Do you ever wish for the day when you can take your personal computing environment with you wherever you go, without having to physically carry your desktop or notebook computer around? Well, that day still isn't here. However, you can take your key programs and data with you wherever you go, and they'll fit in your pocket. At least you can do this if you carry a U3 smart drive.

U3 is the standard that makes this possible. Install programs on a U3 smart drive, and you can run those program on any Windows XP or Windows 2000 computer, without making any changes to that computer, and without leaving any traces behind.

To learn more about this standard and the software that works with it, we got our hands on the Kingston U3 DataTraveler High-Speed USB 2.0 smart drive and got to work.

Living with the Kingston U3 DataTraveler High-Speed USB 2.0 smart drive
When you plug the U3 Data Traveler smart drive into a USB slot on a compatible PC, the U3 Launchpad shown in Figure A appears.

FIGURE A

Use the U3 Launchpad to control your U3 software. Click picture for a larger image.

As long as the U3 smart drive is plugged into the computer, you can get to the U3 Launchpad by clicking the U3 icon in the Windows System Tray, as shown in Figure B.

FIGURE B

Click the U3 icon to bring up the Launchpad.

The drive came with three programs installed on it: Pass2Go, ACDSee PE for U3, and Zinio Reader.

Once you start it, Pass2Go runs in the background and records your passwords and bookmarks so it can log you onto online accounts automatically. This is a 30-day trial version that you can give a good workout before deciding if you want to buy the full version.

ACDSee PE for U3 manages your digital photos for you. This version is free, but you can upgrade to a more powerful version that offers more extensive tools for finding, organizing, editing, and sharing your digital photos.

Zinio Reader allows you to read online versions of dozens of popular magazines. The reader itself is free, but you will need to subscribe to the digital versions of your favorite magazines to get the full benefit from Zinio Reader.