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Microsoft & SanDisk To Provide Desktop on Thumb Drive

Posted by Zonk on from the desktop-in-your-pants-huh-we-get-that-a-lot dept.

Jesus Christ writes "An Information Week article reports that Microsoft is teaming up with SanDisk to provide users a complete image of their desktops in their pockets, allowing them access not only to their data...but also their applications and user interface setup while on the go. 'The companies plan to add a security layer to the offering using SanDisk's TrustedFlash security and digital rights management technology. The effort will elevate "simple flash storage to a whole new level of customer benefit," said Will Poole, corporate VP for Microsoft's Market Expansion Group. Microsoft also plans to seek out third party-hardware developers to support the initiative, the company said. As part of the plan, SanDisk will phase out its U3 technology, which adds some smart features to USB devices. Independent software developers that have created U3-compatible applications will be offered help migrating their products to the new technology, which has yet to be named.'"

6 of 233 comments (clear)

  1. TrustedFlash security? by mangu · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Why do I keep seeing "DRM" in this?


    Funny, nowadays anything that has "trusted" in it seems to me like something I have to distrust...

    1. Re:TrustedFlash security? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Trusted computing isn't about providing an environment you, the user can trust. It is about providing an environment copyright holders can trust you to have.

      Like the Soviet Russia jokes, only real.

  2. Portable Apps by flyingfsck · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It looks to me like MS finally caught on to Portable Applications and BartPE bootable CDs or USB sticks.

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    Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
  3. U3, gen 2 by tverbeek · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I don't know whether to cheer that the U3 flash drives are going away, or to tremble in fear of what these new ones will do.

    I manage college computer labs, and those damn U3 drives have been a recurring hassle. They try to auto-install software on every Windows machine they come into contact with, and require two drive letters (which doesn't work so well in an environment where several key letters are already in use). When used on a Mac, they mount an extra pseudo CD on the desktop, loaded with software that's obviously (but not to many students) utterly useless. If this is in any way an extension or "improvement" upon that, then my job is about to get even harder.

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    http://alternatives.rzero.com/
  4. Re:Remember the good old days... by vux984 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    On the other hand, it's good to go all the way wiht the limitations of a machine/OS now and then! :)

    Agreed.

    But I'm not sure why my RSS reader needs to be skinnable, semitransparent, dockable to other windows, resident in my tray with an animated popup notification, with a media player widget built in, and hooking into task manager to change the process name to show the currently playing track, finally adding an extra button to every window next to minimize so that I can tweak its settings from anywhere.

    For too many programmers out there test the limitations of an OS utterly needlessly.

  5. Actually, I do by WindBourne · · Score: 3, Insightful

    And after you have dropped a large stack of punch cards, you will realize that the good old days SUCKed. In addition, the card reader was monster. ppl like to remenese about the GOOD OLD DAYS, with out realizing that it is all relative. I like today. Just because MS and other companies are issues, does not mean that things are that bad.

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    I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.