company, Calao, didn’t give a price tag but did mention some useful applications like GPS and image processing. I for one saw that lovely USB connector and immediately thought of the new Samsung USB monitors and wondered if this is our future of computing. Not only is the Calao Linux computer PHAT it’s also fat. Measuring at 3.3 inches long and 1.4 inches wide it is much larger then your average UFD…but also clear there is nothing average about this concept. Continue Reading55 Portable Apps for Making a USB Super Stick
Update: This post has been amazing and generated a lot of interest. To make things easier, I have compiled a USB Super Stick for you. If you are interested in a 1GB drive with all the apps [below] for $20 – shoot me an email: gmo<at>getusb.info and I’ll send you more details.
USB flash is not (yet) a portable PC whereby any USB KVM monitor is your workstation – but it will get there. In the meantime, making the most of your USB stick and creating a portable software suite isn’t hard – you just need a little guidance. So… for you road-warriors or super geeks, the following list of 55 portable applications is worth taking note of. With 2GB, 4GB and 8GB drives readily available at extremely cheap prices, making a portable software suite and creating a Super Stick is quite easy.
When building your Super Stick there are numerous programs designed to run specifically from a USB drive. Best of all, almost all these programs are free, so put that Amex back in your wallet and let’s start downloading. Here’s a list of 55 of the most useful USB programs around.
USB Security Dongle for FileMaker
FMWeb School released a USB security dongle which ties in with FileMaker database solutions – USB Sentry. It’s like the database is hard coded to the UFD device. The inviting point about this solution is when a database developer sells the customs solution the USB Sentry insures unauthorized copies of the database are not distributed. You need the physical security stick to launch and install the database. Here is a typical scenario:You sell your solution to your client. They pass it around the office and email it to their friends. Suddenly you hard work is being passed around for free. You are losing money since they are only buying single copies of your software.USB Sentry is a USB security technology that allows you to distribute your database on UFD and ties your custom application to that UFD device. Your software is bound to that specific drive. Now they can no longer use multiple copies of your software since it will not open without the correct USB stick. Continue Reading
U3 Software – Freeware Data Recovery
Smart PC Solutions certified their Smart Data Recovery Software (like there’s a dumb version) for the U3 portable UFD platform.

USB Mini Computer Is Security Specific
There are times when my Avast Home Edition Security Software seems to lock up for 3 to 5 minutes downloading the latest update or version. Although it’s not a lot of time, the repeated event grinds on my nerves. For that reason I was very pleased to read about the Yoggie Pico Security System. The first of it’s kind, the Yoggie Pico device is a self contained mini computer on a USB stick which runs and manages 13 different security applications. At first thought – doesn’t seem like much – why not load up 13 security applications on your computer and save a USB port? Well, the beauty lies within the combination of a self contained unit, a processor to run it self and the combination of hardware and software to protect your computer. Continue ReadingJungo Releases USBTester Version 1.01
Jungo’s Software Connectivity Business Unit, a market leading provider of USB software protocol stacks, driver development tools and testing tools, today announced the release of version 1.01 of its USBTester product line: a software USB testing tool that enables USB developers to quickly validate their USB devices for USB compatibility, Chapter 9 conformance and mass storage functionality and performance. A thoughtful feature Jungo included with this release version is the ability to configure read and write tests to any block size. I’m especially pleased with this configuration option as I spoke with Matan Naor of Jungo to implement this ability. Thanks! It allows developers to test their code when optimizing for different packet sizes in their embedded firmware. Continue ReadingDeep Breath Please
The guys at Instructables came up with a chest harness to generate power for USB devices. Maybe they’ll give new meaning to the term wonderbra. Using some high-ratio gear motors this “thorax expansion coupler†uses your body motion for regular breathing. Although the instructions to build such a device are a little taxing, it would be a fun gear-head project. The goal of the chest USB charger would be generating about 500mW and in the enclosure size of a cell phone. The picture above is only a proof of concept and gets just a little over 50mW of power. At that rate, it would take about a day to charge one AA battary.
The Next Generation of U3; a Microsoft Version
The announcement of Microsoft developing a UFD platform to replace U3 could turn into a similar battle we saw 25 years ago between VHS and Betamax.
“The U3 platform was established with the vision of giving customers a consistent and portable computing experience. The existing 20,000 U3 software developers that joined us show the potential for smart flash memory devices,†said Yoram Cedar, executive vice president of the mobile business unit and corporate engineering at SanDisk.
“We expect this relationship with Microsoft will raise the overall experience for consumers given Microsoft’s unique software expertise, and grow the momentum given the large community of 3rd party companies capable of utilizing Microsoft’s technologies.â€The migration process for the 20,000 U3 developers is a straight forward and simple one – Microsoft puts the pressure back on you to make the migration. Microsoft did say there will be tools to ad in the process, but the bottom line is U3 developers better get cracking if they want to see the light-of-day come mid 2008. Continue Reading
U3 Software: 2GB eMail Attachments – np
With YouSendIt you can email attachments up to 2GBs. Forget FTP sites and the hassle of uploads, downloads, zip, unzip. The service lets you do everything via a simple email interface and anyone can receive the email with simple instructions on how to grab the attachment. With YouSendIt now portable on U3 flash drives it makes for a nice addition to your U3 arsenal of software. Continue ReadingBeware of Freebie USB Sticks; Could Have Worms
I read an article today about the growing concern of worms embedded on USB flash drives. With the popularity of UFDs it’s important to protect yourself so that viruses, worms and identity theft don’t happen to you. This new type of worm is embedded on UFDs, than automatically runs when connected to an operating system.Computer owners should tread very carefully when plugging an unknown device into their PC as it could have malicious code planted on it.The best way to prevent a worm or virus from entering your system is disabling the autorun file on your Operating System before connecting the USB thumb drive. Since memory prices have dropped the USB stick is a hot item for tradeshows, give-aways and direct mailers. For this reason, it’s important to protect yourself from unwanted viruses. In addition, these flash drives could become a big threat to companies as the financial motivation to obtain secure information has big payoffs. Continue Reading
Home Brew USB WiFi Extender – Dozens of New Access Points
GetUSB.info has reported on several off-the-shelf USB extenders, but they are high priced, at least for the home user. If you have low signal strength and on a tight budget, here is a tutorial on making your own beefed up WiFi USB extender.







