SanDisk Cruzer Micro smart drives will
offer a private, securely protected experience on any PC with Microsoft Windows
XP or 2000 without leaving the user’s personal information on the host machine
at the end of a session when the drive is removed. These smart drives will be
able to launch a variety of U3-compatible (called “U3 smart”) software programs,
including anti-virus, security, communications, audio, video, gaming and
photo-editing, to name a few.
“U3 technology provides a new dimension in
personal mobility,” said Yoram Cedar, SanDisk’s senior vice president of
engineering and the emerging markets business unit. “Now, anyone who moves
between different locations and PCs can carry their personal files and programs,
in a pocket or purse, and work with them in a highly protected environment,” he
said. “SanDisk’s U3-powered smart drives also provide private computing on any
PC, whether the user is at home, in a hotel or at an Internet café.” Private
computing, said Cedar, means that after a user disconnects the U3 smart Cruzer
Micro from a computer, no personal data is left behind. For example, with a U3
smart Internet browser, cookies are stored on the Cruzer Micro smart drive
instead of on the computer.
Cruzer Micro capacities are large enough to
accommodate numerous U3 smart software programs as well as large files such as
music, digital images, charts, graphics presentations and word documents, said
Wes Brewer, SanDisk vice president of consumer products marketing. “We think
that the U3 platform will have wide appeal to users of all kinds, from
businesspeople to soccer moms,” he said. “You gain an extraordinary level of
freedom and productivity when you can carry your programs and content together,
on a single U3 smart drive, and access them on any PC.” The U3 smart drives, he
added, create a viable alternative to traveling with laptops or PDAs.
SanDisk Cruzer Micro smart drives with U3 technology, which are
identified by the U3 smart logo on the product as well as on the package, will
be available from most U.S. retailers in October in capacities of 512 megabytes
and 1 gigabyte*. Suggested retail prices are $54.99 and $99.99, respectively,
and the devices will be sold in markets outside the U.S. later this year and in
the first quarter of 2006.
The first SanDisk Cruzer Micro smart drives
will be shipped with two pre-installed U3-compatible programs. One is a U3-smart
version of CruzerSync, which synchronizes the user’s Outlook email, attachments,
calendar, contacts and personal documents -- such as word, image, audio and
video files -- on the device. It allows users to edit and send and receive
emails from any PC even if Outlook is not pre-installed on it. And, with a
single click, CruzerSync can do a full restore of the user’s mailbox and
personal data to a brand new computer. CruzerSync was created by Dmailer, a
French-based company.
The second program is SignupShield Password
Manager, which stores fully encrypted passwords and supports browsers such as
Internet Explorer and Mozilla’s Firefox. Unlike “simple” password managers, this
program saves passwords and related data from registration, log-in and password
forms. When a user returns to a recognized site, SignupShield automatically
fills out sign-in and password change forms. Also, with a feature called 1-Click
Sign-in, a user can make a single click from a list of saved sites and
SignupShield visits the site, fills out the password and logs in by submitting
the password. SignupShield was developed by Protecteer of Bedford, New
Hampshire.
In addition to providing a portable workspace, the U3
platform makes it easy for consumers to link to the U3 Download Central website,
where all U3 smart programs produced by independent third-party developers are
available. The U3 smart Cruzer Micro also will work as a standard flash memory
drive on PCs that run older Microsoft operating systems and on Apple Macintosh
computers.
The SanDisk Cruzer Micro smart drive can be controlled
through the U3 Launchpad. This is a screen menu that displays all U3-compatible
programs installed on the drive and offers functions for consumers to manage
their programs. Other benefits of the U3 Launchpad include easy Internet access
to U3 smart programs, one-click downloads of programs from U3 Download Central,
the ability to easily add and remove programs, and support for English, French,
German, Italian, Spanish and Japanese languages.
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