I
n the future, we’ll be able to tap into our brains’ unused potential
to carry massive amounts of data—Johnny Mnemonic-style.
Until then, we remain tethered to our trusty USB thumb drives—the
most useful of which have boasted bundled U3 software. With
its built-in Launchpad interface, U3 lets you carry not just files,
but entire applications everywhere you go. So no matter where
you are, as long as you have access to a Windows 2000 or XPcomputer, you can plug in your thumb drive and partake of your
own preconfigured browser, mail reader, and just about any other
app you might need.
Now Ceedo is giving U3 a run for its money, offering the same
portable goodness in a package you can download and install to
any USB drive. To find out which thumb-drive launcher rules the
portable roost, we put these two software packages to the test.U3 vs. Ceedo
VERSATILITY
The biggest reason
to use thumb-
drive software is to
take personalized
apps and data
everywhere
you go, so the
hardware you run
it on can be almost
as important—
sometimes even
more important
than—the software
itself. Ceedo bursts
out of the gate with
a big lead here,
because it installs
on just about any
USB device you can
get your hands on,
from thumb drives
to flash cards to
USB hard drives.
And while you can
only install the app
on one device per
license, that’s no
different from U3’s
license, which is
tied to whatever
thumb drive it came
preloaded on.
WINNER: CEEDOhead 2 headTWO TECHNOLOGIES ENTER, ONE TECHNOLOGY LEAVES
round 1
BY ROBERT STROHMEYER16 MAXIMUMPC DECEMBER 2006
CEEDO
$29, http://www.ceedo.comUSB THUMB-DRIVE SOFTWARE
GUI Both U3 and
Ceedo model their
launchpad interface
on the Windows Start
menu, while taking
a few liberties in the
interest of adding
features. Of the
two, U3 is the less
obtrusive, restricting
its launcher to the
system tray where it
stays out of your way.
Once you launch it,
however, you’ll see a
fairly familiar-looking
menu replete with
icons for settings
and applications.
Ceedo takes a
similar approach, but
enhances its launcher
with a funky little
quick-launch pad that
sits just above your
task bar. So when
you need fast access
to an app you use
often—say, Firefox
or Thunderbird—it’s
just one click away.
To get autoplay
working properly, U
represents itself as
an optical drive and
a removable storage
device to your
operating system,
which can get
annoying when
you’re looking for
your files in a hurry.
WINNER: CEEDOround^2