A new product called MojoPac lets iPod users take control of any desktop computer running Microsoft Corp.’s Windows XP operating system.
And major flash memory makers like SanDisk Corp. and Lexar Media Inc. have begun making “smart” thumb drives that let the user carry favorite software programs on the keyring-size devices. When plugged into any Windows-based computer, the smart drive lets the user work on a stranger’s computer exactly as if it were his own, with all the same software and settings.
“By the end of 2008, people will install software on their smart drive, and not on their hard drive,” said Kate Purnal, chief executive of U3 LLC in Redwood City, Calif., which markets one of the new smart drives.
If the new technology catches on, companies would have greater flexibility in assigning computers to employees.
Each machine could contain only an operating system, such as Windows software. All other programs would be loaded onto a smart drive, which the worker would keep at all times and use on any computer in the office.
The smart drive can be equipped with data encryption and password protection, to protect sensitive data in case it is lost.
