Small on the outside and big on the inside, U.S.B. pocket drives have become a common choice for toting hefty files. The latest version of Verbatim’s Store ’n’ Go U.S.B. Drive holds 12 gigabytes of file storage on a device less than 3 inches high by 1.4 inches wide.
The Store ’n’ Go keeps data on a 1-inch hard drive and connects to the computer with a flip-out U.S.B. plug. The drive is priced at $179 and is expected to arrive in stores in the next few weeks. It works with most Windows, Macintosh and Linux systems.
Windows users also get Mobile Launchpad software, which can store and run programs right from the portable drive itself without requiring them to be installed on the host computer; details are at www.verbatim.com/hddrive. Some of the programs that you can take with you include Skype, AOL Instant Messenger and the Mozilla Thunderbird e-mail program, so you can communicate from just about any place you can find a PC with an Internet connection.
J. D. BIERSDORFER
